Sand Martin – Dhahran Percolation Pond

Whilst birding the Percolation Pond in Dhahran in late October I managed to photograph a single Sand Martin, a species I seldom get the chance to photograph. The top photograph the bird is the process of trying to catch a flying insect. The bird was alone in a group of over twenty Barn Swallows, Sand Martin is a very common passage migrant throughout Saudi Arabia with over 2,000 recorded at Dawmat al-Jandal reservoir, Northwest Saudi Arabia in April one year. A few occur in winter, but these may be late passage birds rather than true wintering individuals. Summer records are rare, and breeding has not been recorded.