BIRDING SITES IN THE
SULTANATE OF OMAN

Muscat has several birding sites and is often a birder's first taste of Omani birding. From the lush vegetated lagoons at Al Ansab, Al Qurum Park, various beaches, the Muscat Rivermouth and more!

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Explore further afield and visit more beaches for Pallas's Gulls, lagoons full of shorebirds and the offshore islands at Ras al Sawadi. Inland from Barka, are areas of farmland rarely visited by birders and there's Barka Sewage Plant as well.

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Musandam is like no other region in Arabia, let alone Oman. Aside from Masirah Island, this is the number one site to find rare, scarce and mega species. Just a short, cheap one hour flight from Muscat, Musandam is heavily underwatched and deserves much better coverage.

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Head into the Al Hajar Mountains for Omani Owl, Pallid Scops Owl, Hume's & Persian Wheatears, Plain Leaf Warbler, Streaked Scrub Warbler, Striolated Bunting & more.

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The long drive from Nizwa to Mahout & Barr al Hickman takes about 3h 30mins but there's still some birding en-route.... Stop for sandgrouse, raptors, shrikes, Asian Desert Warbler etc

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Visit the migrant hotspot of Masirah Island, where few birders seem to go these days. Plenty of opportunity for rarity finding, seeing Crab-Plovers and seabirds as well.

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Barr al Hickman is the shorebird mecca of the Middle East. And the best place in Oman to see Crab Plover and Great Knot. But the spectacle of many thousands of shorebirds is exceptional.

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Part of the awesome Barr al Hickman complex and another good site to see Crab Plover, along with chances of Collared Kingfisher and Indian White-eye.

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Most birders stay here for a visit to Barr al Hickman, along with visiting the nearby sewage pools... Plenty of restaurants in town as well.

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The start of your journey south across the Empty Quarter can be enlivened with a few roadside stops to check wooded parks for migrants...

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An important migrant trap with a track record of producing rarities. It's also a decent motel to spend the night too....

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One of the top birding sites in Oman that always produces the goods. So many amazing birds have been discovered here and it's also THE site for Egyptian Nightjar.

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Another important migrant trap with recent sightings of Eye-browed Thrush in December 2024... Basic rooms are provided if you have the stomach!

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Any agricultural site in the desert is worth checking and there's always good numbers of raptors present, as well as sandgrouse, larks, wheatears, pipits etc...

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A top site that for the last few years has held a small wintering flock of Sociable Lapwings. And there's a great chance of finding a rarity too....

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Famous for its wintering Hypocolius from November to March, there's also Sand Partridge, Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse, African Collared Dove, Hooded Wheatear & Nile Valley Sunbird.

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There's so many sites to fit into a few days here. Heading west from East Khawr, Al Baleed Archaeological Site, Salalah Public Park, Khawr Raysut, Wadi Ashawq Nature Reserve etc

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Heading east from Salalah there's Ayn Rabat, Ayn Hamran, Wadi Darbat, Khawr rawer, Taqah Cliffs, Tai Atayr, Jabal Samhan, Mirbat etc

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