[StuartReeves]

Readers with good memories may recall this: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=117622. Well now here's the sequel.

[StuartReeves]

Day 1

Our first sight of Oman was the heavy traffic on the main road outside of Muscat airport, which lasted all the way to our accommodation for the night (an overpriced tent in the grounds of the Al Sawadi hotel) an hour’s drive away. Birding didn’t start until the next morning, where at least our location allowed us the luxury of some introductory beach birding before breakfast. Common birds of the area included Purple Sunbird, White-cheeked and Red-vented Bulbuls, with the odd Indian Roller and Black-crowned Finch Lark also taking advantage of the well-watered hotel grounds. The early morning walk was also the first of many opportunities we had to get confused by sandplovers, with both Greater and Lesser being present. We also scored an Isabelline double, though again this was to be the first of many as both shrike and wheatear proved to be ubiquitous on subsequent days.

A short exploration of the nearby Khwar (coastal lagoon) after breakfast revealed more waders, including Greenshank, Little Stint and Terek Sandpiper, though viewing was disrupted for a while as a juvenile Peregrine sought its lunch. The area also held a Marsh Harrier and a Steppe Eagle, though these caused less panic amongst the waders. Numerous gulls and terns were loafing on the beach. Of which, more later, except to say that this was our first introduction to the smart local Sooty Gulls.

Next, it was back in to the traffic to explore further sites along Oman’s North-east coast (the area known as Al Batinah). The coastal mangrove site of Liwa was our next stop, with the main target species being Collared Kingfisher and Sykes’ Warbler. In the event we scored only Common Kingfisher and no warblers whatsoever. Sohar sun farms were much more enjoyable and productive however. Here, extensive irrigation is used to grow fodder for cattle which are housed elsewhere on the farm. The result is large circular areas of greenery that stand out from the arid surroundings and are very attractive to birds. Our time that evening was limited, but even so it was clear that the area held good numbers of wagtails and pipits as well as a few Marsh Harriers, a couple of Lesser Kestrels and various other birds taking full advantage of the good feeding that the cultivation offered. The drive out of the farm also gave us Grey Francolin, Little Green Bee-eater and some distant sandgrouse.

Our next task was to find a hotel for the night. While we had directions to a couple in the locality, the task took longer than it should have done due to us becoming confused by new road developments. The area is developing very rapidly, but the pattern of development seems to involve building the roads first then letting development follow. But it seems the road itself is not enough, they also have to come with bright streetlights and lush, irrigated verges, even though they are bordered either side by little more than desert scrub. It was along one such apparent road to nowhere that we eventually found the hotel.

[Edward]

Glad to hear you made it back OK Stuart. I was beginning to worry that you and Mollymawk had been tempted to do a pelagic in the Arabian Sea and were now in captivity in Mogadishu. Any photos in future instalments?

E

[StuartReeves]

Originally Posted by Edward

Glad to hear you made it back OK Stuart. I was beginning to worry that you and Mollymawk had been tempted to do a pelagic in the Arabian Sea and were now in captivity in Mogadishu. Any photos in future instalments?

E

Hi Edward,

We decided that we weren't that desperate to see Socotra Cormorant, so we passed on the pelagic. Numerous photos to follow in future installments.

Stuart

[Jos Stratford]

Originally Posted by Edward

I was beginning to worry that you and Mollymawk had been tempted to do a pelagic in the Arabian Sea and were now in captivity in Mogadishu.

Hmm, licks lips, a free trip to Somalia, one of the few African countries I have yet to visit But I understand it can be expensive to get back again, rather negating the free ticket there

No Socotra Cormorants anywhere Stuart?

[Xenospiza]

Did you see this oddity?
http://www.birdpix.nl/album_page.php...&recent=1&db=1
Oman seems to be very popular nowadays...

[Sancho]

Originally Posted by Xenospiza

Oman seems to be very popular nowadays...

Thanks for the reports, Stuart...and the memories. I spent a year in Oman in the early ´90´s, lived in the Batinah (Barka) and taught in a school in the foothills of the Jebel Akdar (Wadi Ma´awil). Unfortunately I´d lapsed from Birding at the time and your posts fill me with regret! Now I just have to go back.....

[StuartReeves]

Originally Posted by Jos Stratford

No Socotra Cormorants anywhere Stuart?

Without giving too much away, I can reveal that Socotra Cormorant did not feature anywhere in our trip.

Originally Posted by Xenospiza

Did you see this oddity?
http://www.birdpix.nl/album_page.php...&recent=1&db=1
Oman seems to be very popular nowadays...

Thankfully we did not see that oddity, not knowingly at least. I found Steppe Eagles quite variable and confusing enough in their own right without having to consider hybrids.

[mollymawk]

What Stuart hasn't explained is the mild terror engendered by having to drive a criminally underpowered car (sub 1.0 litre Peugeot 206 with a boot) on these overlit roads while having juggernauts, V8 landcruisers and almost everything else bearing down usually 1 metre off the bumper.

And the 'tent' which Stuart booked. They saw you coming. Egregiously overpriced (in comparison to the modestly priced, pleasant and clean premises elsewhere) and brutally hot as soon as the sun came up - it seem to be covered in a material with the same properties of heat gain as matt black corrugated iron. And surrounded by insomniac, feral dogs of dubious health status.

The Sun Farms at Salalah were fascinating and not just because of the birds. Dairy farming in a desert is a tremendous challenge and seeing it in action was wonderful. We just rolled up and asked to get in and, once we had seen the main man, we signed in and were let in. Friendly, courteous and thoroughly trustworthy people (and that was our experience everywhere without exception).

Pictures of the 'tent', the Green Oasis hotel (pleasant) in Sohar, the car and the Sun Farms are attached.

Once Stuart gets round to doing a bit more, I'll put up some bird photos.

[StuartReeves]

Having got a flavour of Sohar sun farms the previous afternoon, we opted to spend the whole of day 2 there. We found one of the green areas that was being harvested, with many birds taking advantage of insects disturbed by the tractor in the manner of gulls following a plough. The birds involved were an incongruous mix of 100 or so Common Mynahs, twenty White-winged Black Terns, two Lesser Kestrels, around 35 Indian Rollers and a scatter of White Storks and Cattle Egrets. Along the field edges were good numbers of White and Yellow Wagtails, and pipits including Tawny, Water, Red-throated and the odd Richard’s. Corn Buntings, Indian Silverbills and larks also featured, with the latter including both Eurasian and Oriental Skylarks as well as Short-toed. A smart juvenile Montagu’s Harrier also showed very well, apparently completely unconcerned by our presence, and some fly-over sandgrouse showed well enough for us to nail them as Chestnut-bellied.

Moving on to the cow sheds, it became apparent that these were as attractive in their own way to birds as the irrigated greenery grown to feed the cattle. Amongst the cattle, the cow sheds also held an extraordinarily diverse range of waders and herons. Ruff, Red-wattled Plover and Common Sandpiper were the most abundant, but other species feeding in the slurry included Little and Temminck’s Stint, Glossy Ibis, Little Ringed Plover, some smart Pacific Golden Plovers, and, most incongruously, a few Turnstones. Around the corner from the farm buildings were some small settling ponds, where birds were even more numerous. Waders again predominated, with Black-winged Stilt, and Wood and Green Sandpipers joining the mix from earlier. Wagtails here included both Citrine and Masked, and White-winged Black and Whiskered Tern were also present.


Below:
Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse
Little Green Bee-eater
Montagu's Harrier
Masked Wagtail

[StuartReeves]

Day 3 started with a visit to another mangrove site, Shinas, where we hoped once again for Collared Kingfisher and Sykes’ Warbler, with an outside chance of Great Stone Plover. In the event we drew a blank on all three of these long shots. From there we headed up to Khatmat Milahah, a village just before the border with UAE. Here, an open area with some largish ‘Ghaf' trees provides wintering habitat for a couple of species that are hard to find elsewhere in the main part of Oman. The first of these revealed its presence by a sharp, sparrow-like call from the middle of a tree. On closer inspection the bird itself was a small and plain warbler very similar to a Chiffchaff. Indeed, if it hadn’t been for that call I would have identified it as a Chiff, instead of as a Plain Leaf Warbler, as it is so evocatively named. After that excitement, we soon found a couple of the other speciality, Eastern Pied Wheatear, with other birds of this enjoyable, though very hot, area including Arabian Babbler and Desert Lesser Whitethroat.

Turning back towards Muscat, we stopped again at Shinas, hoping that the tide might be more in favour this time. It was, but the birding was no more productive. The most memorable sighting was on rack near a fisherman’s hut, where along with a few floats, the remains of a dolphin was hanging in the sun, presumably to tan the skin. After that we (or, strictly speaking, Mollymawk) had a rather punishing drive back to Seeb where we stayed overnight and enjoyed an Oman rarity in the form of our first beers of the trip.


Below:

Shinas mangroves
on Shinas beach
Khatmat Milahah

[Jos Stratford]

Originally Posted by mollymawk

And the 'tent' which Stuart booked. They saw you coming.

I'll post up my tent picture when I return ...might look a little different

[mollymawk]

Day 2: I really enjoyed the Sun Farms particularly the second evening where the harvesting of the lucerne (cattle feed zero grazed) was attracting such a mixed variety of birds. The evening light on the hunting, hawking and frenetic birds was quite memorable.

Pictures from the Sun farms: Indian Roller,Black-winged Stilt, White-winged Black Tern, Montague’s Harrier, Lesser Kestrel

[mollymawk]

Day 3: Khatmat Milahah was the first taste of proper desert scrub and we were rewarded with 2 lifers. Prior to the nightmare drive and the well-deserved beers we spent a little time at some lagoons near in the centre of Shinas. Stuart had a few Zs in the car while I got some shots of the confiding but rather dull wintering Dunlins. Technically quite pleasing but hardly stunning plumage.

Pictures from Khatmat Milahah: Plain Leaf Warbler

Pictures from Shinas lagoon: Dunlin x2

Note: All the Oman photos can be seen on the on-line gallery below.

[mollymawk]

After a few beers, a fine curry and a good night's sleep in Seeb, we took an efficient internal flight to Salalah. We picked up yet another pristine, brand new hire car (little did they know) and a little later after finding a pleasant gaff by the Indian Ocean, we went off to some birding at Salalah's East Khwar and the adjacent beach. There were quite staggering numbers of gulls and terns loafing on the beach - far more than I've ever seen in the one place. Mostly Sooty, Caspian and Siberian Gulls supplemented by a good numbers of a Swift Terns and smaller numbers of Gull-billed and Lesser Crested Terns and one Caspian Tern. They seemed to be attracted by the fishermen who were hauling out huge nets full of sardine-sized fish, loading them into landcruisers and driving off. There didn't seem to be frenetic feeding and thievery one would expect with Herring Gulls and LBBs - perhaps they had their fill as there were enormous numbers being landed.

Stuart will no doubt add to this (especially on fishing gear) but here's some more photos:

[StuartReeves]

Agreed, the gull watching at the beach there was excellent, partly for the sheer spectacle of the numbers of birds, but also because of the opportunity to take a good look at the various species present at close range and in a pleasant environment; two factors rarely encountered in British gull-watching, so I’m told. Incidentally, the sardine-like fish (that were being caught with a beach seine) were what we in the trade refer-to as “sardines”.

Alick (Mollymawk) is forgetting that our first day in Salalah was also our first encounter with East Khawr, a lagoon behind the beach that we visited at least daily while we were in Salalah. On first view the lagoon held around 20 Greater Flamingos, ten Glossy Ibis and a spoonbill. But not just any old spoonbill; Alick took one look and blurted “African Spoonbill!”, for that is what it was. A major rarity in Oman apparently, but one that, unbeknownst to us, may have been present in the area for some time (see: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=119069). On that visit, the site also held a Broad-billed Sandpiper, a few Saunders’ Little Terns and a couple of photogenic Isabelline Shrikes.


Below:
East Khawr
Not just any old spoonbill
Saunders' Little Terns
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Isabelline Shrike

[Jos Stratford]

Originally Posted by StuartReeves

Alick took one look and blurted “African Spoonbill!”, for that is what it was. A major rarity in Oman apparently, but one that, unbeknownst to us, may have been present in the area for some time

Ta, another one to keep an eye out for

[StuartReeves]

Today was our first chance to catch-up with some of the “Dhofar specialities”, bird species found in southern Oman but not in the north of the country. We started the day at Ayn Hamran, a valley in the mountains not far from Salalah, where a natural spring ensures a supply of water and greenery. A slow walk up the valley proved very productive with new birds including Arabian Warbler, Rueppel's Weaver, spectacular African Paradise Flycatchers, African Rock Bunting and White-breasted White-eye. However, perhaps the best of the Dhofar specials were the Arabian Partridges skulking around the valley sides. The area also held a few Palearctic migrants including Tree Pipit & Spotted Flycatcher as well as one each of Red-breasted Flycatcher and Wood Warbler.

As the sun started to warm up, so did the soaring birds, with the ridge above us producing Fantail Raven, and Short-toed and Imperial Eagles. Best of the bunch however, were two adult Verraux’s Eagles that showed well for an extended period hunting over the mountainside.

Below:
Ayn Hamran
Rueppel's Weavers
Arabian Partridge

[StuartReeves]

After the natural beauty of Ayn Hamran, the next site was a dump. Literally. The waste disposal site on the outskirts of Salalah retains some vestiges of natural beauty from its location in the foothills, but there’s no escaping the fact that it’s a rubbish-strewn wasteland, which on the day of our visit, was garnished with some freshly dead cows, much to Alick’s fascination. Of course there had to be an ornithological reason for our visit, and there they were soaring above us. In winter the dump is highly attractive to eagles, particularly Steppe Eagles, of which there were at least 150 around. They were accompanied by 100 or so White Storks, a few Imperial Eagles and our only Black Kite of the trip. The views (and photo-opportunities) of these birds were simply staggering, so close were some of them, but witnessing such a great wildlife spectacle in such a squalid location led to decidedly mixed feelings.

We spent the rest of the afternoon checking some of the minor sites to the west of Salalah, with the highlight being a small group of Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters at West Khawr.

In the evening we went into town for a meal where a "traditional Omani" restaurant caught our eye. The staff were of Indian sub-continent origin (in itself no great surprise as this was the case virtually everywhere) but things took a strange turn when we were led into a small room with no windows, and just a few cushions scattered around the walls, and the door was closed behind us. The waiter then returned with the menu but eating alone in something akin to a cell was bizarre experience. I'll leave Alick to fill you in on the joys of traditional Omani bread curry.

Below, mostly Steppe Eagles. No prizes for spotting the odd one out.

[mollymawk]

Stuart is right - it was the East Khwar. The West one was almost impossible to view and we didn't give it much attention.

I was very pleased about the African Spoonbill although it didn't present any great identification challenge and wasn't even a tick. However, it did provide us with a little entertainment and an excuse for an argument. Stuart booted it before I got a decent photo (although I got good ones later) and we bickered about a juvenile Eurasian with black legs. Was it African or Eurasian.

The dump was amazing. I have never been so close to any eagle and the shots we got were extraordinary.

More photos:

[gerdwichers8]

Haha, great stuff all this. Must admit that I awaited a heavy load on my chest, before reading all this good news.
Since I knew you people were going there and since I had to leave autumn migration in mind for a present trip I expected not to return with these irons in the oven.
It's your turn now Stuart and Mollymawk

Look at those smashing numbers of Gulls there at the beach!!! Far less in July and August.

[Stephen C]

Nice read Stuart/Mollymawk. Enjoying a few trip reports whilst looking after my ill 2 yr old over last couple of days. Probably have to catch up with the rest after Christmas now though so will check in later.

All the best

[Edward]

Fine stuff, Stuart and Alick, and some sumptuous photos. Has Stuart started on the slippery slope of gullwatching? Just say no, Stuart.
Plenty of potential lifers for me, but Verreaux's Eagle is the stand out (as I missed them in Kenya). Sure they weren't Rocs?

E

[StuartReeves]

Thanks for the interest folks.

Gerd, its swings and roundabouts with the timing; we did well for gulls and waders but the seawatching was nowhere near as good as when you were there.

Edward, I think they were Verraux's Eagles rather than Rocs, but I confess my eagle ID skills did prove a little shaky at times. As for the gullwatching, it's OK, I can handle it.

[StuartReeves]

We started the next day with a seawatch east of Salalah at Ras Mirbat. An hour’s vigil produced reasonable views of around 20 Jouanin’s Petrels and five Persian Shearwaters, along with 30 or so Bridled Terns. The first two were our primary target species, so job done, though it’s fair to say that the seawatch was functional rather than thrilling.

Next stop was back towards Salalah at Wadi Darbat, where once again, open water results in both greenery and birds. The initial highlights were overhead in the shape of two Greater Spotted Eagles and half a dozen Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters. Walking along the water’s edge, we flushed the occasional snipe, and on each occasion we tried to convince ourselves that it might be a Pintail Snipe. In most cases we were unsuccessful, but eventually a bird flushed that had a clearly different call, and showed a dark barred underwing with no obvious pale trailing edge; all features consistent with Pintail Snipe. My attempts to find an Olive-backed Pipit amongst a flock of pipits were less successful, presumably because all of the birds present were Tree Pipits.

As you might expect, the best place for Yemen Serin is Yemen. The next best place however, is in Oman, at Tawi Atayr, which holds a small population 1000km away from the nearest known breeding site. The site itself is a large sinkhole, several hundred metres deep which was formed when a cave collapsed. Things looked promising when we arrived, with two Lappet-faced Vultures high overhead, but after an hour of staring into a large hole in the ground, trying to string distant African Silverbills or African Rock Buntings into our target species, we realised that at best we would get distant and unsatisfactory views of a small brown job neither of us was particularly bothered about seeing, so we cut our losses and left. The road out was actually more productive, producing three smart male South Arabian Wheatears.

Seeking to avoid the heat of the midday sun , we stopped for lunch under an acacia tree at Khawr Rawri. A Wood Warbler was also using the tree for the same purposes, and the site also held three Greater Spotted Eagles, including a juvenile of the pale ‘fulvescens’ morph. We were both feeling the heat at that point, so probably didn’t give the site the attention it deserved, but my notes have vague comments about flamingos and spoonbills also being present.

After a break in the village of Taqah, where we enjoyed refreshments, a power nap, and the tropical, almost African, ambience of the place, the last birding destination of the day was the small wooded park at Ayn Razat. Here we ran into “the Dhofar Swift problem”. The swifts that breed in this part of Oman, known as “Dhofar Swifts”, are of uncertain taxonomy, and their plumage characteristics are pretty much intermediate between Common and Pallid Swifts. The latter two species also occur, hence the swifts we noticed over the ridges above Ayn Razat required close attention. The first ones we saw were easy – they were Alpine Swifts! – but some smaller, dark birds were also present. With half-decent scope views I could make-out reasonable plumage details on these birds but really not enough to convince myself whether they were Common or “Dhofar” Swifts. Fortunately the other species we found in the area presented few ID problems and were much more obliging, as hopefully the photos show.

Those photos in full:
Greater Spotted Eagle
Ras Mirbat
Wadi Darbat area
Blackstart, Ayn Razat
Shining Sunbird, Ayn Razat