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.

A Cory's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea was at Aqaba on 25 March and two Sooty Shearwaters Puffinus griseus were there on 21 April and three in May 2004. A flock of 55 Black Storks Ciconia nigra in Wadi Araba on 19 March 2004 was large and rather early. An adult Verreaux's Eagle Aquila verreauxii flew over Wadi Rum on 24 March 2004. At least 15-20 Pallid Harriers were seen in late March 2004. A Corncrake Crex crex was found dead c. 33 km south of Amman on 6 May 2004. Seven Cream-coloured Courser Cursorius cursor were at Wadi Araba on 28 February, with five there on 19 March 2004; these were early records and probably migrants. Three Black-winged Pratincoles Glareola nordmanni were at Azraq on 29 March and a second-year Little Gull Larus minutus was at Aqaba sewage works on 26 March 2004. Spotted Sandgrouse Pterocles senegallus was recorded regularly in January-May 2004 in Wadi Araba with maxima of 100-144 at Qa'Saidiyyn during February, the largest counts for many years. There were several records of Namaqua Dove Oena capensis: a female at Shaumari Wildlife Reserve on 30 March with two males and a female there on 6 April, a female at Azraq on 6 April, a male at Disi, in the Rum desert, also on 6 April and two at Aqaba sewage works on 21 April 2004. A Barn Owl Tyto alba was 11 km west of Azraq on 30 March. On 9 April 2004 a Hume's Tawny Owl Strix butleri was heard and seen in the Siq, Petra. A pair of Thick-billed Lark Ramphocoris clotbey at Wadi Araba on 19 March 2004 was unusual. Two adult Temminck's Horned Lark Eremophila bilopha at Qa'Saidiyyn, Wadi Araba, on 20 March, with two adults and a juvenile there on 30 April 2004, was a range extension. A female White-throated Robin Irania gutturalis was at Aqaba on 11 April, several were at Wadi Dana on 14-15 April and three at Wadi al Butm on 13 April 2004. A male Red-tailed Wheatear Oenanthe x. xanthoprymna in Wadi Rum on 24 March 2004 was about the sixth country record. A male Menetries's Warbler Sylvia mystacea was at Wadi al Butm on 5 April and two Cyprus Warblers Sylvia melanothorax at Wadi Araba on 27 February 2004. A Desert Warbler Sylvia nana was at Wadi Araba on 19 and 26 March and another was at Shaumari Wildlife Reserve on 8 April 2004. A male Semi-collared Flycatcher Ficedula semitorquata at Shaumari Reserve on 28 March was followed by 22 in the southern third of the country on 10-14 April 2004. A Coal Tit Parus ater singing at Dibbin in April/May 2004 was potentially a first record for Jordan. On 28 March 2004 an Isabelline Shrike Lanius isabellinus showing features of phoenicuroides was at Shaumari, and the first Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach in Jordan involved an adult at Aqaba on 11-13 April 2004. A pair of Ravens Corax was probably nesting in Wadi Dana on 14 April 2004; the species was previously believed to be extinct in Jordan.

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 to atr@osme.org