Birding sites AROUND SALALAH (WEST)

Probably should be called by its proper name of Khawr Dhariz. This is the premier birding site around Salalah and is worth visiting at any time of day, with a constant procession of different species arriving & departing. You can drive along the eastern side on a dirt track, keeping an eye out for anything skulking at the base of the tall vegetation. Once you've left the tall vegetation behind (if driving down towards the open water the vegetation will be on your right) the grassy margins will hopefully have some mud exposed and this seems to be the best area for a White-tailed Lapwing, whilst this is also your chance of finding a Small Pratincole. If you can't find one, quite often they will loiter within a large flock of Kentish Plovers that roost on the sandy waste ground to your left. You can often get some great photos if you stay in your car of various shorebirds as you continue driving onto the beach and along the khawr's shoreline. Traffic can be quite hectic towards the end of the day as locals like to watch the sunset, or drive stupidly fast just to piss off birders. There is plenty of disturbance and the locals get out of their cars and stand at the water's edge to take photos of the close Slender-billed Gulls etc but a lot of species will take flight. The flocks of Greater Flamingo, Eurasian Spoonbill, Ruff and Glossy Ibis will settle down and please treat the local Omani's with respect - it is their country after all. This is a superb site to get comparisons of Little & Temminck's Stints, Marsh Sandpiper & Common Greenshank, Whiskered & White-winged Terns, Indian Pond-Heron & Squacco Heron, Little, Medium & Great Egrets etc. Quite often they are side-by-side and make for great photos. Sometimes you can get close Caspian Terns, a White-cheeked Tern may make an appearance, a Yellow Bittern might show or a Citrine Wagtail will show at point-blank range. The list of rarities and scarce species from here is impressive and in November 24 Oman's 2nd Knob-billed Duck appeared. Species such as Cotton Pygmy-Goose, Red-knobbed Coot, Pheasant-tailed Jacana and Small Pratincole are regularly seen in late autumn/early winter, this is the best place for Collared Pratincole, and there's even been a Masked Booby lounging on the landward side of the beach. Don't forget to check out the beach for any rare gulls and have a scan out to sea for passing seabirds too.

Just to whet the appetite, other great birds found here include Lesser Whistling-Duck, Demoiselle Crane, African Spoonbill, Spotted, Little & Baillon's Crakes, Crab-Plover, Caspian Plover, Long-toed Stint, Great Knot, Pallas's Gull, Oriental Skylark, Wattled Starling & Forest Wagtail.

TO VISIT THE eBIRD HOTSPOT INFO: East Khawr
GPS Co-ordinates: 17°00'42.2"N 54°10'38.3"E (this will take you to the beach track to view the khawr)

TO VISIT THE eBIRD HOTSPOT INFO: West Khawr
GPS Co-ordinates: 16°59'18.1"N 54°02'08.2"E (this will get you to a viewing area along the beach. Get to here GPS: 16°59'28.8"N 54°02'26.8"E and take one of the many tracks down to the beach and turn west on a track that runs parallel with the sea until you reach the first co-ordinates.

This site is very close to West Khawr and has beach access, a lagoon and creek, as well as a large area of wasteground with short grass. A large flock of Pacific Golden Plovers are usually present amongst the grass, with Kentish Plovers and one or two other shorebirds. It's possible to see Singing Bushlark here but they are difficult. This site jumped to prominence in November 2023 with man's 2nd record of Buff-breasted Sandpiper!

TO VISIT THE eBIRD HOTSPOT INFO: Salalah Nature Reserve Info
GPS Co-ordinates to site: 16°59'46.6"N 54°04'01.1"E

This is traditionally a good site to see day roosting Spotted Thick-knee. Either entering the site and paying a small car parking fee or from the main road here - GPS 17°00'37.9"N 54°08'16.2"E and checking the bases of shaded bushes or trees through the mesh fence across the street. The thick-knee isn't at all rare around downtown Salalah, so check out any parks or wasteground at dusk when they become more active and vocal (if you're struggling).

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TO VISIT THE eBIRD HOTSPOT INFO: Al Baleed Info
GPS CO-ORDINATES: 17°00'23.1"N 54°08'08.0"E

This is as good as place as any to see Oriental (Crested) Honey Buzzard in Salalah. In November 2024 there was a small group of Yellow-throated Sparrows present most of the month, there's Grey-headed Kingfisher around, and even Arabian Chameleons can beseem by checking the bushes carefully.

TO VISIT THE eBIRD HOTSPOT INFO: Salalah Public Park Info
GPS Co-ordinates: 17°00'40.5"N 54°04'12.6"E

TO VISIT THE eBIRD HOTSPOT INFO: Khawr Raysut Info
GPS Co-ordinates: 16°57'20.9"N 53°59'48.2"E or 16°57'29.9"N 53°59'49.3"E

TO VISIT THE eBIRD HOTSPOT INFO: Raysut Settling Pools
GPS Co-ordinates : 16°59'42.5"N 53°56'16.3"E

A good place to seawatch for Brown & Masked Booby, Persian Shearwater, Jouanin's Petrel, Common Noddy, as well as Socotra Cormorant. A large raft of the latter species is usually present offshore, normally towards the western end of the beach. There's a nice little cafe overlooking the blow holes here - GPS 16°52'33.1"N 53°46'00.8"E and worth a stop for the smoothies, sitting on the veranda scoping seabirds. Perfect!

TO VISIT THE eBIRD HOTSPOT INFO: Mughsayl Beach Info
GPS Co-ordinates : 16°52'57.7"N 53°47'50.3"E

There are a number of spots to view from, depending on time of day, as you need to avoid looking into the sun.
Spot 1. GPS 16°52'54.0"N 53°46'55.5"E is the east side of the lagoon. You're going to drive off the tarmac towards the semi-abandoned houses where there's an obvious side road and go on down a dirt track to a point where you can overlook the lagoon. As of December 2025 & January 2026 there's a lot of disturbance from construction traffic due to the rebuilding of the old road that was destroyed in a typhoon some years ago.

Spot 2. Retrace your steps and follow the new road up and around the large hill to this point GPS 16°53'10.3"N 53°46'53.4"E You can scan from here and also continue driving 'off road' or on foot along the northern edge of the lagoon. One or two Jacanas inhabit the muddy edges of the lagoon. Scan the area carefully, especially the long rocky island to your left as anything can hide amongst the large rocks here. A Lesser White-fronted Goose was present in January 2023, and many other rarities have been found here. Expect the unexpected!

Spot 3: Where you've parked is actually in Wadi Ashawq Nature Reserve which continues across the road and is the beginning of Wadi Mughsays. See next section.

TO VISIT THE eBIRD HOTSPOT INFO: Khawr Mughsayl Info & Al Mughsays General Area Info
GPS Co-ordinates : 16°52'53.8"N 53°46'51.9"E

The narrow ribbon of water extending into the wadi from the main road is the main part of Wadi Ashawq Nature Reserve. It attracts Pheasant-tailed Jacana, and a variety of shorebirds & terns as well. If you didn't see a Malachite Kingfisher over on the main Khawr Mughsayl, then look here. One was present in November 2024. Scan the tall vegetation on the opposite shore for White-breasted Waterhen or Yellow Bittern amongst others. Again, there is some disturbance from construction traffic collecting rocks to help with the rebuilding of the old road bridge across the Khawr Mughsayl as of January 2025. At dusk, if you need Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse, then this might be an area to stake out for birds coming to drink. Access from here GPS 16°53'13.7"N 53°46'52.5"E or here GPS 16°53'17.9"N 53°46'55.4"E and follow obvious tracks.

TO VISIT THE eBIRD HOTSPOT INFO: Wadi Ashawq Nature Reserve Info
GPS Co-ordinates : 16°53'15.8"N 53°46'51.0"E

This is the famous wadi where everyone goes to see Desert Owl. The GPS co-ordinates below mark what birders call the end of the wadi. In fact it's not but the rocky track from here on becomes very, very difficult and most normal rental SUV's won't like going up the short, steep section of track a little further on. So you are going to park beside the large boulders or better still back a few hundred metres on the little plateau and walk back down the track where it starts to slope downwards. If you're here in November, you'll probably not be alone as other birders will no doubt be here. Our suggestion is to team up so only one set of bird calls is played and one spotlight used. We implore birders to only use small snippets of tape/call as the resident pair of owls here can be quite aggressive and react quite strongly to tape playing. Don't try playing the call until it is properly dark. If you hear one calling from high up the cliffs opposite you and then it stops calling, wait a bit. resist the urge to keep playing the call, as it may well have flown over you already (in the darkness) and landed on the lower cliffs behind the boulders or slightly closer to the base of where the track slopes upwards. It should then start to call and you can spotlight it. Please be aware, but there are several other pairs of owls in this wadi so you are not restricted to this one spot.

TO VISIT THE eBIRD HOTSPOT INFO: Wadi Mughsay/Wadi Ashawq Info
GPS Co-ordinates : 16°55'08.6"N 53°44'33.1"E