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:
Alexander Abuladze, A. Alsirhan, Dr Svetlana Annenkova, Vaughan Ashley,
Dawn Balmer, Andrew Bailey, Jamie Buchan, Mark Chichester, Tom Coles, Judy Dawes, Jeff Delve, Hugues Dufourny, Pekka Fagel, Peter Flint, Brian Foster, Ramezanali Ghaemi, George Gregory, Nader Hamidi, Tomas Haraldsson, Peter Kaestner, Brendan Kavanagh, Abolghasem Khaleghizadeh, Howard King, Guy Kirwan, David Murdoch, Khaled al Nasaralla, Uzi Paz, Yoav Perlman, Kalle Raino, Colin Richardson, Nir Sapir, Dave Sargeant, Michael Schulz, Marius Teeuw, David Whaley, Ingo Waschkies, Frédéric Vanhove, Frédéric Veyrunes, Laurent Veyrunes, Sidonie Veyrunes, Peter Wilson and Süreyya Ysfendiyaroglu.

A four-day visit (20–24 April) resulted in a list of 185 species, including the 1st Syrian record of Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos medius at Slenfe on 23 April and five Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita at the breeding site near Palmyra on 21 April.

A trip from 30 April to 9 May to follow up the 2004 Wetland Expedition resulted in some interesting breeding observations. Rapid visits to Sabkhat al-Jabbul on 3–4 May and 8–9 May and to Lake Tishreen on 5–6 May revealed large numbers of waterfowl in suitable breeding habitat. The most exciting observation was of several hundred Pygmy Cormorants Phalacrocorax pygmaeus at Lake Tishreen on 5 May with at least 2500 flying south past Jerablus on the Euphrates on the morning of 6 May; these birds were roosting just into Turkey and feeding on Lake Tishreen in the day with, presumably, a huge breeding colony in Turkey. Records from Jabbul included hundreds of Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus, a flock of 25 Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis, eight species of heron, eight White Pelicans Pelecanus onocrotalus, a colony of at least 50 pairs of Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia (1st breeding record for Syria), 7500 – 15000 Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus [ruber] roseus; five Greylag Goose Anser anser; hundreds of each of Shoveler Anas clypeata, Garganey Anas querquedula, Marbled Duck Marmaronetta angustirostris, Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca and Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina (breeding proven; 1st breeding record for Syria), and at least 25 White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala. At Tishreen, there were about 20 Great Crested Grebe, 2 White Pelicans, six species of heron, 400 Wigeon A. penelope, five Pintail A. acuta and about 40 Ferruginous Duck. Most of these species have rarely or never been recorded breeding in Syria. It is clear that both sites are of international importance with significant breeding populations of internationally threatened waterfowl. A report is in preparation. A colony of Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus near Palmyra was visited on 21 April. Several species of eagle including Great Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga flew over the Halabbiyah gorge on 22 April. Colonies of Lesser Kestrels Falco naumannii were noted near Palmyra on 21 April and at Halabbiyah gorge on 22 April. Three See-see Partridge Ammoperdix heyi were in the Halabbiyah Gorge on 22 April; this may well be a reliable site for this species. A Corncrake Crex crex was at Sed Wadi Abied on 21 April. At Jabbul, there were hundreds of Purple Swamphen (Gallinule) Porphyrio porphyrio with many chicks, a colony of 5 pairs of Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta (1st proven breeding record for Syria), two nests of White-tailed Plover Chettusia leucura, a range extension of over 100km, and huge numbers of migrant waders including tens of thousands of Little Stints Calidris minuta and Ruff Philomachus pugnax. Seven Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus were at Mheimideh on 22 April. Six species of tern were at Jabbul with Gull-billed Sterna nilotica, Common S. hirundo, Little S. albifrons, Caspian S. caspia and Whiskered Chlidonias hybrida showing evidence of breeding. Little Swifts Apus affinis were over the Euphrates at Deir ez-Zor on 22 April. The 1st Syrian record of Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos medius was of a pair photographed in suitable breeding habitat at Slenfe, on 23 April; a territorial male was seen at the Cedar-Firs reserve 5km away on 2 May.

A Dunn’s Lark Eremalauda dunni was near Palmyra on 21 April, a Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola at Wadi Sed Abied on 22 April, and a Cyprus Wheatear Oenanthe cypriaca near Palmyra on 21 April. A pair of Scrub Warblers Scotocerca inquieta at Tel Maraga on 9 May was well north of the recognised range. Savi’s Warblers Locustella luscinioides were singing at Jabbul and Tishreen; there is perhaps one previous Syrian breeding season record. Two singing Olive-tree Warblers Hippolais olivetorum west of Slenfe on 2–3 May were also a significant range extension. A Semi-collared Flycatcher Ficedula semitorquata was at Talila on 21 April. An Iraq Babbler Turdoides altirostris feeding young in the reed beds north of Lake Tishreen on 6 May is by far the most northerly breeding record of this species – and less than 5 km from Turkey. The 2nd Syrian record of Yellow-throated Sparrow Gymnoris xanthocollis was of a pair in a Deir ez-Zor garden on 22 April. A pair of Syrian Serins Serinus syriacus was at Bloudan on 24 April. Significant breeding range extensions were recorded for a large number of passerines including Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica, Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus and European Serin Serinus serinus.