Migration of demoiselle Cranes Across Saudi Arabia

the steppes of the Crimea north of the Black Sea to the Volga

and Ural river steppes north of the Caspian Sea. This is the region

to which the Arabian cranes are thought to be going. There is

also an isolated population which breeds locally in eastern Turkey.

In addition to the Saudi Arabian crane flyway, a smaller number

of cranes migrate via the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Although

the route of their African passage is much more speculative, it

is thought that the birds passing through Cyprus probably overwinter

further west in Africa, perhaps around Lake Chad. Through Cyprus,

the autumn passage is heavier than spring and counts have shown

approximately 3000 birds, although more recent figures are lower.

Based on their spring counts, Symens and Newton estimated the

true population passing through Haíil was in the 10,000 – 12,000

range. More recently still, crane counts over Jeddah have been

compiled based on the observations of several amateur bird watchers

– notably John Bannon, Charlie Eltham and myself. In addition,

I was also able to take some of the first photographs of the migrating

flocks in March of 1995 and 1996. On March 21, 1996, I observed

approximately 2000 birds in seven flocks, including a single large

flock of 730 birds that was accurately counted from the photograph.

This sighting was extremely exciting as the majority of the birds

passed overhead at low altitude (about 50 m. high), right above

my home in a residential compound in the Al Hamra district of

central Jeddah. The birds arrived in waves off the sea during

late afternoon at low altitude. After making landfall, they circled

around in a swirling mass on thermals steadily gaining height,

finally, moving off to the northeast in V-formations. Both my

wife and I and several of our neighbours, were captivated by this

superb wildlife spectacle right above our homes. The atmosphere

was accentuated by the regular trumpeting contact calls of the

birds: a distinctive ‘garrooo’ sound.

Further north, near King Abdulaziz International Airport, John

Bannon counted over 7000 birds on the preceding day, March 20,

1996. The return passage in September was less well documented

and quantified until Charlie Eltham sighted approximately 11,000

birds moving south over central Jeddah on September 15, 1997,

in more than twenty separate, large flocks. Based on this latest

data, spring numbers passing over Jeddah are estimated in the

range 12,000 – 15,000 birds, with a return autumn passage during

September estimated in the range 15,000 – 20,000 birds.

My own observations in Autumn are less spectacular in numerical

terms, but in early September 1994, I saw a flock of about 200

cranes flying in V-formation starting to cross the Red Sea to

Africa from Jeddahís South Corniche road. In early October 1993,

I also observed a family group of two adults and two juveniles

which remained for more than a week to feed within a wet wadi

to the east of Jeddah. This was the time when I managed to take

my very first photographs of these beautiful, elegant birds. J-O

Hedin reported over 250 cranes in mid September 1994 near Madinah

airport, which also supported the general line of the crane flyway

in Saudi Arabia. Occasional winter records of small numbers of

cranes, in December 1995 and January 1996 in wetland habitat east

of Jeddah, suggests that small numbers of birds sometimes overwinter