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The Sultanate of Oman
1st-19th of November 1998
In order to enjoy the spectacular birdlife, 8 Danish men visited the Sultanate of Oman between the 1st and the 19th of
November 1998. We were:
Steen Christensen, Finn Ennemark, Ebbe A. Hansen, Mogens Henriksen, Morten Jørgensen, Andreas Petersen, Jacob
Ryge and Per Schiermacker-Hansen.
Erik Schaumburg and Ole Gylling - for helpful information from their own visits.
Hanne and Jens Eriksen - for their very kind support in the planning phase of our journey.
Barbro Alsing - for kindness and hospitality during our stay in Salalah.
The Executive Managers of Sohar Sun Farm and Dhofar Cattle Feed Co. (Garzais Sun Farm and Sahnoot Sun
Farm) - for kindly letting us visit their respective Farm-areas.
Erik Hirschfeld & group - for sharing experiences and exchanging information on hot spots along the way.
The people of the Sultanate of Oman - for so openly and generously bidding us wellcome and helping us along the
way in their beautiful country.
The following is a list of the observations, we made. Observations marked with an * need to be accepted by the Omani
Rarities Committee, before any reference may be made.
Diary
Durning our visit, the weather was almost the same every day: No winds or very light northerly winds (in Dhofar), no
cloud-cover or very little, and temperatures ranging between 30 and 40 degrees Celcius during the day.
1 November
11 Seeb Airport
-> Sunub 8:30
Sunub Dump 8:30-11:10
-> Al Ansaab Lagoons
Al Ansaab Lagoons 11:40-13:10
-> Sawadi
Sawadi Beach Hotel 14:30-18:00
2 November
Sawadi Beach Hotel -> 7:20
-> Barka
-> Daymaniyat Islands
Daymaniyat Islands 9:15-15:20
-> Corniche Hotel, Mutrah (Muscat)
3 November
Mutrah -> Qama Well 7:00-10:00
Qama Well 10:00-11:00
-> Sur 11:00-14:20
Sur Lagoon 15:10-15:35
-> Khor Jaramah 15:35-16:15
Khor Jaramah 16:15-17:15
-> Ras al Junaiz (incl. turtle-watch 21:30-23:00)
4 November
Ras al Junaiz 5:00-6:00
-> Ras al Hadd 6:30-7:30
Ras al Hadd 7:30-12:00
-> Al Ansaab Lagoons 12:00-20:00
5 November
Al Ansaab Lagoons 6:00-11:20
-> Khatmat Malahah via Sohar ->16:30
Khatmat Malahah 16:30-20:00
6 November
Khatmat Malahah 6:00-12:00
-> Shnass 12:00-13:15
Shnass mangrove 13:30-15:20
Khor Shnass 15:40-17:30
-> Sohar Beach Hotel
7 November
Sohar Sun Farm 7:20-12:15 and 14:20-18:00
-> Al Ansaab Lagoons
8 November
Sunub dump 7:30-10.10
Al Ansaab Lagoons 7:30-11:10
Athaiba Beach 11:30-13:15
-> Salalah (domestic flight)
9 November
Ain Hamran 6:45-13:30
Salalah Beach Villas 14:15-16.15
Ain Sahanout 17:25-19:10
10 November
Salalah Beach Villas 6:15-7:15
Garzais Sun Farm (west) 8:00-12:30
Khor Mughsayl 13:35-15:25 and 16:50-17:40
Mughsayl blowhole 15:30-17:00
Wadi Mughsayl evening
11 November
East Khor 6:00-7:45
Sahnoot Sun Farm (east) 8:00-10:00
Khor Salalah 10:00-10:15
West Khor 10:30-11:20
Khor Sauli 13:00-15:00
Khor Rouri 15:45-18:45
12 November
Salalah -> Wadi Hinna 6:00-7:15
Wadi Hinna 7:15-9:15
Tawi Attair (sink hole) 10:00-12:00
Wadi Darbat 12:35-15:10
Wadi Darbat -> Salalah -> Dauka
13 November
Dauka 6:00-10:45
Dauka -> Wadi Ribbut 10:45-12:00
Wadi Ribbut 12:00-14:00
Wadi Ribbut -> Salalah 14:00-16:00
Salalah Beach Villas 16:30-17:40
Wadi Mughsayl evening
14 November
Salalah -> Ras Janjali 6:45-9:45
Ras Janjali 9:45-13:45
Ras Janjali -> Khor Taqah 13:45-16:10
Khor Taqah 16:20-18:00
15 November
Khor Taqah 6:35-9:30
Khor Taqah -> Ain Razad
Ain Razad 10:05-11:30
Garzais Sun Farm (west) 11:50-13:45
Salalah Beach Villas 14:30-16:30
Wadi Mughsayl evening
16 November
Khor Mughsayl 6:40-9:30
Khor Mughsayl -> near Yemen border ->14:00
near Yemen border -> Mughsayl blowhole 14:00-16:15
Mughsayl blowhole 16:15-17:40
17 November
Salalah -> Mirbat 6:15-7:30
Ras Mirbat 7:35-13:40
Ras Mirbat -> Khor Rouri 13:40-14:50
Khor Rouri 14:50 ->
18 November
Khor Rouri 6:00-12:15
Khor Taqah 14:15-17:25
Ain Sahnoot 18:10-19:00
19 November
East Khor 6:15-9:50
Sahnoot Sun Farm 10:10-10:30
Ain Hamran 10:45-11:35
Salalah Beach Villas 10:00 -> afternoon.
Systematic List
* Cape Petrel (Daption capensis) First record for Oman and Arabia if accepted.
Ras al Hadd 4.11 1 ESE/SE.
* Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) First record for Oman and Arabia if accepted.
Ras al Hadd 4.11 1 ESE/SE + 1.
* Red-footed Booby (Sula sula) 1 record on ship - first from shore if accepted.
Salalah Beach Villas 9.11 1 ad. white fase E.
* Cinnamon Bittern (Ixobrychus cinnamomeus) First record for Oman and Arabia if accepted.
Khor Sauli 11.11 1 ad. (still-photo from video?).
Steppe Buzzard (Buteo buteo vulpinus) First and second records of this form if accepted.
Khor Mughsayl 10.11 1, Outside Mirbat 17.11 1 ad. dark phase.
Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava - races feldegg, flava, thunbergi, lutea and beema identified)
Al Ansaab to Sawadi 1.11 1, Sohar Sun Farm 7.11 10, Garzaiz Sun Farm 10.11 15, Khor Mughsayl 10.11 10, East Khor
11.11 3, Sahnoot Sun Farm 11.11 50, Khor Rouri 11.11 10, Khor Taqah 14.11 5, Khor Taqah 15.11 15, Garzaiz Sun arm
15.11 500+, Khor Mughsayl 16.11 15, Khor Rouri 17.1 15, Khor Rouri 18.11 20, Khor Taqah 18.11 15, East Khor 19.11
15.
* Mourning Wheatear (Oenantha lugens (persica?)) Sixth record if accepted, first from southern Oman.
Mughsayl to near Yemen border (high in the mountains) 16.11 1.
* Mangrove Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus avicenniae) First record for Oman if accepted.
(Has formerly been described as a subspecies of African Reed Warbler (A. baeticatus), but later evidence shows closer
affiliation to European Reed Warbler (A. scirpaceus). According to Dutch Birding Vol. 19, nr. 6, 1997, p. 297, it
should be regarded as a separate species (A. avicenniae). Breeds along Read Sea coast in Saudi Arabia and Yemen).
Khor Taqah 18.11 2.
Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita - the race tristis heard/seen, possibly other forms overlooked) Total 36
Al Ansaab Lagoons 5.11 2, Al Ansaab Lagoons 8.11 3, Ain Hamran 9.11 2, Khor Sauli 11.11 1, Dauka 13.11 25, Ras
Janjari 14.11 1, Khor Taqah 14.11 1, Khor Taqah 15.11 1.
Isabelline Shrike (Lanius isabellinus - races isabellinus and phoenicuroides seen, speculigerus possibly overlooked)
Total 175-6
Mutrah to Qama Well 3.11 1?, Al Ansaab Lagoons 5.11 10, Al Ansaab to Khatmat Malahah 5.11 3, Khatmat Malahah
6.11 1, Shnass mangrove 6.11 4, Sohar Sun Farm 7.11 1, Al Ansaab Lagoons 8.11 1, Salalah to Ain Hamran and back
9.11 2, Ain Hamran 9.11 3, Garzaiz Sun Farm 10.11 50, Salalah to Khor Mughsayl 10.11 2, Khor Mughsayl 10.11 3,
East Khor 11.11 3, Sahnoot Sun Farm 11.11 10, Khor Sauli 11.11 3, Khor Rouri 11.11 2, Salalah to Wadi Hinna 12.11 1,
Wadi Hinna 12.11 1, Wadi Darbat 12.11 2, Dauka 13.11 2, Salalah to Ras Janjari and back 14.11 6, Ras Janjari 14.11 1,
Khor Taqah 14.11 20, Khor Taqah 15.11 10, Khor Mughsayl 16.11 2, Mughsayl to near Yemen border and back 16.11 2,
Khor Rouri 17.11 1, Khor Rouri 18.11 15, Khor Taqah 18.11 10, East Khor 19.11 4.
Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor - forms aucheri and pallidirostris identified) Total 124
Sunub dump 1.11 2, Sawadi Beach Hotel 1.11 2, Sawadi Beach Hotel 2.11 2, Mutrah to Qama Well 3.11 15, Qama Well
to Sur 3.11 6, Sur to Khor Jaramah 3.11 3, Ras al Junaiz 4.11 1, Ras al Hadd to Al Ansaab 4.11 2, Al Ansaab to Khatmat
Malahah 5.11 39, Khatmat Malahah 5.11 1, Khatmat Malahah 6.11 8, Khatmat Malahah to Shnass 6.11 8, Shnass
mangrove 6.11 1, Khor Shnass 6.11 1, Sohar Sun Farm 7.11 15, Sunub dump 8.11 2, Salalah to Ain Hamran 9.11 1, East
Khor 11.11 1 (pallidirostris), Sahnoot Sun Farm 11.11 2 (both pallidirostris), Sahnoot Sun Farm to Khor Salalah 11.11
2, Wadi Darbat to Salalah 12.11 1, Salalah to Dauka 12.11 1, Dauka 13.11 2, Salalah to Ras Janjari and back 14.11 1,
Khor Taqah 14.11 1 (pallidirostris), Khor Rouri 17.11 1 (pallidirostris), Khor Rouri 18.11 2 (pallidirostris), Khor Taqah
to Salalah 18.11 1.
Land-mammals:
Morten Jørgensen
Broagergade 1, 3.th.
1672 Copenhagen V.
DK - Denmark
Tel.: (DK) 33 79 11 47
E-mail
Andreas Petersen
E-mail