Records and photographs for Around the Region should be sent as soon as possible after the event to Around the Region, OSME, c/o The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, U.K.  You can also email records by using the form below.

The following assisted in the compilation of this review: Alexander Abuladze, Yosef Ali Alzaby, Vasil Ananian, Ian Andrews, Parviz Bakhtiari, Gerry Bilbao, Tom Coles, Judy Dawes, Rob Felix, Peter Flint, Ramezanali Ghaemi, Jan Goedelt, Ian Green, Nader Hamidi, Tomas Haraldsson, Peter Hellyer, Volker Hesse, Menno Hornman, Lior Kislev, Abolghasem Khaleghizadeh, Marcus Kohler, Graham Langley, Alexander Lees, Graham Lobley, Martin Lok, Mary Megalli, Peter Meininger, Babak Musavi, Yoav Perlman, Thomas Pettersson, Stefan Pfutzke, Colin Richardson, Nir Sapir, Dave Sargeant, Heiko Schmaljohann, Shellie Senzer, David Stanton, Marius Teeuw, Hannes Uhlig, Magnus Ullman, Harvey van Diek, Colin Walters, David Whaley, Frank Willems and Mark Zekhuis.

In the Dhahran area most sightings came from the sewage effluent lake. An adult Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax present on 17 and 24 December and a juvenile on 27 December were good winter records. A flock of 26 Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus on 5 September was unusual. A total of 18 Gadwall Anas strepera was present after heavy storms on 9 December. They are normally seen in the Arabian Gulf bays, rather than on freshwater habitat. A female Garganey Anas querquedula on 27 August was unusual, as the species has not been seen before on autumn passage. A Black Kite Milvus migrans on 2 December was an unusual winter record. Greater Spotted Eagles Aquila clanga were seen on 3 October, and 1, 3 and 6 November. A Lapwing Vanellus vanellus was seen on 27 October and four were present on 3 December. An Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius was seen at the lake area from 28-30 December. It is a scarce winter visitor and passage migrant. Autumn passage records of Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops [superciliosus] persicus included 21 on 17 October, 40 on 19 October, 17 on 24 October and two on 28 October. Kingfishers Alcedo atthis on 22, 24 and 31 December were the only winter records. An adult White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis was present on 26 November and 24 December. This is a rarity in eastern Saudi Arabia and has turned up in Dhahran on only a few occasions since 1996.

Two Black Redstarts Phoenicurus ochruros were seen on 3 December and a single on 17 December. A female Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva was seen on 3 September. Red-tailed Wheatear Oenanthe xanthoprymna is normally seen in spring so a single on 20 October was unusual. Further to Sandgrouse 26(2) mentioning spring passage in the Dhahran area extending to the end of May, some 15 days later than usual, we hear that it actually continued well into June, with the following additional records: Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia, six,on 1 February and a winter maximum of 800 Shelduck Tadorna tadorna 1-20 February, all at Sabkha al Fasl; Spotted Crake Porzana porzana one on 4 June at Jubail, a late spring migrant; an Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius pair seen at dusk 24 June and one 1 July in suitable breeding habitat at Khafrah Marsh; a Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla at Al Sharkiyah Agricultural Development Area, 50km southwest of Jubail on 23 April, and Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria spring passage from 12 April to 18 June, on which last date a male (in song) and a female were in gardens on the King Fahd Bahrain-Saudi Arabia Causeway.