OMAN DAY 5: BARR AL HICKMAN

We headed to the waderfest that is Barr Al Hickman Area 4 at 5.30am which entailed driving across the potentially wet desert (also known as sabkha) on some semi-visible tracks. This whole area is a Ramsar Site and protects a huge population of shorebirds and other ‘water’ birds that must total well over half a million birds in total, if not more! On the drive from the hotel we had to slow right down due to a thick mist reducing visibility to just a few metres and I was wondering if it would be possible to actually reach my intended site. Well, I needn’t have worried as the mist soon began to dissipate once the sun was up and we got closer to the shore. It’s always an incredible sight to see so many birds at one time and wherever we looked there was a constant movement of shorebirds feeding. The tide was coming in slowly and I mean slowly – in fact with only a 65cms difference between low and high tides I was expecting it to move far quicker than it did. I’m sure some of us were wondering why we’d got here so early as high tide wasn’t until shortly after 11am but in such a fantastic area you just never know what to expect and there’s always the chance of a rarity in the strip of bushes that goes on for many kilometres. And you wouldn’t believe how hot and sultry it was by 11am!!! Yes, we saw a few more Crab-Plovers but they were still quite distant and we did manage to find a lone Great Knot as well, but probably our best experience was with a close group of 7 Broad-billed Sandpipers feeding close in front of us. We watched them for ages as they scuttled first to our left before backtracking right and exploring the numerous puddles spread across the mudflats. It was a fantastic experience to watch them and note their distinctive feeding behaviour and we then scanned across the vast mudflats picking out over a hundred in one scan!

Some phonescoped efforts at Broad-billed Sandpipers

Many thousands of shorebirds, egrets, herons were present including many hundreds of Western Reef Herons, 250+ Eurasian Spoonbills, 1000’s of Dunlins, 200+ Red-necked Phalaropes dotted the shoreline, 2000+ Tibetan Sandplovers, 3,500 Greater Sandplovers,  50+ Terek Sandpipers, 1200+ Greater Flamingo’s etc. You get the picture. In fact it is impossible to give any sort of accurate counts as there’s just so many birds and everything would take flight when a harrier flew over, which they did quite frequently. The fact I found Oman’s 1^st Grey-tailed Tattler here a few years ago just shows what could be out there somewhere…. We also had 2 Short-toed Lark types flyby, that could well have been Turkestan Short-toed Larks. But boy it was hot. In the bushes we saw several Asian Desert Warblers, Lesser Whitethroat & Eurasian Cuckoo, with several Western Marsh Harriers also present. 

 

It was apparent that the Crab-Plovers weren’t roosting in their usual spot so we headed across to Shannah and checked out the beaches there, incredibly finding a Pin-tailed Snipe hiding in the shade from a plastic barrel on the beach! And with sunburnt faces we headed back to the hotel for lunch and a rest. 

 

After a rest back at the hotel we drove to Mahout Sewage Works on the outskirts of the town. Initially everything seemed a little quiet, with just the usual shorebirds such as Tibetan Sandplovers, Little Stints and a few Dunlins present. But we then picked up 3 Wood Sandpipers, Les saw a Red-throated Pipit, and I was amazed to see a Black-necked Grebe in one of the flooded pools. 

Some KP's at the sewage pools

Black-necked Grebe

More shorebirds... 

Brian then shouted ‘pratincole’ and a juvenile flew around the pools before disappearing – probably a Collared Pratincole… There was also Western Yellow Wagtail, Desert Wheatear, Eurasian Curlew, Ruff, Common Coot, Greater Flamingo and others. 

 

It had been quite a day.

OMAN DAY 4: NIZWA - BAR AL HICKMAN - FILIM

After returning to the hotel in the early hours we had a later start than usual and left shortly after 9am on the drive south to Mahout, located very close to the famous Barr Al Hickman. Heading out into the desert on the 300kms drive we saw a few good roadside birds including Desert Wheatear, Egyptian Vulture, Persian Wheatear, Brown-necked Raven, and an aucheri Great Grey Shrike. 

Probably the best find we had was a superb little Asian Desert Warbler that flew around us a few times and we watched it characteristically feeding in the shade of the small bushes that dot the landscape. Lunch was at a petrol station where a Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark flew in and landed on the petrol forecourt right in front of us. However, ice-cream and cold drinks were also well received here as much as the sparrow-lark! 

Asian Desert warbler

On arrival in Mahout we dumped the luggage into our rooms and headed immediately down to Filim, arriving at 3.45pm. Within seconds a superb Crab-Plover was teed up in the monster Swarovski scope, and despite the tide being way out it was still a decent view - in all, we estimated 55+ were present. There was a mass of shorebirds spread all over the exposed mudflats and amongst the many, many Dunlins were Little Stints, Curlew Sandpipers, 1 Sanderling (!), close Tibetan Sandplovers, many monster Greater Sandplovers, quite a few extraordinarily long-billed Eurasian Curlews (asiaticus), Whimbrel, Grey Plovers, Common Redshanks and others. It was quite a spectacle but just a little tittivating taster of what would come tomorrow…. There was also 100+ Greater Flamingo’s, 250+ Grey Herons, 3 Eurasian Spoonbills, many Little & Great Egrets, an Indian Pond-Heron, Striated Heron, Western Marsh Harrier, and an Osprey perched on a post. Walking over to the mangroves we scoped a Clamorous Reed Warbler posing beautifully, and found a very close Temminck’s Stint in a little puddle, as well as a very odd-looking cold, grey Yellow Wagtail that I feel sure must have been an Eastern Yellow Wagtail(a very rare bird in Oman), but it flew away before any photos could be taken or we could see if it had a long hindclaw. A few days later another birding crew claimed an Eastern Yellow Wagtail from the same spot…. Hmmm….?

OMAN DAY 3: BARKA – AL ANSAB WETLANDS – WADI MUAYDIN

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. 

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. 

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!

OMAN DAY 2 - AL HAJAR MOUNTAINS

We returned to the same wadi as last night, but needed some sleep so didn’t leave until 8am! What?! Still we scored all of our target birds by 1pm and by then it was 30 degrees Centigrade! You need to know how to bird these wadis and from my experience of 9 visits species tend to remain faithful to the same areas and that makes my job easier. We began at my usual spot where Red-tailed (Persian) Wheatear performed nicely, along with a pair of Arabian Babblers that always seem to be around here, along with a couple of Striolated Buntings & Indian Silverbills. 

Red-tailed (Persian) Wheatear

Neil and some of the other guys found a skulky warbler that eventually proved to be a Menetries’s Warbler, which gave some of the best views I’ve ever experienced here. Lynzi had prepared a fine picnic breakfast with hot tea and coffee, yoghurt, muesli, croissants & jam etc before we drove to my usual site for Hume’s Wheatear. Here we had a pair and although they weren’t too close one bird in particular hung around for ages. This year, I had to go further up the wadi to find Plain Leaf Warbler, but we did find two individuals and really enjoyed repeated close views. 

Plain Leaf Warbler

All we needed was Streaked Scrub Warbler, but by now it was midday and none seemed to be calling, despite trying at all of the usual locations I normally see them. So by now we had to retreat to the comfort of the air-conditioned SUV’s and start heading back to the hotel for a rest. But I still had one more site to try and thankfully after a short burst of tape a very inquisitive Streaked Scrub Warbler flew into a small Acacia right next to us and perched right on top. In fact it circled us and posed beautifully on numerous occasions, all the while swinging its long tail.

 

After lunch and a bit of time off back at our hotel in Barka we drove just under half an hour to the coast where we found our first Terek and Broad-billed Sandpipers, as well as Western Reef Heron and Common Kingfisher along a creek. 

Beach birding...

We walked out across the exposed sand to view a large gathering of gulls and terns at the shoreline, but couldn’t find any Pallas’s Gulls once again amongst the crowd of Heuglin’s and Steppe Gulls. 

Spot the Lesser Crested Tern....

We did get Lesser Crested, 4 Caspian and a few Sandwich Terns, along with Greater Crested Tern, a flock of Slender-billed Gulls and Bar-tailed Godwit all being new birds for the trip. It was a lovely late afternoon session with the sun setting behind us and scoping Greater and Tibetan Sandplovers, Kentish Plovers and others. As we decided to forego the delight of staring at skyscraper high cliffs in the dark for mythical owls, we enjoyed an excellent meal in a local restaurant and an early night!

OMAN DAY 1 - AL FAHAL ISLAND

Well, Oman is getting popular and now firmly established on the world birding circuit. There’s already a few companies and other birders ahead of us or just finished their tour. In my opinion that is great if you’re after finding some rarities but you’ll miss Hypocolius, although have better luck with Sooty Falcon. And that’s our first target today and I’m hoping there’s still one or two lingering on their breeding islands… Already some of the group had been seeing Greater Spotted Eagle, Western Marsh Harrier, Red-wattled Lapwing, Glossy Ibis, Delicate Prinia, Pale Crag Martin, White-eared Bulbul, Purple Sunbird, Isabelline (Daurian) Shrike, and other common species. 

View from hotel window

So, with everyone arriving yesterday and being well rested we set out on the half an hour drive to Al Qurum creek to meet our boat. Our first Arabian Green Bee-eater was a welcome surprise before we set off out to Al Fahal Island. 

The gang...

Would the falcons still be around? I’d seen on eBird that they had been seen yesterday….. It took around 40 minutes to reach the large island and we sailed around the calmer southern side, seeing absolutely nothing until we reached the opposite side where the water was choppy, and of course this was where the Sooty Falcons were hanging out! In fact there were at least 6 in all with a Peregrine Falcon. 

Our most wanted bird - Sooty Falcon

It was a little tricky to get good photos but one bird was quite low down and gave great views. Our falcon watching was put on temporary hold with the appearance of an adult and juvenile Red-billed (Arabian) Tropicbird flying around us – and only the second time I’ve seen them in Oman. Brilliant! 

Red-billed (Arabian) Tropicbird

But back to the falcons, as this was a species most of the group were extremely keen to see and we enjoyed further great views of them flying around the tall cliffs above us and then right over our little boat. Superb! Everyone was elated with this and after a good while watching them we left and headed back to land, with the added bonus of a close Red-necked Phalarope en-route. 

 

From here, we drove half an hour north to the Muscat Rivermouth in the hope of finding Pallas’s Gull, a species which hasn’t been reported yet this season. Of course, we drew a blank on this but still had a fine time sifting through a very nice selection of shorebirds. Highlights were a mix of Greater and Tibetan Sandplovers giving great scope views, along with Kentish Plover, Spotted Redshank, Ruff and many Little Stints, as well as Slender-billed and Sooty Gulls amongst others. 

Checking one of the beaches...

We then drove back to the Crowne Plaza to collect our luggage and set off up to Barka where we’d be staying for 2 nights. 

 

After another great picnic lunch prepared by Lynzi we had a good few hours rest before meeting at 7pm to drive to one of our favourite wadis at the base of the massive Al Hajar Mountains where Omani Owl resides. Well, yes they are there but not tonight. We did stay until 2am but didn’t get a sniff of it and had to content ourselves with a Pallid Scops Owlsitting on a rocky ledge and a Little Owl before driving back, bleary-eyed to the hotel for a short night’s sleep.

Mongolia Day 17

This was a spare day due to flight issues and an ideal time to rest, so of course we crammed in some last minute birding despite heavy rain showers hampering us. In fact we didn’t get out until late morning, apart from one aborted attempt when we were tracking down a Siberian Long-tailed Rosefinch only for the skies to open and we narrowly avoided a drenching. Eventually the weather did clear and we saw a flyover Amur Falcon, flocks of Hawfinches and White-cheeked Starlings, Daurian Jackdaw, and finally the views we wanted of a pair of Siberian Long-tailed Rosefinches and a pair of Azure Tits. 

Azure Tit

Siberian Long-tailed Rosefinch

The latter two species showed incredibly well in one small area and needless to say we were elated. And that was us done! One last dinner and some beers before we set of on our respective journeys back to the UK and USA tomorrow morning. 

Mongolia Day 16

This was the last official day of the tour and our Hazel Grouse obsession saw some of the group heading back up into the hills in one of the vehicles, where they spent the first couple of hours after sunrise searching in vain. Keith and I headed off in search of a singing White’s Thrush that also failed to show. So not a great start, but after breakfast we walked from camp up through the valley, still with thoughts of a certain grouse in the minds of some…. It was a particularly ‘birdy’ walk with a singing Siberian Rubythroat showing well as it settled on several of its favourite song posts around the edge of a marsh. 

Can never get enough of Siberian Rubythroat

We also saw a singing Pine Bunting, an Arctic Warbler calling away from high up in a tall conifer, a few singing Yellow-browed Warblers, and we scoped a calling Oriental Cuckoo as well…. 

I managed to phonescope the Oriental Cuckoo

Oh and there was still no sign of any Chinese Bush-Warblers. 

Our group photo after packing up our last camp

So we packed up camp after lunch and drove back towards Ulaan Baatar, diverting to another forest to make one last search for grouse, which was a surprising decision for some of us! And yes, it ended with the same result, but I did see an impressive flock of 50+ Pacific Swifts overhead! A torturous drive to the Mongolica Hotel followed and one final dinner with everyone together before Mike had to leave the next morning on his journey back to the UK.

Mongolia Day 15

This morning we drove into Ulaan Baatar, stopping beside the Tuul River, where we quickly notched up a very close and inquisitive White-crowned Penduline Tit. 

The stunning White-crowned Penduline-Tit

Then it was on to Terelj National Park and our final campsite of this awesome tour. With our ground crew already setting up the tents as we arrived, a quick walk down to a marshy area choked with scrub was made to see if any Chinese Bush-Warblers had arrived – it’s a late arriving summer breeding species here and unfortunately they weren’t present until the day after we left!  

Our campsite

A singing Siberian Rubythroat looked mighty fine in the scope so we spent a while admiring him, and we also had Willow Tit and Yellow-browed Warbler. 

 

After lunch we drove up into the hills and walked through majestic forest in search of Grey-headed Chickadee (Siberian Tit), which I didn’t feel that optimistic about our chances. However, we found a pair who became exceedingly inquisitive to the speaker placed up in a conifer and gave us outstanding views. Wow! 

For the Europeans it's a Siberian Tit & if you're from across the pond it's Grey-headed Chickadee

It was about now that our obsession with finding Hazel Grouse really took hold (for some more than others!!) and we spread out and walked back down the hill with the SUV’s following behind. We checked and walked, and checked & walked some more as we trekked down through what looked like very suitable habitat for them. But we never had a sniff. However, it was during this search that an Ural Owl began calling repeatedly back up the hill and so we set off in search. It was tricky going underfoot, walking across soft, boggy moss, through birch scrub and then up a steep mountainside, but we managed to locate it about 100 yards in front of us. 

We were absolutely elated to see Ural Owl

On two separate occasions it flew close past us before settling in one position. It wasn’t a lifer for any of us that were present but it’s a really stunning species and we sat quietly and watched it for some time before leaving it alone and heading down to the vehicles.

This was the view through my scope of the Ural Owl that visited our camp

Back at camp that evening we had an early dinner and then checked out the bushy area nearby where a pair of Pine Buntings and a singing Dusky Warbler were constantly on view. An Oriental Cuckoo called constantly from the opposite hillside, and as dusk settled we saw the distinctive silhouette of an Eurasian Woodcock flying over the marsh. But the day wasn’t done yet and once everyone was settled in their tents ready for a good night’s sleep we had another Ural Owl fly over the camp where it posed very nicely indeed on a nearby conifer. 

My shouts of “Ural Owl showing well” were greeted with mild derision, and followed by the unzipping of sleeping bags & tent flaps and even a few groans until everyone looked through my scope at the huge beast! Mongolia rocks!

Mongolia Day 14

Up and out at 5am, walking alongside the reedbed just down from our camp, seeing several Oriental Reed Warblersand Paddyfield Warblers, both posing quite nicely in the reeds. Both the rail and crake were again heard, but we had nice views of White-naped Cranes, White-winged Terns, Marsh Sandpipers, Swan Geese etc etc. 

Nice views of Swan Goose this morning

After breakfast in camp a few of us saw a male Pallas’s Reed Bunting found by iDave before we headed out on the drive to Hustai National Park. Upon arrival we dropped our bags off in the gers before driving quite a way into the park through rolling grass-covered hills. 

Hustai National Park

Parking beside a small woodland we began by scouring the rocky hillside for Daurian Partridge without any joy, but had nice views of Meadow Bunting and Amur Falcon. Before getting back to the vehicles for lunch we found a Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler skulking (as usual) in some bushes. Eventually it flew into the base of a tall bush and showed reasonably well for a change. But a strange place indeed to see this much-wanted species, as it was on migration and heading north to Siberia. 

Daurian Partridge

After lunch we walked up the wooded valley, not quite catching up with a phylloscs flock moving fast and away from us, but an Asian Brown Flycatcher was nice. Eventually after much searching Puje located a pair of partridges that we watched in the scope for ages before manoeuvring a lot closer for fantastic views. An Eurasian Hobby was then scoped and a Saker, Golden Eagle and Cinereous Vulture flew over. 

Przewalski's Horse

Oh and we did stop to look at a couple of Prezewalski’s Horses as well. 

Celebrating a great day...

A good day was rounded off with a delicious hotpot meal and, of course, more beers...!!