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.

An expedition from 9–29 January by ten Dutch birders to participate in the international mid-winter count of waterbirds produced some excellent sightings. The records are summarised by province. In Gilan, along the Caspian Sea, highlights were: one Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus (first for Gilan), 12 Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca, Mediterranean Gulls Larus melanocephalus (first for Gilan), 21 Grey-headed Swamphens Porphyrio poliocephalus, a Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus (uncommon in Caspian Sea), one Arctic Skua S. parasiticus (uncommon in Caspian Sea).

In Mazandaran the 60km long Miankaleh Peninsula and adjacent Gorgon Bay were visited and the most numerous species was Coot Fulica atra with 810,960 birds. Other important counts were 625 Whiteheaded Duck Oxyura leucocephala, 131 Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus, 209 Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus, c73,000 Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus and 125 White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla. Of note, six Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus, including a pair with a juvenile in Fereidoonkenar Damgah, were recorded. Other interesting records from Mazandaran included a Pomarine Skua and three Mediterranean Gulls.

In Khuzestan, c111,600 waterbirds were recorded including c20,000 Coots at Miangaran lake near Izeh. Other counts were c3,200 Marbled Duck Marmaronetta angustirostris, 1,200 White-tailed Plover Chettusia leucura, 350 Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis and 460 Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis. Two Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus at Bamdej marsh, a Little Crake Porzana parva at the Hoveyzeh surrounds, 28 Armenian Gulls Larus armenicus were observed. Forty-two Iraq Babbler Turdoides altiostris were found; until recently this species was known as a near-endemic of the marshes of southern Iraq but now appears to be spreading. Up to 12 Caucasian Stonechats Saxicola torquatus variegatus, 10 Plain Leaf Warblers Phylloscopus neglectus and 242 Dead Sea Sparrows Passer moabiticus were recorded. A remarkable count of 35 Mesopotamian Crows Corvus cornix capellanus was made. An Oriental Pratincole Glareola maldivarum was found near Bostan on 18 January, the first for Iran. At Karun fishponds a juvenile Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus was recorded; this species has only recently been discovered in Iran. A male Striated Scops Owl Otus brucei was head calling at Izeh cave. An adult Rose-coloured Starling Sturnus roseus seen on the border at Hoor Alazim marshes was previously unknown as a winter visitor.

Twenty-four sites were visited in Hormozgan province and only 65,000 birds recorded; the vastness of the areas and inaccessibility made counting difficult. The highlights were 7500 Dunlin Calidris alpina, c4600 Crab Plover Dromas ardeola (the majority in Hara protected area on Qeshm island), c4600 Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus. Good counts of Greater Sandplover Charadrius leschenaultia (2200) and Lesser Sandplover C. mongolus (2000) were also made. An impressive count of Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus (900) highlights Iran’s importance for this species. A small wintering population of Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris (133) was discovered. Three Goliath Heron Ardea goliath and 41 Great Stone Plover Esacus recurvirostris were also counted. A Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis in the straits of Hormuz was probably the first record for the region and a Plain Martin Riparia paludicola seen at Jask Harbour on 21 January is a rare visitor to Iran.

In Baluchistan, the highlights were two Red-breasted Mergansers Mergus serrator at Tiss Port, up to six Great Stone Plover at Khore-e-Galek, a group of 385 Kentish Plovers Charadrius alexandrinus at Khore-e-Tang, two Pintail Snipe Gallinago stenura at Lolakadan and upto 20 Desert Whitethroats Sylvia curruca minula at Lipar Marsh. During a visit to Touran in Semnan province, ten Pleske’s Ground Jay Podoces pleskei were seen in late January. Also of note a female Evermann’s Redstart Phoenicurus erythronotus and a Black-throated Thrush Turdus ruficollis atrogularis were recorded. Elsewhere, six Goldcrest Regulus regulus were at Keshavarzi Garden, Evin Tehran during mid-November to early December. Two Crossbill Loxia curvirostra were observed north of Altin Tokhmagh village (date uncertain) with sparrows and larks perching in scrub. The previous sighting of Crossbill in this habitat was in winter 2001. Four Red-headed Bunting Emberiza bruniceps were in Ardabil province (Khalkhal City), north-west Iran on 5 June.

The following assisted in the compilation of this review: Alexander Abuladze, Yosef Ali Alzaby, Vasil Ananian, Ian Andrews, Parviz Bakhtiari, Gerry Bilbao, Tom Coles, Judy Dawes, Rob Felix, Peter Flint, Ramezanali Ghaemi, Jan Goedelt, Ian Green, Nader Hamidi, Tomas Haraldsson, Peter Hellyer, Volker Hesse, Menno Hornman, Lior Kislev, Abolghasem Khaleghizadeh, Marcus Kohler, Graham Langley, Alexander Lees, Graham Lobley, Martin Lok, Mary Megalli, Peter Meininger, Babak Musavi, Yoav Perlman, Thomas Pettersson, Stefan Pfutzke, Colin Richardson, Nir Sapir, Dave Sargeant, Heiko Schmaljohann, Shellie Senzer, David Stanton, Marius Teeuw, Hannes Uhlig, Magnus Ullman, Harvey van Diek, Colin Walters, David Whaley, Frank Willems and Mark Zekhuis.