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.

Field work by three teams of OSME volunteers in January-February 2004 resulted in many new data including the first records of Smew Mergus albellus, Buff-bellied Pipit Anthus (rubescens) japonicus, Asian Desert Warbler Sylvia (nana) nana, Firecrest Regulus ignicapilla and Steppe Grey Shrike Lanius (meridionalis) pallidirostris. Two visits in April 2004 produced the following records. At Baath Lake there were six Pygmy Cormorants Phalacrocorax pygmeus on 7 April 2004 with three next day. A Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis was at Dibsiafnan on 22 April 2004 (scarce in Syria). A lone Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita was seen on 4 April 2004 on an escarpment c. 20 km from the known nesting site, where two pairs returned to breed. A Marbled Duck Marmaronetta angustirostris was at Mheimideh on 6 April 2004 with four there next day, whilst two were at Ashara on 6 April, two at Bhara on 20 April and two at Sabkhat al-Jabbul on 22 April 2004. A total of 50 Red-crested Pochards Netta rufina was at Baath Lake on 8 April 2004. Some Ferruginous Ducks Aythya nyroca were at Mheimideh on 6 April and up to four White-headed Ducks Oxyura leucocephala were there on 6-19 April, with a pair in suitable breeding habitat at Sabkhat al-Jabbul on 22 April 2004. A previously unknown colony of 13 pairs of Lesser Kestrels Falco naumanni was found near Baath Lake on 7 April 2004. Two Little Crakes Porzana parva were at Sed Wadi Abied on 5 April and 9 April, with five females at Mheimideh on 6 April, a female at Baath Lake on 7 April and one at Zieban on 20 April 2004. Forty-eight Collared Pratincoles Glareola pratincola were at Mheimideh on 6 April 2004. A Great Snipe Gallinago media was flushed at Sed Wadi Abied on 8 April 2004. At least 800 Slender-billed Gulls Larus genei were at Sabkhat al-Jabbul on 22 April 2004. Three Armenian Gulls Larus armenicus were at Sed Wadi Abied on 5 April, and 20 immatures were on the Euphrates at Ar Raqqa on 7 April 2004, with ten immatures at Baath Lake the same day. A first-summer Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla at Sabkhat al-Jabbul on 22 April 2004 was the ninth Syrian record. A Dunn's Lark Eremalauda dunni singing on the Baghdad road plains on 9 April 2004 was the second record for Syria, and a Bar-tailed Desert Lark Ammomanes cincturus was also singing there the same day, but ten Bimaculated Larks Melanocorypha bimaculata appeared to be on migration. There were two Thrush Nightingales Luscinia luscinia at Arak (east of Palmyra) on 19 April 2004 (few Syrian records). A male Finsch's Wheatear Oenanthe finschii was at a regular site in the Palmyra foothills on 4 April 2004. A Mourning Wheatear Oenanthe lugens was at Palmyra archaeological ruins on several dates in early April 2004. Sightings of Iraq Babbler Turdoides altirostris came from Mheimideh (five), Ashara (12, including two juveniles), Baath Lake (seven), Deir ez-Zor suspension bridge (six), Ismaileyh (five), Muhaymidah (two), Mohasan (four) and Zieban (four). A total of seven Savi's Warblers Locustella luscinioides was reeling at Muhaymidah on 19 April and three were reeling at Mohasan on 20 April 2004. A Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca was at Deir ez-Zor on 21 April, and two were at Al Thawra reserve on 22 April 2004 (few previous records). Six Syrian Serins Serinus syriacus were at Bloudan on 10 April 2004. Some 210 Desert Finches Rhodospiza obsoleta were on cultivated land at Shola on 5 April 2004.