BIRDING ABROAD LTD

THE SOUTH OF OMAN – AN ARABIAN ADVENTURE 2 - 11 FEBRUARY

(with optional extension to Northern Oman 11 - 15 February) TOUR OVERVIEW: This fascinating country sits on the southern flank of the Arabian Peninsula. Blessed with warm and sunny weather, the Sultanate of Oman maintains strong links with the UK and many ‘ex-pats’ live and work there. It remains a peaceful and safe country to visit, one where the wild beauty of its landscapes and the warm hospitality of its people is legendary. This is a land of spectacular scenery; we will witness rugged mountains, deep gorges, stark wadis, endless miles of stunning white beaches, palm groves, coastal lagoons and the vast desert ‘Empty Quarter’ dotted in part with modern farms bringing greenery to their arid surroundings. Situated at the crossroads of Asia, Europe and Africa, the country was once at the centre of the rich Frankincense trading routes across the ancient world, attracting visiting nobility including, according to local legend, the Queen of Sheba herself. Importantly for birders, the country’s geographical position means that the avifauna is also very rich, with an amazingly diverse bird list including a unique mix of Palearctic, Oriental and Afro-tropical breeding species, in addition to a host of much sought after migratory and wintering birds. We have previously visited Oman several times, and for 2019 our main tour focuses on the Dhofar region in the south of the country, widely recognised as the ornithological jewel in the country’s crown. For those who want a more complete birding picture of Oman, we have added a short optional extension to the north where further specialities await.

Whilst in Dhofar, we will focus our efforts on areas within an easy reach of our splendid beach-side hotel in the quiet outskirts of Salalah. From here we explore a variety of key habitats to reveal target breeding specialities such as Socotra Cormorant, Masked Booby, Brown Booby, Yellow Bittern, Verreaux’s Eagle, Arabian Partridge, Spotted Thick-knee, Arabian Scops-owl, South Arabian Wheatear, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, African Paradise Flycatcher, Black-crowned Tchagra, Shining Sunbird, Palestine Sunbird, Abyssinian White-eye, Arabian Warbler, Yemen Serin, Arabian Golden-winged Grosbeak and Cinnamon-breasted Bunting. The south of Oman also plays host to hundreds of wintering eagles, most of which are Steppe Eagles, but with Eastern Imperial and Greater Spotted alongside for excellent comparisons. Coastal lagoons host numerous wader and heron species, whilst idyllic beaches and the rolling surf of the Arabian Sea will be alive with Sooty Gulls and Crested Terns, and perhaps a passing dolphin or two. Just a couple of hours drive inland from Salalah is the town of Thumrayt, a gateway to the desert plains of the vast Rub al Qali or Empty Quarter. Vegetated wadis attract Asian Desert Warbler, with flowering shrubs providing nectar for Nile Valley Sunbirds and sporadic springs giving much needed water for Sand Partridge and a variety of sandgrouse and larks. Date palms in the region host the rare and enigmatic Grey Hypocolius and we will search two areas where we saw the species earlier this year. Attempts to farm the dry desert produce oasis-like green belts which are a magnet for hungry migrants and wintering birds. Huge circular fields growing alfalfa for use as cattle fodder, are watered by rotating gantries on wheels. These fields are cut regularly, attracting numerous small passerines such as Short-toed Larks, Black-crowned Finch-larks and Isabelline Wheatears which in turn attract predators such as Pallid Harrier and Long-legged Buzzards. It is in such places that Sociable Plover occasionally winters, a threatened species of international concern.

Sociable Plover – a very scarce winter bird to Oman’s irrigated farmlands

Optional Extension - the North of Oman: The north of Oman remains irresistible too of course and we offer an enticing optional extension at the end of our main trip. Inland from the Batinah coast, the Al Hajar Mountains extend nearly 200 miles northwest to southeast. Characterised by jagged and spectacular limestone ridges with wadis and canyons, these stark uplands are cleverly irrigated and the area is known for its traditional rose water extraction, fruit growing (typically pomegranates) and honey bee breeding. It is distinguished from the south by its own special avifauna, with species quite separate to those occurring in Dhofar. We will look for sedentary Lappet-faced Vulture, Hume’s Wheatear, Streaked Scrub-warbler, Arabian Babbler and Striolated Bunting, supplemented at the time of our visit with wintering Persian (Red-tailed) Wheatears, diminutive Plain Leaf Warblers and many overstaying migrants such as Isabelline Shrike, Eastern Black Redstart and Menetries’s Warbler. Special evening excursions will be made to seek out Pallid Scops-owl, and perhaps, even the recently discovered Omani Owl in the wadis of the foothills.

TOUR DESCRIPTION: Our ground tour commences at Muscat international airport on the morning of Sunday 3 February, from where we take a short internal flight with Oman Air to the city of Salalah, the regional capital of the Dhofar. Our accommodation here, initially for three nights, is the nicely appointed and rather splendid Salalah Hilton Hotel. We will travel out daily from here using comfortable people carriers, the excellent road infrastructure affording us ready access to all the key sites. A series of coastal lagoons or ‘khawrs’ are found on the coastal plain both east and west of Salalah, these being fed by a series of vegetated wadis known locally as ‘ayns’, which strike deep into the foothills of the Dhofar mountains. Acacia and Baobab trees grow here giving the area an African Rift Valley feel. Gorgeous empty beaches host a rich assortment of waders, gulls, terns and herons, whilst rocky promontories provide excellent look outs for sea-watching. It is amongst this diversity of habitat that Dhofar’s speciality birds are to be found. To explore the Empty Quarter (or at least a tiny cross section of it!), we then drive north over the Jabal Al Qara Mountains and descend into a vast and impressive desert landscape, with

Streaked Scrub-warbler – descends to wadis at lower altitude in winter

the small town of Thumrayt acting as our gateway to this wilderness. Our base for a single night is a basic but clean and comfortable local motel in Thumrayt. Following our desert adventure in the Empty Quarter, we return to Salalah for a further three nights, stopping en-route in a wadi famous for its Frankincense trees, where we can see the celebrated trees close up. Such is the sheer variety and diversity of the habitats in the Dhofar region, that our days will be bird filled. Of particular note are the gigantic cliffs of the Jabal Samhan, an occasional haunt of the stunningly attractive Verreaux’s Eagle, whilst nearby the colossal sinkhole at Tawi Atayr, is home to an isolated population of Yemen Serin. Wintering eagles congregate at a refuse dump near Raysut, whilst a small number of Crested Honey Buzzards and Yellow-billed Kites (of the form aegyptius, now classified as a full species occurring in Arabia and North-east Africa) are seen over lush palm plantations on the outskirts of the city itself. Indeed Salalah is synonymous with first class birding and there will be plenty to entertain us during our days here. We conclude the tour by taking an internal flight back to Muscat, where we stay close to the airport for one more night, ready for the flight home to the UK (or for those staying on, ready for the optional ‘North of Oman’ extension – see below).

PHOTOGRAPHIC OPPORTUNITIES: A camera is certainly recommended to capture memories of the awe inspiring scenery and places of cultural and historical interest. Bird life is often confiding, so good results can be anticipated even for those with basic equipment and rudimentary photography skills. BIRD LIST: Highlights are many and will include a large number of the following; Masked Booby, Brown Booby, Socotra Cormorant, Yellow Bittern, Indian Pond heron, Western Reef Egret, Intermediate Egret, Purple Heron, Abdim’s Stork, Greater Flamingo, Cotton Pygmy-

Wadi Sabt in northern Oman, home to wintering Plain Leaf Warblers

goose, Garganey, Ferruginous Duck, Crested Honey Buzzard, Yellow-billed (formerly aegyptius Black) Kite, Egyptian Vulture, Pallid Harrier, Montagu’s Harrier, Long-legged Buzzard, Greater Spotted Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Verreaux’s Eagle, Booted Eagle, Bonelli’s Eagle, Arabian Partridge, Sand Partridge, Baillon’s Crake, White-breasted Waterhen, Red-knobbed Coot, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Spotted Thick-knee, Cream-coloured Courser, Lesser Sandplover, Greater Sandplover, Pacific Golden Plover, Spur-winged Plover, Sociable Plover, White-tailed Plover, Temminck’s Stint, Marsh Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper, Sooty Gull, Pallas’s (Great Black-headed) Gull, Heuglin’s Gull, Steppe Gull (barabensis), Slender-billed Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Caspian Tern, Greater Crested Tern, Lesser Crested Tern, Whiskered Tern, White-winged Tern, Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse, Spotted Sandgrouse, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Namaqua Dove, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Arabian Scops-owl, Singing Bushlark, Black-crowned Sparrow-lark, Bar-tailed Lark, Desert Lark, Hoopoe Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, African Rock Martin, Richard’s Pipit, Tawny Pipit, Long-billed Pipit, Citrine Wagtail, White-spectacled Bulbul, Grey Hypocolius, Bluethroat, Blackstart, Isabelline Wheatear, Desert Wheatear, South Arabian Wheatear, Clamorous Reed-warbler, Asian Desert Warbler, Arabian Warbler, Eastern Orphean Warbler, African Paradise Flycatcher, Nile Valley Sunbird, Shining Sunbird, Palestine Sunbird, Abyssinian White-eye, Black-crowned Tchagra, Isabelline Shrike, Southern Grey Shrike, Steppe Grey Shrike (pallidirostris), Fan-tailed Raven, Tristram’s Grackle, Rose-coloured Starling, Ruppell’s Weaver, African Silverbill, Yemen Serin, Arabian Golden-winged Grosbeak, Cinnamon-breasted (African Rock) Bunting.

Our four night extension to the north’s Al Hajar Mountains and coastal plain should add the following species; Grey Francolin, Lappet-faced Vulture, Pallid Scops-owl, Pallid Swift, Little Green Bee-eater, White-cheeked Bulbul, Red-vented Bulbul, Indian Roller, Eastern Black Redstart (phoenicuriodes), Persian (Red-tailed) Wheatear, Hume’s Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Streaked Scrub-warbler, Menetries’s Warbler, Plain Leaf Warbler, Red-breasted

Pallas’s Gull, common on the beaches of north Oman

Flycatcher, Arabian Babbler, Purple Sunbird, Brown-necked Raven, Indian Silverbill and Striolated Bunting. A special effort will be made to locate Pallid Scops-owls and with luck the recently discovered Omani Owl. MAMMALS & OTHER WILDLIFE: Though this part of Arabia has many interesting mammals, these are largely nocturnal, very shy or inhabit extremely remote areas, making it difficult for a touring group to chance upon them. We should see Indo-pacific Humpback Dolphins feeding just offshore in the surf. Rock Hyrax and Red Fox have been seen by birders and less commonly Ruppell’s Fox and even Arabian Wolf. Egyptian Fruit Bat is not uncommon in places. ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD: Full board accommodation is provided throughout, with in order; three nights at the Salalah Hilton Hotel, one night at the Thumrayt Tourist Motel, three nights back at the Salalah Hilton and finally a night at the Majan Hotel in Muscat. The hotels are of an excellent standard, with very good international cuisine served in their restaurants, except at Thumrayt in the desert which is more basic, which is still clean and acceptable. Here we visit a local restaurant with a good selection of food for our evening meal; some consider the food here to be the best of the tour! All rooms throughout are en-suite. We will take picnic lunches or lunch in local restaurants, where we can enjoy a rest and comfort break, some shade from the sun and revive ourselves for a while.

For the extension to the north, we stay three nights at the modern and comfortable Al Nahda Resort at Barka on the Batinah coast which has a fine restaurant and extensive grounds. WEATHER: The weather on the south coast of Oman in early February is typically dry, warm and sunny, with mid daytime temperatures between 23-28 degrees Celsius. Even mornings are pleasantly warm, although in more mountainous areas, it is slightly cooler. In the Empty Quarter conditions are similar, perhaps a degree or so warmer, and we can expect temperatures nearer the 30 degrees Celsius mark by early afternoon.

PACE & DAILY ROUTINE: Breakfasts will usually be taken between 7.00 and 8.00, depending on the morning’s itinerary. Basic fitness is all that is required. Full days will be spent in the field, punctuated by cafe and lunch breaks and the occasional cold drink or ice cream stop. Most walks are of a short distance on a rather flat terrain, though some uphill walking on very gentle gradients is required, all done at a sensible pace. Should we encounter days where the temperature has taken a leap upwards, we may opt to take a longer break in the middle of the day, focusing our birding in the mornings and late afternoons.

PRICE: The price is £1790 per person (based on sharing a twin room) for the main tour. This includes all bird-watching excursions with Birding Abroad leaders, full-board accommodation (starting with lunch on arrival in Salalah, ending with breakfast before we depart from Muscat back to the UK), local transport by people carrier or mini-coach and internal flights (which include a snack). Not included are international flights. You can expect to pay around £350 for the return flight. Your personal travel insurance, the cost of obtaining a tourist visa on arrival (£40), alcoholic drinks and items of a personal nature are not included. North of Oman extension: £800 per person (based on sharing of a twin room) to include all bird-watching excursions with Birding Abroad leaders, full-board accommodation (starting with lunch on day 1 of the extension and ending with breakfast prior to our flight back to the UK), local transport by people carrier. Not included are personal items as mentioned for the main tour. Single rooms are available on both the main tour and extension. Please contact us for the supplementary price.

Nakhal Fort, one of several ancient fort towns in Oman’s interior

INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS: Because the main tour commences and concludes in Muscat, you have a number of choices in terms of the airlines that fly to Oman. Direct flights from the UK are available to Muscat (MCT) International Airport with British Airways and Oman Air. Several other airlines offer UK to Muscat flights with at least 1 stop en-route. Your Birding Abroad leaders will inform you of their own flight plans well in advance of the tour so that you can choose to fly with us and stay closely aligned with our own travel plans to and from Oman. These are most likely to involve a British Airways direct overnight flight departing 2 February from the UK to Muscat, in readiness to commence the main tour on 3 February. Alternatively you can select a different international flight and tailor your schedule to meet with us at Muscat Airport on the first full day of the tour. This option allows you the opportunity to do some sightseeing around Muscat either before or after the birding tour concludes. A visit to the amazingly beautiful Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is quite spell-binding for example and recommended.

GROUP SIZE: The tour will proceed with a three plus a leader up to a maximum of 10 plus 2 leaders.

Sooty Gull – large groups can be seen on the beaches of Oman

DAY TO DAY ITINERARY

Day 1: Saturday 2 February Birding Abroad leaders take an overnight flight from UK to Muscat, Oman. Day 2: Sunday 3 February We will assemble at Muscat International Airport on the morning of 3rd and take an internal flight with Oman Air to Salalah. After collecting our hire vehicles, we will take a short drive to the comfortable Salalah Hilton Hotel in the quiet western reaches of town. Here we can relax after all the travel, with some bird watching around the hotel grounds if time and light permit. Typical birds of suburbia include Laughing Dove, Rose-ringed Parakeet, House Crow, White-spectacled Bulbul, Ruppell’s Weaver, Common Mynah, whilst flying past the beach front we might see our first Sooty Gulls and Greater Crested Terns. Night Hilton Hotel. Day 3: Monday 4 February After breakfast we travel west along the coast to visit the wadi at Al Mughsayl. Here we can explore the drier stretches of the wadi and take short walks to encounter our first Arabian Partridges, Desert Larks, Long-billed Pipits and Blackstarts. The khwar itself often hosts Cotton Pygmy-goose, Purple Heron and Yellow Bittern, whilst Clamorous Reed-warblers and sometimes Baillon’s Crake can be spotted around the reedy edges. A nearby rocky promontory is a local tourist attraction as it contains an active blow-hole where water gushes from the narrow cracks to soak the unsuspecting onlooker. It is also a great site to check for passing seabirds and both Brown and Masked Booby and groups of Socotra Cormorants are regularly seen. Any clump of bushes can host parties of the ubiquitous Abyssinian White-eye, whilst the less frequently encountered South Arabian Wheatear should eventually reveal itself. The whole coastline is scenically very attractive and we will picnic here over lunchtime.

In the afternoon we will head back through town to visit the nearby East Khawr. Where the khawr adjoins the beach front, the selection of waders typically includes both Greater and Lesser Sandplovers, Kentish Plover, Temminck’s and Little Stints and even Long-toed Stint in some years. Nearby the Al Balid Archaeological Park is a pleasant place to end the day and it offers a good chance to observe Spotted Thick-knees sheltering watchfully in the shade of the trees. Flowering shrubs attract stunning Shining Sunbirds, whilst a paved walkway along the canal provides a good vantage point to watch wintering White-winged and Whiskered Terns as they return to roost. Both Squacco and Indian Pond Herons and even the small Malachite Kingfisher is occasionally seen here. Night Hilton Hotel.

Day 4: Tuesday 5 February Our first site this morning is Ayn Razat, a few kilometres north-east of Salalah and a favourite picnic spot for locals where a natural spring gives rise to a permanent stream. Here the surrounding trees and scrub support African Paradise Flycatcher, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Black-crowned Tchagra and a large number of Cinnamon-breasted Buntings. We then move a little further east following the coast road to Khawr Rawri, which was once a coastal inlet

Spotted Thick- knee – a close relative of Eurasian Thicknee with a primarily

African distribution

for the ancient port of Sumhuran. We can walk around the present day ruins which date from the third century BC and in their heyday played host to none other than the Queen of Sheba herself. An air conditioned visitor centre provides excellent information boards, whilst the tranquil waters of the khawr itself (now cut off from the sea by a sand bar) attracts a variety of waterfowl including Red-knobbed Coot and Ferruginous Duck. We will check for Bonelli’s and Greater Spotted Eagles soaring overhead, whilst the water’s edge has waders including Black-winged Stilts and Marsh Sandpipers as well as Great White Egret, Western Reef Heron and with careful scrutiny the occasional Intermediate Egret. Retreating back to the visitor centre we can lunch on a terrace complete with a shaded awning. A drive in the early afternoon takes us higher into the Jabal Samhan where we will visit the Tawi Atayr sink hole, a dramatic geographical feature, and home to the localised Yemen Serin. South Arabian Wheatear is found here too, as is Bonelli’s Eagle which often shows at eye level, drifting up from cliff faces within this, the second largest sink hole in the World. We conclude the afternoons birding with a visit to the huge cliffs of Samhan, where we sit enjoying panoramic views of the coastal plain below. Fan-tailed Ravens and Tristram’s Grackles play amusingly in the air currents, but should it show, the most impressive sighting will be of the mighty Verreaux’s Eagle which rules the skies here. One pair breeds close by and they often perform their stunning display flight at this time of year – simply dazzling!

Whilst we are nearby it is sensible to call in at Ayn Tabraq, where we will settle quietly at a sensible distance to watch for Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse which come to a water hole at dusk. This also puts us in the right area for listening to and hopefully seeing Arabian Scops-owl, which often show at close quarters and are quite common here. It is not uncommon to hear two or even three birds singing at the same time. Night Hilton Hotel.

Verreaux’s Eagle – breath-taking in their display over the Jabal Samhan

Day 5: Wednesday 6 February After an early breakfast, we must load our vehicles and head north over the Jabal Al Qara Mountains before descending into the arid desert plains of the vast Empty Quarter. Here we will drop off our luggage at the motel in Thumrayt and then head north again checking for Spotted and Crowned Sandgrouse which come to drink and feed at traditional locations. Asian Desert Warblers winter here in scrubby bushes and we should amass a good count of Hoopoe Larks. Our destination for the remainder of the day is an area of farmland largely composed of irrigated pivot fields. Entry is permitted and we will introduce ourselves to the local workers so they appreciate who we are and the importance of their work for birds. Small parties of pipits can include Tawny and hopefully some Richard’s and Red-throated, whilst larks are fronted by many Short-toed and Crested. Mixed in with the larks and pipits are flava wagtails of a variety of subspecies. Such an array of prey attracts wintering harriers and both Pallid and Montagu’s can often be seen alongside each other affording useful identification lessons, as well as Long-legged Buzzard. The huge circular fields sometimes attract Cream-coloured Coursers to their edges as well as the occasional White-tailed Plover and, if we are lucky, the rare Sociable Plover which uses such man made habitats across Oman for their wintering grounds. Night Tourist Motel, Thumrayt. Day 6: Thursday 7 February We rise early and set off west from Thumrayt for a one hour and half drive to Mudday, where the vegetated wadi is a regular wintering ground for the enigmatic Grey Hypocolius – the aptly nicknamed ‘desert waxwing’. The birds can sometimes be shy and often disappear easily, so we must be patient and vigilant.

Arabian Scops-owl – a recent split from African Scops-owl

Flowering shrubs provide nectar for Palestine and the few Nile Valley Sunbirds which breed here. Any natural spring in the area or even a camel drinking trough, gives much needed water for Sand Partridge and Desert and Bar-tailed Larks. Southern Grey Shrike, Black-crowned Sparrow-lark, African Rock Martin and ‘Desert’ Lesser Whitethroats add to the bird list. After brunch back in Thumrayt, we will head back towards Salalah, stopping briefly at a Frankincense plantation which is open to the public where we can learn more about the significance of this much venerated tree. We will arrive back in Salalah by around 16.00, pausing for a refreshing ice-cream on the eastern edge of town where we can sit and relax to watch the skies. Here Crested Honey Buzzard and Yellow-billed Kites often drift over from the nearby palm plantations, before we return to the Hilton for three further nights. Night Hilton Hotel. Day 7: Friday 8 February All the best birding trips include a sewage lagoon and a rubbish dump, so after breakfast today we make the short journey west to Raysut. We will have a look around the water treatment plant for just over an hour checking the sewage lagoons for a multitude of species, hopefully including a few Abdim’s Storks which can join the commoner White Storks in large numbers. Waders will include Ruff, Wood and Green Sandpipers, Temminck’s and Little Stints, Red-wattled and Spur-winged Plovers, Common Snipe and with luck the scarcer Pintail Snipe. Citrine Wagtails are quite common and wintering species such as Wryneck and Bluethroat lurk in the surrounding vegetation. By mid morning the temperature will have risen sufficiently to encourage raptors which forage at the nearby city dump to take to the skies. Several hundred Steppe Eagles are joined here by both Eastern Imperial Eagles and Greater Spotted Eagles, and a mighty

Grey Hypocolius – scarce and erratic winter visitors

‘eagle fest’ will unfold before our eyes. Whilst this is not the prettiest place of the trip, the views of the birds are fantastic.

The khawr at Raysut leads down to the seashore, where we will enjoy a pleasant walk. Along the tide-line we can expect both Greater and Lesser Sandplovers, Terek Sandpipers, Whimbrel and Black-tailed Godwit, whilst Ospreys float overhead and a selection of herons, gulls and terns (including Caspian and Gull-billed) often come to feed and rest. A tantalising mix of eagle species from the nearby dump drift over, often just above our heads. Lunch will be taken at a harbour-side fish restaurant before we return westwards to Al Mughsayl to scour the khwar as evening descends in case a lurking Baillon’s Crake is out and about. Night Hilton Hotel. Day 8: Saturday 9 February Our last full day will begin at Ayn Hamran which provides a superb setting for the majority of the Dhofar passerine specialities. This is a particularly good place for Arabian Warbler and the Arabian Golden-winged Grosbeak, both which occur sparingly in the region and can be elusive. Moving on, Wadi Darbat is one of the most beautiful of all the Dhofar wadis, offering excellent bird watching in magnificent surroundings. The wide valley floor is well wooded providing homes for all the specialities, and the presence of permanent water in the form of a series of small lakes only adds to the attraction.

Eastern Imperial Eagle – southern Oman plays host to several species

of wintering eagles in impressive numbers

As we drive to and fro, the beaches are swarming with huge flocks of gulls, predominantly Heuglin’s and Steppe Gulls (barabensis) which ‘loaf’ alongside many Sooty and the occasional Pallas’s. All give fantastic views to delight any gull lovers. Throughout the day we will make a special effort to consolidate on our views of all our target species, to take photographs and soak up the sheer number and variety of great birds. Night Hilton Hotel. Day 9: Sunday 10 February For our final morning we will visit what remains of the famous Jarziz Farm on the outskirts of Salalah. Here we will find groups of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse and the possibility of more wintering Sociable and Pacific Golden Plovers. A variety of pipits could be on show and by the date of our visit, Singing Bushlark will hopefully be in song. Other birds in the vicinity include parties of Rose-coloured Starlings, African Silverbills, Namaqua Dove and both Desert and Isabelline Wheatears. By early afternoon, we must drive to the airport ready for our late afternoon flight back to Muscat. Here we check into the Majan hotel and enjoy our last meal of the trip, no doubt reflecting on the marvellous birding we have enjoyed. Night Majan Hotel in Muscat. Day 10: Monday 11 February Those of the group returning to the UK today need to be at the airport in good time for the flight home, so we leave promptly after breakfast.

African Paradise Flycatcher – regularly encountered in the vegetated wadis

Extension to Northern Oman For those staying on for the “North of Oman” extension, this starts in Muscat after saying farewell to those returning to the UK at Muscat Airport. A one hour drive will take us along the Al Batinah coastal plain to Barka, where we stay at the impressively comfortable Al Nahda Resort for three nights. Birding opportunities here are excellent with Indian Rollers, Little Green Bee-eaters and Purple Sunbirds all hotel birds here, and a pleasant stroll through the gardens can also produce three species of bulbul. The group will notice an Indian influence to the avifauna which contrasts with the African influence witnessed in Salalah. As an example, it is Indian Silverbill and Purple Sunbird we see on the Al Batinah coast whilst the closely related but entirely separate African Silverbill and Palestine Sunbird occur in Salalah. On the coast huge flocks of gulls and terns include the ‘king of gulls’, Pallas’s Gull and frequent mixed flocks of Greater Crested and Lesser Crested Terns. Waders include the attractive Terek Sandpiper and we can experience at first hand the subtleties of Greater and Lesser Sandplovers identification. There is an outside chance of Crab Plover. One evening we will venture out at dusk to explore habitats suitable for Pallid Scops-owl and the recently discovered Omani Owl. There is no guarantee we will see or hear the owls (the latter especially), but we know where to look so are nevertheless hopeful. The Al Ghubrah bowl is overshadowed by the Jabal Akhdar, the country’s highest mountain range, which towers above the historic fort town of Nakhal. Large wadis have wide flat bottoms which hold verdant trees attracting wintering passerines such as Eastern Black Redstarts and Plain Leaf Warblers. High cliffs support Lappet-faced Vultures and Bonelli’s Eagles and stony hillsides host Hume’s Wheatears and Persian (Red-tailed) Wheatears.

Indian Roller – a splash of exotic colour on the country’s

northern coastal plains

Extension day 1: Monday 11 February Oman has made massive investment in its infrastructure and within an hour of the airport we will enter the leafy suburbs of Barka where we find the exquisite Al Nadha Resort. This stylish establishment is ideally situated to explore the foothills of the mighty Jabal Akhdar range and the Al Batinah coast. Though the hotel gardens host Indian Rollers, Little Green Bee-eaters and Purple Sunbirds, we will be keen to explore the nearby coast for its shorebirds. A visit to Ras As Sawadi should produce good sized flocks of gulls and terns including Pallas’s and Slender-billed Gulls and Lesser Crested Terns are relatively common at this location. Again we can watch the delightful sandplovers and perhaps a Terek Sandpiper or two, all these species being met with more frequently in the north. Later we can spend the afternoon searching the green fields of nearby farmsteads where a large variety wintering migrants and resident species can be found, including Grey Francolin, Laughing Dove, Namaqua Dove, Isabelline and Desert Wheatears, Isabelline Shrike and Graceful Prinia whilst early returning Pallid Swifts will be flying overhead. After dinner we can listen for Pallid Scops-owl close to the hotel. Night at the Al Nadha Resort.

Extension day 2: Tuesday 12 February Setting off after breakfast we head for the picturesque Al Ghubrah Bowl, spending all day exploring the beautiful and wild scenery in this impressive location. Entering through the spectacular gorge of Wadi Sabt, the landscape widens into a large stony plain which you can explore via a series of well made gravel tracks. Scattered trees harbour Eastern Orphean Warbler, whilst Persian Wheatear, Long-billed Pipit and Arabian Babbler rummage nearer to the ground. Steep sided gorges are preferred by Hume’s Wheatear where large Ghaf trees are a magnet for wintering passerines including Plain Leaf Warbler and Siberian Chiffchaff. The skies over mountain ridges are favoured by Lappet-faced Vulture and the wide wadi bottoms by Sand Partridge. By early afternoon, we can take a slow drive in the plains below which harbour more Long-billed Pipits, Streaked Scrub-warbler and where Lichtenstein’s

Isabelline Shrike – fairly common winter visitor

Sandgrouse can be sought. For a break from the bird watching, an interesting diversion will take us to the nearby Nakhal Fort, an ancient fortification built to protect the nearby oasis and local trade routes, which now houses a museum. We will return to the hotel for dinner, before heading back out to try our luck with the mythical Omani Owl, but this requires patience and good fortune as the birds sing most actively later in the night. We intend to stay out until mid evening and hopefully we will ‘make our own luck’. It is likely Pallid Scops-owls will be calling too providing the weather is calm enough to hear their quiet song. Night again at the Al Nadha Resort.

Extension day 3: Wednesday 13 February If there is a need to try again for the owl, we will set off pre-dawn to be in place whilst it is still dark. Omani Owl Strix omanensis, was first described in 2013 by Magnus Robb and the team from the Sound Approach, by virtue of its distinctive voice. Very similar to Hume’s Owl Strix butleri the discovery caused much excitement and interest amongst birders, so much so, that researchers looking at old specimens of Hume’s Owl realised that the type specimen was in fact different to all the other Hume’s Owls in existence. Further study proved the type specimen to actually be an Omani Owl, meaning Strix butleri had to be renamed Desert Owl Strix hadorami. Fewer than half a dozen territories of Omani Owl are known. They inhabit steep sided wadis in the central Al Hagar Mountains, but a large amount of similar habitat exists elsewhere, so the population may well be larger than is currently known. They

Plain Leaf Warbler – the smallest member of the phylloscopus genus,

wintering only in the north.

regularly call as day breaks, and an early start will give a wonderful opportunity to watch the day break over stunning mountain slopes and hopefully hear and see the owl. Of course other birds will be active and singing, enhancing the atmosphere as dawn turns into an Arabian day, providing additional opportunities to consolidate on our views of terrific range of species in this area. We will then return to the hotel for a late breakfast and a welcome rest. Later we can explore wadis which have avoided the encroachment of urbanisation. Streaked Scrub-warbler winters here unobtrusively in the barren terrain. Later we might even return to explore the nearby coast where gulls, terns and shorebirds gather giving us ample opportunities for some close encounters and maybe a photograph or two. Night Al Nadha Resort.

Extension day 4: Thursday 14 February There is no need for an early start today, so after a relaxing breakfast, we will make the short drive to the Al Ansab wetland reserve on the outskirts of the capital, where the man-made lagoons of the sewage treatment plant have been transformed into the top birding spot of the Muscat area. Significant habitat creation has led to new reed beds and pools, teeming with herons including Black-crowned Night Heron, Indian Pond Heron and Purple Heron plus and the chance of a rare crake. Wader species are well represented including many Red-wattled Plovers, the occasional White-tailed Plover and both Little and Temminck’s Stints. Should we have time, we can visit Al Qurm Park where an astonishing list of birds has been accumulated over the years by local and visiting birders. We saw Moustached Warbler (mimicus) here on our last visit. As dusk falls we will be on our way to our hotel for our final evening meal and an early night. Night Majan Hotel, Muscat. Extension day 5: Friday 15 February: We will have to be up very early to drive back to the airport ready for the morning flight back to the UK.

Persian Wheatear – formerly a race of Red-tailed Wheatear