any update about birding in Jordan? (1 Viewer)

[Andrea-Bologna]

Hi there
Maybe someone has recent feedback returning from Jordan for birdwatching? Especially about travelling with binocular and compact camera (in my case a medium sized Canon SX70HS) and having (or not having) troubles in airport, check points and so on.

 

[bonxie birder]

I’ve just returned from Jordan and to be honest it was a chastening experience. My wife and I were travelling on a private cultural tour and had a driver throughout. We visited Um Qays, Jarash, Mount Nebo, Petra, Wadi Rum, Aqaba and the Dead Sea. I didn’t meet another birder on our travels and my binoculars attracted a lot of unwelcome attention. This was particularly true at the holiday inn at the Dead Sea where I made the mistake of entering the hotel with my bins around my neck. Security confiscated them until we left. As we returned to the airport I put my them in my rucksack. Again Security took them, photographed them, scanned them again and forced me to put them in the hold. I didn’t have a camera but I would guess a big lens camera would have been treated very suspiciously. All in all it did leave a sour taste in the mouth. I am well travelled and this was my first experience of this. But…..I got my number one target, the scrub warbler which I dipped out on in Morocco. So not all bad.

 

[MJB]

I’ve just returned from Jordan and to be honest it was a chastening experience. My wife and I were travelling on a private cultural tour and had a driver throughout. We visited Um Qays, Jarash, Mount Nebo, Petra, Wadi Rum, Aqaba and the Dead Sea. I didn’t meet another birder on our travels and my binoculars attracted a lot of unwelcome attention. This was particularly true at the holiday inn at the Dead Sea where I made the mistake of entering the hotel with my bins around my neck. Security confiscated them until we left. As we returned to the airport I put my them in my rucksack. Again Security took them, photographed them, scanned them again and forced me to put them in the hold. I didn’t have a camera but I would guess a big lens camera would have been treated very suspiciously. All in all it did leave a sour taste in the mouth. I am well travelled and this was my first experience of this. But…..I got my number one target, the scrub warbler which I dipped out on in Morocco. So not all bad.

Oooops! You've still dipped out on the Morocco one; that's now Saharan Scrub Warbler Scotocerca saharae... A reduced Streaked Scrub Warbler S. inquieta now occurs from eastern Egypt to many points east.
MJB