Finding a Mega on Masirah Island, Oman!

 Today the birding gods have been ultra good to me as I had the morning to look for something rare on Masirah Island in Oman. Headed into Al Shamkaiah Park shortly after sunrise and bumped into 2 Forest Wagtails - still a rare bird in Oman. They'd been previously reported, so I was half-expecting them to still be here. Then a Red-breasted Flycatcher appeared, and as I walked around the edge of the park, 2 Pin-tailed Snipe flew up and away. Not too shabby so far, but I was wondering if i'd lost my rarity-finding mojo here in Oman. After several minutes of self-doubt a bird flew away, low across the floor of the park, looking for all the world like a small accipiter with a white spot on the lower back. It was kind of reminiscent to an immature Shikra, so I thought in that moment but surely was too thin...? I crept closer to where I saw the bird in question swoop up into one of the densest trees in the park (of course) and thought I could see it through a tangle of bare branches. What I saw left me totally shaken to be honest and I had to get a better position as what I thought it was, surely couldn't be. It was a cuckoo, an immature at that, but not just any cuckoo. I was adamant it was a flipping Common Hawk-Cuckoo, something of a mega bird in the Middle East. The stuff of dreams you might say. But it couldn't be?! i tried taking some photos but my hands were shaking and the light was poor anyway. Damn! 

Anyway, I spent several minutes trying to compose myself, keeping one eye on the bird and one on my phone, looking for its status in Oman. Wow! With only 4 previous records this was indeed a mega bird and I had to be sure. The bird then disappeared and I cursed my luck, as I hadn't any decent photos to record the event and surely no-one would believe me without photos. So I searched the park and eventually saw it flying again. This was like, maybe another half an hour since my initial discovery and all the while I was doubting what i'd seen! Ah the joys of ADHD and overthinking! Anyway, I tracked the bird down to another tree, took some photos from a distance and BAM! It's a Common Hawk-Cuckoo! Mega! You just can't beat that buzz from finding a rarity.

Common Hawk-Cuckoo

Forest Wagtail

New Oman Birding Website

 Well, i've finally taken the plunge and committed to building a new Oman Birding website. My love for this country has come to the point where it's time to put something back into the birding community and it's turning into a much bigger job than I realised!! I have so much information on birding in Oman stored in my brain that putting it into words on a website has been quite a challenge!!! Still, i've made a start and published the website on 1st January 2025, despite much more work needed and it will be ongoing for many months - and that's in-between my 'day job' of course... 

But it's been a fun exercise over the Christmas & New Year holidays and one i'm looking to improve on. I'm hoping other birders will contribute with better photos than mine and even write some better site info, write articles on the rare birds they have found in Oman, or anything else relevant to Oman birding. Already my two Dutch birding friends Eduard Opperman and Eduard Sangster have provided some amazing photos for me to include - much better than mine! And Joachim Bertrands, David Astins & Ray O'Reilly will be doing the same....  

There has already been a huge amount of information gathered by Jens Eriksen & Dave Sergeant in the superb Birdwatching Guide to Oman. It's a little dated but still has much to offer anyone considering a visit to Oman. You can get a PDF copy for EUR 15 by emailing Jens at: hjoman@gmail.com   Jens is the Chairman of the Oman Birds Record Committee (OBRC) and has let me post the latest (Nov 24) Oman Birdlist. 

It is my aim to do justice to the work previously carried out by the two authors, and have up-to-date site information readily available to everyone with GPS co-ordinates etc. But there are many sites i've never been to, but will hopefully begin to rectify that with a couple visits over the next few months....

There are many others who have a lot of experience of birding in Oman and I want to get as many contributors as possible to make this website as authoritative & helpful as possible. 

So, if you wish to contribute anything to the website please email us at: birders@oman-birding.com

You can find the website here: www.oman-birding.com

And if you didn't know...

OMAN ROCKS!