The elegant Hume’s Wheatear is perhaps most easily seen in Oman. Photo: Dick Forsman
Until just a few years ago, the Sultanate of Oman, one of the most attractive, most unspoiled, and safest countries in the Middle East, was essentially unknown to birdwatchers. Pioneering explorations by a handful of dedicated resident birders, combined with the discoveries of an ever-increasing number of visitors, have revealed not only an extraordinary wealth of birds, 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 drawn from the Palearctic, Oriental, and Afrotropical avifaunas. Offshore, Oman’s clean, fish-rich waters support an abundance of breeding and 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 of the far south.
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 shore birds, gulls, and terns, and possibly a few jaegers. 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 the 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) 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, Eastern Imperial, and Bonelli’s Eagles; Gray Francolin; Pacific Golden-Plover; White-tailed and Red-wattled Lapwings; Cream-colored Courser; Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse; Whiskered and White-winged Black Terns; European Roller; Black-crowned Finch-Lark and 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 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 regional specialties 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 Redstart, Desert Lesser Whitethroat, Purple Sunbird, and perhaps a few Southern Gray 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 that struck the Muscat area in summer 2007 had a devastating impact on the best birding spots along the coast, and as a result it is not possible to state precisely what sites we will concentrate on during our short stay. However, an impressive reconstruction program 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 the most productive birding spots in search of shorebirds, waterfowl, and migrants. Night in Muscat.
Day 7: We’ll start with an early morning visit to Al Amerat garbage 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 for the wintering eastern form chrysopygia 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 600 miles of desert before touching down in quite different surroundings from those 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. In the summer, this region sees monsoonal rains, resulting in swaths of tall coconut palms along the coast and extensive drought-deciduous forest on the nearby mountain slopes. There is a distinctly Afrotropical element to the birdlife 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 local species and Palearctic migrants, including Gray-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 the fruiting trees carefully 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 face 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 Stint, Lesser Sandplover, Kentish Plover, and White-winged Black Tern are usually the most numerous species, with smaller numbers of Temminck’s Stints, Curlew Sandpipers, Marsh Sandpipers, and occasionally Broad-billed Sandpipers. 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 and 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 necessary to pick up White-cheeked Tern. We’ll also find Socotra Cormorants just offshore, sometimes in large gatherings. Seawatching from the headlands, we should see 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, giving us our best views of Bridled Tern, Red-necked Phalarope, and perhaps a Common Noddy or two.
On one of these days we’ll drive north into the desert and spend a night at Qatbit, where the hotel garden and oases along the way have hosted an extraordinary array of rarities over the years, including Olive-backed Pipit, Forest Wagtail, Black Drongo, Koel, and Brown Flycatcher. We’ll do our best to find anything of this kind that may have dropped in to these remote spots. We’ll set off early the following 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 Gray 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 and connect with our overnight flight to London.
Day 15: The tour ends with the arrival of our overnight flight in London.
Updated: 22 April 2009
Prices
- 2010 price about $5,670
- Single Occupancy Supplement $640
Notes
This tour is limited to 10 participants.
This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird.