jogresh
Bimble and patch
Great pic. I was really blown away by the the scenery at Al Ghubrah.
Any Lappet Faced Vultures?
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Oman - December 2024 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter foresttwitcher
- Start date
Any Lappet Faced Vultures?
foresttwitcher
Virtually unknown member
Thanks. No vultures when I was there. I only saw Egyptian in Oman.
Dutchbirder64
Well-known member
Pete, for the owls you definitely have to go back at early evening. At daytime it is really difficult to find them and a thermal bino is of little use as the rocks have heat in them too. I didn't bring one as Omani customs will take them.
Here are my checklists for my february Oman trip. I missed out on the Grosbeak and Babbler. Saunders's Tern and Sooty Falcon were no option in February. 214 species with the 6th record of Grey-bellied Cuckoo. https://ebird.org/mychecklists/OM?currentRow=1&sortBy=date&o=desc
Here are my checklists for my february Oman trip. I missed out on the Grosbeak and Babbler. Saunders's Tern and Sooty Falcon were no option in February. 214 species with the 6th record of Grey-bellied Cuckoo. https://ebird.org/mychecklists/OM?currentRow=1&sortBy=date&o=desc
foresttwitcher
Virtually unknown member
Thanks for the checklist, I think I saw your ebird reports during my research. An impressive number of species seen - many more then me! Well done.
Yes, I realised the owls were really only possible at dusk. When I go somewhere new I tend to get a bit carried away and try to fit in as much as possible. With the distances and travel times involved this inevitably means I will be in some places at unsuitable times. This is why I had considered being as flexible as possible and not booking accommodation but once I decided this was impractical I was tied to a schedule. I then lacked the discipline to ensure I was in the right place at the right time - my big regret from the trip, as I had such good location information.
foresttwitcher
Virtually unknown member
Sunday 29th December:
Reasonably relaxed start today and headed first to Khawr Shinas and Shinas Lagoons, again seeing a few of the expected species but better was Al Qrm park on the edge of the mangroves on the other side of the town. Closer views of the usual egrets / herons in the channel, including a close Striated Heron, plus the species found around habitation in the park. As I crossed the footbridge a Common Kingfisher flashed below and a walk through the dry scrub on the other side provided some arid country species, including Arabian Babbler and Grey Shrike, plus a flyover Sparrowhawk and a Black-winged Kite from the road when leaving. After a brief stop at Wadi Fizh, where there were a few waders, the Liwa Mangroves were a bit disappointing - the beach had the common gulls but the small bit of the mangroves accessible was full of litter / refuse. Next was Wadi Sallan where I parked at the seafront and wandered upstream - the tide was low and there was plenty of mud and sandbanks exposed so the egrets and herons were again present plus quite a few waders, including Kentish and Sand Plovers, Redshank, Greenshank, Little Stint and Common and Terek Sandpipers. Walking back through the manicured Sallan Silver Jubilee Park there were Little Grebes in the pools, Red-wattled Lapwing on the lawns, Indian Rollers squabbling in the trees, Purple Sunbird, Crested Lark, Myna, Hoopoe, Bulbuls, Bee-eater and both White and Citrine Wagtails.
This being my last day I planned to head back mid- to late afternoon toward Muscat and spend the rest of the day at Al Ansab Lagoons, after failing to go to the right place almost a couple of weeks ago. No problem finding the place this time but due to lack of checking yesterday evening I arrived to find out that not only do you have to arrange a visit in advance but it is open mornings only - plan scuppered, shame it looks a promising site. So instead I returned to my starting point of the first day in Oman and parked in the same place to do a slow repeat walk of the Wadi Adai / Al Qurm Beach area - in general the same species seen as previously but in lower numbers as the beach and road was much busier and there was disturbance on the nature reserve side by a few people wandering down the stream and through the mangroves; highlights were a couple of Grey Francolin and a fishing Osprey.
I got back to the car after dark and did a re-pack then returned the car to the airport and settled in for a long wait in arrivals as the flight to Istanbul was not until the early hours of the morning of 30th so check-in was not going to be possible for a few hours. Having got through most of a book, check-in opened and I could go through security and find somewhere to eat. Eventually I was at the boarding gate and the first passengers in the queue were just going through when my name was called saying I should make myself known to staff. Apparently they had found something in my hold bag that they didn't like the look of and after unpacking it and showing them everything it turned out to be the scope! Once they saw it all was deemed to be OK but I then had a manic re-pack and escorted dash through the bowels of the airport not normally seen by a passenger and made it to the gate just as the last person went through so was last onto the plane. I was convinced the bag would not be joining me! I did though have a row of three seats to myself so got a bit of sleep before another long transit wait in Istanbul. After another airport meal and most of the rest of the book it was finally time for the flight back to Stanstead where the bag surprisingly emerged on the conveyor and, via a shuttle bus, I was at my vehicle as it got dark and finally made it home mid-evening on Monday 30th.
A very good, if slightly frustrating (mostly down to my own making), trip: 159 species seen in total; 22 new and over 6,000km put on the hire car - and almost no sign of a 'festive season'.
Reasonably relaxed start today and headed first to Khawr Shinas and Shinas Lagoons, again seeing a few of the expected species but better was Al Qrm park on the edge of the mangroves on the other side of the town. Closer views of the usual egrets / herons in the channel, including a close Striated Heron, plus the species found around habitation in the park. As I crossed the footbridge a Common Kingfisher flashed below and a walk through the dry scrub on the other side provided some arid country species, including Arabian Babbler and Grey Shrike, plus a flyover Sparrowhawk and a Black-winged Kite from the road when leaving. After a brief stop at Wadi Fizh, where there were a few waders, the Liwa Mangroves were a bit disappointing - the beach had the common gulls but the small bit of the mangroves accessible was full of litter / refuse. Next was Wadi Sallan where I parked at the seafront and wandered upstream - the tide was low and there was plenty of mud and sandbanks exposed so the egrets and herons were again present plus quite a few waders, including Kentish and Sand Plovers, Redshank, Greenshank, Little Stint and Common and Terek Sandpipers. Walking back through the manicured Sallan Silver Jubilee Park there were Little Grebes in the pools, Red-wattled Lapwing on the lawns, Indian Rollers squabbling in the trees, Purple Sunbird, Crested Lark, Myna, Hoopoe, Bulbuls, Bee-eater and both White and Citrine Wagtails.
This being my last day I planned to head back mid- to late afternoon toward Muscat and spend the rest of the day at Al Ansab Lagoons, after failing to go to the right place almost a couple of weeks ago. No problem finding the place this time but due to lack of checking yesterday evening I arrived to find out that not only do you have to arrange a visit in advance but it is open mornings only - plan scuppered, shame it looks a promising site. So instead I returned to my starting point of the first day in Oman and parked in the same place to do a slow repeat walk of the Wadi Adai / Al Qurm Beach area - in general the same species seen as previously but in lower numbers as the beach and road was much busier and there was disturbance on the nature reserve side by a few people wandering down the stream and through the mangroves; highlights were a couple of Grey Francolin and a fishing Osprey.
I got back to the car after dark and did a re-pack then returned the car to the airport and settled in for a long wait in arrivals as the flight to Istanbul was not until the early hours of the morning of 30th so check-in was not going to be possible for a few hours. Having got through most of a book, check-in opened and I could go through security and find somewhere to eat. Eventually I was at the boarding gate and the first passengers in the queue were just going through when my name was called saying I should make myself known to staff. Apparently they had found something in my hold bag that they didn't like the look of and after unpacking it and showing them everything it turned out to be the scope! Once they saw it all was deemed to be OK but I then had a manic re-pack and escorted dash through the bowels of the airport not normally seen by a passenger and made it to the gate just as the last person went through so was last onto the plane. I was convinced the bag would not be joining me! I did though have a row of three seats to myself so got a bit of sleep before another long transit wait in Istanbul. After another airport meal and most of the rest of the book it was finally time for the flight back to Stanstead where the bag surprisingly emerged on the conveyor and, via a shuttle bus, I was at my vehicle as it got dark and finally made it home mid-evening on Monday 30th.
A very good, if slightly frustrating (mostly down to my own making), trip: 159 species seen in total; 22 new and over 6,000km put on the hire car - and almost no sign of a 'festive season'.
Last edited:
Paul Chapman
Well-known member
foresttwitcher
Virtually unknown member
It didn't work for me Paul but I remembered seeing the ebird trip report.
Dutchbirder64
Well-known member
Strange that others can’t see my 38 checklists of Oman. Do you need an Ebird account to see this? Or do I need to change something in the settings?
You need to change something...
foresttwitcher
Virtually unknown member
I don't usually do a 'post mortem' on my trip reports but in case it helps anyone else out with future planning I have the following observations with the priceless benefit of hindsight:
- I should not have bothered with a first night in Muscat but should have done an additional day based in Nizwa or better still one night around Nakhal to be more easily at the owl sites at dusk;
- Much more discipline on the timing of visits to the owl sites was necessary;
- Not sure what I could have done about the lack of lark sightings in the desert - more random walking around (I tried it a couple of times) and / or perhaps another night at Qitbit;
- Should have looked harder for accommodation in Thumrait or Mudayy to enable more and better timed sandgrouse searches;
- Not doing a dusk visit to Wadi Mughsayl was just downright stupid;
- The recent Oman sub-forum has since supplied some good information about a way into upper Wadi Darbat that I wish I had known about;
- I should have done a second pelagic, despite the cost, to counter the potential simple lack of luck that is always possible on a single trip;
- As I had been to UAE before I should not have bothered with the Al Batinah area at all, where there were no likely additional lifers for me, which would have allowed for the additional days proposed above in Nakhal / Mudayy / Dhofar;
- I wish I had had the nerve to stick to my initial idea of not booking an accommodation schedule to be able to be more flexible in my travel;
- I realised that late December was not the prime time of year from the outset.
Paul Chapman
Well-known member
I always analyse my results.
Not a misery at all In my view! You can have an excellent trip & an enjoyable trip whilst still working out what you could have done better. Only that way do you get better results in the future.
Birding seems to be full of people who kick back when you point out room for improvements - in conservation organisations, committees, bird tours, etc - but actually that is simply about improving things. I certainly always hold myself to those sort of standards & normally work out how to improve things with better results in the future. 😀
It is a fantastic country with great birds. With infinite time available, I would return.
All the best
Paul
Peter.home
Well-known member
I think one of the main dangers in our hobby, especially if you prefer to go out independently, is comparing our trips and sightings with the entirety of eBird! or against someone who is living in the area birding there daily.
That way expectations can be ridiculously over ambitious.
Looking purely in terms of numbers of species, if you can look at the target list after the trip and see that it wouldn't justify going back, that's about as good as it gets! Of course there is more to our hobby than just numbers, and there are favourite places we'd like to return to regardless.
That way expectations can be ridiculously over ambitious.
Looking purely in terms of numbers of species, if you can look at the target list after the trip and see that it wouldn't justify going back, that's about as good as it gets! Of course there is more to our hobby than just numbers, and there are favourite places we'd like to return to regardless.
Paul Chapman
Well-known member
And of course, what you don't know is what you might have missed if you had re-jigged things!
But mainly, when you look back, you are better placed to analyse the existing data having been there once. No substitute for experience.
All the best
Paul
foresttwitcher
Virtually unknown member
Glad you enjoyed it Chris, thanks. I too feel like I have unfinished business...
Wonderful trip to wonderful part of the world 👍
foresttwitcher
Virtually unknown member
Thanks Jos, enjoying your US one too.
foresttwitcher
Virtually unknown member
I'll probably be meeting (in a pub) with someone on Friday who did a second visit just before I went out, it'll be interesting to hear what he has to say.
jurek
Well-known member
Hi, great report! We have been to Oman in the early November. We wanted only Arabian birds and saw most of out targets.
We missed Omani Owl in Wadi Muaydin too, despite spending much time there during two evenings. I feel the whole north of the country was very dessicated with few birds. In the south, we saw the target seabirds on the Mirbat pelagic, and many sea turtles, but did not see a single cetacean anywhere. I think two pelagics would be better. We camped at the Muntasar oasis and saw Egyptian Nightjars and vagrant Olive-backed Pipit and Sykes Nightjar (apparently the second for Oman). However, no Spotted Sandgrouse which were supposedly in the hundreds. Lower Wadi Darbat, the road to the lake with swan-shaped boats is apparently good for mammals after dusk. French birders reported a hyena, wolves and a ratel. We saw some canine, probably a Wolf, and Arabian Scops Owl and Arabian Eagle Owl.
We missed Omani Owl in Wadi Muaydin too, despite spending much time there during two evenings. I feel the whole north of the country was very dessicated with few birds. In the south, we saw the target seabirds on the Mirbat pelagic, and many sea turtles, but did not see a single cetacean anywhere. I think two pelagics would be better. We camped at the Muntasar oasis and saw Egyptian Nightjars and vagrant Olive-backed Pipit and Sykes Nightjar (apparently the second for Oman). However, no Spotted Sandgrouse which were supposedly in the hundreds. Lower Wadi Darbat, the road to the lake with swan-shaped boats is apparently good for mammals after dusk. French birders reported a hyena, wolves and a ratel. We saw some canine, probably a Wolf, and Arabian Scops Owl and Arabian Eagle Owl.
