Birding sites AROUND MAHOUT

The sewage pools can attract a wide variety of migrant and wintering species, depending on water levels. As you approach the pools from the town of Mahout (from the west), the first pool tends to be drier and is good for Little & Temminck's Stints, Kentish Plover, Tibetan Sandplover, Wood, Green & Common Sandpipers etc. Keep an eye out for Broad-billed Sandpiper or Greater Sandplover. Views of shorebirds can be superb here! The next pool along is quite big and there's a narrow concrete causeway running across the middle of it that attracts a variety of sandpipers to use. The floating vegetation always holds quite a few shorebirds and the more open water has held Black-necked Grebe (Nov 2024), and also there's a chance of some wildfowl that can include Garganey, one or two Whiskered Terns are usually present, and also Collared Pratincole occurs now and again. Around the edges of the pools and amongst the small bushes on the outside of the pools look for passerines that can include Asian Desert Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Red-throated Pipit and even Eurasian Wryneck. A variety of Western Yellow Wagtail races can also occur, along with Pied Wagtail, Desert Warbler and others.

TO VISIT THE eBIRD HOTSPOT INFO: Mahout Sewage Pools
GPS Co-ordinates: 20°45'38.2"N 58°18'57.7"E

Any water areas in the desert can attract some really good birds and this is one of them. An under-watched site, and one that deserves more attention, there's also plenty of cover to hide a rare passerine or two. In November 2024 an Oriental Turtle Dove was present, along with a Rose-coloured Starling. This might be a site where sandgrouse would visit at certain times of the day.... The philosophy here would be to watch the pond from a distance and see what comes down to drink amongst the Crested Larks & Black-crowned Sparrow-Larks.

TO VISIT THE eBIRD HOTSPOT INFO: Mahout Wadi & Pond
GPS Co-ordinates: 20°45'18.3"N 58°17'44.2"E

This is quite a small area, worth checking for Asian Koel or Oriental Turtle Dove. It is worth noting that this is not a park but somebody's garden, so we would advise staying outside the fence and wall. The acacias on the east side of the garden are quite dense and could hold anything from Isabelle Shrike & Lesser Whitethroat to Siberian Chiffchaff and Red-breasted Flycatcher. It's definitely worth checking this site out before leaving the area.

TO VISIT THE eBIRD HOTSPOT INFO: Mahout Park Info
GPS Co-ordinates: 20°45'58.6"N 58°17'47.1"E