I made a visit to Oman from 17th - 24th April, staying in Sohar and on Jebel Shaams. A bit late in the season, and it was a bit hot, but the birding was still good. Here's a summary of the more notable sightings:
18th April. A late afternoon visit to Sun Farms. Dozens of Collared Pratincoles and Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters hawking insects. An Isabelline Wheatear and three Ortolan Buntings.
19th April. An early morning visit to Sun Farms. Common and Lesser Kestrels, a Whinchat, an Isabelline Shrike, quite a few Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark, some Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse a Glossy Ibis and, bird of the trip, a Caspian Plover (see photo).
20th April. To Ras Sawadi and the Daymaniyat Islands for some scuba diving. At Great Junn Island a Red-billed Tropicbird and an Osprey put in appearances. On the way back I saw some Bridled Terns, Persian Shearwater, some Red-necked Phalarope and some Spinner Dolphins. In the afternoon a vist to the Ras Sawadi Creek produced Greater and Lesser Crested, Sandwich, Whiskered and Saunders Terns. Also a Terek Sandpiper.
21st April. Another early morning visit to Sun Farms produced Montagu's and Marsh Harrier, Namaqua Dove and another Terek Sandpiper. Also what I believe was a Short-toed Lark (see photo). But I was a bit puzzled by the way it cocked its tail. Is this normal?
A late afternoon visit to Hawrah Burgah, a ruined fort inland from Sohar brought quite a few Sand Partridge but not much else.
22nd April. A drive across the mountains brought a Hooded Wheatear and, at Bat, some Yellow-throated Sparrow and a Lappet-faced Vulture.
23rd April. I climbed Jebel Shaams. Although this was the greenest place I visited, with lots of ancient Juniper trees, there weren’t that many birds. But I did see good numbers of Scrub Warblers and some Arabian Babblers and Long-billed Pipits. Also some Partridges which flew away at a distance without me getting a good view. There are Arabian Partridges around but I think these could well have been Sand Partridges again.
24th April. A spectacular walk along a balcony in the canyon at Jebel Shaams. A warbler which was fanning its tail I took it to be an Upcher’s – any comments on the attached photo? Also I saw what I thought was a Pale Rock Sparrow – rather plainer and dumpier than a female House Sparrow. But I have read that this species only occurs on migration and normally in small flocks, so deep in the mountains on its own doesn’t seem that likely. So I think I'll have to let that one pass.
Here’s a full list:
Sand Partridge
Grey Francolin
Eurasian Hoopoe
European Roller
Indian Roller
Little Green Bee-eater
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
European Bee-eater
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Pallid Swift
Rock Dove dup
European Turtle-Dove
Laughing Dove
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Namaqua Dove
Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse
Common Snipe
Eurasian Curlew
Common Redshank
Common Greenshank
Wood Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Sanderling
Little Stint
Red-necked Phalarope
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Black-winged Stilt
Common Ringed Plover
Kentish Plover
Caspian Plover
Red-wattled Lapwing
Collared Pratincole
Sooty Gull
Heuglin's Gull
Mediterranean Yellow-legged Gull
Lesser Crested-Tern
Great Crested-Tern
Sandwich Tern
Common Tern
Saunders's Tern
White-cheeked Tern
Bridled Tern
Whiskered Tern
White-winged Tern
Osprey
Egyptian Vulture
Lappet-faced Vulture
Western Marsh-Harrier
Montagu's Harrier
Bonelli's Eagle
Lesser Kestrel
Common Kestrel
Red-billed Tropicbird
Western Reef-Egret
Grey Heron
Cattle Egret
Striated Heron
Glossy Ibis
Persian Shearwater
Isabelline Shrike
Southern Grey Shrike
House Crow
Brown-necked Raven
Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin
Whinchat
Hooded Wheatear
Hume's Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
Northern Wheatear
Common Myna
Rock Martin
Barn Swallow dup
White-spectacled Bulbul
White-eared Bulbul
Streaked Scrub-Warbler
Graceful Prinia
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Upcher's Warbler
Arabian Babbler
Lesser Whitethroat
Grey-backed Sparrow-Lark
Desert Lark
Greater Short-toed Lark
Crested Lark
Purple Sunbird
House Sparrow dup
Chestnut-shouldered Petronia
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail
Tawny Pipit
Long-billed Pipit
White-throated Munia
Ortolan Bunting