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Saturday 24 October to Saturday 7 November 2009 with t urtle-watching extension to Tuesday 10 November with Killian Mullarney and local guide leaders. Cost: £TBA plus about £TBA for flights (2009 not yet available) with Turtle-watching extension: £TBA plus about £TBA for flights Single room supplement: £TBA
Click here for explanation of price breakdown Maximum group size: 10 with 1 leader |
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The Sultanate of Oman, one of the most attractive, unspoilt and safe countries in the Middle East, was comparatively unknown to birdwatchers until just a few years ago. Pioneering exploration by a handful of dedicated resident birders, combined with the findings of an ever-increasing number of visitors, has revealed not only an extraordinary wealth of bird life, but also an exceptionally pleasant, welcoming and relaxed atmosphere in which to enjoy them. Located on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, and with over one thousand miles of coastline, Oman's varied habitats host a diverse selection of birds with significant elements of Palearctic, Oriental and Afrotropical avifaunas. Offshore, its clean, fish-rich waters support an abundance of breeding and over-summering seabirds, quite a few of which should be present at the time of our tour. We will spend most of our first week in the north of the country, starting with a visit to a Sooty Falcon breeding site where we can expect to see both juvenile and adult birds at close range, just before they depart for their wintering grounds on Madagascar. The remainder of the tour will be spent in the somewhat more tropical 'Dhofar' region in the far south. There will be a short extension at the end of the tour to Ras al Hadd - the main purpose of which is to watch Green Turtles coming ashore at night to lay eggs. Day 1: The tour will start with a flight from London to Muscat, the capital of Oman. Night at Al Sawadi, an hour's drive north of Seeb airport. Day 2: Our hotel is located within walking distance of a long, sandy beach where we can expect to find an exciting selection of waders, gulls, terns, and possibly a few skuas. Sooty Falcons breed on a small island a few hundred yards offshore and, while the majority will have already departed, there is a good chance we'll find a few lingering birds. We usually find one or two Red-tailed Wheatears (of the form chrysopygia) as well as a few interesting migrants, though the latter may be elusive as they try to escape the attention of the Sooty Falcons! For those with a head for heights, the commanding view from the precipitous cliff-top at the eastern end of the island provides an irresistible opportunity to observe turtles, graceful manta-rays and other marine life in the clear, emerald green water below. If we are lucky we could see a Red-billed Tropicbird patrolling these cliffs. Back on the shore, we'll find mixed flocks of Crested and Lesser Crested Terns, while anyone with an interest in the identification of large white-headed gulls will enjoy the challenge of distinguishing the ‘Siberian’ (heuglini) Gulls from the commoner ‘Steppe’ (barabensis-type) Yellow-legged Gulls. This is also a good place to study Greater and Lesser Sandplovers side-by-side, and the extraordinary looking Crab Plover can sometimes be seen here. The small bushes above the tidal flats and the hotel garden may well produce the first migrant warblers, chats and shrikes of the trip. Night at Al Sawadi. Days 3-5: We'll have another opportunity for some early morning birding around Al Sawadi before we head north for Sohar, our base for the next three days. The drive will be enlivened by frequent sightings of stunningly iridescent-winged Indian Rollers, launching themselves from lamp-post lookouts to catch unsuspecting prey. Our primary destination in the Sohar area is the government-controlled 'Sun Farm', a haven for birdlife. We'll make several visits to this area and among the birds we'll expect to see are Montagu's and Pallid Harriers, Spotted and Eastern Imperial and Bonelli’s Eagles, Grey Francolin, Pacific Golden Plover, White-tailed and Red-wattled Lapwings, Cream-coloured Courser, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Whiskered and White-winged Black Terns, European Roller, Black-crowned Finch-Lark, Bimaculated Lark, White Wagtail of the handsome race personata, and Indian Silverbill. This area has also produced an impressive list of rarities ranging from Long-billed Dowitcher to Blyth's Pipit, so we'll be keeping our eyes and eyes open for something unusual. On one day we'll start early and drive north to Khatmat Milahah, close to the border with the United Arab Emirates. The natural acacia forest here hosts two specialities of the region in winter, the appropriately named Plain Leaf Warbler and the more exotic-sounding Eastern Pied Wheatear. While searching for these, we are likely to encounter Black Redstarts, Desert Lesser Whitethroats, Purple Sunbirds, and perhaps a few Southern Grey Shrikes. Later, we'll visit the mangroves around Shinas Lagoons where we'll look for the elusive White-collared Kingfisher (of the globally threatened race kalbaensis), Striated Heron, Crab Plover and 'Sykes's' (Booted) Warbler. This is the spot in Oman where most records of the rare Great Stone Plover have occurred. Who knows, there just might be one around! Three nights in Sohar. Day 6: Today, we'll return south to bird sites close to the capital, Muscat. A powerful cyclone struck the region in the summer of 2007 and had a devastating impact on the coastline, where most of the best birding spots were located. As a result, it is not possible to state precisely which sites we will concentrate on during our short stay in the capital city. However, an impressive reconstruction programme is in full swing and by the time of our visit we expect much to have been restored. In any case, we will dedicate our time to visiting the most productive birding spots in search of shorebirds, wildfowl and migrants. Night in Muscat. Day 7: We will start with an early morning visit to Al Amerat rubbish dump, an excellent spot for close-range viewing of eagles and vultures, where, among the assembly we'll hope to see the magnificent Lappet-faced Vulture. The surrounding rocky slopes are a good place for the handsome resident Hume's Wheatear, as well as the wintering eastern chrysopygia form of Red-tailed Wheatear. Later in the day we will connect with a flight to Salalah, at the opposite end of the country, passing over 1,000 km of desert before touching down in quite different surroundings to those we became acquainted with in the north. Night in Salalah. Days 8-13: Salalah, on the edge of the Arabian Sea, is the ideal place to base ourselves for the second week of the tour. Swathes of tall coconut palms along the coast and extensive drought-deciduous forest on the nearby mountain slopes are indicators of monsoon rainfall influence in this region in the summer months. There is a distinctly Afrotropical element to the bird life in this area, as evidenced by the presence of birds such as African Scops Owl, Rüppell's Weaver, African Silverbill, and the extraordinarily flamboyant African Paradise Flycatcher. We'll find an exciting mix of indigenous species and Palearctic migrants, including Grey-headed Kingfisher, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Bluethroat, Desert Wheatear, Arabian Warbler, Shining Sunbird, White-breasted White-eye, Black-crowned Tchagra, Fan-tailed Raven, Yemen Serin, and African Rock Bunting. At Ain Razat, we'll scan carefully through the fruiting trees in search of the exquisitely patterned - but extremely well camouflaged - Bruce's Green Pigeon, and we'll keep a constant eye on the impressive cliff façade, in case a Verreaux's Eagle should drift past. A series of natural lagoons, or 'kwahrs' both east and west of Salalah host an abundance of birds at this time of year. Little Stints, Lesser Sandplovers, Kentish Plovers and White-winged Black Terns are usually the most numerous, with smaller numbers of Temminck’s Stints, Curlew Sandpipers, Marsh Sandpipers and occasionally Broad-billed Sandpiper. A long list of scarce and rare birds has been recorded at this time of year and we can expect to see some, possibly including Intermediate Egret, Cotton Teal, Baillon's Crake, Pintail Snipe, Long-toed Stint, Little Pratincole or Pectoral Sandpiper. At almost any point where we stop along the miles of sandy beach there will be gatherings of Sooty Gulls and, predominantly, Siberian (Heuglin's) Gulls. Less numerous, but still quite easy to see are Gull-billed and Caspian Terns, while careful checking of the numerous Common Terns will be required to pick up White-cheeked Tern. We'll also find Socotra Cormorants just offshore, sometimes in large gatherings. We'll seawatch from headlands and should see such exotics as Jouanin's Petrel, Persian (Audubon's) Shearwater, and Masked Booby, and with a little luck we may find Pale-footed Shearwater or Brown Booby. If possible, we will arrange a boat trip to see some of these seabirds at close quarters and this will provide our best views of Bridled Terns, Red-necked Phalaropes and perhaps a Common Noddy or two. We'll leave the Dhofar area on one of these days, drive north into the desert and spend a night at Qatbit where the hotel garden and various oases along the way have hosted an extraordinary array of rarities over the years, including Olive-backed Pipit, Forest Wagtail, Black Drongo, Koel, Brown Flycatcher. We will of course be doing our best to find anything of this kind that may have dropped in to these remote spots. We'll set off early the next morning for Montasar, an oasis where we should find lots to look at, including Golden Eagle, three species of sandgrouse, Hoopoe Lark, Desert Warbler, and Pied Wheatear. We will make a particular effort to find the enigmatic Grey Hypocolius, a species that has becoming increasingly regular at certain sites in recent years. Salalah will be our base for the entire week but we will have one night at Qatbit (while retaining our rooms in Salalah). Day 14: All good things must come to an end! After a last look at the Arabian Sea and its birds, we'll catch a flight to Muscat. A connecting flight will take those who are not joining the tour extension back to London, where the tour concludes on Day 15. Turtle-watching extension: Day 15: After some early morning birding around Muscat, we’ll begin our drive south-east to Ras al Hadd making stops at a few interesting spots along the way. Once we have checked in at our hotel there should be time for some local birding before dinner. Nearby Khawr Jirama is an excellent place for Crab Plovers and offers our best chance of seeing Broad-billed Sandpiper. After sunset we will join one of the professional guides at the turtle-nesting beach who will take us to an egg-laying female and explain the life-cycle of these amazing creatures. Four species of sea turtle nest on Omani beaches and their conservation is taken very seriously. Ras al Hadd is famous for its Green Turtle nesting population, which is probably the biggest in the Indian Ocean. Night in Ras al Hadd. Day 16: We will probably start and end the day’s birding activities with seawatches from the Ras al Hadd and Ras al Jinz promontories respectively, the latter considered the best seawatch point in the north of Oman. Of course one can never predict what might fly past, but Jouanin’s Petrel, Pale-footed Shearwater, Persian Shearwater and Red-billed Tropicbird are all regular here at this time of year, as are various terns and skuas. We will devote the rest of the day to searching for interesting migrants and rarities. Night in Ras al Hadd. Day 17: Today we retrace our journey back to Muscat, birding along the way as time allows. Later in the day we will connect with a flight back to London, where the tour ends on Day 18.
E-mail or phone +44 (0)1767 262522 for availability.
Last updated November 2008 |
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Bird List
and Greater Spotted Eagle...
and Red-wattled Lapwing.
Hume's Wheatear is one of several wheatear species to be found on this tour...
while monotone Sykes's Warblers may provide an identification challenge,
the same cannot be said of the many colourful Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters we see. 
and African Silverbill.