SULTANATE OF OMAN 2002

"This is a country with a great future," remarked one of the group as we drove through Muscat, the capital, and considered the good time we had had during the first leg of our trip in the Al Batinah region of northern Oman. We all agreed; it was not just that the birding was so good, but that the country had managed to "develop" without, it seemed, having sacrificed too much of the environment to "progress". Above all, however, we appreciated how everywhere we went, the people of Oman were so gracious, helpful and genuinely friendly. It makes such a difference.

The legendary Sohar sun farm lived up to its reputation as a superb birding spot, so much so that we could not resist visiting the area every day! The rather bizarre "habitat" of the cattle pens hosted an extraordinary variety of waders, all viewable at very close range and completely unconcerned by our presence. Little Ringed Plovers, Little and Temminck's Stints, Ruff, Dunlin, and Curlew Sandpipers shared the rich mucky terrain with exotics like Red-wattled Lapwing and even a vagrant Long-billed Dowitcher, returning to the same spot for its sixth winter. The surrounding spread of flat agricultural land hosted flocks of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Black-crowned Finch Larks, Tawny Pipits, Richard's Pipits and numerous Desert Wheatears. Eagles circled silently overhead, mostly Spotted (including a rare fulvescens morph) but with a few Imperials and one or two Bonelli's Eagles. We soon realised that the most concentrated action was wherever fodder was being cut, the newly exposed ground apparently teeming with invertebrate life and attracting hordes of birds. Up to 200 Indian Rollers, all sitting a few metres apart, transformed an otherwise ordinary field to a magical, jewel-studded Persian carpet of sorts. Montagu's Harriers floated gracefully a metre or two above the ground while flocks of White-winged Black and Whiskered Terns hawked unpredictably back and forth, occasionally almost brushing past our heads! Among the numerous Yellow Wagtails there were smaller numbers of Citrine Wagtails, Red-throated Pipits, Water Pipits and a superb Bimaculated Lark, creeping through the short grass very close to us! On several occasions we heard the distinctive buzzing call of a Small Skylarkand we discovered up to four, a species recorded in Oman on only a handful of occasions but one that has probably been overlooked. Other rarities here included a handsome - but solitary - Sociable Plover, a very late Caspian Plover (chased away by a male Pallid Harrier!) and best of all an intriguing "honey buzzard" which appears to have been a female Crested Honey Buzzard, a species recorded on only four previous occasions in Oman.

The acacia forest at Khatmat Milahah, by contrast, held far fewer birds, but a careful search was eventually rewarded with excellent views of the two "specialities" of the area: a couple of handsome Eastern Pied Wheatears, as well as a few Plain Leaf Warblers, much more interesting and distinctive birds than the name implies.

Crested and Lesser Crested Terns, Slender-billed Gulls and Western Reef Herons could be seen along practically any stretch of beach in the north, but it was a nice surprise to find Crab Plovers at three localities. We were lucky, too, to find a single Socotra Cormorant at Al Sawadi, a bird that can be difficult to find at this time of year.

Even in the environs of the capital there is terrific birding potential. Al Qurm Park was literally jumping with birds, the most unexpected of which was a Long-tailed Shrike, a very rare bird in Oman. Sunub dump may not be the most aesthetically pleasing of places, but when there were over a hundred Aquila eagles sitting within a 100m radius of us the aesthetic requirements did not seem to be such a priority! Here, we could compare Steppe, Imperial and Spotted Eagles in various plumages side-by-side and really appreciate the differences. It was like having the best photos in Dick Forsman's "Raptors" come to life! A handsome Hume's Wheatear singing from a nearby pile of junk provided additional excitement.

The other important site near Muscat is Al Ansab Lagoons. Unfortunately, water levels last autumn were much higher than usual, reducing the habitat available to birds, but still there was plenty to look at during our evening visit. Even though we had already had good views of Spotted Eagles everyday it was impossible not to be impressed by the magnificence of up to ten birds that had settled to roost here, looking resplendent in the warm evening sunshine. A couple of White-tailed Plovers and Spotted Crakes entertained us while we waited for Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse to arrive at the drinking pool, after which we succeeded in finding an Egyptian Nightjar, illuminated in the car headlights.

For our second week, we flew to the south of Oman and based ourselves at Salalah where both the birds and the habitat have a distinctly Afrotropical influence. Our accommodation down here may not have been quite as luxurious as it had been during the first week, but after a little adjusting all were agreed that the sight and sound of the Indian Ocean just the width of a beach away, the relaxed, friendly atmosphere and the superb cuisine made for an ideal base. With so many birding sites to choose from we were spoiled for choice. A series of freshwater lagoons known as "Khwars" up and down the coast held a variety of interesting waterbirds including Little and Baillon's Crakes, Crested Coot (a very rare bird in Oman), Saunder's Little Terns, Little Pratincole, White-tailed Plover, Pintail Snipe, Pacific Golden Plovers, Intermediate Egrets, Cotton Teal, and Clamorous Reed Warbler.

Inland a little, at Ayn Razat, we enjoyed superb views of Bruce's Green Pigeons in fruiting trees that matched their colouration perfectly; even the bright yellow belly was exactly the same shade as the odd dead leaf! The acacia forest at Ayn Hamran was another rewarding spot. The striking Black-crowned Tchagras may have stolen the show, but there was an abundance of other attractive and interesting species such as Arabian Partridge, White-breasted White-eyes, African Rock Buntings, Arabian Warblers, African Paradise Flycatchers and Rüppell's Weavers, though in truth it didn't take long for the appeal of the latter to wear thin! Fan-tailed Ravens played on the thermals that rose before the massive cliff backdrop, and the sound of Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters was never far away.

The amazing "sink-hole" at Tawi Atayr, a frighteningly deep and steep-sided hole several hundred metres deep and wide is the only place in Oman where Yemen Serin is known to occur. They can sometimes be difficult to find, or get a good view of, especially if they are down in the hole itself. It was a great relief, therefore to find a flock of about twenty-five birds foraging and flying about "up on top". What these birds lack in colour they more than make up for in character and rarity value!

Seabirds are very much a feature of the fish-rich waters of Oman and virtually the entire coast of the southern Dhofar region at this time of year is populated with masses of gulls (mostly Sooty Gulls and 'Siberian' Gulls) and terns. A seawatch from our hotel balcony often produced one or two Masked Boobies and distant Bridled Terns, but to have a good chance of seeing a few 'real' seabirds, the tubenoses, we needed to persuade a fisherman to take us out on a pelagic boat trip. After the usual haggling we agreed on a price, piled into the small boat and headed out to sea. Within just a few minutes we were enjoying by far our best views yet of Bridled Terns as a small party of mostly young birds fished around the boat. Later, we would see one sitting on a fishing float just a few metres from us. Suddenly, there was a Noddy, right beside the boat, but it appeared and disappeared so quickly there was little chance to positively identify it. Still, it looked lovely! A little further out we started to pick up Red-necked Phalaropes, bobbing about like little white corks. In spite of what had been agreed beforehand our boatman seemed intent on staying within just a kilometre or two of the shore, but he eventually yielded to the hand signals indicating we needed to get further out to sea. It wasn't until we were perhaps 6 or 7 kilometres out that we started to see Jouanin's Petrels, and occasionally one would come very close to the boat. We saw a few Persian Shearwaters too, and they were so amazingly tolerant of the boat's approach we could almost have reached out and touched them! The journey back to port was a wet one, and judging from the smile on the boatman's face with every splashing wave it was hard not to believe he wasn't just getting us back for insisting he take us out a little further. Thank God for waterproof optics!

Our visit to the oasis near Qitbit, for sandgrouse, provided one of the most memorable experiences of all. It was nothing less than awe-inspiring to witness wave after wave of these beautiful birds arriving from all directions to take a few sips of precious water, their evocative calls filling the silent desert air.

I can hardly wait for the next trip to this wonderful country!

Bird List

Column A = number of days recorded
Column B = greatest daily count

Oman bird list
return to Oman
return to Europe introduction
return to Calendar

Escapees

return to top of page
return to Oman
return to Europe introduction
return to Calendar