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

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.

The only group to report sightings was the A Rocha Project at the Aammiq Marshes in the Bekaa Valley where unusually high water levels attracted good numbers of wildfowl. Cattle Egrets Bubulcus ibis were present in the marsh throughout the autumn with a maximum of six on 1 November, with one still present on 14 December. Up to 100 Night Herons Nycticorax nycticorax were recorded in the marsh in September. This is the highest number ever seen here. On 5 October a huge flock of 800 White Pelicans Pelecanus onocrotalus was recorded above Lake Qaaroun. On 27 October a total of 95 Common Cranes Grus grus headed south over Khirbet Qanafar in the Beqaa Valley. A White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis was present from July to December with two in October. This is a new species for the Aammiq wetland. Four Wigeon Anas penelope were unexpected on 13 December as this is a rare visitor at the marsh, as are Pintail Anas acuta, four of which four were seen on 14 October. Up to three Pallid Harriers Circus macrouros were present from mid-October until December and roosted in the marsh during the night. A male Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni was at Khirbet Qanafar on 23 September. A Steppe Grey Shrike Lanius pallidirostris was just south of Aana on 16 September. A Scrub Warbler Scotocerca inquieta was near Khirbet Qanafar on 30 August. The species is rare in Lebanon. Late News: six Purple Gallinule Porphyrio porphyrio, the first certain record since 1945, were at Aamiq wetland on 16 January 2005, one being shot in front of the observers; the corpse was confiscated. On 16 February 2005, a Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius, at the American University of Beirut hit Mike Harrison's office window, calling while slightly stunned. This observation with another from 14 February 2001 suggests that spring passage is from mid-February and not late February. A Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria was on 22 January 2005 in the Nahr (River) El Kalb valley, north of Beirut, the first record of this extremely rare species since 1999 and in a new locality.