AL ANSAB WETLAND RESERVE

This is the view of the first lagoon from behind the Visitor Centre. it's a good spot to scope from as you're in the shade and it's a pretty good view. There's always Greater Flamingo's present, along with Eurasian Spoonbills & Black-winged Stilts, and a good selection of shorebirds are usually present at the right time of year such as Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Little & Temminck's Stints, Wood, Green & Common Sandpipers and it's always worth checking for Long-toed Stint. Keep an eye on the back of the lagoon for Ferruginous Duck, as this is one of the few places it can be seen in Oman. Regular wildfowl here during November include Eurasian Teal, Garganey & Shoveler, but Northern Pintail and Common Pochard are becoming more frequent. Both Little & Great Egrets are normally present, Grey & Purple Herons are present, and watch out for Western Marsh Harrier and Great Spotted Eagle.

This is a good area for Grey Francolin, Red-wattled Lapwings are often around the first lagoon, several races of Western Yellow Wagtail occur on the nearby playing field, Quite often a Citrine Wagtail can be found around the first lagoon (above), Delicate Prinias are common, Arabian Green Bee-eaters haunt the more open, bushy slopes, Clamorous Reed Warblers can be heard "chacking" in the dense waterside vegetation, Purple Sunbirds are normally vocal and obvious as well.

There's a nice selection of birds to kick-start your Oman list and this is usually one of your first stops after arriving at the airport, as it's only a 6 minute drive away.

VISITING: to gain access you need to book a visit through the Nama Company website - so just follow this link: BOOK A VISIT
ACCESS: It can be tricky to find your way in, especially if you've just arrived in Oman and aren't used to the driving here. So put the following GPS co-ordinates into your Google Maps and it will take you to the roundabout just above the wetland and follow the road down and take the first right and stay right to the iron gates. GPS: 23°34'02.4"N 58°19'53.7"E There's a big parking area and someone will come to you to check you have booked a visit on the Nama Website

In between the lagoons the path will take you through a nice shady area with a permanent water feature, there's some wooden benches and some thick cover that should prove attractive to migrants in spring and autumn. It's bound to hold something truly astonishing sometime soon...