Arabian Adventure 26 - Day 11/12

Guess what... another loooong drive to Salalah Thursday. We tried Muntasar Oasis which was quite a detour off the main road on a rutted boneshaker of a road!

We arrived at 7.30, found the water but not the Sandgrouse unfortunately. The first Bird we saw was an Oman MEGA...a WHITE-BREASTED WATERHEN. A Lifer for me...and Robert of course!

We saw a few more "bits" before retracing our steps and completing the miles to Salalah. I treated Rob to some fine dining...

Today we headed East to ......to try for another Oman MEGA. After a 40 minute drive (which included negotiating a group of Camels walking towards us down the middle of the road!!!) we arrived at the Site. 

I scanned the Khawr and I saw a smallish dark Heron on the very far side. It looked promising...it was!

Eventually we managed great views of the Bird as it did it's characteristic cloaking feeding action. We had our BLACK HERON...

Digiscoped by Rob

A remarkably charismatic Bird. We saw a nice selection of Species in the next hour before heading back to Salalah where we broke for lunch. 

Mid-afternoon I decided to try East Khawr...and what a good decision that turned out to be. On arrival we saw an Osprey immediately feeding on a...fish!

We drove a tad further and Robert exclaimed..."What's that!? I looked to my right to see...a GREAT WHITE PELICAN... another Oman MEGA. This time we'd found it!

We spent an idyllic 90 minutes till dusk watching another superb selection at extremely close range. The Birds were very relaxed.

We then had a short 5 minute return to our Air B&B.

Pelagic at Mirbat tomorrow morning. Hope the Sea behaves...

Arabian Adventure 26 - Day 10

Another loooong drive today. I know...too much time in the Jeep BUT it'll be worth it... hopefully?!

We're now at the Al Ghaftan Resthouse way out in the Desert 🏝️ It would take some finding!!

Some interesting sightings by the roadside...

Early start tomorrow as we intend to reach the Muntasar Oasis for Dawn. I'll hopefully have some "Good Birds" to report?  

Nick Bray gave me some excellent information regarding Egyptian Nightjar (and possibly Syke's) just down the road but Robert had done enough driving for today (my insurance clearance still hasn't come through).

Tomorrow night we'll finally reach Salalah for our 6 day stay. I can finally set my stall out which will mean I can share some "proper" photograph's with you. It will also mean an upgrade in dining establishments, although our two Desert stops have been more than adequate. We're VERY grateful for their presence, believe me!

Arabian Adventure 26 - Day 9

Loooong drive today from Muscat to Filim. We are staying nearby at Mahout from where I'm writing this. I have 5G!!!

As with any new Site it takes a while to familiarise. After around 30 minutes we settled on a spot and spent till Dusk scanning the Birds on the mudflats in an idyllic setting...

Rob practising his Digiscoping...

We saw some great Birds but the undoubted star was the enigmatic Crab Plover. We saw around 20 of these superb Birds. High tide was 7.30pm which was unfortunately just a tad late but we did see the Birds reasonably close. Huge numbers of Waders, Herons and Egrets were present. Couldn't find the rare Great Knot though. Still yet more quality time shared with my Son...

Arabian Adventure 26 - Day 8

We tried Al Ansab Wetlands today. I tried to book on the internet but the first availability was the 25th! We went anyway. On arrival the gate was shut, so we waited. 

Eventually a car came out and a chap walked over to talk to us. We explained we had tried to book...and he welcome us in!

They had some decent optics!!!

We were then given a private tour in his truck which included a couple of excellent viewpoints enabling us to enjoy the Birds in comfort. Lucky. 

The highlight for both of us was sharing Robert's first sighting of a Kingfisher!

Other notables...

Temmincks Stint 6

Citrine Wagtail 

Squacco Heron 2

Imperial Eagle 

Heading South into the Desert tomorrow. We're staying at Mahout and Birding Filim and surrounding areas...

Stay tuned...

Arabian Adventure 26 - Day 7

Today we headed down to Al Mutaqa waste disposal site. I know how to show my Son a good time!?

On arrival there was the usual initial orientation issue, especially as the Site was busy with trucks coming and going.

We found a likely spot and started to scan the Cliffs. We both got our Scopes out (Rob has the same Bins and Scope)...like Father...

We soon picked up a few Egyptian Vultures distantly on the high Cliffs. Superb Birds looking resplendent in the bright sunshine.

After a while a guy appeared asking what we were doing, we explained and there was no problem. He wished us well.

More scanning revealed another area with open waste that looked promising. We drove down but there was an entrance gate. Rob popped in and we were thankfully granted permission to enter. Once into the compound we drove the track towards the waste and parked up.

The sight we now saw was truly remarkable. We were looking at c300 Egyptian Vultures!!! Truly amazing...at least to us. As you probably remember I've spent far more time going West than East so it's great to start enjoying the Birds of this region.

We then started to try and pick out some Eagles. After around 20 minutes we saw a couple of Great-spotted on the deck some 50 yards away. 

Then...a perched STEPPE!!! A huge magnificent beast some 30 yards away. Truly special. Even better when it eventually flew right over the Jeep at house height!!!!!

We then drove up to a higher area where we would have the sun behind us and some of the Birds would be at eye-level. The next hour was incredible with great views of STEPPE (4) and IMPERIAL (3) in flight at varying distances, on occasion very close. Not forgetting the Vultures of course.

We tried a couple of other spots but they didn't really work out due to access issues. To be honest though...it didn't really matter at all. Fantastic to share the occasion with my lad who genuinely enjoyed it.

I've decided to leave the pics (I have some belters...he says modestly) until we reach Salalah. Robert is my priority.

Arabian Adventure 26 -Day 6

BIG travel day today. We had a late start after a wonderful surprise from my Son last night...

Diana Ross in Abu Dhabi 

Simply Amazing 😍 

I never thought I'd sent her again.

We made the drive from Dubai to Muscat which took the rest of the day. After some initial confusion we're settled in our digs for 3 nights.

Short drive this morning to a rubbish dump! Hopefully some Eagles and Vultures on the menu...

Arabian Adventure 26 - Day 5

Still some logistical issues BUT the good news was I managed to get out this morning thanks to Marianne; Robert's partner. The bad news was when we reached the Ras Al Khor Reserve...it was closed for improvements!

Plan B was activated as she kindly drove me down to the Bike Cafe where I'm writing this. Interesting to compare today with Wednesday's "purple patch"? So far I've seen Greater Spotted Eagle again and a Black Kite low over the Cafe..

One of my BOC "in the field" classics!

I'm writing early as we're out tonight for my "surprise"? We'll be setting off for Oman tomorrow lunchtime, aiming to arrive in Muscat before dark.

My laptop didn't like Robs wi-fi but hopefully our accommodation will. I aim to try and balance Birding and spending quality time with my Son, the latter being paramount. He has an interest which should help.

There's some spectacular Scenery and some great Birds in the Country so it should be an exciting Road Trip.

Stay tuned...

Arabian Adventure 26 - Day 4

The Arabian Adventure ground to a halt today due to certain documentation issues. When in Rome... I'll spare you the details!

No matter, I brushed up on some future planning and ID. Hopefully this will pay off in the coming days. I also had a trim!

I'm still buzzing from my Eagle afternoon yesterday. I have a confession. After downloading my photos I'm withdrawing my STEPPE EAGLE claim. It was a distant Great-spotted.

The IMPERIAL was majestic though...and what a great name! Watching the BOOTED causing mayhem among the Pigeons was also special.

All this on top of the wonderful WTE in the Lower Derwent Valley before departure and it's been quite a magical spell.

I hope to be back in action tomorrow?

Arabian Adventure 26 - Day 3

A curtailed day today due to an unforeseen issue!

Once sorted I did manage to get down to Al Qadra early afternoon. I toured around Expo Lakes but only added Common Sandpiper and Rose-ringed Parakeet.

However as I was returning towards the Bike Cafe I saw a couple of large Birds in the Sky. It was apparent (even to me) that they were Eagles of different size! Over the next hour I enjoyed fantastic views of both Birds which eventually dropped low overhead. I have pics but again no time to download, so here's a BOC of the majestic IMPERIAL EAGLE...a Lifer for me...

A Bird I'd always dreamed of seeing...and so close.

I was confident the other Eagle was a STEPPE, another Lifer! The experience was both thrilling and educational.

As I was leaving I couldn't help but notice an explosion of thousands of feral Pigeons on a huge nearby building. In amongst them was another large Raptor. The distinctive two-tone pattern pointed strongly towards one Species. I had an adult BOOTED EAGLE.

To see THREE Species of Eagle at one time, so close, was amazing!!!

Arabian Adventure 26 - Day 2

Shaken off the Jet Lag now...thankfully! I was up and out by 8 after a decent night's sleep. Always helpful.

The initial teething problems out of the way I was down at Al Qudra by 10 after a failed mission to get close to a Subway.

The day was spent covering Desert and Oasis habitat, the latter being far more profitable. I couldn't find one Desert Site (Southwest) despite a "good go". Robert's Jeep allows total access!

I tried 3 different Lake areas and all produced some decent sightings. It's 7 years since I last visited and the areas have matured well...

They are fastidiously maintained. Birds present are a mixture of Ornamental and Wild with some hard to tell which!?

Thankfully the Bike Cafe was still functioning...

I won't be able to spend as much time Blogging as my main aim is to spend time with my Son but I'll add a few pics when possible. 

Highlights today...

Whiskered Tern

Squacco Heron

Purple Heron

Grey-headed Swamphen

Spoonbill 

Indian Silverbill

Spent a fair amount of time with "Eyes to the Skies" but no Imperial Eagles seen. Three have been reported.

Out for Dinner tonight. I'll be back down first thing tomorrow...

Arabian Adventure 26 - Day 1

Well...I've made it... eventually! The usual joys of long distance travel kicked in again, which included extensive security checks (all in a good cause of course ) and delayed flight. I did receive excellent help throughout. Jetlag hit hard overnight meaning I eventually surfaces at Noon today! 

Familiarisation was the word today as Rob had to go to work in preparation for his Trial tomorrow. He kindly lent me his Jeep...

...which will come on VERY handy on the Desert terrain. 

I spent a couple of Hours down at Al Quadra Lakes which is South of the City...

I've been on previous visits so I know where to go and eBird/Google maps helped even more.

There are lots of ornamental Birds here BUT genuine wild ones do turn up no doubt attracted by the water. A Wire-tailed Swallow had been reported but I never saw any Swallows of any description. Another potential Lifer reported here recently is Imperial Eagle. Maybe tomorrow?

The roads are...er...challenging to say the least. The junctions are different than on England but the Google Maps Sat Nav is invaluable. My main challenge today was finding his Flat again on my return!!!

Robert is late back tonight as a late issue has occurred regarding taking his car into Oman. Hopefully this can be sorted out soon?!

I'm hopefully returning to the Al Quadra area tomorrow for a full day...

WTE - Aughton Views

Q: Can you have too much of an Eagle

A: No!

My Loyalty to NDC is unwavering BUT the chance to get a closer view of our Star Visitor from Aughton Church on a still sunny Winter's Day was just too tempting. I arrived by the get to the Church at 7.55 and my former PE Teacher colleague Nigel arrived shortly afterwards. One benefit of Winter (there aren't many) is late Dawns.We made our way along the path, around the Church and down to the wall. It was worth the effort...

The Poplars in the Distance

On Monday if you recall I saw the Eagle flying South over Aughton Ings at 8.15 and I was hoping it would do the same this morning. Unfortunately we were to late it was already on the Bank to the South eating a large Fish! As I started taking pics it became apparent I'd forgotten to put my flashcard back in my Camera! Fortunately Nigel lent me his which allowed me to take some. Many thanks pal.

We enjoyed a wonderful morning (5 hours) watching the Eagle flying and landing at various spots along the Riverbank. Many Birders came and went among them was Jonathan Wasse, a long time friend and a fellow Cyprus Stalwart. Great to see you again pal...

I was sneakily snapped by Nigel...

He later emailed a few images...

Kestrel in the Bush for comparison

just an idyllic morning. Nice to have a different perspective on the Valley. Besides...far too nice to be in the Hut! Time for Lunch at the Drovers Arms in Skipwith. Modernised but brought back some great memories.

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Thoughts turning strongly towards the Middle East now but maybe time for one last visit tomorrow...?

WTE at NDC!

After seeing the Eagle twice at Thorganby I was determined to continue to try and add it to my Patch List.

Yesterday I left home at 6.20 arriving at the car park at 8.15 after stops for breakfast and supplies for the day. I intended to give it the full attention it deserved!

Still buzzing from seeing this Species in the York Area, a sighting at Duff would be the icing on the cake. I first saw this Species at Burton Constable 7/11/1999 and will never forget the first time it came into view through the trees. Breathtaking! Maybe you were there?...Steve was. I've also been fortunate enough to have a couple of sightings at Holmpton BUT this wouldn't diminish in any way a sighting here.

After setting my stall out I started to scan directly to the North, I was the only one present. After some 10 minutes or so I picked up a sinister shape gliding low across Ellerton Ings coming in my direction. It could only be one Bird!!! This was a VERY specail moment for me, to see this magnificent heading towards my Patch was unforgettable. Would it continue far enough though? I grabbed my camera and when I looked again it had disappeared. Fortunately it soon reappeared on the Riverbank (to my GREAT relief) at the far end of the Reserve. I had my Tick (169).

YES!!!

8.44

I was joined by Stuart Rapson and we continued to enjoy the Bird. It was his first sighting. I then contacted a few pals who decided to make the journey. After around 45 minutes it moved out of view down the far side of the Bank but could still be seen from Aughton Church... apparently. Haydn and Steve Lawton arrived followed shortly after by Nigel and his lad. Elaine from the Village also joined the fun. It was quite a gathering! Local Birders also came and went as did Birders farther afield. I'd never known the Hide so busy.

As you can hopefully appreciate it was hard to remember exactly who was there at any particular time throughout the day but everyone connected with the Bird eventually although the views varied.

Late morning the Eagle did a full circle of the Reserve before flying North again...

I was still in shock. Eventually all departed and I was left with a few Birders from various parts. The Hide was still busy but there was room for all. 

 

Other Species seen during the morning...

Goldeneye - 3 drakes and a female/immature 

White-fronted Geese 10

Pink-footed Geese c200

Great White Egret

Peregrine 2

Marsh Harrier 2

Lapwing c3000

Pintail c80

There has been a huge increase in Goose and Duck numbers. This was the closest to the Hide I'd ever seen Wigeon...

Common BUT very Dapper

The afternoon session was quieter initially, although there was something of interest to look at but around 2.30 the "Big One" re-appeared through the gloom. The flight views were spectacular as it wheeled around low over the water for a good 15 minutes fishing (confirmed later) beyond the Riverbank, before flying up into the Poplar nearest to the River...

c1 mile

This was the Site where it was first seen on Boxing Day! Somewhat fitting I thought. Inevitably it was bothered by Corvids but they eventually thought better of it! The size comparison was stark. A Magpie looked like a Pied Sparrow!

It then dropped down onto the Riverbank again for a while...

... before flying off North at 3.40 to roost, presumably in the Thorganby area. I've seen and found some great Birds here over the Years...BUT none better than this. Maybe I had a little help...

White-tailed Eagle in York Area

We set off back from my Mother's yesterday lunchtime after a very enjoyable couple of days with Family.

As we neared the A1, I received a message from Elaine (14.09) informing me a WTE had been seen at Duff!!! Major News.

Louise was driving and bearing in mind the short days, I initially didn't even consider it as I thought I was too far away given the remaining daylight? The local Birders were soon on the case and a few phone calls established it was still in the area but was now on the Riverbank at Thorganby. As we approached the A19 I used Google maps to see what the ETA was. It informed me I would arrive at 3.45ish. 

I asked the good lady if we could have a crack, she nodded so off we went. A couple of slow moving vehicles added to the tension as we neared the site but we made it to the car park by the Village Hall at 3.50. On the way I'd rung Jono Leadley and Tim Jones for updates and Tim told me that Oliver Metcalf and Chris Gomersall were still present and would wait for me to arrive...which was handy, as I didn't have my optics!

The light was fading fast as I made my way to the platform. I could see the chaps and asked if I was "in luck". They said "yes, it's still here"! Almost immediately they told me it was flying! Oliver gave me his Bins and we all watched this magnificent Bird fly slowly and purposefully North up River. Brilliant!!! An amazing York Area Tick.

I thanked the lads for their help and we all made our way back to our cars...elated. Louise was treated to a nice Pub meal in Hull as a thank you.

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This morning I was up at 6 and heading back to the LDV...this time to NDC. I wanted my Patch Tick! I arrived at 8.30 and there was already someone in the Hide. Turned out it was the chap who first saw it yesterday! He gave me the story. He first saw it in the Poplars at the end of the straight and then watched it flying low around both banks of the River. He had some remarkable video of the event! A chap from Hull then arrived and said he'd just seen the Eagle feeding on the Riverbank from Aughton Church! I'd been scanning constantly since entering the Hide but there was no sign of it. We figured it must have been behind the bushes to the left at the far end of the Reserve. VERY frustrating! 

Jono then arrived and said another Birder was still watching it from Aughton Church. We continued to scan. He then received a message saying it had flown North towards Thorganby. I'd missed it. He drove up to the viewing platform. Shortly afterwards he rang me to say it was perched in a tree directly out from the platform. That was it...I was off! The Bird was still present as I joined the small admiring group. It remained in the tree for over THREE hours before flying North at 2.50. I had a good chat with Arnie Cowan which helped pass the time as we waited for it to fly. I also saw Andy Holden and his wife Vicky. It was good to see them all again. Alas I didn't get a flight shot worth posting.

So, I'd got some pics but not my Patch Tick. We're visiting again tomorrow but I'll have another crack on Monday. Hopefully it will hang around and pay another visit to my Patch...when I'm there!

The day was a dull one but there was no wind. The stillness added to the atmosphere. The Eagle had been seen feeding earlier so it was probably in no hurry to continue hunting. The origin of the Bird is obviously unknown BUT it appears unringed which debatably helps it credentials. Time will tell...maybe? A fantastic Bird whatever.

It flew off North again at 2.50.

Merry Christmas

Last Post...before the Festivities.

Had three hours yesterday afternoon at my Inland Patch. Water Levels still VERY high limiting opportunities for Wader feeding/resting...

Great White dot

Garganey Hide is out of action...

Still plenty of aerial activity with huge numbers of Lapwing still present, creating clouds akin to Starling mumurations! 3 Little Grebes are still trying to figure out what happened!

...as was the pale Buzzard...

A flock of c200 Pink-footed Geese have been seen on most visits...

...as have 6 Long-tailed Tits...

There are still huge numbers of Fieldfare present which is very unusual for December. They've usually eaten all the berries and moved on by now! Maybe late arrivals?

From a previous Dawn arrival

I saw ONE Redwing...

...and a single Song Thrush...

A few more from recent visits...

3 still present

Kingfisher on the scrape before the flood

I had a nice chat with a young Italian couple from York which passed a pleasant hour. Hopefully water levels will have subsided on my next post-Christmas visit.

Locally the Star attraction was this confiding Barn Owl which tolerated my presence of my car...

Such a beautiful Bird and so fortunate to have a decent population nearby. 

Starting to finalize my Trip planning for my visit to see my son Robert in the New Year. Not long now.

So MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and yours...and thanks for following my Blog. Cheers...