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: 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 passed Ras al Khabbah on 4 May, the ninth record if accepted, while seawatching at Ras al Hadd produced two Sooty Shearwaters Puffinus griseus on 5 May 2004 and a single the next day (the 4-5th records if accepted). A Cape Gannet Sula capensis photographed at Shinayz, in the Hallaniyat Islands, on 14 March 2004 will be the first Middle Eastern record if accepted (see web page). A large count of Cattle Egrets Bubulcus ibis involved 155 at East Khawr on 28 February 2004. A Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis at Al Qurm Park on 2 January 2004 was the first for northern Oman, and the species is normally seen only in summer. A single was at Liwa on 13 April and eight were at the traditional site of East Khawr on 30 April 2004. An African Spoonbill at West Khawr on 11 January 2004 was only the fourth record. A Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus flew over Khasab on 23 April 2004, the seventh record since the first in 1996. A first-year White-eyed Buzzard Butastur teesa at Ayn Najar on 22 March 2004 has been accepted as the first record. Birds seen in the UAE are considered to be of captive origin. The only other records in the Middle East are from Iran. Single Amur Falcons Falco amurensis were at Sahnawt Farm on 5 January and Mabr Farm on 14 May 2004. A Merlin Falco columbarius at Al Buraymi sewage plant on 27 February 2004 will be the fifth record if accepted, and a Small Buttonquail Turnix sylvatica at Al Ansab Lagoons on 5 March 2004 would be the third record if accepted. Two Caspian Plovers Charadrius asiaticus in breeding plumage were at Sohar Sun Farms on 25 April and a Great Snipe Gallinago media was at Al Qurm Park on 2 January 2004. Significant counts were of 246 Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris at Barr al Hikman on 20 February 2004 and an incredible 35,000 Red-necked Phalaropes Phalaropus lobatus at Ras al Hadd on 24 March 2004. Single Common Gulls Larus canus were at Khawr Taqah on 1 March and Quriyat on 5 March 2004. There were 2460 Chestnut-bellied Sand-grouse Pterocles exustus at Al Hajj on 23 March 2004. A Rufous Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis was at Sahnawt Farm, Salalah, on 5 January and three were present there on 29 February 2004, while the following day four were at Hilf. Ring-necked Parakeets Psittacula krameri at Sahnawt Farm peaked at 130 on 11 January 2004. A Grey-headed Kingfisher Halcyon leucocephala at Khawr Taqah on 6 January 2004 was the first record in that month. A Small Skylark Alauda gulgula was at Sohar Sun Farms on 13 January 2004, bringing the total number of records to seven, and five Brown-throated Sand Martins Riparia paludicola were there on 27 March 2004, the second record. Crag Martins Ptyonoprogne rupestris included six at Sayh on 15 April and 40 there on 21 April. A Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii at Sahnawt Farm on 4 January 2004 was only the second record. Two Blyth's Pipits Anthus godlewskii were at Sohar Sun Farms on 12 April 2004, with one there next day, the second country record. At the regular site at Montasar there were three Grey Hypocolius Hypocolius ampelinus on 17 January, 6 and 9 March, and there were 14 at Thumrait on 11 March 2004. A total of 17 Bluethroats Luscinia svecica at Al Buraymi sewage plant on 27 February 2004 was a new record count. An Eversmann's Redstart Phoenicurus erythronotus photographed at Sunub Dump on 13 February 2004 is only the second record away from Musandam. A Pied Stonechat Saxicola caprata at Sall Ala on 5 April 2004 was the fourth record, and a Mourning Wheatear Oenanthe lugens at Sayh on 22 February 2004 the eighth record. Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka is a widely reported passage migrant and winter visitor, but the vittata morph is rare, thus singles at Sayh on 22 February and on 4 and 11 April 2004 were noteworthy. Single Black-eared Wheatears Oenanthe hispanica were at Sayh on 24 March and Bukha on 21 April 2004, the 9-10th records. A Savi's Warbler Locustella luscinioides at Al Ansab Lagoons on 13 January 2004 was only the ninth record. A count of seven Sedge Warblers Acrocephalus schoenobaenus at Al Qurm Park on 20 May 2004 was exceptional, and a Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola there (possibly two) on 25 March 2004 will be the sixth record if accepted. A total of 200 Willow Warblers Phylloscopus trochilus at Sayh on 21 April 2004 is a record count. A Bonelli's Warbler Phylloscopus (bonelli) orientalis at Al Ansab Lagoons on 22 January 2004 will be only the third record if accepted. There was a Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus humei at Qatbit on 16 January 2004. A Semi-collared Flycatcher Ficedula semitorquata was at Sayh on 11 April 2004. In 2003, two Bay-backed Shrikes Lanius vittatus were at Ar Rawdah in April, making the presence of a single there on 25 March 2004 less surprising, although subsequently, on 22 April, a pair was photographed nesting there, the first confirmed breeding in the Middle East. Another was at Sall Ala on 5 April 2004. At Sayh there were two Grey-necked Buntings Emberiza buchanani on 24 March, followed by six on 4 April, four on 11 April and three on 15 and 21 April, whilst a single Cinereous Bunting Emberiza cineracea was there on 24 March and two on 4 and 22 April 2004. A total of 120 Ortolan Buntings Emberiza hortulana at Sayh on 21 April was significant. A Rustic Bunting Emberiza rustica was found on the ferry in Masirah Channel on 2 March 2004, the fourth record.