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!