OMAN DAY 11: MIRBAT PELAGIC – WADI DARBAT – JABAL SAMHAN – TAWI ATAYR

This was the day of our pelagic out of Mirbat Harbour with Hatem. It’s always exciting and unpredictable, but somehow over these past couple of years our expectations have risen from simply wanting to see Persian Shearwater and Jouanin’s Petrel to hoping for something rarer and there have been some awesome birds seen here the years. We had our breakfast overlooking the ocean with several Western Yellow Wagtails and at least 3 Red-throated Pipits feeding on the grass in front of us. So it was with high expectations that we boarded the boat at a little after 7.30am and yet again we had a deep blue sky, warm weather and hardly any breeze – every day is pretty much the same in Oman! 

We hadn’t sailed out far when a Persian Shearwater appeared somehow behind us and whizzed right past. And for the next half an hour we had a few more shearwaters, whilst further out and just below the horizon we could see larger birds that Hatem was calling as Jouanin’s Petrels and with the odd Flesh-footed Shearwater thrown in for good measure. It was a little frustrating for a time until a Jouanin’s Petrel flew right beside us, followed moments later by another and another. Everyone was getting good photos of the main two targets and all was good. Then what followed can only be described as the stuff of dreams as the amazing Hatem suddenly called “Matsudaira’s Storm-Petrel”!!!! Hasty directions and some expletives followed until everyone was on the bird. How could he call that without looking through binoculars…? We watched it flying in front of us and heading east along the coast, a heavily moulting bird with long wings, quite a heavy laborious flight, much smaller than Jouanin’s and very similar to the Swinhoe’s Storm-Petrels I’d seen here last year. The combination of features just described and a deeply notched tail all looked good for MSP. After posting my poor photos on Facebook later, some birders questioned the identification. Well, a short while later we had the double-whammy as an obvious Swinhoe’s Storm-Petrel flew behind us also heading east and what was obvious to all onboard was how slimer it looked, with slimmer shorter wings and faster flight. Again, this bird was in heavy moult but the differences in jizz were obvious and I know that both storm-petrels were claimed on several dates over the next week….. So what did we see? 

It's only a flipping Matsudaira's Storm-petrel

From my photos there’s not much to go on regarding plumage features as both birds were in heavy moult (as they should be this time of the year). This would be the 2^nd record of MSP, whilst SSP is still rare but becoming far more frequent these days. Interestingly, Hatem commented that he’s seen Matsudaira’s several times whilst he’s been out here fishing but no-one has ever photographed one before and he knows the birds here very well. 

Swinhoe's Storm-Petrel

What I do know is that we saw two different species, and I know our identification is correct regardless of what other birders have said on social media. Regardless of moult, that would not have affected the size difference, longer wings of MSP, slower flight etc. To reinforce this we had the same or another Matsudaira’s Storm-Petrel flying west about half an hour later and again, it looked a little bigger and heavier than SSP. And don’t get me wrong, Swinhoe’s Strom-Petrel is a great sighting here in Oman but Matsudaira’s Storm-Petrel is on another level and also a lifer for yours truly! Anyway, we eventually got tickable views of Flesh-footed Shearwater although none came in very close, yet more Jouanin’s Petrels and Persian Shearwaters with a supporting cast of a single Socotra Cormorant, many Bridled Terns and Red-necked Phalaropes. But no Masked Booby today for us. We also had a large feeding group of Bottle-nosed and Spinner Dolphins to entertain us for a while before we returned to shore a little sunburnt but exceedingly happy with our Mirbat pelagic! 

Bridled Tern

Red-necked Phalarope 

Spinner Dolphin

A celebratory coffee followed before we drove up to Wadi Darbat where we’d have our picnic lunch in the shade, being joined by the odd camel and cow! We’d calmed down by now and whilst Lynzi prepared lunch we checked out the river and surrounding area finding our only Wood Warblers of the tip – well there were three of them. We had all the usual common Dhofar birds and had nice views of them but more excitement followed with a brief appearance above the ridge of a Lappet-faced Vulture! Only a couple of us saw it but with eyes to the skies we picked out Short-toed, Booted,Steppe and Eastern Imperial Eagles! Our next stop was about half an hour away at Jabal Samhan, the regular haunt of Verreaux’s Eagle. 

We spent an hour in company with several other birders from the UK and Holland, with all of us drawing a blank on the eagle. There was a pair of Arabian Wheatears present, Tristram’s Starlings and Fan-tailed Ravens but not a lot else. 

So we retraced our steps across the plateau and called into Tawi Atayr, the regular site for Yemen Serin. Well, we did the serin briefly but not everyone was present at the time but did get several Bruce’s Green-Pigeons, Bonelli’s Eagle, another Arabian Wheatear, African Paradise-Flycatcher, Palestine Sunbird, African Paradise-Flycatcher and some great scope views of a family of Arabian Partridges. 

Bruce's Green-Pigeon

Palestine Sunbird

African Paradise-Flycatcher

And that was our day in epic Oman!

OMAN DAY 10: AYN HAMRAN – EAST KHAWR – JARZIZ FARM – WEST KHAWR – KHAWR MUGHSAYL

As I’m writing this at 10:20pm I’m utterly and totally shattered after a typically amazing day’s birding in and around Salalah. We began at Ayn Hamran, departing the hotel at 6.15am, finding a superb Grey-headed Kingfisher, followed by good views of Eastern Imperial Eagle, Short-toed Eagle, Steppe Eagle and a European Roller.

European Roller

Down at East Khawr we saw the second recorded sighting of Knob-billed Duck for Oman. Wow! The water level was higher here than I’ve seen previously so there were less birds than I would have expected. 

Knob-billed Duck - 2nd for Oman

However, luck was on our side as we did find a Small Pratincole on the beach side of the khawr and fortunately it was about 20m away from our parked cars. You just never know what you’ll see down here!  

Small Pratincole

A large flock of Glossy Ibis just kept getting bigger and bigger with birds arriving all of the time and further scrutiny revealed a Temminck’s Stint, several Ruff, a cracking Citrine Wagtail and plenty of commoner species. We then drove to Jarziz Farm where Singing Bushlark was our main target, which we eventually found along with another Grey-headed Kingfisher, Isabelline and Great Grey Shrikes.

 

My Spotted Thick-knee site has been trashed, so we quickly moved on to West Khawr where the water level was again high. However, we did have this fantastic Crested Honey Buzzard flying low overhead.

Crested Honey Buzzard

But a huge gathering of gulls congregating around the fishermen at West Khawr was quite a site and everyone enjoyed the spectacle, getting some great photos. I especially liked getting some shots of Sooty Gulls flying towards us as they headed onto the khawr to bathe.  

Sooty Gull

After our picnic lunch we drove to Khawr Mughsayl and got really lucky with some close Persian Shearwaters flying past just offshore, and it was apparent that there were more birds out there….. So we set up scopes and found 7 Brown Noddies milling around, with one or two alighting on the buoys, and we estimated at least 40 Bridled Terns, 200+ Socotra Cormorants loafing ion a large raft, several Lesser Crested Terns and many Great Crested Terns. 

Driving around to the khawr we scoped a Pheasant-tailed Jacana before other birders began to congregate across the road at the newly described Wadi Ashawq Nature Reserve. Inevitably something good was found here and we were told about a White-breasted Waterhen skulking on the far side, which we duly scoped and we saw another jacana. A Yellow Bittern was also found here the following day, so it just goes to show that with more birders around there’s plenty of good birds being found!

 

So tonight we were attempting a stab at Desert Owl, but with 3 cars of Belgian birders, a French crew and a British crew potentially all heading to the end of the wadi and doing the same individual pair of owls that everyone does, well let’s just say I didn’t fancy it. Fortunately after so many visits to Oman, this being my 9^th, I had a trick or two up my sleeve. I’ve discovered another two sites so we headed to one of them and waited. Shortly after the light fully went a bird began calling and in under 5 minutes we were eye-balling a superb Desert Owl. 

Desert Owl

In fact it kept getting closer and closer, literally filling the Swarovski’s field of view and everyone filled their photographic boots. I’m aware how sensitive owls’ eyes are and we didn’t take the mickey, so after a few minutes we turned the spotlight off and left as quietly as possible. What an incredible end to a brilliant day.

OMAN DAY 9: AYN TOBRUQ POOLS – KHAWR JANUF - WADI DARBAT (sort of) – KHAWR RAWRI

A little expedition to check out the recently discovered crake pools at the bottom of Ayn Tobruq Plains gave the briefest views of a Baillon’s Crake, as well as Namaqua Dove, close Little Stint and Citrine Wagtail, a flyby adult Steppe Eagle and a few Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters called as they flew around the stunningly deep blue sky. From here we went in search of the previously reported Caspian Plovers at the beach near Khawr Januf but amazingly there were some tourists walking along the shoreline even though it was only 7am!!! 

Pied Cuckoos near here...

But we did find a Pied Cuckoo’s a few kilometres further along the beach at another little inlet. Or rather there were 5 birds present that was a bit mindblowing to be honest! 

Who doesn't love an Osprey...?

Whenever you’re along the coast there’s loads of gulls and we saw multiples of the usual three species but our one and only Steppe Grey Shrike of the trip was much more exciting. We also had Graceful Prinia, Osprey and a sprinkling of other species during our exploration of an area I’m not totally familiar with but has huge rarity potential. The small khawr where the cuckoos were had held a reported Lesser Whistling-Duck (more on that later) but we couldn’t locate that, but did see a few Garganey, Tufted Duck, at least 2 Gull-billed Terns, Caspian Tern, Whiskered Tern and some shorebirds. It’s a nice little spot that could well hold other things and we will be back!

That's the cave where grosbeaks came to drink...

So after breakfast back at the hotel we set off on what proved to be quite the adventure, with gps leading us to the far side of Wadi Darbat and an area that had been producing the only sightings of Arabian Grosbeak this season. I’m not sure why they haven’t been appearing at their usual stake-outs but nobody have been seeing them. That was until some Dutch birders found a few birds using drips of water from stalactites to drink from in a remote area well off the beaten track and yesterday a British crew got them and today it was our turn. Well, it wasn’t easy and we endured a tortuous drive with many wrong turns until we found a very steep (an understatement), bumpy track down into the wadi, but a route that gave us our first Arabian Wheatear and Tree Pipit of the tour.  It was hell but we made it before walking across some treacherous rocky areas trying to locate the correct cave that took a while. We did stake-out the wrong cave for a while until getting our brains in gear and sorting it out. By now it was 12:30pm and time was ticking away fast as I was afraid the grosbeaks would not hang around long enough for us to find them. But they did! We had at least 3 birds and enjoyed fantastic scope views of one particular male coming in repeatedly to drink. And boy it was hot, hot, hot here! We also enjoyed flyover Bonelli’s Eagles and numerous Tristram’s Starling’s here as well. With our vehicles being low on petrol we had to go to the nearest gas station and thankfully we made it without mishap. As we drove back across the rocky plateau we passed a feeding flock of 250+ White Storks feeding beside the road.

The view from Taqah Cliffs

The impressive Taqah cliffs were next up, a breeding site for Forbes-Watson’s Swift and we eventually had a pair coming in to the cliffs to feed their young. Out to see we saw Brown Booby, Bridled Terns and some Gull-billed Terns. It’s a lovely spot and we also saw a few Green Turtles and a Manta Ray in the clear waters below. Our final destination and just 10 minutes away from here is Khawr Rawri, a delightful spot and one that always turns up some good species. Our visit proved the case with an Eurasian Wryneck perched in a dead bush just as we arrived and an Ortolan Bunting found by Neil. We also scoped a flock of 15+ Arabian Partridges as they scrambled up a rock face, a few Daurian Shrikes were also around, as well as Citrine Wagtail, Ruppell’s Weaver, more Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, some nice Wood Sands etc.   What a day!

OMAN DAY 8: MUDDAY – SALALAH – AYN HAMRAN

Well, the day got off to a great start with 3 Arabian Gazelles beside the road as we drove to Mudday this morning. This small desert town is home to a tiny wintering population of Hypocolius and this year we were treated to our best views ever, as a male gave prolonged views amongst the date palms. 

The one and only.... Hypocolius

It was spotted by Les before I’d killed the engine on arrival at our usual spot, and then we watched it feeding in a low bush, then on the floor and again in some other bushes before flying off. We relocated it again, thanks to Brian, in a different palm grove where the male sat almost motionless at head height in the shade. Wow! 

We also had nice views of  Blackstart, Pale Crag Martin, and then staked out a small drinking pool where a few Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse came in to drink and we saw one bird soaking its belly feathers before flying off. We then drove around the camel pens and got pretty great views of a group of Sand Partridge. Our last target was Nile Valley Sunbird and it took a little while until Neil spotted one which eventually flew into a bush right in front of us. And by now it was after 11am so we drove 50 minutes back to our hotel in Thumrayt, loaded our luggage into the cars and drove another 50 minutes to our final hotel in Salalah, where we stay for the last 6 nights of the trip.

Turkestan Shrike

After beans on toast prepared by Lynzi, we drove just 25 minutes away to Ayn Hamran and this is a great place for an introduction into the regular birds of the Dhofar. region We enjoyed a not-so-common Turkestan Shrike posing on top of an acacia (our first one), followed by several African Paradise-Flycatchers, Arabian Sunbird, African Silverbills, some flyby Ruppell’s Weavers, and an Arabian Warbler. So not a bad day so far, but there was more to come and as dusk settled we went to my spot for Arabian Scops-Owl. It’s not usually a hard bird to see but I’d heard from some other birders that they’ve been proving rather tricky this year, so I was a little apprehensive this evening. Yet I needn’t have worried as within 5 minutes of trying we were all watching one in the spotlight as it glared at us from overhead. 

Arabian Scops-Owl

And what a great way to end the day!

OMAN DAY 7: MUNTESAR OASIS – QATBIT GARDENS – AL BEED FARM – SHISR FIELDS

Our day began with a 6am departure from Al Ghaftain Resthouse and after a 75 minute drive we reached Muntesar Oasis for a great few hours birding. Almost immediately we came across 2 Pied Wheatears and during our time here we enjoyed repeated views, allowing us some superb photographic opportunities. 

Pied Wheatear

We walked around the oasis slowly and picked up another Bluethroat, Red-breasted Flycatcher, both Richard’s & Meadow Pipits, and had a single European Bee-eater amongst a flock of Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters. One of the latter species perched on top of a nearby acacia and the views through the scope and photo opportunities were fantastic. 

The stunning Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

A short while later the first of several groups of Chestnut-bellied and Spotted Sandgrouse flew around the oasis calling but the presence of another group of birders stood out in the open probably dissuaded the sandgrouse from coming down to drink. And then we watched a falcon flying out across the desert that certainly looked long-winged and very long-tailed giving the jizz of an Eleonora’s Falcon. The haze at this time of the day meant we couldn’t obtain any definitive photos but we saw it land on the ground with its long tail seemingly resting on the floor and it caused us quite a bit of excitement! Unfortunately we couldn’t get conclusive views and just have to let it go…. Eleonora’s is a very rare bird in Oman with just one confirmed record so far. The other unfortunate incident whilst we were here was the sighting by a Belgian group of a Ruddy-breasted Crake – with only 2 previous records it’s a mega! One of the Belgians did tell one of my group, but unfortunately they neglected to pass the news on until later in the day!!!

 

So we left here feeling like we’d given the oasis a thorough grilling (ironic really) and drove south to Qatbit Gardens where another Common Quail was found by Simon, along with 2 female Blackcaps, and yet another RB Fly. 

Common Quail

Driving further south we finally came across a Greater Hoopoe Lark that gave very nice views, much to Malcolm’s delight. I thought Al Beed Farms was disappointing and nothing like it used to be, but we did see Namaqua Dove, a flyover Steppe Eagle, Pallid & Montagu’s Harriers, as well as many Black-crowned Sparrow-Larks. 

Superb views of Cream-coloured Coursers....

We eventually reached Shisr Fields at 4pm, finding a flock of 27 Cream-coloured Coursers, along with Rosy Starling, Tawny Pipit and a cracking male Pallid Harrier. By the time we reached our hotel in Thumrayt, we were ready for a hot shower and a decent meal.

OMAN DAY 6: MAHOUT – HAIMA – AL GHAFTAIN – MUNTESAR OASIS

Our day began just a few minutes away from the hotel at Mahout Park, where practically the first bird we saw was an Oriental Turtle Dove feeding on the floor below a large tree. Apart from that it seemed a little quiet, but we did pick up an Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Daurian Shrike and a couple of Lesser Whitethroats. From here we hit the road and headed inland, a journey that is now a lot easier with a new road taking us to the southbound highway and saving us an incredible amount of time. This new route initially took us west and we were amazed to find a huge temporary lake right out in the desert and in the early morning light it looked incredible. 

The temporary lake looked stunning in the morning light

There's Mr H scanning...

Breakfast time...

With some Greater Flamingo’s looking so out of place, and even a few wildfowl with 7 Northern Pintails and a single Shoveler as well. It did make us wonder how these birds find water in a place you wouldn’t expect it! Further scrutiny revealed a Terek Sandpiper, Tibetan Sandplovers, Little Stints, Kentish Plovers and Common Greenshanks, as well as several Brown-necked Ravens. It was a good spot for a picnic breakfast, which we thoroughly enjoyed along with hot coffee and tea.

 

There's a RB Fly in there somewhere

Along this new route there are several green patches to check for migrants and at one of these seemingly random roadside parks out in the desert we found a few Common Chiffchaffs and a Red-breasted Flycatcher. At the next stop, an eBird location called Highway 31 Desert Park we had another Red-breasted Flycatcher and an Isabelline Wheatear, the latter is a species that would become an increasingly common sighting for the rest of the trip. Next up was Haima Park (it became famous last year for a Forest Wagtail) where a Glossy Ibis and Indian Pond-Heron looked rather incongruous strutting around the well-watered lawn. We had a good look around here but our only other sightings of note were a pair of Indian Rollers and a Daurian Shrike. Lunch was taken here before we continued driving to our digs for the night at Al Ghaftain Resthouse. After checking in we explored the garden and turned up an Eastern Black Redstart (semirufous), Bluethroat, the 2^nd Omani record of European Pied Flycatcher, and at least 3 Red-breasted Flycatchers. Not a bad haul at all. And as it was still mid-afternoon we decided to forego the pleasure of a 3am departure tomorrow and head down to Muntesar Oasis now – a drive of just over an hour. The main target here are the Egyptian Nightjars, but we arrived with an hour of daylight which gave us enough time to find a few good birds. An aucheri Great Grey Shrike looked stunning in the scope, and I much prefer the title Arabian Grey Shrike…There was also an Indian Pond-Heron, Daurian Shrike, several Brown-necked Ravens, and as we walked around flushed a Common Quail and had two Red-throated Pipits fly over calling. It was very pleasing to see the previously reported Pied Wheatear here as well. 

Sunset at the oasis...

Once the sun had set we had good flight views of a pair of Egyptian Nightjars and a single European Nightjar as well. In hindsight, it would have been good to explore the area a bit more as a few days later a Sykes’s Nightjar was found here (2^nd for Oman) and it’s a species that has been suspected being here far more regularly than recorded. Well, who needs sleep or dinner huh?!