Nohatch
Mad scientist
While booking flights for a work trip to Brisbane, Australia, an interesting option popped up: a promotional fare with Etihad via Abu Dhabi and Perth. Having never been ‘down under’ before, the chance to visit two extremes of this island-continent was too good to pass up. Initially I was supposed to have 2.5 days at each, but a late schedule change by Etihad cut short my Perth stay by over half a day. Frustrating, but it did provide the opportunity to have a decent stopover in the UAE. The trip was planned with help from two local Birding Pals (Ms Athena Georgiou in Perth and Ms Julie Sarna in Brisbane who deserve a massive thanks for all their help) and eBird for focusing my checklists (the bar charts are particularly handy as they help weed out the rare stuff and focus on what you’re likely to see – invaluable on a first visit to a new continent). Apart from my one full day in Perth, on which my Birding Pal showed me around, the trip was self-guided and done on foot in Perth and by rental car in Brisbane. Both locations are easy to navigate with excellent infrastructure (as one would expect) and plenty of online resources. I hope this mini-trip report will inspire to pay this amazing country a visit; feel free to message me with questions or if I can be any help planning your trip!
Joost
Pre-trip stopover in Abu Dhabi (19 June 2017)
Mid-June…not really the best time to visit the UAE and I learnt the hard way why the locals and expat community don’t venture out during the day! With the help of eBird and the friendly folk at uaebirding.com I had identified the Al’Ain area as a good place to see some of the local specialties. The drive over was easy on quiet and shiny new motorways and I arrived at half past 8. I first explored Wadi Tarabat (the gravel road was easy even in a 2WD car and led quite far into the wadi), then Jebel Hafit, the Green Mubazzarah and Ain al-Fayda. By mid-morning it was already scorching and there were not many birds around. Highlights of Wadi Tarabat were a pair of Egyptian Vulture low overhead, a Desert Lark and two small groups of Green Bee-eater which showed beautifully. Up Jebel Hafit I picked up my first Brown-necked Raven and a few more Desert Lark. The hotel grounds were a bit more productive with Purple Sunbird, (Pale) Rock Martins, introduced White-eared Bulbul and Common Myna, a pair of White-spectacled Bulbul and a splendid male Hume’s Wheatear. By the time I reached the Green Mubazzarah the midday heat made leaving the car decidedly unappealing. Having a surreptitious lunch in the car (because Ramadan) the only species of note that were added were no less than four Indian Roller and the very common Red-wattled Lapwings. Ain al-Fayda turned out to be a totally run-down affair with a mostly empty duck pond, hosting a family of Black-winged Stilt and a surprise Kentish Plover. On the way back to the airport I stopped off briefly at Zakher Lake – unfortunately it was way too hot to walk around the lake but this site looks pretty good for an early morning visit with plenty of distant waders and gulls. I spotted some of the Greater Flamingo and Little Grebe, but most of it was too distant to identify properly. All in all it wasn’t a bad layover considering the time of year, and it’s true I didn’t visit any coastal sites for Socotra Cormorant, terns etc., but I’ll probably give it a miss next time round. A total of 21 species seen of which 8 lifers and 3 introduced species.
Joost
Pre-trip stopover in Abu Dhabi (19 June 2017)
Mid-June…not really the best time to visit the UAE and I learnt the hard way why the locals and expat community don’t venture out during the day! With the help of eBird and the friendly folk at uaebirding.com I had identified the Al’Ain area as a good place to see some of the local specialties. The drive over was easy on quiet and shiny new motorways and I arrived at half past 8. I first explored Wadi Tarabat (the gravel road was easy even in a 2WD car and led quite far into the wadi), then Jebel Hafit, the Green Mubazzarah and Ain al-Fayda. By mid-morning it was already scorching and there were not many birds around. Highlights of Wadi Tarabat were a pair of Egyptian Vulture low overhead, a Desert Lark and two small groups of Green Bee-eater which showed beautifully. Up Jebel Hafit I picked up my first Brown-necked Raven and a few more Desert Lark. The hotel grounds were a bit more productive with Purple Sunbird, (Pale) Rock Martins, introduced White-eared Bulbul and Common Myna, a pair of White-spectacled Bulbul and a splendid male Hume’s Wheatear. By the time I reached the Green Mubazzarah the midday heat made leaving the car decidedly unappealing. Having a surreptitious lunch in the car (because Ramadan) the only species of note that were added were no less than four Indian Roller and the very common Red-wattled Lapwings. Ain al-Fayda turned out to be a totally run-down affair with a mostly empty duck pond, hosting a family of Black-winged Stilt and a surprise Kentish Plover. On the way back to the airport I stopped off briefly at Zakher Lake – unfortunately it was way too hot to walk around the lake but this site looks pretty good for an early morning visit with plenty of distant waders and gulls. I spotted some of the Greater Flamingo and Little Grebe, but most of it was too distant to identify properly. All in all it wasn’t a bad layover considering the time of year, and it’s true I didn’t visit any coastal sites for Socotra Cormorant, terns etc., but I’ll probably give it a miss next time round. A total of 21 species seen of which 8 lifers and 3 introduced species.