1st February 2023
I twitched this 3rd BROWN SHRIKE for Oman this morning just north of the car park at Ayn Ranham
I arrived at Ayn Hanram where I arranged to meet in the car park at 07.00 with two Swedish birders, Mattias Ullman and Johan Fagefors. However, for the next three hours we birded alone as my priority was to see the Brown Shrike a minutes walk away north from the car. They had already seen the shrike and so would of I, yesterday if I knew about it. The finders put it on Ebirds but the Oman recorder took it off. You can’t find my Grey-bellied Cuckoo from yesterday on there that I put on Ebirds the day I found it. Mega’s in Oman are taken Off Ebird and as a result myself and other birders have no idea what rarities are being seen in the Salalah area by other visiting birders. Very briefly the shrike showed well and then for the next hour it was giving me the run around. At the same time I could hear Eastern Olivaceous Warbler all over the shop. I gave up on the shrike and started birding instead. A stones throw away from the Brown Shrike was a corking Red-tailed Shrike with 2 Bonelli’s Eagle overhead. The Swedish birders were going to try their luck with the cuckoo and they told me that they had at least six EOWarbler where they had been. I got onto three of them later on near the stream where I also had 2 Red-breasted Flycatcher but I only gave it half an hour and returned to the Brown Shrike with no luck. I did have a single Long-billed Pipit, 2 Hoopoe, 2 Black-crowned Tchagra and a show off Arabian Warbler. I made the short drive to Ayn Plains and here I got up to 15 Black-crowned Sparrow Lark, 6 Isabeline Wheatear and another Hoopoe
Red-tailed Shrike
North of the car park is a spot for Arabian Warbler
Very noisy Black-crowned Tchagra
Hoopoe
Black-crowned Sparrow Lark
By 14.00, I had no idea where to go but ended up driving west towards Salalah along tracks just north of the coast. As a result came across a body of water, Khawi Dahriz and it held of note, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, 15 Snipe and a single Curlew Sandpiper and Ruff. Further up the road more waders but on the dry plain. 240 Little Stint, 100 Kentish and 18 Lesser Sandplover. Nearing East Khawi, I was spoiled by small numbers of Isabeline and 7 Desert Wheatear and up to 4 Isabeline and 2 Great Grey shrike. At the latter site itself, I found the two Swedish birders and they told me that I had missed out on 3 White-tailed Plover! Shite! The area was crazy with folks out in their droves. However, the 100s of birds feeding performed well and seemed pretty content in what was goin on. The guys left and I stayed until dark. Over 300 Glossy Ibis, 200 Cattle Egret, 4 Spoonbill, 6 sand Martin and 40 Swallow came into roost. 3 Garganey dropped in with 2 Shoveler. As darkness fell the waders starting increasing with Little Stint almost walking through my legs. By the time I left, there was a large gull roost and in with them, on the tiny islands were small numbers of White-winged, Whiskered, Caspian and 2 Great Crested Tern. It was now dark and time to return to my digs.
Purple Heron
Lesser Sandplover
Kentish Plover
Along the tracks, 6 Isabeline Wheatear
And some 7 show off Desert wheatear
Driving I had 2 Great Grey and 4 Isabeline Shrike
Also up to 4 Osprey
And 3 Marsh Harrier
There were 5 Caspian Tern at Khawi West
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