Egypt - The Nile Valley Day 1

So i'm back in Egypt. Don't ask! 

Our group flew to Cairo from Manchester, London & Copenhagen and with a short connection to Aswan. All of our flights were delayed into Cairo and fortunately the Aswan flight was also delayed. Our superb guide Ismael from Aswan Birdwatching was at the airport to meet us and we drove about half an hour into downtown Aswan before getting on the ferry across the Nile to our guesthouse on the west bank. I finally made it to bed at 4am….. just as the call to prayer started. Oh lordy!

 

The following morning we had breakfast at 7.30am during which we saw a few goodies including our first Nile Valley Sunbirds. We spent the entire day on a boat cruising along the Nile River notching up some rare Western Palearctic species. More sunbirds, many Purple Swamphens, Senegal Thick-knees, African Green Bee-eaters, and many Pale Crag Martins. The numbers of Purple Herons, Gull-billed & Whiskered Terns, various hirundines and Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters passing overhead was truly phenomenal, as was the huge lunch. 

Ferruginous Duck

Little Bittern

Little Heron

Nile Valley Sunbird

Pied Kingfisher

We looked for the wintering Black Scrub Robin without any luck and enjoyed much the same species on the return journey upriver to our guest house. I have to say the views of 40+ Purple Herons and a few Little Bitterns today was exceptional. So not a bad start....

Purple Heron

Purple/Western/African Swamphen

Rufous Bushchat

Senegal Thick-knee

Spur-winged Lapwing

Another Swamphen...

AZERBAIJAN MINI-BREAK JUNE 2026

We have added another new tour this summer, this time to Azerbaijan on the eastern side of the Western Palearctic. It's 5 full days of birding will target the mega rare & localised Caspian Tit, as well as Shikra, Caucasian Grouse, Caucasian Snowcock, Mountain Chiffchaff, Green Warbler, White-winged Redstart & Great Rosefinch amongst others.

Full info here: AZERBAIJAN MINI-BREAK

White-winged Redstart

Western Palearctic ticking 2026

Well 2026 has started very well. We had 2 long weekends in The Netherlands that produced some pretty spectacular flocks of geese. 

Snow Goose © Gottlieb Dandliker

Iceland Gull © Gottlieb Dandliker

It doesn't get much better than seeing a Red-breasted Goose in the morning sunshine

In fact everywhere we went there were large flocks of wildfowl, none more so that an impressive 4,500+ gathering of Tundra Bean Geese that also held a Cackling Goose and even a Ruddy Shelduck! We also tracked down a stunning Red-breasted Goose in Zeeland and saw a couple of really quality rarities in Bufflehead and Falcated Duck. 

Black-faced Bunting © Gottlieb Dandliker

The passerine highlight was undoubtedly the Black-faced Bunting on Texel (10^th record for The Netherlands), where we also saw a large mixed flock of Shorelarks and Twite. Other highlights from these 2 trips included Bewick’s & Whooper Swans, White-tailed Eagle, several Hen Harriers, 58 Smew on one day, many Woodcocks, Iceland Gull, Hawfinch & Brambling.

Kurdish Wheatear

Oriental Honey Buzzard

The highlights of a short trip to Jordan was finding the 9^th Kurdish Wheatear in the mountains above the Dead Sea and an Oriental Honey Buzzard at Aqaba Bird Sanctuary. 

One of the rarest Western Palearctic birds - Algerian Nuthatch

You've got to go to Algeria to get Red-billed Firefinch on your WP list

I still think Maghreb Owl is a good species....

Another mega WP tick - Sudan Golden Sparrow

And finally a short visit to Algeria produced the hoped for endemic Algerian Nuthatch, Maghreb Tawny Owl, African Silverbill, Red-billed Firefinch & Sudan Golden Sparrow – all mega Western Palearctic species. But what's been so outstanding is sharing these great birds with some really fun groups, sharing laughs, some good beer (well, not in Algeria) and some great memories.

NEW TOUR: ANDALUCIA - GRAN CANARIA

 I've just added a new tour to the Zoothera Birding website. This one is centred around a ferry that runs from Cadiz in southern Spain to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands and we're expecting some great seabirds for our Western Palearctic list. High up there is White-faced Storm-Petrel but there's going to be Bulwer's Petrel, Wilson's Storm-Petrel, Barolo Shearwater, Red-billed Tropicbird and i'm sending positive vibes out to the universe for something rarer. There's been some whacky seabirds in the northern hemisphere over the past few years so i'm hopeful.....

Either side of the ferry crossing, which takes roughly 30 hours, we will spend time looking for some extremely localised Western Palearctic species. In Andalucia we will target Scopoli's Shearwater, Ruppell's Griffon Vulture, and Little & White-rumped Swift amongst others. On Fuerteventura there's African Houbara & Canary Islands Stonechat and Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch on..... Gran Canaria. 

For the full tour info please follow this link: Southern Spain - Canary Islands Pelagic

White-faced Storm Petrel

White-rumped Swift

Merry Christmas!

 

OMAN UPDATE 3

This is the third rarity round-up so far for November and what a month it is proving to be. 

The 6th Red Collared Dove for Oman remained at Al Ghaftain and the 3rd record of Sykes’s Nightjar was seen a few times at Maqshin Water Treatment Works, where up to 7 Egyptian Nightjars seem to be set to spend the winter. 

Muntesar Oasis had another Baillon’s Crake, along with White-breasted Waterhen & Olive-backed Pipit, a Ruddy Shelduck was at Barka Sewage Works, a Collared Kingfisher at Filim Mangroves, and 50+ Great Knot were present at Filim mudflats. Al Shamkaiah Park on Masirah Island had 3 Asian Koels & Baillon’s Crake, with 5 Pallas’s Gulls on the coast nearby. 

The Crowne Plaza at Duqm held White-breasted Waterhen, Green Warbler & 3 Olive-backed Pipits. Both the Black Heron and Watercock remained throughout the month at Mughsayl, with a Yellow Bittern, Malachite Kingfisher & yet another White-breasted Waterhen also seen there. An immature Black-headed/Red-headed Bunting was seen at Ayn Tobruq, a Hume’s Warbler was at Wadi Bani Habab on Sayq Plateau, Asian Koels were seen at Mudday & Haima Park, a Long-toed Stint remained at Ayn Taqah for a few days and another White-breasted Waterhen was at the Golden Tulip Resort, Nizwa. 

The second Streak-throated Swallow of the month was at Ayn Hamran, with the previous one reported at Al Qurm Park, Muscat last seen on Al Fahal Island being eaten by a Sooty Falcon! Small Pratincoles were seen at Khawr Raysut & East Khawr, Little Crake on Ayn Tobruq Crake Pool, the Fulvous Whistling Duck was last seen on the Hilton Wetlands, Salalah and at least 17 Sociable Lapwings remained at the same site with a Caspian Plover and a White-tailed Lapwing nearby. 

Rufous-backed Redstart

Another White-tailed Lapwing was lingering for several days at upper Muscat Rivermouth as well. A visit to Musandam during the last week of November produced 6 Rufous-backed (Eversmann’s) Redstarts, Black Kite, 2 Variable Wheatears, Siberian Stonechat and a Hume’s Warbler, but they were overshadowed by the 1st Paddyfield Pipit for Oman found on Masirah Island. 

Variable Wheatear

Hume's Warbler

Meanwhile on the Sayh Plateau at Jabal Akhdar there was a flock of 25 of the rare & elusive local race of Common Woodpigeon, as well as Eurasian Crag-Martin, another Hume’s Warbler, Black-throated Thrush and amazingly 4 Rufous-backed (Eversmann’s) Redstarts - making this a bumper month for that particular species. 

And there’s going to be more to come…! 

Oman rocks!

OMAN UPDATE 2

Well Oman keeps on getting better and better and since my last update on 11th November the fast pace of rarity finding has continued. 

There’s been a Fulvous Whistling Duck (possibly 2 constituting the 4th & 5th records for Oman) moving between the small khawrs east of Salalah, a Cotton Pygmy-Goose in Al Qurm Park, a flock of 17 Sociable Lapwings were a fantastic sight at the Hilton Hotel Wetlands in Salalah, with another Caspian Plover nearby.

Up to 17 Sociable Lapwings were present at the Hilton Wetlands.....

Small Pratincoles were at Khawr Raysut & East Khawr, Baillon’s Crake at Muntesar Oasis, a Red Collared Dove at Al Ghaftain (6th for Oman), possibly two different Malachite Kingfishers around Khawr Mughsayl, along with a Little Swift & Lanner Falcon, the 3rd Sykes’s Nightjar for Oman was at the site I found at Maqshin Water Treatment Plant where up to 7 Egyptian Nightjars have been seen hawking for insects in the street lights, Yellow-browed Warbler & Little Bunting at Muntesar Oasis, Hume’s Warbler at Maqshin Oasis, Bimaculated Lark near Uber, Blyth’s Reed Warbler (9th for Oman) at Ayn Hamran along with a Common Hawk Cuckoo (6th for Oman) & Little Swift at Ayn Razat.

And the long-staying Black Heron (3rd for Oman) at Khawr Mughsayl, Watercock at Wadi Ashawq, Bay-backed Shrike in Mirbat Public Park & Plain Martin (1st for Oman) at Muntesar Oasis all remain. There’s also been several White-breasted Waterhens & Pheasant-tailed Jacanas, regular sightings of Swinhoe’s Storm Petrels on the Mirbat Pelagics, a Diderik Cuckoo being fed by a Ruppell’s Weaver & an ‘eastern’ Common Nightingale in Ayn Hamran and Lappet-faced Vultures reported from many localities. 

Swinhoe's Storm Petrel

Oman continues to rock and I’m now off to Musandam seeking more rares!

Oman Update 1 - The Start of an Amazing Month

Oman has provided exceptional birding during November and the quality of rare birds has been above and beyond my wildest expectations. My Oman Birding website (www.oman-birding.com) has no doubt contributed to more birders than ever before visiting but also now with the WhatsApp Group as well providing a real sense of community and the ability to twitch rarities easier than ever before has resulted in much bigger lists for everyone. SO i'm going to give an overview in 3 parts of the major highlights during this peak period.....

And there was phenomenal birding right from the get-go.

I was pleased to contribute to a fine set of rarities when I found a male Eversmann’s (Rufous-backed) Redstart at Shisr Fields (a dream bird of mine to find here), which was hot on the heels of another found near Muscat a few days earlier. 

Rufous-backed Redstart - what a stunner!

I took my group down to Khawr Mughsayl for a stunning Black Heron (3rd for Oman) and just across the road at Wadi Ashawq was the very rare Watercock – so vagrants from Africa and India meeting here in Oman. 

Black Heron - Khawr Mughsayl

Watercock - Wadi Ashawq

Oh, and we also saw a Sociable Lapwing at Raysut Settling Pools as well, whilst 2 days previous we were watching the 1st Plain (Brown-throated) Martin for Oman! We also saw White-tailed Lapwing, Shikra, Oriental Turtle Dove, Green Warbler, Wattled Starling, Forest Wagtail, had multiple Asian Koels and a Common Rosefinch.

Plain Martin - Muntesar Oasis

Shikra - Masirah Island

Green Warbler - Qatbit Gardens

Wattled Starling - Masirah Island

Forest Wagtail - Masirah Island

Oriental Turtle Dove

Other mega birds around the country at the start of the month include a Bay-backed Shrike at Mirbat Public Park – another mega rare bird, Black-headed Heron (6th for Oman) hiding somewhere around Salalah, Streak-throated Swallow (v rare) at Al Qurm Park in Muscat, Little Bunting & White-breasted Waterhen at Muntesar Oasis, Caspian Plover at West Khawr, Siberian Stonechat at Wadi Darbat, Fulvous Whistling-Duck (4th for Oman) somewhere around Salalah, and there’s been Pied Bushchat at Khawr Durf (10th for Oman) earlier this month, plus a Malachite Kingfisher, Eastern Yellow Wagtail and several Amur Falcons.

Bay-backed Shrike - Mirbat Public Park

I’m sure I’ve forgotten something but you get the idea. 

Best birding in Arabia….? I think so!

Oman rocks!