Records and photographs for Around the Region should be sent as soon as possible after the event to Around the Region, OSME, c/o The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, U.K.   

The following assisted in the compilation of this review: Alexander Abuladze, Mohammad Al-Shamlih, Marc Almécija, Vasil Ananian, Ian Andrews, Sherif & Mindy Baha El Din, Thierry Bara, Jamie Buchan, Tom Coles, Judy Dawes, Barbaros Demirci, Hugues Dufourny, Marc Duquet, Peter Flint, Benoît Gauquie, George Gregory, Andrew Grieve, Richard Hoath, Abolghasem Khaleghizadeh, Fares Khoury, Graham Lobley, Mark Moore, Hilary Nash, Yoav Perlman, Ian Philip, Ghassan & Mona Ramadan-Jaradi, Colin Richardson (on behalf of the Emirates Bird Records Committee), James P. Smith, Guilhem Tightens, Andreas & Maria Wenger, David Whaley and Sadegh Sadeghi Zadegan. Records were also taken from the BirdLife Cyprus Newsletter and North Cyprus Birds website.

Records were only received from Dhahran, in eastern Saudi Arabia. A Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus was an unusual winter record as this is usually an autumn migrant. Two Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea were present on 28 February 2003. A Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus on 9-10 January 2003 was possibly the same as that in December 2002. Another was present on 9 May 2003 in a different area. An adult Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina was seen well on 23 October 2003. Single Greater Spotted Eagles Aquila clanga were seen on 9 January, 1 October, 24 October, 29 November, 5 December and 11 December 2003. A Corncrake Crex crex was present on 20 September 2003. A Spur-winged Plover Hoplopterus spinosus was at the sewage effluent lake on 2 November 2003, the third record in Eastern Province. Twelve Lapwings Vanellus vanellus were present on 18–19 December 2003. A Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni was observed on 26 April 2003. An Alexandrine Parakeet Psitticula eupatria was present on 29 December 2003. An Eagle Owl Bubo bubo desertorum was seen in a residential area on 1 December 2003 following several nights of thunder and heavy rain. A Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus was observed on 28 April and two Little Swifts Apus affinis on 30 May 2003. A European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus on 25 September 2003 was unusual. Bluecheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus occurred between 19 October and 2 November, peaking at 40 on 1 November 2003. A Wryneck Jynx torquilla was seen on 5 December 2003. Single European Rollers Coracias garrulus were present on 20 and 28 September 2003. Two Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica of the race transitiva were seen on 27 May, three Booted Warblers Hippolais caligata on 2 May and a Basra Reed Warbler Acrocephalus griseldis on 2 October 2003. A male Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva was seen on 24 April and two Golden Orioles Oriolus oriolus on 3 October 2003. A singing adult male Streaked Weaver Ploceus manyar was at the sewage effluent lake on 2 October 2003. A male Red Avadavat Amandava amandava: was seen on 27 April, thereafter a male and two juveniles/females on 2 May 2003, raising the possibility of breeding in the area.