31st January 2023
I return to Ayn Hanram hoping that I might get a pic of yesterdays BLYTH’S REED WARBLER, I did, but I also came away with a few on goodies, 3 Eastern Olivacious Warbler, including the one above and single Song Thrush and Oriental Honey Buzzard!
First of all, great new. It turns out that the Grey-bellied Cuckoo that I thought I discovered yesterday at Ayn Tabraq, is in fact a different individual to the one that was found by Dutch birders two week ago!!! What is the chances of that? Photos were compared and you can see clearly that they are not the same cuckoos. Ideal!!
This is the cuckoo that I turned up…
…and here’s the individual that Thijs Glastra took at the same sight and you can clearly see that they are different! Crazy!!!
I didn’t arrive at Ayn Hanram until gone 09.00 and by that time, it was already roasting as I got out of the car. Fortunately, the shade of the trees I was birding under and the stiff breeze played it’s part in keeping me cool. The first birds I see as I step out of the vehicle, Bonnelli’s and Booted Eagle. I gave it a good 30 minutes by the car park but there was no sign of the Blyth’s Reed Warbler. In fact there wasn’t any of the species I saw yesterday, except African Paradise Flycatcher and they were all over the shop. By the end of the day there must of been well over 10 birds. I moved on and bumped into a Red-tailed Shrike followed by a Wood Warbler. It wasn’t until over an hour and a tac call in front of me, got my attention. It was still calling hight up in the canopy 40 minutes later and all I got were glimpses as it flicked around. So many species give the tac call and eventually it gave itself away, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler! Pretty rare for these parts and after getting some record shots, I turned up another, just around the corner! This was great news because I confirmed the 2 birds that Dutch Birders had as 2 possible Olivaceous two weeks ago. Same guys who had the cuckoo. The second bird never called. While at the same time the first individual I could still hear. I left both warblers and with my naked eye, I up, another warbler which I thought was goin to be the third Olivaceous. As it was it turned out to be it or another BLYTH’S REED WARBLER! Who knows how many there could be with the 2 Hippo warblers that I had just seen.
This Bonelli’s Eagle was the first bird I layed my eyes as soon as I got out of the car
Only two shrikes including this Red-tailed Shrike
This the second Wood Warbler I’ve had in this area
Above, 3 different Eastern Olivacious Warbler Two of the birds were discovered by Dutch birders while one of them, I turned up today. How many of this rare visitor are wintering in this area? And out of all three warblers, this is all I got as they always stayed high up in the canopy and proved hard to follow with all the leaves on the trees.
Just got this record shot of it or another BLYTH’S REED WARBLER keeping low before it continued to skulk deep in cover where I lost it
I continued south, following the stream when I heard what I thought was a Song Thrush in the distance but dismissed it thinking that it’s probably another species that I don’t the call of locally. Then I flushed the Song Thrush out of the stream and it flew off out of sight. Surely this is a Oman rarity? In the next hour I kicked it out four times to see it fly miles down the road calling. As it’s probably a good on, I was hoping to get a pic but gave up and walked on sulking. Another shrike, this time an Isabelline Shrike followed by another vocal Eastern Olivaceous Warbler! How many Olivaceous are there in this wadi?? Managed to get some record shots and when I reached where the stream had dried up and now near to the plains, I turned around and followed my footsteps to hear the bloody Song Thrush. It perched distantly on the hillside in a tree and I just pointed the camera and hoped for the best. It was a shite BOC shot but I got it and you could clearly see what it was. Relief and I never saw it again after that. I passed just the very vocal Olivaceous Warbler and by 14.30 when I was just about to get in the car, I was watching my second Oriental Honey Buzzard of the trip to end another crackin day of scarce and rare birds.
So lucky to get anythin on this very flighty Song Thrush As it turns out, later on I was told that the thrush is just uncommon in this area
The second Oriental Honey Buzzard since arriving in Salalah was circling above when I returned to the car park
There was also this Green Sandpiper in shade by the car park with up to 3 Common Sandpiper
At 10 Africian Paradise Flycatcher, maybe more
And good numbers of Shinning Sunbird as well
Emperor sp?
Grasshopper sp?
And some stunning butterflies
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Maximilien Robespierre132K subscribers
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