Of Western Saudi Arabia Arabian Wildlife

Birds of Western Saudi Arabia Arabian Wildlife SAUDI ARABIA SUDAN of Western Saudi Arabia The outstanding natural beauty of the landscape of western Saudi Arabia is fully complemented by its varied wildlife. In particular, the region has an impressive variety of bird species, augmented signifi ?' cantly by the twice-yearly migrations of many birds between Africa and their Eurasian breeding areas. This two-part article presents an account of the bird watching year in the west and southwest of the country and describes the principal habitats, both natural and man made, from the Red Sea eastwards into the Sarawat mountains. Dr. Graham R. Lobley Accessible bird watching sites are mentioned, which are typical of PART ONE the varied habitats of this fascinating region. The Hijaz and Asir provinces of w estern and south-western has been transformed into a well-watered garden and park Saudi Arabia are exciting places to bird , lying at the land habitat, attractive to many mig rant passerines Palaearctic and Afrotropical faunal boundary. The (perching birds), notably shrikes and bee-eaters. biodiversity of the region is considerably enhanced by the Crab Plover high coastal Sarawat mountain range, which runs parallel to the Red Sea. Jebel Souda in Asir is the highest point in the Kingdom, at 3050m. Rainfall is considerable in these mountains (200-600mm/yr.), especially along the scenically dramatic west-facing escarpment rim zone, which supports a band of Juniper forest up to 3 km. width in Asir. These woodlands hold a wealth of special birds including Yemen Linnet, Brown Woodland Warbler, Yemen Warbler, Yemen Thrush and Dusky Turtle Dove. Nine of the ten species endemic to the Arabian peninsula are found in the Asir mountains. Only the Arabian Accentor is restricted entirely to the Yemen. Additionally, two endemic subspecies, the South Arabian Wheatear and the Asir Magpie are restricted to these mountains, the latter entirely to the Asir province. Migration time is especially fruitful in Marchi April and September10ctober. The western coastal Tihama corridor constitutes a major migration flyway, funneling birds to and from Africa. Soaring birds, such as raptors (birds of prey) and storks, make the narrow southern Red Sea crossing at the straits of Bab el Mandeb, between Yemen and Djibouti. Thousands of Steppe Eagles make the crossing to over winter on the African savanna, returning via the same route the follOWing spring to brETd on the steppes of Asia. The Tihama is a dry sandy plain, with stunted acacias and milkweed, so the smaller migrants concentrate at dry wadis ~ which have more natural cover. Many pass directly through ~ ~ Jeddah. With the benefits of desalination, this modern city ~ 10 Volume :C •.Number I Arabian Wildlife Birds of Western Saudi Arabia The impressive oil wealth of the Kingdom has produced one a Red Sea speciality as its breeding range is virtually of the world's most rapid economic transformations, one restricted to the Red Sea, from which it extends just south result being an excellent surfaced road infrastructure, into the Gulf of Aden and north into the Gulfs of Suez and enabling ready access to all the typical habitats. Although 4 Aqaba. wheel drive is preferred, much birding and photography Spring migration is less spectacular than autumn, with a can be accomplished with an ordinary saloon car. There are slightly different species mix. Wheatear and Black-eared several spectacular escarpment ascents into the mountains Wheatear pass in early March with numerous small flocks via surfaced roads - to Taif, Baha and Abha - each are feats of Yellow Wagtails of mainly the eastern beema form. Red of modern civil engineering. From these ascents it is easy to throated Pipits are very evident in March and April, and see Tristram's Grackle and flocks of Fan-tailed Ravens. there is a stronger Bee-eater passage in spring compared to autumn. Common migrant waders include W ood and Red Sea coast and Jeddah Green Sandpiper. A typical topographic section from the west coast eastwards into the mountains starts at Topographical Section (Not to Scale) th e Red Sea. The coral reef is one of the JIII/iper world's richest ecosystems, and the birds of Acacia Woodlalld Acacia Wadis Milkweed the shore are correspondingly varied. Terns ,/ Foothills Foothills 1 are abundant - including Saunders' Little, f----:::====::;7(""c7'==( Semi Desert 1 Acacia 1 White-cheeked, Gull-billed, Swift, Lesser Mil kweed 1 Sa lt Boulder 1 crested and Caspian. Interes ting gulls Lagoon Outcrops 1 include Sooty, White-eyed and Slender- 10: 100 km Tihama billed, the latter occurring in large flocks in the winter months. Other birds seen here include Wes tern Autumn migration is well underway by mid-late August Reef Heron, Spoonbill, Greater Flamingo and Pink-backed with the arrival of the first Red-backed Shrike, Golden Pelican with an occasional Brown Booby fishing inshore. Oriole and Roller. The peak passage for smaller passerines One of the most interesting waders is the Crab Plover is September, which includes a small number of Rufous which is fairly easily seen just south of Jeddah, towards Bu sh Robin, Bluethroat, Upcher's Warbler and Lesser Grey Shaba, especially during the winter months_ Shrike. Good numbers of Woodchat and Masked Shrikes are observed and Red-backed Shrike is much the commonest Jeddah and its environs attract an impressive number of shrike, with up to 20 present in suitable locations in Jeddah passage migrants, winter visitors and breeding birds. in mid-September. Flocks of 25+ Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Common residents include Ruppell's Weaver, Nile Valley pass through later, into early November, by which time up Sunbird, African and Indian Silverbills, Black Bush Robin, to six heron species can be observed inla nd - Squacco, Grenier along with abundant Ring-necked Parakeet, Common Night, Grey and Purple Herons along with both Little and Flamingoes in Mynah, House Crow and Yellow-vented B·ulbul. The Cattle Egrets. flight Bulbul's pleasant call is a characteristic feature of the dawn chorus of Jeddah's birds. The Black-winged Stilt is an opportunistic breeder on seasonal lakes and the Spur-winged Plover is another likely breeder. Good numbers of Glossy Ibis spend the winter here and wa s te ground and parkland hold Namaqua and Palm dove together with wintering Isabelline Shrike. Five other shrikes are passage migrants. Both the Bee-eater and Blue-cheeked Bee eaters are common migrants whilst the Little Green Bee-eater is a resident. Other impressive migrants include waders such as the Caspian Plover and Terek Sandpiper. In summer, the handsome White-eyed Gull can be easily seen from Jeddah's North Corniche, when both White-cheeked and Caspian Terns can also be found. The gull is Volume 2. Number 1 11 Birds of Western Saudi Arabia Arabian Wildlife Attra ctive mangrove-fringed saline lagoons at Shaba, 140 km. south of Jed dah, have breeding White-cheeked Terns on coral islets in July/August and the Sooty Falcon is a possible visitor to this area in s ummer. T he Pallid Ha rrier is the premium raptor mig rant along the coast and across the Tihama, with a s tron g passa ge in March and a return passa ge ex tending into November. Kingfi shers are quite common in winter. The magnificent Osprey is a fairly common resident all ~ along the Red Sea coast. ~ Ospreys often use lamposts ~ along beach roads a s favourite perches and White-eyed Gorgeous Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, H oopoe and up to six feeding places, where they can sometimes be seen eating Gull. s hrike sp ecies considerably enhance bird watching at fish. The Farasan islands, in the southern Red Sea, support mi grati on times. One may also be lucky enou gh to see flocks one of the highest breeding densities of this species in the of migra ting Demoiselle Cranes. These birds pass directly world. over Jeddah in late March, often in fl ocks approaching 100 birds. The exhilarating sight and trumpeting calls of a There are several important areas along the Red Sea where flock of these inreasingly rare birds passing directly over mangroves occur, especiall y in the Asir Tihama between the city is undoubtedly the highlight of the bird watching Amq and Al Qamah. Amq is about 5 hours drive south of year in Jeddah. The return migration in auhlmn is not so Jeddah, on the main coast road to Ji zan . These latter well documented; some observations suggest that the cranes mangroves form an extensive woodland belt along the return in smaller family parties using th e wadis along the shore. The mangroves ex tend for tens of kilometres and eastern ed ge of the Tihama. These beautiful cranes spend form an important ecosystem. the winter months on the opposite side of the Red Sea, from northern Ethiopia and into Sudan. Mangroves prov ide safe feeding, n es ting and roosting places for many bird species. Both herons and Spoonb;lls Bill e-cheeked Nubian cmd Egyptian Nightjars both occur in Jeddah during nest within these maritime thickets. In addition, mangroves bee-eater, the winter months (September-March) - th e N ubian is the in the Asir Tihama form an especially important win tering juvenile first to arrive (September-December) and the Egyptian area for many northern wading birds, s uch a s Terek follow s a Sandpiper, Redshank and Whimbrel. Resident birds such as few months the fascinating Crab Plover are also quite common here. (Janua ry Outside the breeding season, this species ranges south, as March). The far along the east African coast as Kenya and Tanzania, Nig ht jars although it is decidedly more local and difficult to see on the have been Kenya coast.

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