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.

On 3 January 2004 two Eider Somateria mollissima were at Riva, Istanbul, where also present the previous winter, with a single still there on 22 March. Nearby, a Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria was at Büyükçekmece on 11 January 2004 (an exceptional report for Thrace), while next day two Short-toed Eagles Circaetus gallicus were reported at Gökova, Mugla. Thirty-four Bewick's Swans Cygnus columbianus and a Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis were at Nallihan on 18 January (the latter remained until 18 February 2004). A Goosander Mergus merganser and 19 Smew M. albellus were at Gölkent, Adapazan province, on 17 February 2004, and next day a Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis was at the Sakarya River mouth. A Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax was present in the dunes there on 22 February, with two at Kulu Gölü on 27 March and 25 May 2004. The third Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis in Turkey was reported at Büyük Menderes Delta. Purple Gallinule Porphyrio porphyrio was noted at Birecik on 13 April 2004, a new site for the species. Passage Demoiselle Cranes Anthropoides virgo involved two at Kozanli Saz Gölü on 11 April, seven at Igdir Ovasi on 8-9 May and two at Kulu Gölü on 23 May 2004. At Gölduzu Gölü there were seven Red Knot Calidris canutus on 6 May 2004, together with 226 Red-necked Phalaropes Phalaropus lobatus and 11,500 White-winged Black Terns Chlidonias leucopterus. Spur-winged Plovers Hoplopterus spinosus were at several sites on the north side of Van Gölü, providing evidence that this species (which is a recent arrival to eastern Turkey) is still expanding its range. An unusually large group of 110 Broad-billed Sandpipers Limicola falcinellus was in the Cukurova deltas on 8 May 2004. A Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka was south of Karakceki (between Urfa and on 4 May 2004. Following the discovery of Iraq Babbler Turdoides altirostris just inside Syria, attempts to find the species along the Euphrates River south of Birecik in May were unsuccessful. There were 15 Richard's Pipits Anthus richardi at Göksu Delta on 21-22 April, and also there on 30 April 2004 was a male Daurian Shrike Lanius isabellinus, the second record in Turkey.

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.