Oman Batinah Coast & Dhofar
Saturday 1st to Friday 14th November 2008
Saturday 14th to Friday 27th November 2009
AA8019
AA9020
The Sultanate of Oman, until recently an undeveloped and little-known
Middle Eastern state, has witnessed in the past 20 years or so an
extraordinary transformation into a modern, prosperous country.
Scenically, it can boast a wide range of habitats ranging from desert,
wooded mountain slopes and sandy beaches to lagoons, extensive mudflats
and irrigated farmlands. Still largely unrecognised as a premier
birdwatching destination, Oman offers a host of ornithological delights.
It is positioned on a major migration route for birds moving between
Asia and Africa - no wonder, then, that its bird list is rapidly
approaching 500 species! Migrant raptors include Greater Spotted &
Steppe Eagles; Jouanin’s Petrel and Persian Shearwater are among the
seabird specialities; sandgrouse, larks and wheatears abound, and, in
the southern region of Dhofar, a number of essentially African species
can be found close to the northern limit of their range.
Day 1: Evening scheduled flight from London to Muscat.
Day 2: Early morning arrival at Muscat. Visit to a refuse
disposal site on the outskirts of Muscat, which attracts large numbers
of raptors. Most numerous are Egyptian Vultures but there are good
numbers of Steppe Eagles and usually the odd Lappet-faced Vulture and
Greater Spotted Eagle. We then drive north-west up the Batinah Coast to
Sohar arriving in time to spend the last hours of daylight on commercial
farms there.
Overnight – Sohar
Day 3: An early start with an hour’s drive to search for Variable
Wheatear and Plain Leaf Warbler. In the afternoon we move back to the
commercial farms at Sohar where huge, well-watered fields create an
oasis for birds. Indian Rollers feed on grasshoppers disturbed by
grass-cutting. Yellow Wagtails of a variety of races provide an
unrivalled opportunity for comparison, and, among the larks, Bimaculated
and Black-crowned Sparrow-lark are the most exotic. Grey Francolin
scatter beside the tracks and groups of Arabian Babblers inhabit scrubby
tangles. Flocks of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse are difficult to
approach, but no so the community of waders that feed by the cattle
enclosures – Red-wattled Lapwings, Little Stints, Ruff and maybe a
White-tailed or even a Sociable Lapwing.
Overnight – Sohar
Day 4: Another day in the Sohar farms before driving back to
Muscat.
Overnight – Muscat
Days 5 & 6: On Day 5 we drive south to Ras al Hadd, birding en
route around Qurayyat and Sur. At first light on Day 6, we shall be at a
turtle sanctuary at Ras al Jinz to watch Green Turtles laying their eggs
and hauling themselves back into the sea. Back at Ras al Hadd, we shall
check the gulls: Sooty Gulls are common, and we should find recently
arrived Heuglin’s & Caspian Gulls. Waders are also a feature, with
Greater & Lesser Sand Plovers, Pacific Golden Plover and Terek &
Broad-billed Sandpipers among the winter visitors. Nearby is a regular
wintering site for Crab Plover and we shall search surrounding areas for
Hoopoe Lark and Red-tailed & Hooded Wheatears.
Overnights - Ras al Hadd
Day 7: We return to Muscat and fly to Salalah in the extreme
south of Oman.
Overnight – Salalah
Days 8 - 12: During this time we shall explore the area in and
around Salalah. Lagoons, wadis, coast and woodland ensure an excellent
range of species. Specialities include Verreaux’s Eagle, Arabian
Partridge, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Blackstart, South Arabian Wheatear,
Arabian Warbler, African Paradise Flycatcher, White-breasted White-eye,
Shining Sunbird, Tristram’s Grackle, Rüppell’s Weaver, African
Silverbill and African Rock Bunting; seabirds may include Jouanin’s
Petrel, Pale-footed & Persian Shearwaters, Wilson’s Stormpetrel, Masked
Booby and Socotra Cormorant.
Overnights – Salalah
Days 13 & 14: There should be time for a final few hours
birdwatching before taking a lunchtime flight to Muscat to connect with
our late afternoon flight to London arriving early on the morning of Day
14.