Dubai again (1 Viewer)

Wanted to bring the Dubai thread back to life, but cant.

We are thinking of doing a stopover on our way to Mauritius, couple of days in November....is this anygood for birding in the Dubai area? What about transport to the wildlife refuges I have seen on the net, are they reachable without a car?

Any help I am very grateful for.

Depends on where you're staying, but there are several good sites fairly close to the airport / central Dubai but none are reachable without a car. However, driving in Dubai can be a bit hairy to say the least, if you're thinking of hiring a car. Taxis are pretty cheap and are everywhere - dead easy to pick them up on the street.

Check out this site for info on sites: http://www.uaebirding.com/birdingsites.html

Ras Al Khor, Pivot fields, Safa Park are all good sites easy to get to in Dubai. There are other good sites further afield, but these would require a car rather than a taxi (and be much cheaper).

There's plenty of common stuff easy to get, that doesn't occur in the UK/W Europe:

White-cheeked and Red-vented bulbuls
Grey francolin
Graceful prinia
Purple sunbird
Little green bee-eater
Red-wattled Lapwing
House crow
Common myna

You'll find these anywhere and everywhere, but if I had only 1 day in Dubai in November, I'd go to the Pivot Fields - you'll find the above species, plus White-tailed lapwing and other good waders, pipits, wagtails, possible Pallid harrier - anything!

November is a great month for birding Dubai, especially if you haven't been to Arabia.