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| United Arab Emirates 7-9 Feb 2010 |
| - a birding stopover on our way to South India - |
| John van der Woude - www.jvanderw.nl |
| On our flight from
Europe to South India with Emirates, we used the free stopover in Dubai
for three days birding. First we went to a Crab
Plover site in the Northwest, then crossed over to the east coast at Kalba
(mangroves, with a rare subspecies of Collared Kingfisher), from
there to the region around Al Ain (mountain, desert), and then back
through the desert to Dubai.
We (Nollie and I) went for six lifers: Crab Plover, Socotra Cormorant, Steppe Grey Shrike, Hume's Wheatear, Red-tailed Wheatear and Hooded Wheatear. We only missed the latter. The full species list is at the bottom. Renting a car at the airport is easy and good value for money. Accommodation is plentiful and can often be booked in advance on the internet. We stayed at Ajman (N of Dubai), Fujairah (east coast) and Al Ain. The roads were very good, and apart from Dubai usually quiet. Road maps are good (like our Rough Guide map) but road works can cause deviations. Signs are in English. Petrol is very cheap of course. Tommy Pedersen's www.uaebirding.com is a must while preparing a trip here. Download his file UAE-all.kml and save it, then open the kml-file from the menu in Google Earth (which by now every birder should have on the computer anyway). This procedure will show a multitude of birding sites in the UAE, and you can zoom in very far because the UAE is very detailed in Google Earth. Nevertheless, I also used Pedersen's older birding site maps, which I found by searching in Google on pedersen + name of the birding site (see the list of the main birding sites at uaebirding.com). For the latest sightings and tips, visit the Forum of uaebirding.com. Thanks also to Tommy for checking the species list below. This was just a short stop-over visit, but worthwhile it was! We may do this again, because Emirates is a very interesting airline as it offers so many destinations in South Asia for a very reasonable rate, and all flights operate via Dubai. |
 Map of northern UAE, taken from Google Maps (please check there too). 1 = Dubai international airport 2 = highway 311 (is preferred route from airport to Khor Beida, sites 3 and 4) 3 = Barracuda beach resort just SW of Dreamland Aquapark 4 = Emaar sale centre 5 = Wadi Masafi (just N of village Masafi) 6 = hotels in Fujairah 7 = Kalba inlet & mangrove 8 = upgraded highway from Kalba westward 9 = good road towards Al Ain 10-14: see map below 15 = nice shortcut road through sand desert 16 = Dubai Pivot Fields, see detailed map below |
 9 = road from first map 10 = Mercure hotel (through Al Ain, follow signs for Jebel Hafeet) 11 = end of road at Jebel Hafeet mountain 12 = Green Muzzabarah park 13 = Ain al-Faydah recreation park 14 = fodder fields (c. 15 km from nr. 13) |
 How to find the Dubai Pivot Fields. Be sure to drive on the southern (eastward) side of road 44, or else maybe try via the 54 and 67. This is site 16 on the first map. |
 View across the Khor Beida tidal inlet, from the shop of Barracuda Beach resort, north of Um al Quwain along road 11. This resort is c. 500 m SW of the better known Dreamland Aquapark. The photo shows an enclosed strip of the Khor and this was full of waders (like both sand plovers), but I am not sure what the purpose and future of the strip will be. Crab Plover was visible in the distance, on sand bars. Socotra Cormorant was a bit closer. |
 We got a closer view of Crab Plovers (but still with scope of course) from the Emaar sale centre a few km south of Dreamland/Barracuda (see map). In total we saw about 200 Crab Plovers dispersed over the tidal area, between many Greater Flamingo. I understood that birding further SW (left) than this Emaar site is not advisable, as you will be scoping then too close to the palace of Um al Quwain, and can be interrogated. |
 On our way from the west coast to the east coast we visited the wadi N of Masafi, where we got Red-tailed Wheatear, Sand Partidge and Striolated Bunting. |
 The Masafi wadi lies in a interesting intermontane basin, which we did not further explore due to lack of time. But we may have more stopovers in Dubai in the future, so this could be an area to visit again and more thoroughly. |
 Coastal mangrove just S of Kalba, on the east coast of the UAE. Famous for the rare subspecies of Collared Kingfisher (kalbaensis), which we saw indeed. Also Isabelline Wheatear, Isabelline Shrike, Long-billed Pipit. |
 Along the Kalba inlet. Are there Steppe and Caspian Gulls on the photo? |
 While driving along the seaside of the mangrove-rimmed inlet, watch for songbirds on top of the sand ridges along the track. Steppe Grey Shrike here. Many gulls were on the other side of the track, like Caspian Gull and Sooty Gull. |
 After the long drive from Kalba back through an impressive mountain chain (first Hume's Wheatear) we arrived late at our Mercure hotel (69 euro) in the Al Ain mountain which rises from the surrounding desert plains (just visible left). |
 This is the very good road up to the Jebel Hafeet mountain of Al Ain. In vain we searched for Hooded Wheatear here but we saw several other good birds (like three other wheatear species), and Al Ain has some nice greener areas too (above left in photo). |
 The Green Muzzabarah park at the foot of the mountain of Al Ain. We did not see that much here (Purple Sunbird) but it can have interesting migrants of course. |
 Fodder fields (the greener area behind the sand dunes) SW of Al Ain, along the road which follows the border with Oman. The fields are at c. 15 km after the Ain al-Faydah recreation park near Al Ain. We drove on the tracks around the fodder fields (east side) and saw several larks in the fodder (Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark and presumed Bar-tailed Lark), and also Indian Silverbill. |
 A side road cutting through the vast desert between the Al Ain area and Dubai. |
 Dubai Pivot Fields, a famous birding area southeast of the Dubai metropolitan area. It took some time to find the entrance but it is very rewarding. It is situated a few km east of the large intersection of the E311 and the E44, and then on the south side of the E44, just past the Dragon Mart shopping mall. Then take the road along the green area for 500 m or so and go left to the entrance. At the small office, ask politely for permission to enter. We think you're not supposed to walk on the grass, but with our scope we could see practically all birds from the track. |
 A feldegg yellow wagtail (Black-headed Wagtail) in the vast grassy area of the pivot fields. Wagtails abounded in this field, we also had a Citrine Wagtail, and Richard's Pipit. |
 The pivot fields are also well-known for White-tailed Lapwing (not on this photo, but we saw 20 in the area closest to the highway). Clamorous Reed Warbler was singing in the reeds, and a Pallid Harrier (a 'boa') flew past us. |
 Driving back to Dubai airport along the many-lane highways in the evening for our night flight to South India, we just saw the recently finished tallest building in the world, in front of the sun. |
|
Species list (IOC names) |
booby spec.? Ka? out at sea against the light, between gulls Sand Partridge AA Ammoperdix heyi Grey Francolin AA Francolinus pondicerianus Greater Flamingo Bd Phoenicopterus roseus Eurasian Spoonbill Bd Platalea leucorodia Indian Pond-Heron Ka Ardeola grayii Grey Heron Bd Ka Ardea cinerea Western Great Egret Bd Ka Ardea alba Western Reef Heron Bd Ka Egretta gularis Great Cormorant Ka Phalacrocorax carbo * Socotra Cormorant Bd Phalacrocorax nigrogularis Western Osprey Bd Pandion haliaetus Egyptian Vulture AA Neophron percnopterus Western Marsh Harrier Bd Ka Circus aeruginosus Pallid Harrier PF Circus macrourus Lesser Spotted Eagle? Bd? Aquila pomarina - right overhead Common Kestrel x Falco tinnunculus Eurasian Oystercatcher Bd Haematopus ostralegus * Crab-plover Bd Dromas ardeola Black-winged Stilt Ka Himantopus himantopus Red-wattled Lapwing PF Vanellus indicus White-tailed Lapwing PF Vanellus leucurus European Golden Plover PF Pluvialis apricaria Grey Plover Bd Pluvialis squatarola Common Ringed Plover Bd Charadrius hiaticula Little Ringed Plover PF Charadrius dubius Kentish Plover Bd Charadrius alexandrinus Lesser Sand Plover Bd Charadrius mongolus Greater Sand Plover Bd Charadrius leschenaultii Common Snipe PF Gallinago gallinago Bar-tailed Godwit Bd Limosa lapponica Whimbrel Bd Ka Numenius phaeopus Eurasian Curlew Bd Ka Numenius arquata Common Redshank Bd Tringa totanus Common Greenshank Bd Tringa nebularia Common Sandpiper x Actitis hypoleucos Little Stint Bd Calidris minuta Dunlin Bd Calidris alpina Slender-billed Gull Ka Chroicocephalus genei Black-headed Gull Ka Chroicocephalus ridibundus Pallas's Gull Ka Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus Sooty Gull Bd Ka Ichthyaetus hemprichii Caspian/Steppe Gull Ka Larus cachinnans/barabensis (see photo above) Bd Ka Larus spec. Gull-billed Tern Ka Gelochelidon nilotica Caspian Tern Bd Hydroprogne caspia Lesser Crested Tern Ka Thalasseus bengalensis Sandwich Tern Ka Thalasseus sandvicensis Common Pigeon AA Columba livia Eurasian Collared Dove x Streptopelia decaocto Laughing Dove x Stigmatopelia senegalensis Rose-ringed Parakeet x Psittacula krameri Common Swift x Apus apus - early! Pallid Swift AA Apus pallidus Indian Roller x Coracias benghalensis Collared Kingfisher Ka Todiramphus chloris kalbaensis Common Kingfisher Ka Alcedo atthis Green Bee-eater x Merops orientalis Eurasian Hoopoe x Upupa epops Isabelline Shrike Ka Lanius isabellinus * Steppe Grey Shrike Ka x Lanius pallidirostris House Crow Bd Corvus splendens Bar-tailed Lark? AA? Ammomanes cinctura - at fodder fields in desert Desert Lark x Ammomanes deserti Greater Short-toed Lark AA Calandrella brachydactyla Crested Lark x Galerida cristata Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark AA Eremopterix nigriceps White-eared Bulbul AA Pycnonotus leucotis Red-vented Bulbul Bd Pycnonotus cafer White-spectacled Bulbul Bd Pycnonotus xanthopygos Pale Crag Martin AA Ptyonoprogne obsoleta Clamorous Reed Warbler PF Acrocephalus stentoreus Graceful Prinia x Prinia gracilis Arabian Babbler WM AA Turdoides squamiceps Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca Desert Whitethroat AA Sylvia minula Common Myna x Acridotheres tristis Isabelline Wheatear Ka Oenanthe isabellina Northern Wheatear Ka AA Oenanthe oenanthe * Red-tailed Wheatear WM AA Oenanthe chrysopygia Desert Wheatear x Oenanthe deserti * Hume's Wheatear AA x Oenanthe albonigra Blue Rock Thrush AA Monticola solitarius Black Redstart WM AA Phoenicurus ochruros Purple Sunbird AA Cinnyris asiaticus House Sparrow x Passer domesticus Indian Silverbill AA Euodice malabarica Yellow Wagtail spec. PF Black-headed Wagtail PF Motacilla feldegg Citrine Wagtail PF Motacilla citreola White Wagtail PF Motacilla alba Richard's Pipit PF Anthus richardi Long-billed Pipit Ka Anthus similis Striolated Bunting WM Emberiza striolata Note. At Wadi Masafi we saw a Lesser Whitethroat with a rather dark cap - may have been Hume's Whitehroat? |