the construction of the vast new King 
Fahd International Airport, east Saudi 
Arabia. White-tailed Plovers Chettusia 
leucura bred casually on a small 
freshwater marsh /rubbish tip near Al 
Khobar in early summer 1 992. Cuckoos 
Cuculns canorus were heard in north 
UAE and adjacent Musandem, Oman, 
during March 1 992, indica ting probable 
breeding. 
Issue nine of The Phoenix is available 
from Michael Jennings, ABBA, 1 
Warners Farm, Warners Drove, 
Somersham, Cambridgeshire PE17 
3HW, UK. (Price £2.00) 
Oman Bird News 13, Winter 1992-1993, 
publishes an account of following up 
recordings made of unusual night-calls 
in the Asir Highlands of southwest 
Saudi Arabia during November 1982. 
These have recently been identified as 
probably being those of breeding 
Mountain Nightjars Caprimulgus 
poliocephalus, a species newly 
discovered as occurring very locally in 
that region. 
Tribultis Vol 2.2 (October 1992)contains 
the following articles of interest to 
ornithologists: "Distribution of 
Harriers in Arabia" by Erik Hirschfeld 
& Colin Richardson; "Socotra 
Cormorants breeding in the UAE" by 
John Stewart-Smith; "Wildlife and 
Conservation in Eastern Yemen" by 
Michael Jennings. Colour photographs 
of Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga, 
Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus and 
Little Bittern Ixobrychus minu tus a re also 
to be found among its pages. Tribulus is 
available from OSME sales. 
The world's biggest 
birdwatch 
On the weekend of 9/10 October 1993, 
BirdLife International aims to involve 
one million people around the world 
in a giant birdwatch - Birdwatch '93. It 
is hoped that many organisations 
throughout the world will help make 
Birdwatch '93 a major success for 
conservation awareness and education. 
BirdLife International invites you to 
take part. 
You can use the event to raise money 
for OSME or any other organisation, 
recruit members, gain publicity or just 
to have fun! If you want to find out 
more about Birdwatch '93, please 
contact Birdwatch '93, BirdLife 
International, Wellbrook Court, Girton 
Road, Cambridge CB3 ONA, UK. 
Request 
Great Knots in tlie Gulf 
For a forthcoming Sandgrouse paper on 
the distribution and status of the Great 
Knot Calidris tenuirostris in Arabia, 
Robert Morris would like to receive 
any records of the species from within 
the OSME region. Please send records 
to: Robert Morris, 50 Great Clarendon 
Street, Jericho, Oxford OX2 6AX, UK, 
to arrive by 31 August 1993. 
35 
