RIYADH, 16 January — The National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development has set up a number of observation points to enable nature lovers to watch some 120 species of migratory birds that have arrived in Riyadh this winter from different countries of Europe, Africa, northwest Asia and Central Asia.
"Here’s a good opportunity to hunt for these birds with the camera," Dr. Abdul Aziz Abuzinada, secretary-general of NCWCD, has said. He added that the Commission’s researchers were already on site at Al-Hair in Riyadh for monitoring the movements of birds and ringing them for keeping track of their migratory path.
In some cases, especially with spotted eagles and houbara bustards, the commission is tagging them electronically to determine their flight pattern. Preliminary findings have indicated that the eagles have been sighted in India and Pakistan once they leave their winter abode in Saudi Arabia.
Besides eagles, the winter visitors include herons, ducks, waders, passerines and various birds of prey. The best time to watch them, according to Dr. Abuzinada, is either early morning or late afternoon.
Al-Hair is the site of the so-called Riyadh River which runs over a 30-km stretch from the south of Riyadh to Al-Kharj, the capital’s agricultural belt.
The river, fed by the discharge of recycled water from factories and the drainage system. As such, has become a breeding ground for small fish and thus a source of sustenance for the migratory birds. Cormorants, voracious fish eaters, have also started flocking to this man-made river before they fly out again toward the end of March or early April.
Dr. Abuzinada said these migratory birds could also be sighted in Jubail, Hail, Taif, Abha, Gizan and the Farasan islands. The Kingdom, as a signatory to the Bonn Convention, has already declared these to be protected areas where hunting in any form is banned. The Bonn Convention calls for the protection of migratory birds.
He said the only form of hunting allowed outside the protected areas is the one involving falcon and dogs. The use of firearms is strictly banned and anyone found with weapons in their possession would face stiff penalty.
The secretary-general observed that the presence of farms and wetlands in the Kingdom, together with the construction of dams, has been an encouraging factor in the winter migration of birds to Saudi Arabia. As such, it represents a recent phenomenon and demonstrates the success achieved in the environmental conservation program, he said.
Abuzinada said NCWCD has been coordinating with the tourism authority in identifying potential sites for the development of wildlife tourism.
