Oman Trip Report
17 to 31 March 2001
General Remarks
Flight: KLM Berlin-Muscat via Amsterdam.
Pre-rented car from Holiday Autos (Toyota Corolla A/C).
Of course you can visit more places in a 4WD, but roads are in excellent shape, and many graded tracks are OK for “saloon cars”.
The weather conditions were excellent: fair skies, sometimes overcast, temperatures ranging between 19 and 36 C degrees.
In Dhofar it was humid, but not too bad.
Hotel rooms were very clean and reasonably priced (if compared to German standards). It is no problem to find accommodation.
Books
Porter/Christensen/Schiermacker-Hansen: Field Guide to the Birds of the Middle East, ISBN 0-85661-076-3Kabasci/Franzisky: Oman, ISBN 3-89662-100-9 (Excellent general Travel Guide in German language)
Oman Bird List, compiled by Jens Eriksen and Dave E. Sargeant, Oman Bird Record Committee, P.O.Box 246, Muscat 113, Sultanate of Oman
Itinerary
We arrived on the 17th at mid-night. A cab took us to Naseem Hotel which we would impossibly hauve found on our own. From the hotel we had a beautiful view on the Mutrah harbor, and in the weak light of a lamp Larus hemprichii entered as the first new species.
Mutrah 18.03.01
Next day we walked around in Mutrah, met for the first time Kilian Weixler and his sister, who many times during this trip crossed our way, always pleasant company for birding. Early afternoon we picked up our car that first took us to Al Ansab Lagoon. The most common bird there was the familiar Cormorant. We also saw two Egytian vultures and a Marsh harrier, no eagles, but Isabelline Shrike, Red-wattled Plover, a Red-rumped swallow (rare migrant), and heard a Little Crake.
Batinah 19.03.01
We went to Ras as Sawadi (very pleasant) and Al Suwayq (disappointing). Indian Roller was a constant company along the roads. The contrasts between the farm lands and desert like landscapes was impressive. We saw Lesser and Greater Sand Plover side by side, Lesser Crested Tern, European and Little Green Bee-eater, Grey Francolin. On our return we paid a second visit to Al Ansab which this time produced a beautifully spotted Spotted Eagle. In the evening we met Dave Sargeant and Panadda of the Oman Bird Group at their home, who provided us with sandwiches and a lot of extremely helpful informations. Thank you!
Trip to Nizwa 20.03.01
In the morning we payed a visit to the Sunup dump, where 30-40 eagles and about the same number of vultures waited for us. The eagles were Spotted and Steppe, but there also was a Lesser Spotted. Among the vultures there were two huge Lapped-faced. In Nizwa, in the late afternoon , we visited the fort and were almost forgotten and locked in.
Trip to Salalah 21.03.01
We set out early, stopped at all the rest houses along the road to look for migrants, and arrived at Salalah before dawn. Along the road we met several small groups of sandgrouse but only twice were quick enough to determine the species. At the rest houses Isabelline Wheatear, Northern Wheatear, Orphean Warbler and Red-breasted Flycathcher were migrant, and we enjoyed Hoopoe Lark, Black-crowned Finch Lark and Desert Lark. In the mountains before Salalah we had a Hobby, a South Arabian Wheatear, Fan-tailed Raven, and, entering Salalah, a male Marsh Harrier and a first Tristram Grackle crossing the street right before us.
Salalah 21.03.01 – 28.03.01
We visited the Salalah Khor as long as the police would let us, the Dahariz Khor, and the Sun Farm, where a close view of a Saker was the highlight. We made several excursions to the Khors at Suli, Rouri and Mughsayl, as well as into the mountains, where we had several beautiful Imperial Eagles. We visited the springs, e.g. El Hamran which, as Dave had promissed, really offered all the Dhofar specialties: Arabian Partridge, Blackstart, White-breasted White-eye, Black-crowned Tchagra, African Paradise Flycatcher, Shining and Palestine Sunbird, Arabian Warbler, African Rock Bunting. In the mountains the sinkhole (giant collapsed cave) at Tawi Attair had a fascinating atmosphere. We watched a pair of Bonelli’s Eagle for a long time and from very short distances, while the Yemen Serrins could be discovered only if you knew in advance its presence in the walls of the hole. Birds we missed in the South were the Pheasant-tailed Jacana and Verraux’s Eagle.
Way back to Nizwa 28.03.01
On the way we payed a visit to the Thumrait dump, where four Steppe Eagles and an Egyptian Vulture were found. The rest houses added Lesser White-throat, Short-toed Lark, a beuatiful Masked Shrike, Rufous Bush Robin and Red-throated Pipits to the list of migrants.
Mutrah 29.03.01 – 31.03.01
From Mutrah we went for a day trip to Quriat, where more that 50 Great Black-headed Gulls waited on the shore. We did not manage to get into the Qurm Park, because it opened in the later afternoon only. But from the fence toward the main road we encountered Grey Francolin, White-cheeked Bulbul, a Pallid Harrier, Ring-necked Parakeet, Scaly-breasted Munia and a Common Waxbill.
Bird List
- C = Capital Area, B = Batinah, S = Salalah, K = Dhofar Khors, R = Rest Houses Desert on the Route Nizwa-Salalah, Q = Quriat
| Little Grebe | Tachybaptus ruficollis | Zwergtaucher | several | C, K |
| Black-necked Grebe | Podiceps nigriollis | Schwarzhalstaucher | 1 | C: Al Ansab |
| Masked Booby | Sula dactylatra | Maskentölpel | many | S |
| Brown Booby | Sula leucogaster | Weißbauchtölpel | several | S |
| Cormorant | Phalacrocorax carbo | Kormoran | many | C: Al Ansab |
| Socotra Cormorant | Phalacrocorax nigrogularis | Schwarzgesichts\-scharbe | many | S |
| Squacco Heron | Ardeola Ralloides | Rallenreiher | several | K |
| Cattle Egret | Bubulcus ibis | Kuhreiher | 1 | C: Al Ansab |
| Western Reef Heron | Egretta gularis | Küstenreiher | common | C, S, K |
| Little Egret | Egretta garzetta | Seidenreiher | several | C,S, K |
| Great White Egret | Egretta alba | Silberreiher | few | C, K |
| Grey Heron | Ardea cinerea | Graureiher | common | C, K |
| Purple Heron | Ardea purpurea | Purpurreiher | 4 | S, Khor Mughsayl |
| White Stork | Ciconia ciconia | Wei§storch | 5 | Dump Q |
| Glossy Ibis | Plegadis falcinellus | Braunsichler | groups up to 7 | C, K |
| Spoonbill | Platalea leucorodia | Löffler | 11 | K |
| Greater Flamingo | Phoenicopterus ruber | Rosaflamingo | common | S |
| Wigeon | Anas penelope | Pfeifente | common | Q, S |
| Gadwall | Anas strepera | Schnatterente | only (2,2) | Q |
| Teal | Anas crecca | Krickente | few | C |
| Mallard | Anas platyrynchos | Stockente | several | C, K |
| Pintail | Anas acuta | Spießente | common | C, K |
| Garganey | Anas querquedula | Knäkente | common | K |
| Shoveler | Anas clypeate | Löffelente | many | C, K |
| Pochard | Aythya ferina | Tafelente | 1 | K |
| Egyptian vulture | Neophron percnopterus | Schmutzgeier | many, >50 at Q | C, S, Q: Dumps |
| Lappet-faced Vulture | Torgos tracheliotos | Ohrengeier | several | C: Sunup, Thumrait |
| Marsh Harrier | Circus aeruginosus | Rohrweihe | several, mostly female type, but 1 adult male at S: Sunfarm | C, S |
| Pallid Harrier | Circus macrourus | Steppenweihe | 2 and 2 other ring-tailed harriers | C |
| Lesser spotted Eagle | Aquila pomarina | Schreiadler | 2 | C: Sunup (sub)ad., Adam imm. |
| Spotted Eagle | Aquila clanga | Schelladler | many, imm. | C: Sunup, Q |
| Steppe Eagle | Aquila nipalensis | Steppenadler | several, mostly imm. | C: Sunup, Thumrait dump |
| Imperial Eagle | Aquila heliaca | Kaiseradler | several, all imm. | Dhofar mountains |
| Short-toed Eagle | Circaetus gallicus | Schlangenadler | 1 | S: Khor Rouri |
| Bonelli’s Eagle | Hieraaetus fasciatus | Habichtsadler | 4 | Dhofar mountains |
| Osprey | Pandion haliaetus | Fischadler | common | S |
| Kestrel | Falco tinnunculus | Turmfalke | common | S |
| Hobby | Falco subbuteo | Baumfalke | 1 | Dhofar mountains |
| Saker Falcon | Falco cherrug | Sakerfalke | 1 | S: Sun Farm |
| Arabian Partridge | Alectoris melanocephala | Schwarzkopf-Steinhuhn | several groups of up to 5 birds | S |
| Grey Francolin | Francolinus pondicerianus | Wachtelfrankolin | 2 groups of 2 or 3 | C, B |
| Little Crake | Porzana parva | Kleines Sumpfhuhn | 1 | C: Al Ansab |
| Moorhen | Gallinula chloropus | Teichhuhn | common | mainly S |
| Coot | Fulica atra | Bläßralle | few | C, S |
| Oystercatcher | Haematopus ostralegus | Austernfischer | several | C, B, S, K |
| Black-winged Stilt | Himantopus himantopus | StelzenlSufer | several | Q, K |
| Little Ringed Plover | Charadrius dubius | Flußregenpfeifer | few | K |
| Ringed Plover | Charadrius hiaticula | Sandregenpfeifer | several | S, K |
| Kentdish Plover | Charadrius alexandrinus | Seeregenpfeifer | several | B, K |
| Greater Sand Plover | Charadrius leschenaultii | Wüstenregenpfeifer | 1 | B |
| Lesser Sand Plover | Charadrius mongolus | Mongolenregenpfeifer | 3 | B, Q |
| Pacific Golden Plover | Pluvialis fulva | Pazif. Goldregenpfeifer | few | K, Q |
| Red-wattled Plover | Holopterus indicus | Rotlappenkiebitz | many | C, Q |
| Dunlin | Calidris alpina | AlpenstrandlSufer | several | C, K |
| Little Stint | Calidris minuta | ZwergstrandlSufer | few | S |
| Common Snipe | Gallinago gallinage | Bekassine | several | C, K |
| Black-tailed Godwit | Limosa limosa | Uferschnepfe | several | K |
| Bar-tailed Godwit | Limosa lapponica | Pfuhlschnepfe | 1 | C |
| Whimbrel | Numenius phaeopus | Regenbrachvogel | 2 | S |
| Curlew | Numenius arquata | Gr. Brachvogel | several | C, B, S, K |
| Spotted Redshank | Tringa erythropus | Dunkelwasserläufer | several | C |
| Redshank | Tringa totanus | Rotschenkel | several | K |
| Greenshank | Tringa nebularia | Grünschenkel | common | C, B, S, K |
| Marsh Sandpiper | Tringa stagnatilis | Teichwasserläufer | 1 | Q |
| Green Sandpiper | Tringa ochropus | Waldwasserläufer | 1 | C: Al Ansab |
| Wood Sandpiper | Tringa glareola | Bruchwasserläufer | common | C, K |
| Common Sandpiper | Actitis hypoleucos | Flußuferläufer | common | C, K, Q |
| Sooty Gull | Larus hemprichii | Hemprichmöwe | abundant | C, S |
| Great Black-Headed Gull | Larus ichthyaetus | Fischmöwe | >50 | Q |
| Black-headed Gull | Larus ridibundus | Lachmöwe | common | C |
| Slender-billed Gull | Larus genei | Dünnschnabelmöwe | many | K |
| Yellow-legged Gull | Larus cachinans | Weißkopfmöwe | several | C |
| Armenian Gull | Larus armenicus | Armeniermöwe | several | Q |
| Swift Tern | Sterna bergii | Eilseeschwalbe | many | C, S, K |
| Lesser Crested Tern | Sterna bengalensis | Rüppellseeschwalbe | some | B |
| Sandwich Tern | Sterna sandvicensis | Brandseeschwalbe | many | S |
| White-cheeked Tern | Sterna repressa | Weißwangen\-seeschwalbe | 60 | S |
| Whiskered Tern | Chlidonias hybridus | Weißbartseeschwalbe | 3 | C: Al Ansab |
| Crowned Sandgrouse | Pterocles coronatus | Kronenflughuhn | 5 | Desert |
| Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse | Pterocles exustus | Braunbauchflughuhn | 6+25 | Desert, Ain Hamran |
| Sandgrouse spec. | Pterocles spec. | Flughuhn spec. | 12 | Desert |
| Rock Dove | Colomba livia | Felsentaube | many | Dhofar mountains |
| Collared Dove | Streptopelia decaocto | Türkentaube | common | C, S |
| Laughing Dove | Streptopelia senegalensis | Palmtaube | abundant | |
| Bruce’s Green Pigeon | Treron waalia | Waaliataube | 1 | Ain Hamran |
| Ring-necked Parakeet | Psittacula krameri | Halsbandsittich | 4 | C: Qurm, Al Ansab |
| Common Swift | Apus apus | Mauersegler | few | C |
| Palid Swift | Apus pallidus | Fahlsegler | few | C |
| Common Kingfisher | Alcedo atthis | Eisvogel | 1 | Q |
| Little Green Bee-eater | Merops orientalis | Smaragdspint | 6 | B |
| European Bee-eater | Merops apiaster | Bienenfresser | common | B |
| Indian Roller | Coracias benghalensis | Bengalenracke | common | C, B |
| Hoopoe | Upupa epops | Wiedehopf | 1 | C: Al Ansab |
| Singing Bush Lark | Mirafra cantillans | Buschlerche | 1 | S: Sun Farm |
| Black-crowned Fich Lark | Eremopterix nigriceps | Weißstirnlerche | many | R, S |
| Desert Lark | Ammomanes deserti | Steinlerche | 1 | R |
| Hoopoe Lark | Alaemon alaudipes | Wüstenläuferlerche | several | R |
| Short-toed Lark | Calandrella brachydactyla | Kurzzehenlerche | several | R |
| Crested Lark | Galerida cristata | Haubenlerche | abundant | |
| African Rock Martin | Ptyonoprogne fuligula | Steinschwalbe | many | C, Nizwa, Dhofar mountains |
| Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica | Rauchschwalbe | 3 | Al Ansab, R |
| Red-rumped Swallow | Hinrundo daucaria | Rstelschwalbe | 1 | Al Ansab |
| Tawny Pipit | Anthus campestris | Brachpieper | 2 | R |
| Tree Pipit | Anthus trivialis | Baumpieper | 1 | Al Ansab |
| Red-throated Pipit | Anthus cervinus | Rotkehlpieper | 3+5 | R, Q |
| Yellow Wagtail | Motacilla flava | Schafstelze | several | C |
| Citrine Wagtail | Motacilla citreola citreola | Zitronenstelze | 3 | Al Ansab |
| White Wagtail | Motacilla alba | Bachstelze | several | |
| White-cheeked Bulbul | Pycnonotus leucogenys | Weißohrbülbül | 2 | C: Qurm |
| Yellow-vented Bulbul | Pycnonotus xanthopygos | Gelbsteißbülbül | abundant | |
| Rufous Bush Robin | Cercotrichas galactoes | Heckensänger | 1 | R |
| Blackstart | Cercomela melanura | Schwarzschwanz | several | Dhofar springs |
| Isabelline Wheatear | Oenanthe isabellina | Isabellschmätzer | several | R |
| Northern Wheatear | Oenanthe oenanthe | Steinschmätzer | 1 | R |
| Desert Wheatear | Oenanthe deserti | Wüstensteinschmätzer | several | Dhofar |
| South Arabian Wheatear | Oenanthe lugentoides | 2 | S, R | |
| Hooded Wheatear | Oenanthe monacha | Kappensteinschmätzer | pair with juv. | Tawi Attair |
| Graceful Prinia | Prinia gracilis | Streifenprinie | common | |
| Scrub warbler | Scotocerca inquieta | Wüstenprinie | 1 | Nizwa |
| Clamorous Warbler | Acrocephalus stentoreus | Stentorrohrsänger | 1 | S |
| Arabian Warbler | Sylvia leucomelaena | Akaziengrasmücke | 1 | Ain Hamran |
| Orphean Warbler | Sylvia hortensis | Orpheusgrasmücke | 1 | R |
| Lesser Whitethroat | Sylvia curruca | Klappergrasmücke | 6-10 | R |
| Red-breasted Flycatcher | Ficedula parva | Zwergfliegenschnäpper | 1 | R |
| African Paradise Flycatcher | Terpsiphone viridis | Afrikanischer Paradiesschnäpper | several | Dhofar springs |
| Arabian Babbler | Turdoides squamiceps | Graudrossling | several | C: Al Ansab |
| Purple Sunbird | Nectarinia asiatica | Purpur-Nektarvogel | several | S |
| Shining Sunbird | Nectarinia habessinica | Abessinischer Nektarvogel | several | Dhofar springs |
| Palestine Sunbird | Nectarinia osea | Jericho-Nektarvogel | several | Dhofar springs |
| White-breasted White-eye | Zosterops abyssinica | Somalibrillenvogel | several | Dhofar springs |
| Black-crowned Tchagra | Tchagra senegala | Senegaltschagra | 1 | Ain Hamran |
| Isabelline Shrike | Lanius isabellinus | Isabellwürger | many | C, S |
| Masked Shrike | Lanius nubicus | Maskenwürger | 1 | R |
| House Crow | Corvus splendens | Glanzkrähe | abundant | C, B |
| Brown-necked Raven | Corvus ruficollis | Wüstenrabe | many | Northern Oman |
| Fan-tailed Raven | Corvus rhipidurus | Borstenrabe | many | Dhofar mountains |
| Tristram’s Grackle | Onychgnathus tristramii | Tristramstar | common | Dhofar mountains |
| Common Mynah | Acridotheres tristis | Hirtenmaina | common | C |
| House Sparrow | Passer domesticus | Haussperling | common | Northern Oman, missing in the south |
| Rüppell’s Weaver | Ploceus galbula | Gilbweber | many | S, Dhofar springs |
| Indian Silverbill | Euodice malabrica | Malabarfasänchen, Indischer Silberschnabel | few | C |
| African Silverbill | Euodice cantans | Afrikanischer Silberschnabel | several | S, Dhofar mountains |
| Yemen Serrin | Serinus menachensis | Yemen-Girlitz | 3 | Tawi Attair |
| African Rock Bunting | Emberiza tahapisi | Bergammer | common | Dhofar springs and mountains |
| Escapes | ||||
| Common Waxbill | Estrilda astrild | Wellenastrild | 1 | C: Qurm |
| Scaly-breasted Munia | Lonchura punctulata | Muskatamadine | 3 | C: Qurm |
Dirk and Regina Ferus
ferus@math.tu-berlin.de