RED-TAILED WHEATEAR

February 5, 2014

ONE AFTERNOON WE EXPLORED AN EXTENSIVE WADI SYSTEM IN THE MOUNTAINS, which looked to have some very similar terrain to the Omani Owl type locality at roughly the same altitude. We spent a very pleasant afternoon indeed checking some good-looking areas prior to dark. A warm welcome off-the-beaten-track is so characteristic of Oman and one very nice village elder took us on a guided walk around the field system and date groves. Walking along the intricate falaj irrigation channel system we saw a few Common Chiffchaffs and an out of place Water Pipit in a date palm but we also saw that the locals actively scare away birds from their precious crops and they appeared to be doing a good job. Nevertheless it was a lovely place with patches of coriander, onions and wheat amongst the shady date groves. We also spoke to a few people about owls and one family said they knew Omani Owl and its voice from Arnoud’s wonderful photo that we showed them and the recording we played - “We know this bird but mostly from the high jebel (mountain)”. Birding in the wadis produced Eastern Orphean Warbler of note, several Red-tailed Wheatears and Striolated Buntings and a nice female Common Rock Thrush. Unfortunately our nocturnal efforts to find something tonight were severely hampered by traffic noise and wind and in the end we didn’t even hear a scops owl, a quite disappointing result as surely Omani Owl must be there somewhere. Instead we enjoyed the call to prayer at Al Hijir.

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CRESTED HONEY BUZZARD

February 5, 2014

A LATE BREAKFAST WAS PERFECTLY TIMED with a magnificent male Crested Honey Buzzard in the resort gardens at Barka. Panic ensued in the dining hall (and in the gents toilet!), as mobile phones were abandoned and we raced back to rooms for cameras etc. Fortunately it hung around long enough for everyone to manage a good view as well as some frame-filling photos, including the blood red eyes that identify it as a male. I have learnt from experience that they can be remarkably confiding in Oman and although they are now regular in winter in the south they are still quite uncommon in the north of the country.

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SOHAR LAPWING SPECTACULAR

February 2, 2014

*The critically endangered Sociable Lapwing, Sohar Sun Farms, Oman (Mike Watson)*

SOHAR SUN FARMS IS UNFORTUNATELY CLOSING DOWN and we were very lucky to make what will probably be our very last visit to one of the most productive birding sites in the whole country. It has been noticeable that business operations have been winding down here for a number of years but the farm has finally reached the end of the line and even the cows were being trucked out during our brief visit. Many of the cow pens have fallen into disrepair but the sewage treatment tanks are still intact and we were delighted to find a couple of recently cut pivot fields of alfalfa grass. These have always been magnets for migrants, such as lapwings, larks, pipits and wagtails and it was the former that was the highlight of the day. After an extensive search we eventually found the small wintering flock of Sociable Lapwings. At first eleven birds were feeding on a sandy track by one of the pivot fields, before moving out onto the grass to join the many Red-wattled and a couple of smart White-tailed Lapwings gathered there. Counting again it became apparent that another three birds had joined them, making a total of 14 of this critically endangered species. WOW! This was more than most of us had seen in total in our lifetimes and flocks like this will soon be a thing of the past as they slip further towards extinction. It was a wonderful experience to watch them around our vehicle, feeding by shuffling a foot forward in the grass to disturb invertebrates and flashing their black-and-white wings as they moved to another area of the field. Few other birds could put the nearby super-smart White-tailed Lapwings in the shade! The grass fields also held some other good birds like: Pacific Golden Plover (10) Oriental (3) and Eurasian Skylarks; Richard’s and Water Pipits (both c.10) and a singing Corn Bunting, our first in Oman. Wagtails were scarce this time with predominantly White but there were a couple of Citrine and a single Black-headed.

*White-tailed Lapwing, Sohar Sun Farms, Oman (Mike Watson)*

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PALLAS'S GULLS IN OMAN

February 1, 2014

OUR AUTUMN MIGRATION TOUR OF OMAN IS ALWAYS TOO EARLY TO SEE THE AWESOME PALLAS'S GULL, however, this month's Omani Owl Expedition offered a golden opportunity to get to grips with it. Despite at least one million 4x4 ethusiasts bombing up and down the beach at Ras as Sawadi the gulls stayed put just long enough for us to get a little closer to them. Our peak count over a couple of visits was an impressive 51, some of which were already showing fairly solid black hoods. A couple of Black-headed Gulls, scarce winter visitors to Oman, were also present and terns included Caspian, Greater and Lesser Crested and Sandwich as well as a Little/Saunders’s out of range for identification. A pair of Egyptian Vultures, and a Western Osprey were resting on the offshore islands here and a big push of Pallid Swifts had reached around 100 by the time we left in the evening. Four Eurasian Oystercatchers, a couple of Grey Plovers, Bar-tailed Godwits, Kentish, both Lesser and Greater Sandplovers (some of the latter in nice breeding plumage) were the most interesting shorebirds present, however, there was a large number of phalaropes out to sea, fluttering over the waves like insects while Arctic Skuas chased distant terns on the horizon.

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RED-TAILED WHEATEAR

CRESTED HONEY BUZZARD

SOHAR LAPWING SPECTACULAR

PALLAS'S GULLS IN OMAN