Oman - An Arabian Adventure - 8th December 2025

We got on the road early and made our way north through the barren but ever changing desert landscapes almost as far as Thumrait before taking an even more desolate road out to the oasis at Muddayy.  

I pictured a flourishing town with vast groves of palm trees but in truth it was a small ramshackle village with as many people living in shacks with their livestock as those with actual dwellings.  There were scattered poorly looking clumps of palms and it was in these that we initially searched for Grey Hypocolius.  A family of four had been wintering in the area but they are elusive and mobile as we were to discover and despite our best efforts here and up at the main oasis about a kilometre up the road we failed to find them.  There were plenty of birds though with African and ‘normal’ Collared Doves, Blackstarts and Desert Wheatears, African Silverbills, Delicate Prinias, Bulbuls and a few Lesser Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs but there were other new birds too with my first Nile Valley Sunbirds since Egypt in 2007, a pair of Asian Koels who somehow simply merge into their surroundings and Fan-tailed Ravens circling above.

Blackstart

I know cats are a problem but this black tabby was stunning

Asian Koel

Arabian Grey Shrike

Blue Pansy

The books say that in Oman only Oriental Hornet - Vespa orientalis occurs but they are completely the wrong colour compared to those I see in Lesvos and in fact seem to match Vespa tropica that gets no closer than Afghanistan? Any input appreciated  

 Red-winged Dropwing

Red-winged Dropwing

Up at the top oasis a group of delightful Sand Partridge greeted us before scurrying off but we had to keep clock watching to ensure that we reached the Bamshniga Oasis a little further on in good time to hopefully witness the arrival of thirsty Sandgrouse.  We drove through water nearly a foot deep and emerged on a stony plane where large puddles of permanent water were to be found. 

A flock of Crowned Sandgrouse were immediately found slowly walking around and making their way to the water and amongst them were several Spotted Sandgrouse too.  We had been hearing a few Sandgrouse calls but suddenly they came over the escarpment in one huge wavering flock of perhaps 155 birds.  I have counted nearly 500 in one image of part of the flock.  Imagine the biggest flock of cooing doves and that was the wall of bubbling sound that came towards of over us.  They kept going and over the opposite ridge but within a short time they began to drift back and whiffle down to the pools to drink.  This was not a leisurely procedure and the would land as close as they could, skuttle into the shallow, guzzle frantically and then within just a few seconds take flight again in successional waves that rocketed past us.  Almost all of these were Chestnut-bellied with their pale desert upperparts and smoky underwings and bellies but there were a few of the other two species in amongst them. 

Nearly 500 in this shot

Crowned Sandgrouse

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse - Steve Bird

Crowned Sandgrouse - Steve Bird

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse - Steve Bird

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse - Steve Bird

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse - Steve Bird

It was an experience to savour and I was pleased I used my senses first as I mucked up most of my pictures having knocked the shutter speed way down accidentally – but it did not matter.  I said at the time that it was one of the best wildlife experience I had ever had.

The reason for their alacrity at the pools was made clear by an adult Eastern Imperial Eagle that was watching proceedings from a pinnacle before dropping in hard and fast and trying to snatch one in mid-air – it failed but it was a good chase!  A female Pallid Harrier appeared and began hunting but the Sandgrouse seemed less bothered by her.

There were a few small birds with an Arabian Grey Shrike, some smart looking Rock Doves and our first Red-throated Pipit while two Brown-necked Ravens were seen.

 Arabian Grey Shrike

 Eastern Imperial Eagle

ad female Pallid Harrier

With the pools silent once again we pushed on and followed the circuit back to the village.  Some greenery around a water pipe suggested a leak so we slowed and inadvertently stumbled onto a pair of Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse just a few feet from the car!  We sat quietly and became aware of more movement and soon had 11 furtively creeping around and trying to sneak back to the scree slope.  Close up they were exquisitely marked and the fine bands of almost peachy buff, black and white completely broke up their shape and once still they simply became almost invisible. Even the male’s face pattern with the yellow eye patches and coral bill did not affect the effect.  I am not sure I had ever been this close to any Sandgrouse before and I had not noticed the line of fur-like feather that runs down the front of the otherwise bare legs.  I wonder if that it to help with water carrying when they need to?

Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse - the females are even more subtle

Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse

Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse

Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse - the males

Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse - look at those feathered forelegs

Very high up my list of 2025 top ten

Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse - we thought there were six in this shot but can you find number seven?

They made it to the slope and stopped and you had to looked really hard to see them at all and we left them their to return to the water a short distance away should they wish to. 

We had another look for the Hypocolius and then took a side track to a couple of random green squares that Paul had found on the map.  It was completely barren and then over the hill there they were!  Two square irrigated fields of what looked like alfalfa were below us but they were actually fairly empty although we did see a couple of Tawny Pipit and what I think was a Richard’s.  Kestrels sat around the edges and a group of Rock Doves gleamed (and squinted) in the sunshine but it was now too hot and with evening owling planned we headed back to Salalah for a roost before dinner.

Rock Doves

The black stony desert

Not quite the Road To Nowhere

A kip back at the ranch followed before we headed out for the evening.  A quick check of the Khawr Ad Dahariz gave point blank views of the gleaming Glossy Ibis and some equally glossy House Crows.

Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis

House Crow

Down at the  beach

Slightly confused by this one.  Mantle colour felt Heuglin's but pose and structure felt Steppe-ish

We stopped once again at Khawr Rasut and scanned the same suit of waders but with no Broad-billed Sandpiper joy.  The Great Knot was not around but there were now at least 20 Terek Sandpipers on the mud with all the plovers. A Sacred Ibis was feeding out on the mud and could have been a different bird than the one resident at Khawr Hilton? 

Greater Flamingos

Large wooden fishing Dhows.  Some Googling suggested that they may be called Jaliboot but please feel free to correct me if I am wrong

There were not many gulls but I did find a 1w Pallas’s Gull once again but I think it was different to the two the day before.  It was vert striking in flight with pearly white underwings and that bold tail pattern.

Pallas’s Gull - wings up in front of the Grey Heron

Test your Gull ID...

Pallas’s Gull, Teal and 'mingos

Sacred Ibis and 'mingos

Siberian Oystercatcher

Tibetan Sand Plovers, Ringed Plovers, Dunlin & Terek Sandpiper

Onto Wadi Athawq again.  The Black Heron was not present but we did see a few Garganey and Pintail and the fishing Ospreys but the star was an immature Bonelli’s Eagle that caught a Little Egret as we arrived and flew across the wadi to despatch its catch and proceed to eat its prize.

Bonelli’s Eagle

Bonelli’s Eagle

Dinner in the wild beckoned us up the wadi but we did stop and check those reeds for the various still hiding waterfowl – we saw none!  We ate with Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters circling around us and pastel green youngsters were on the fence expertly thwacking the life out of huge Hornets while the adults looked on approvingly. Desert Wheatears were dotted around.

Desert Wheatear

Blue Rock Thrush

Desert Wheatear

'Water!'

Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater - I have it in my head that Ian Lewington did a painting of the Cowden bird back in 1989 (no I did not see it) that looked like this?

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

I am not even sure what this over-grazed tree is but given the trunk it has been trying to grow for quite some time.

Syrian Bean-Caper - Zygophyllum fabago  - I think!

Stinky wanted proof for his wife that he did eat salad...

The small domesticated goats that seemed to be the default herd type with a monster mega goat (not like the mountain ones!) amongst them

The next couple of hours were spent with the light failing and the expectation of us encountering Desert Owls but we heard not a peep. The only sounds were the Arabian Wheatears singing as the light faded but after them the only sounds were the occasional ‘splot’ of a drip from the small overhang cave, the whine of a few hopeful mosquitos, the woof of small gecko somewhere close by and the inevitable chirp and whine of various nocturnal crickets.

We despondently packed up.  There is only so much standing around waiting while trying not to make a sound with a your feet or any other body part that you can endure!  The echo was astonishing.

We started to head back out and stopped just one more time.  Suddenly we could hear a Desert Owl calling a way off and so we set off on foot to try and track it down, all the while trying to triangulate its location while not causing it to move on.  We got lucky and after a while it moved to what we hoped was a closer position and the torch was raised and there it was on a rock not too far away. 

There was long enough to get it in the scope and see the open Tawny-like face with glowing golden orange eyes before it drifted back over the ridge and we worked our way carefully back to the car and headed happily for base.  A skinny, short-legged Arabian Red Fox was disappointingly the only mammal that we found.  We returned to base tired but happy.

The moon rose shortly after we left the owl