OMAN - THE BEST BIRDING IN ARABIA

So, you can see all the available Arabian endemics in Saudi, along with some other species usually found in Africa (Afro-tropicals as they have been labelled). And there's some decent migrants passing through as well.

However.... here's my pitch for Oman actually living up to its title as The Jewel of Arabia.....

Let's compare the merits of these two excellent destinations:

Oman is home to Arabian Partridge, Omani Owl, Desert Owl (far easier in Oman than Saudi), Arabian Eagle Owl, Arabian Scops Owl, Arabian Babbler, Arabian Wheatear, Arabian Warbler, Arabian Sunbird, Yemen Serin and Arabian Grosbeak (much easier in Oman than Saudi). Add to this Sand Partridge, Socotra Cormorant, Lappet-faced Vulture, Persian Shearwater, Jouanin's Petrel, easy Saunders's Tern (in summer), Egyptian Nightjar, in recent years Sykes's Nightjar, Forbes-watson's Swift, Hume's & Persian Wheatears and Plain Leaf Warbler.

Saudi Arabia has a lot of the above, as well as Philby's Partridge, Nubian Nightjar, Arabian Woodpecker, Arabian Lark, Buff-breasted Wheatear, Yemen Thrush, Asir Magpie, Yemen Warbler, Arabian Serin, Arabian Waxbill and Yemen Linnet. Pretty impressive really. Also you can add White-eyed Gull, Plain & Montane Nightjars, Arabian & Rufous-capped Larks to the list of targets. Hardly anyone goes to the far north of Saudi for Sinai Rosefinch & Syrian Serin - and why would you when they are so much easier and reachable in Jordan...?

Both countries have Sooty Falcon (Oman gets Amur Falcon on passage in the autumn), Crab-Plover, Pallid Scops Owl, Asian Desert Warbler etc. But Oman also has a couple of superb sandgrouse drinking pools... For shorebirds Oman is unbeatable and the oh-so impressive Barr al Hickman is literally home to half a million shorebirds (at least) and is undoubtedly one of the most impressive birding spectacles on the planet. There's nothing in all of Arabia to compare with it. Plus the fantastic pelagic opportunities and land-based seawatching potential. And add to that the rarity finding possibilities in Oman......

And that's the lowdown per species.......

Other considerations:

A. Oman is really easy to get to with daily direct flights with Oman Air, as well as Etihad, Qatar Airlines, Lufthansa, and many others. You can also fly down to Salalah in the far south of Dhofar if you don't fancy the 1000 km+ drive! But you'd miss so much birding by doing that!

B. The infrastructure is excellent with many freshly new tarmac highways and 'off-roading' or bad roads are practically non-existent now. You still need a 4-WD for some of the great birding wadis, i.e Wadi Mughsayl for easy Desert Owl, up in the Al Hajar Mountains around Jabal Akhdar, and to reach some out-of-the-way khawrs in Dhofar that require driving along loose sandy tracks that a regular two-wheel drive won't manage.

C. The food is great. Around Muscat & Salalah you have the full suite of Indian, Chinese and Italian restaurants (plus international fast food outlets), and between the north and south the local restaurants provide decent 'Indian-style' food.

D. There's an amazing diversity of habitats in Oman. From the mountains in the north, vast deserts of course, a long coastline, many lagoons (khawrs), lakes, marshes, reedbeds, even some reserves and offshore islands.

E. Oman has pelagics! If you've seen my recent posts about our ground-breaking summer seabird tour, then you can see the immense potential for finding some truly rare seabirds.

F. It's an extremely safe destination with practically zero crime, a friendly & welcoming population and you don't even need a visa if you're staying under 14 days. But it's also an easy e-Visa process for longer stays.

G. Oh and you can get beer in Oman. Mainly purchased from Duty Free at Muscat and Salalah airports and also many 4* hotels, and there's even a 'pub' in Salalah if you know where to look..!!!!

H. Masirah Island - the Fair Isle of Arabia. A phenomenal rarity magnet during migration and somewhere that you simply have to visit.

I. With so many birders visiting Oman, there is a really good camaraderie amongst birders and tour leaders. There's a lot of communication between everyone and it really is fun! I have also organised a WhatsApp group so that we can share latest sightings and bird news quickly, in order for everyone to see as much as possible.

For me and countless other birders that regularly visit Oman, it's the rarity finding that sets Oman apart from most other Middle East countries. It is head and shoulders above all the rest in my opinion as the potential for rarity finding seems limitless. 

Species from Africa, India and the northern hemisphere (Western Palearctic) all descend to Oman and i've found and seen more than my fair share of totally unexpected rarities. For instance, since 2021 I have found the 1st Banded Martin, 1st African Openbill, 1st Grey-tailed Tattler, 1st Hudsonian Whimbrel (yet to be accepted by OBRC), 4th Dalmatian Pelican, 4th Hume's Whitethroat, 5th Common Hawk-Cuckoo, 5th Black-bellied Storm Petrel (yet to be accepted by OBRC), and 7th & 8th Blyth's Reed Warblers. I've also seen the 2nd Buff-breasted Sandpiper, 2nd Knob-billed Duck, 3rd Fulvous Whistling-Duck, 5th & 6th Eye-browed Thrush, 5th Lesser White-fronted Goose, as well as seeing/finding Caspian Plover, Sociable Lapwing, Pectoral Sandpiper, Swinhoe's Storm Petrel, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Lesser Noddy, Asian Koel, Malachite Kingfisher, White-throated Robin, Green & Paddyfield Warblers, Wattled & Brahminy Starlings, and i've probably forgotten a few more!

And i'm sure there's more rarities just around the corner. My predictions for the next couple of years are - Lesser Flamingo, Lesser Moorhen, Black-headed Heron, African Spoonbill, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Mongolian Sandplover, Lesser Striped Swallow, Ashy Drongo, Radde's Accentor, Eversmann's Redstart, Thick-billed Warbler, Arctic Warbler and Rustic Bunting.

Although on a personal note, I would quite like Greylag Goose, Common Gull, Sooty Shearwater, Long-tailed Skua or a Spanish Sparrow to add to my Oman list, which currently stands at 326!!!

The all-round birding possibilities of Oman are the main reason, in my opinion, to state that Oman has the best birding in Arabia! I know Saudi Arabia has only been open to foreign tourists for a few years and will undoubtedly become increasingly popular as the years go by, whereas Oman has a long history of overseas birders visiting which does make a difference. I've been to Saudi Arabia 3 times and the birding is great, don't get me wrong. But it's not Oman my friends! I'd also love to go back to Israel as the migration is phenomenal, Jordan is potentially on a par with Israel for that same reason, Kuwait & UAE offer great birding, whilst Egypt (if you want to count it in this region) has mega Western Palearctic ticks, and Turkey is another of my favourite birding destinations. But this is all about Oman....

And the final selling point of Oman.....

Omani Owl baby! Only found in northern Oman and Iran, it's the undisputed crown jewel of Arabian birding and still something of an enigma and tricky to find. It was only discovered in 2013 by the Sound Approach Team - what a bird! The photo below is courtesy of our friend Ali Alieslam and was taken in Iran. I can't wait to go biding with Ali one day and seeing the owl with him!

And due to my love for Oman I decided to create this website to help visiting birders find their way around and get the best out of this most wonderful country.

Thanks for reading this. And don't forget.....

Oman Rocks!!