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Most bird photographers visit the OMAN between October and March when temperatures are lowest, between 15 and 25°C.  November is a popular month when large numbers of raptors are migrating south for the winter.  On a general note, the Oman is a very pleasant country, the people are very friendly, accommodation is plentiful and of good quality and cheap.  Fuel and food are also remarkably cheap, but car hire, particularly for a 4 wheel drive vehicle will be the most expensive part of the trip.  Don't forget to organise your visa, and for visits over two weeks, visas need to be arranged via the embassy in London in advance.  Do not leave established tracks as there is a big risk of the vehicle sinking in either soft sand or sabhka.  Fortunately mobile phone coverage in the Oman is very good in case of assistance.  The main sites to visit are described in the excellent 'Birdwatching guide to Oman' by Hanne & jens Erikson and Panadda & Dave Sargeant published by Al Roya.  Lenses of at least 500mm are necessary with the frequent use of 1.4 and 2.0 converters.  To avoid any problems it is best to organise permits in advance for the Sunub Waste Disposal Site near Muscat and Sun Farms at Sohar.  Siw Rantapaa-Buring of Vision International (siwoman@omantel.net.om) proved extremely helpful in organising these and our accommodation.

The 9th - 11th November were spent visiting the Sunub Waste Disposal Site, Al Ansab Lagoons and Al Qurm park.  The Sunub Waste Disposal Site, where daily large amounts of offal are dumped, provides a host to large number of raptors, including Steppe Eagle, Egyptian Vulture, Spotted Eagle, Imperial Eagle and a few Lappet-faced Vultures.  Excellent opportunities exist for photographing from the car window or for raptors in flight.  Note the sun does not rise high enough above surrounding mountains until 8am.  Photography at the Al Ansab Lagoons proved to be rather limited, although good images were obtained of Marsh Harrier, Spotted Eagle, Grey Heron, Isabelline Shrike and White-tailed Plover. 

In previous years the foreshore at Al Qurm has been host to large numbers of terns, gulls and waders, however, during our visit this did not prove  the case.  At this location we did spend several sessions photographing the beautiful Little Bee-eater.

We then travelled NW along the Oman coast to Sohar, where we spent three days, 12-14th November, at Sun Farms.  Here we had some luck, it had rained on our first day in the Oman and this had created a number of pools on the farm at which many birds were feeding e.g. Black Winged Stilt, Black Tailed Godwit, Common and Jack Snipe, Ruff, Red-Wattled Plover, Little Stint and Shoveller.  However, these pools rapidly dried up reducing the bird numbers and photographic opportunities.  Bird activity is also very high where the grass is being cut in the fields and excellent opportunities exist for Marsh and Montague's Harrier, Imperial Eagle, Lesser Kestrel, Indian Roller, shrikes and various larks, pipits and wagtails.  The journey south through the  Central Desert passed through some dramatic mountain scenery and desert landscapes offering good potential for landscape photography.  We checked the remote site at Muntasar, however, bird numbers were very low and the possibilities for photography were limited.  Consequently, we settled on an oasis approximately 3km east of the Qabit rest-house where the chance of photographing sandgrouse looked better.

However, it was only possible to approach this oasis in a four-wheel drive vehicle, although I am sure that photography from a small, low hide would have been ideal.   We arrived at first light and the birds gradually started arriving about one hour later.  We selected an open area of water and gradually moved the car into place as the birds arrived.  This did not bother the birds in the slightest.  However, we were very surprised to find they stay for an incredibly short time to drink, perhaps only 15 seconds.  To capture this action it is advisable to rate your Sensia or Provia F at 200ASA.  From Qatbit we proceeded south to Salalah where we stayed at the very comfortable Salalah beach Villas which formed our base between 17th and 22nd November.

A series of khawrs to the east of Salalah offered the best photography as well as numerous birds along the beaches.  We obtained good shots of Greater Flamingo, Osprey, Marsh Harrier, waders, terns, larks, spoonbill, herons and egrets.  Mike lane was lucky enough to encounter two tired Hobbies which proved highly approachable.  In the two weeks I exposed 70 rolls and rate this location highly against Florida or Bharatpur.

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