Bit of an odd day as we left Barka shortly after 7am and drove back towards Muscat where we called in to the Al Ansab Wetlands hopefully to nail the previously reported Ferruginous Duck and Grey-headed Swamphen for our list.
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| Al Ansab Wetlands |
Neither showed unfortunately but we did add Purple Heron, Western Cattle Egret, Common Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers, Green Sandpiper and a Western Yellow Wagtail to our list. A Red-necked Phalarope was something of a surprise, and we also saw Western Marsh Harrier, Greater Spotted Eagle, Marsh Sandpiper, close Temminck’s Stint, and a Delicate Prinia. From a list-building point of view it was disappointing to miss the two targets, but on the other hand a bunch of Grey Francolins on the roundabout above the wetlands was a new trip bird for most of the group.
From the wetlands it’s about a 90 minute drive east to Wadi Al Muaydin and the scenery changes dramatically as you leave the coast behind. Stark, tall mountains dominate the landscape for most of the journey and once we reached the wadi, we had our lunch in the shade of a big acacia, whilst scanning the skies for raptors.
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| We had some 'extras' joining us for lunch.... |
Well, it turned out there weren’t any raptors but a stiff breeze was quite refreshing! We spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening resting at our plush hotel in nearby Nizwa. After dinner we headed out to a nearby wadi and tried again for Omani Owl but only heard it. We stuck it out until 2am before heading back to Nizwa and the sanctuary of those nice rooms!
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