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.  You can also email records using the form below.

A survey of the Hormozgan coast in January 2004 revealed 651 Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus, with 209 in Mazandaran province. Forty-seven pairs of Western Reef Heron Egretta gularis were estimated on Shidvar Sanctuary Island, near Lavan Island, on 17 April 2004. Two Goliath Herons Ardea goliath were at Khalasi on 20 January and one was at Neyzeai on 22 February2004. On 23 January 2004 two Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus were at Bamdej, Khuzestan. At least 5000 Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber were at Bakhtegan National Park on 31 May 2004. A Bewick's Swan Cygnus bewickii was at Boujagh, Gilan, on 19 January 2004. At Shadegan, Khuzestan, 3282 Marbled Teal Marmaronetta angustirostris were present on 12 January 2004, including a flock of 3180. Also in January 260 Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca were counted in Mazandaran. A female Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis was off Tiab, Hormozgan, on 15 January 2004. A single Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus was between Suza and Masen on 1 February, and probably the same was over Suza on 5 February, with a second near Dargahan on 2 February 2004. A Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus was photographed at Karun fishponds, Khuzestan, on 22 January and another was around Minab on 16 April 2004. A Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus was found nesting at Minab on 16 April 2004. At Latiam Dam on 11 March 2004, 5-6 Lesser Kestrels Falco naumanni were recorded; up to 15 were recorded in this area in 1977. A Little Crake Porzana parva was at Seheijn, Khuzestan, on 18 January 2004. Two adults and a juvenile Siberian White Crane Grus leucogeranus were at Fereidoonkenar, Mazandaran, in January, together with two released juveniles and another adult was at Sorkherud. An impressive count of 4598 Crab Plovers Dromas ardeola was made along the Hormozgan coast in January 2004, whilst in midsummer 2168 nests of this species were counted on Omol Gorm Island, near Nakhilo Island, Bushehr province. Three Pacific Golden Plovers Pluvialis fulva were at Hara Protected Area, Qeshm Island, on 1 February 2004. An Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria was at Hesarak, Karaj, on 30 April and 6 May 2004, c. 5km from a previous record at Karaj Agriculture Faculty. Two Jacobin Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus were at the Gaz River (near Minab) on 28 April 2004. A pair of Brown Fish Owl Ketupa zeylonensis was in a wadi at Sirik (Gaz River), Hormozgan, on 18 January, with an adult and juvenile at the same site on 8 April and 16 April 2004. A total of 22 Hoopoe Upupa epops was at Bakhtegan National Park, Fars province, on 31 May 2004. A male Sind Pied Woodpecker Dendrocopos assimilis was at Minab on 16 April and unusually a Sind x Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus hybrid was seen there on 15 April 2004. A Semi-collared Flycatcher Ficedula semitorquata was on Lavan Island, Hormozgan province, on 14 April 2004.

The following assisted in the compilation of this review: Ahmed Abdallah, Mahmoud Abdallah, Alexander Abuladze, Marc Almecija, Mohammed Alshamlih, Vasil Ananian, lan Andrews, Simon Aspinall, Adib al-Assad, Imad Atrash, Sherif & Mindy Baha El Din, Thierry Bara, Ruud van Beusekom, BirdLife Cyprus Newsletter, Chris Bradshaw, Jamie Buchan, Eray Caglayan, David Callahan, Tom Coles, Judy Dawes, Adrian Drummond-Hill, Hugues Dufourny, E. & S. Durand, Peter Flint, Jeff Gordon, George Gregory, Andrew Grieve, Nader Hamidi, Chris Hewson, David Higgs, Erik Hirschfield, Remco Hofland, Süreyya Isfendiyaroglu, Justin Jansen, Mike Jennings, Abolghasem Khaleghizadeh, Fares Khoury, Guy M. Kirwan, Andrew Lassey, Susannah Lerman, James McCallum, Istvan Moldovan, David Murdoch, Seyed Babak Musavi, North Cyprus Birds website, Bill O'Brien, Rob Palmer, Yoav Perlman, Richard Porter, Alireza Rabiei, Colin Richardson, Magnus Robb, Tobias Roth, Omar Al-Saghier, Dave Sargeant, Derek A. Scott, Dave Sedgeley, Gianluca Serra, Roy Slaterus, James P. Smith, Jens Sogaard Hansen, Lars Svensson, Rene Vos, Colin Wells, David Whaley and Ignacio Yufera.