randombirder

A visit to the stunning Yiti beach and a couple of surprise finds and an Osprey consumed by stealth on a pool created by the receded tide. Heading back from the beach, a Hume's Wheatear was spotted close to the roadside.  A Desert Warbler flitted around a small acacia bush nearby. Three Grey Francolin were later seen plodding through the Qurum Natural Park.

Beach time.

A fine day started at Turtle Beach followed by a fruitless search for Crab Plover.  I believe this was the right location for them, but despite a long muddy trudge, they failed to materialise. I was up early to have a quick look around the scrubby barren areas around the hotel that yielded a couple of male Desert Wheatear , a Red-tailed Wheatear , and a surprise Wryneck . Firstly driving round the lagoon at Ras al Hadd produced plenty of waders including both species of Sand Plover, my first ever Terek Sandpiper with one group holding 35 birds, a Bar-tailed Godwit , a  Gull-billed Tern just offshore, and small groups of Grey Plover and Greenshank . A Black-headed Wagtail flew past. Moving onto Khwar Jirama just off the Sur road, I could sense that the beach was muddy so made conservative efforts to keep the rental car away from the sinking mud.  This was made evidently clear to me as I watched one poor individual, his car sinking deeper into t

The Bimmah Sinkhole was a nice little spot en route to Ras al Hadd.  The cool aquamarine waters invited a short swim while trying to ignore the sensation of the digit nipping fish. A few Egyptian Vulture were seen along the way. This Rock Semaphore Gecko was absorbed in a fesity duel with another male by the seating areas. Talk about burying your head in the sand, this Camel preferred a bin to escape the stresses of life. Not the greatest image, but unfortunately the Arabian Gazelle were difficult to pin down.

Nizwa was around a two hour drive from the hotel and was regarded as one of the top sights within the Sultanate.  It is one of the oldest cities in the country and was at one time the capital. The main attraction is the fort and the adjoining castle.  There is plenty to see here to fill up a whole day. Within the city a couple of stunning Little Green Bee-Eater sat on wires. Desert Wheatear were a regularly sighting wherever there was any barren land as were Red-tailed Wheatear .  Both of these were seen just outside of Nizwa city.

Another day of culture but with the first look at some natural areas within the city. The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is an impressive sight as you pass by on the expressway, appearing in full grandiose, radiating against the warm Arabian sun. The nearby Natural Park was a good place to wander in the comfortable warm afternoon sun.  The adjoining nature reserve is unfortunately closed to the public and maybe rightly so given the amount of litter (particularly single-use plastic) that gets discarded but more of that later. The reserve itself can be viewed from the road that runs along Qurum Beach on the opposite side, and more conveniently from a couple of the rooftop cafes located along the beach road. Within the reserve, an  Osprey  successfully snared a fish from the lagoon making a couple of circuits before settling down for lunch.  A female  Marsh Harrier  was quartering the area.  A Great Egret and Western Reef Egret stalked around the shallows. Small g