Wednesday 2 December 2009

Massive roost gathering of GREY HYPOCOLIUS

My company sent me to Riyadh for 24 hours on 1st December. I arrived at my hotel - The Intercontinental in Downtown Riyadh - and after checking in at 7.20am I went out to the gardens to look for BLACK BUSH ROBIN which would be a first for me. I was amazed to find the fruit trees, bushes and gardens at the main entrance absolutely full of GREY HYPOCOLIUS, also a life bird for me. They evidentally had roosted there and were leaving, heading basically NW in flocks of twenty or thirty. I saw at least 15 such flocks depart and there were a few individuals around all day in the Golf Course grounds and some hotel bushes. I estimate there were AT LEAST 300 birds present at 07.30.

Sadly I wasn't around to check if they came back at night but i would be surprised if they didn't. I left before dawn today (2nd Dec) so I couldn't see them then either. Incidentally I found at least six of the BLACK BUSH ROBINS in the grounds plus all three bulbuls, a Sparrowhawk (female) a Desert Lesser Whitethroat, two Common Whitethroats and several chiffchaffs (Graham Langley)

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