Oman - Arabia's Finest Birding

The Sultanate of Oman is a jewel on the Arabian Peninsula. Its interior is a vast desert plain known as the 'Empty Quarter' — made famous to Westerners by explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger in his riveting 1959 book, 'Arabian Sands', a classic of travel literature. The book provides a fascinating glimpse into the traditional life of the nomadic 'Bedu', and the Arabian Peninsula at a turning point in its history (Abu Dhabi and Dubai were small fishing villages!). Much has changed since Thesiger's time, but much has not. This is still a romantic place, where the aroma of Frankincense pervades colourful souks, and men wear traditional perfumed white 'dishdasha', their cloaks embroidered in silver and gold. Oman's landscape weaves a captivating spell over those privileged to see it; the beautiful Al Hajar Mountains jut starkly out of the desert plain in the north-east, while along the southern coast desert sands are fringed by a brilliant turquoise sea.

Oman is one of the most developed and stable countries in the Arab world and has longstanding ties with Britain. It is a friendly country with a newly developed infrastructure and welcoming attitude to tourists. 75% of Oman is Muslim, with Arabic being the official language; however, the country is also home to many other non-Muslim religious communities and has a racially mixed population reflecting its strategic position within the Middle East. Its avifauna, too, reflects influences from both the Indian subcontinent and Africa, and on this 13-day tour, timed to provide us with an excellent selection of birds, we will go in search of desert specialities, a wide range of coastal seabirds and waders, and other residents and late migrants.

We begin our holiday with a flight to Muscat via Dubai. From there we travel a short distance north to the Ras as Sawadi Peninsula where we will have the opportunity to familiarise ourselves with the numerous waders, gulls and terns on display. As the sun sets we will enter the historic city of Muscat where we will spend three nights. Focusing our birding on several key sites, amongst them estuaries, lagoons and tidal creeks, we will look for Greater Hoopoe Lark, Upcher's Warbler and Yellow-throated Sparrow, as well as a variety of migrants and any unusual vagrants. We will enjoy the old city and the famous souk, which bustles with gold and silver vendors, as well as the Grand Mosque. From Muscat we head down the coast for a night by the beach, stopping at creeks and canyons along the way to scan for the delicate-looking Crab Plover, and Hume's Wheatear. That night, with a little luck, we will also have the opportunity to watch Green Turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs.

We then drive south-west to Bar Al Hickman, where a superb avian spectacle should await us — huge flocks of wintering waders, gulls and terns. We will then head inland to the 'Empty Quarter' of the Arabian Plateau and the natural spring at Muntasar which attracts hundreds of sandgrouse. We then journey south to Salalah, in Dhofar province, with a stop for Grey Hypocolius en route, where we will be based in a comfortable beachside hotel. The African influence on the avifauna is very noticeable here, with species such as Didric Cuckoo, African Paradise Flycatcher, White-breasted White-eye and African Rock Bunting among the species we may see. We will spend four days here visiting the best sites along the coast, amongst them sink holes, khawrs, escarpments and streams where we will look for Yemen Serin, Black-headed Tchagra, Bruce's Green Pigeon, Namaqua Dove, crakes, ducks, waders, gulls, eagles, vultures and much more! We will also drive along the coast to Mirbat, where the rich waters attract shearwaters and Socotra Cormorants. The seawatching is excellent here, as is the fresh fish served for lunch! Among the rich variety of birds that we will be hoping to see during our time in the south-west are two sought-after Arabian specialities, Arabian Partridge and Arabian Wheatear. We will also spend a day at the khawrs and wadi at Al Mughsayl, the most important birding site west of Salalah. No trip to Oman would be complete without seeing a Frankincense tree, and the wadi here holds a small number of these aromatic trees of Biblical fame. We will also listen for the soft 'hoo hoo-u' calls of the rare Hume's Tawny Owl under a star-dense desert sky.

All too soon it will be time to return home, no doubt with images of Oman's special birds and vast expanses of desert and sky mingling with the scent of Frankincense in our minds ... and stories to tell worthy of Scheherazade herself about our time in this exotic land!