Birding sites north of muscat
RAS al sawadi
If you decide to visit here, park you car at GPS: 23°46'53.5"N 57°47'27.6"E and one of the local boatmen will approach you & offer to take you on their boat around the islands. Prices vary but on average OMR4 per person seems about right. This will give you an hour sailing around the islands and if you're here before the end of October you have a very good chance of seeing Sooty Falcon. If you don't arrive until after 3rd November then Al Fahal Island off Muscat gives you a much better chance of this species. Taking a boat around the Daymaniyat Islands is undoubtedly the best way to get close views of Socotra Cormorant anywhere in Oman. Sometimes you might see Persian Shearwater further out to sea but more normal species are the usual gulls and terns you can see anywhere along the coast. Persian Wheatear can be seen on the islands, Pallid Swifts seem to congregate in the early Autumn around the cliffs, Pale Crag Martin is common and it's hard to miss Western Reef Heron.
TO VISIT THE eBIRD HOTSPOT INFO: Ras al Sawadi Beach
AND THE DAYMANIYAT ISLANDS (just offshore): Island Info
GPS Co-ordinates to Parking: 23°46'53.4"N 57°47'27.3"E
Use of the map above courtesy of Jens Eriksen & The Birdwatching Guide to Oman. To purchase a PDF of this excellent site guide please email Jens Eriksen at: hjoman@gmail.com (EUR 15).
WADI AYSH & KHOR AL QURAYM
This is an excellent area to check for a variety of shorebirds, gulls & terns. If you're looking for Pallas's Gull, this area is as good as any of the beaches in Muscat. They can arrive in the first week of November, but sometimes it can be mid-month. There's usually a large flock of Greater & Lesser Crested Terns here, with the odd White-cheeked Tern, Little Tern, a fair few Caspian Terns, Sandwich & sometimes Common Terns. From a list-building perspective you could miss this site out as you can find all these species elsewhere. It can be a great site to get photos of Slender-billed Gulls and Terek Sandpipers on the beach, but beware of a lot of people walking along the shoreline in the late afternoon.
The road is rather quiet so you can park anywhere and scope the shorebirds on the seaward side, but remember to drive further along and return along the same route to check the landward side on the opposite side. This area can produce Grey Francolin, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Steppe Grey Shrike, Crested Larks and a few other species.
TO VISIT WADI AYSH:
GPS Co-ordinates to park your car along very quiet highway and scan from the bridge: 23°47'03.1"N 57°37'26.5"E
TO VISIT KHOR AL QURAYM & BEACH:
GPS Co-ordinates to park your car and walk out to the beach to scan the gulls, terns & shorebirds: 23°47'10.5"N 57°37'16.2"E
BARKA FARMS & FIELds
There are plenty of green fields in the area where you can find Arabian Green Bee-eater, Indian Roller, Purple Sunbird, Arabian Babbler, and there is usually a Black-winged Kite in the area. A small but elusive population of Bank Mynas are also noteworthy here - from a list-building perspective.
TO VISIT THE eBIRD HOTSPOT INFO: Barka Farms Info AND Barka Fields Info
BARKA ESTUARY
TO VISIT THE eBIRD HOTSPOT INFO: Barka Estuary Info
BARKA SEWAGE WORKS
Not as good as they once were, having been 'cleaned up' in 2022, but potentially still worth checking out if you are in the area. Formerly a good site for Masked Wagtail, you can still find Citrine Wagtail, as well as a selection of stints & sandpipers. Red-wattled Lapwings are usually easy to see here, and the surrounding stony desert holds Isabelline & Steppe Grey Shrike (pallidostris) & Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark.
GPS: 23°35'42.6"N 57°52'59.6"E