bittern

I recently visited Dubai, in which city lies a marvellous sanctuary in the Ras al Khor industrial area.
The sanctuary is well-known, but one tip I can give is that aside from the two hides ('Flamingo' and 'Mangrove') where people generally go, you can also walk on the sandy path between them, which borders on the rest of the reserve. Its length (approx. 2 km) discourages most, but it can yield more results, particularly as some waders stay too far from the hides. I ticked Common Snipe and Eastern Marsh Harrier solely on account of having made that journey.

There was a disappointing lack of passerines.

The list is not particularly impressive but, given that I spent only a few hours there, alright.

Greater Spotted Eagle x3
Eurasian Marsh Harrier
Great Egret
Little Egret
Western Reef Heron
Grey Heron
Eurasian Spoonbill
Greater Flamingo (by the hundreds)
Greater Cormorant
Great White Pelican (a rarity in the UAE)
Common Kingfisher
Red-wattled Lapwing
Black-winged Stilt
House Sparrow
Common Myna
European Bee-eater
Grey Francolin
White-eared Bulbul
Eurasian Collared Dove
Common Sandpiper
Common Snipe x11
Terek Sandpiper
Eurasian Curlew
Whimbrel
Black-bellied Plover
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Northern Pintail
Slender-billed Gull

[ Last edited by bittern at 3/01/2016 14:01 ]