Saudi Arabia

TBC April 2023

Leader: TBC

Saudi Arabia, for so long not on the birding map only recently opened up to foreign tourists. Following on from our highly-successful tours in 2022 - we were the first bird tour company to visit the country - we go in search of all the specialities that made our previous tours so successful.
Species only previously thought to be available in Yemen are all found here, along with Saudi Arabia's single endemic, the Endangered Asir Magpie. Good food, excellent road network and good accommodation make this a pleasant, bird-filled tour.

Day 1:
Arrivals into Riyadh International Airport (RUH).

Day 2:
A morning in the desert in search of Arabian Lark, a little-known recent split from Dunn’s Lark. Other species possible here include Bar-tailed Lark, Greater Hoopoe-Lark, Temminck’s Lark, Bar-tailed Lark, Great Grey Shrike, and Asian Desert Warbler. There is also an outside chance of Thick-billed Lark.
Afternoon flight to Abha, deep in the Asir region, and the Sarawat Mountains.

Days 3-5:
Three full days birding along the escarpment edge at various points in the Asir region. We visit a range of habitats, but primarily the wooded wadi’s in the area. The most important bird in the area is the endemic Asir Magpie of which perhaps fewer than 100 pairs remain. In addition, near-Saudi endemics we’ll search for include Arabian Partridge, Philby’s Partridge, Arabian Scops Owl, Arabian Eagle Owl, Arabian Warbler, Arabian Woodpecker, Arabian Wheatear, Buff-breasted Wheatear (potential split from Red-breasted), Yemen Thrush, Yemen Warbler, Rufous-capped Lark, Arabian Waxbill, Arabian Sunbird (a recent split from Shining), Arabian (Olive-rumped) Serin, Yemen Serin and Yemen Linnet.  In addition, we’re likely to see Hamerkop, Fan-tailed Raven, Grey-headed Kingfisher, African Grey Hornbill, White-throated Bee-eater, White-browed Coucal, Black-crowned Tchagra, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Dusky Turtle-Dove, Little Swift, African and Long-billed Pipits, Brown Woodland-Warbler, Abyssinian White-eye, White-spectacled Bulbul, African Pipit, Gambaga Flycatcher, Little Rock-thrush, Tristram’s and Violet-backed Starling, Starling, Scrub Warbler, Palestine and Nile Valley Sunbirds, Black Scrub-robin, Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, and Ruppell’s Weaver. Mammal wise, Hamadryas Baboon should be seen.

Day 6:
In the coastal lowlands around Jazan, the primary target will be the localised Arabian Golden Sparrow that has been recorded in this area in recent years, though by no means guaranteed, as though they flock around cultivation in the winter, they seem to totally disperse by the early spring. However, we will go in search of them!
Plenty of other species are possible in this area, including Harlequin Quail, Nubian Nightjar, Singing Bushlark, Helmeted Guineafowl, Abyssinian Roller, ‘Mangrove White-eye’, a mooted split from the Abyssinian White-eyes we will already have seen, and ‘Mangrove Reed Warbler’ – a potential split from Eurasian Reed Warbler. Any additional time available can be spent along the shoreline in search of White-eyed and Sooty Gulls, Saunders’s Tern, Crab Plover and Goliath Heron. In addition, in April migration will be in full swing, so we can expect falls of migrants all along the coast and vegetated areas - White-throated Robins, Masked Shrike, an array of Sylvid and Acrocephalus warblers, Western Yellow Wagtails, flycatchers (including Semi-collared), Rufous-tailed Bush-Robins, and likely a few raptors too.

Day 7:
International departures from Riyadh International Airport (RUH).

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