34 
The main part of Che text consists of a systematic list which details the 
status of the 286 species recorded in the aforementioned area. There are 
also introductory sections on the habitats in the area and their 
associated bird communities, tables of ornithological data for the three 
Conservation Areas designated within the city of Yanbu itself, tables 
summarising monthly occurrence of all recorded species, and also a very 
interesting discussion of migration in the area. 
The book is illustrated in colour throughout with many bird photographs by 
the first author; a few are of less than perfect quality, but in general 
they enhance the text, and in some cases document occurrence of great 
rarities. The captioning (or lack of it) on one or two of the photographs 
is a little ambiguous, e.g. the Lesser Grey Shrike and Woodchat Shrike on 
p. 130. There are also over 20 paintings by Ed Gonzalez which evocatively 
capture birds in their typical habitats: swifts feeding over a dam, a 
Barbary Falcon soaring over an industrial complex, Slender-billed Gull 
paddling in salt pans, and, my favourite, an aerial view of an autumn 
flock of European Bee-eaters migrating over the city. 
Although comments on common or regularly occurring species are often 
pruned to the bare minimum in the systematic list, most species receiving 
less than ten lines of text, this part of the book is full of original 
observations and previously unpublished records. A rich haul of 
'vagrants' indicate that life in this industrial city has not been without 
excitement; Grey Phalarope, Arctic and Black Terns, Eversmann's Redstart, 
Booted and Green Warblers and Red-breasted Flycatcher are some of them. 
Of particular note is the immature Bald Ibis seen on 14 March 1986; 
possibly en route from Yemen to Turkey? the systematic list also contains 
a lot of information on resident and migrant birds in the area that would 
be useful to beginner and expert birdwatchers alike. The discovery of a 
population of birds tentatively identified as African Reed Warblers in 
mangroves next to Yanbu shows that there is still much new to be learnt in 
Arabia. 
A welcome feature is that the English text has been fully translated into 
Arabic and this forms the second half of the book, identical in layout and 
illustrations to the English version. As such, this book is a major 
contribution to the Arabic literature on ornithology and it will hopefully 
be widely available in schools and libraries in the region. 
In summary, a worthwhile and interesting book which birdwatchers in 
western Arabia would be well advised to buy. 
Mike Evans 
