OMAN IN SUMMER - SEABIRDS!

Over these 2 full days on Masirah Island we will spend morning and late afternoons seawatching from the very south of Masirah Island. At this time of year Flesh-footed & Persian Shearwaters will be passing the coastline in good numbers. Jouanin's Petrels pass in smaller numbers and there's a very good chance of Wilson's Storm-Petrel at this time of year, along with Lesser Noddy, Bridled, White-cheeked and the sought-after Saunders's Tern as well. We should be able to get very good views of Lesser Noddy, and both White-cheeked and Saunders's Terns roosting on the rocks of Cape Masirah. There should also be a summering flock of Greater Crested Terns, a few Common Noddies, and many Sooty Gulls.

We can also check out the mudflats at Sur Masirah for Crab-Plover, which should be present in small numbers, and there could well be a few other shorebirds present including Greater and Tibetan Sandplovers, and possibly some early returning Broad-billed and Terek Sandpipers.

Over the midday period we may well take a break back at the hotel, but the temptation to checkout Al Shamkaiah Park for any rarities may well be too tempting. The nearby coastal wetland and sewage treatment works can also be checked for migrants as well. 2 nights at Hilf.

Over the course of these 5 full days we will take 3 morning pelagics from Mirbat and then spend the rest of our time seawatching from Ras Janjari Headland (about 25 mins drive east). Over the late summer and early autumn period 1000's of seabirds pass along the Arabian Sea coastline, being drawn close to shore by the huge shoals of fish present. As well as regular species such as Jouanin's Petrel and both Persian & Flesh-footed Shearwaters numbering in their 1000's, we should also see Socotra Cormorant, Red-necked Phalarope, Sooty Shearwater, Parasitic & Pomarine Jaegers, Red-billed Tropicbird, Common Noddy, Bridled Tern, Brown & Masked Booby, and we can expect to see some really rare species. Possibilities include Swinhoe's Storm-Petrel, Matsudaira's Storm-Petrel, White-faced Storm-Petrel (3 records), Black-bellied Storm-Petrel (4 records), Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Streaked Shearwater (3 records), Sooty Tern, Brown (3 records) & South Polar Skuas (5 records) , Long-tailed Jaeger (8 records) and who knows what else is possible? There's even been Tahiti Petrel recorded twice! The chances of increasing our knowledge of seabirds here is huge and the fact that many of the above-named species could well be unrecorded due to the lack of observer coverage is a tempting proposition to the avid seawatcher!

We can also visit nearby Wadi Darbat one evening to see Arabian Eagle-Owl & Arabian Scops-Owl, head up onto the nearby plateau to look for Arabian Partridge, Arabian Wheatear, Yemen Serin and possibly Verreaux's Eagle. Other species such as Abdim's Stork, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Bruce's Green-Pigeon, Arabian Green Bee-eater, Diederik Cuckoo, Black-crowned Tchagra, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Pale Crag Martin, Singing Bushlark, African Paradise-Flycatcher, Forbes-Watson's Swift, Arabian Wheatear, Blackstart, Long-billed Pipit, Arabian Warbler, Abyssinian White-eye, Palestine & Arabian Sunbirds, Fan-tailed Raven, African Silverbill, Ruppell's Weaver & Cinnamon-breasted Bunting can also be seen at this time of year just to add some variety to our birding in this amazing region. And we can also try for Desert Owl one evening, along with Sand Partridge, and check out a site for Arabian Grosbeak as well.