Saturday 20 October 2007

Are you tempted to go?

Is it Safe?

I guess you need to judge that for yourself, personally I found it safe mainly because Yousf my guide would not take any risks himself, and he was always very vigilant and took great care to ensure my needs were met. The country side was fantastic and the people very friendly always wanting too know what you were doing, I have to admit I found it too much just on one occasion. And the birding well I will let the list speak for its self. Enjoy...

I stayed within the province of Sana’a.

To the north we found the Arabian Woodpecker and I had some excellent views for 3-days in a row. At Kawkaban we had great views of a pair of Arabian Accentor, Yemen Serin and a Yemen Linnet on the nest with young.

I decided that I wanted to sleep out for the night at Kawkaban so we obtained some mattresses from a local café called Funduk Harmida in Shibam. This was because I was hoping to see a Hume’s Tawny owl and we did get a glimpse of it against the street lights it was one of those moments when for once I wished I had a torch with me.

The next day we searched the top of Kawkaban where there is this lovely old settlement situated right on the edge of the cliff. Here we found Philbys Partridge, Red-capped Lark, Red-breasted Weathers and waders at the local reservoir

Day 1 Brown-necked Raven Fan-tailed Raven Speckled Warbler Golden-winged Grosbeak African Rock Bunting Arabian Warbler Little Rock-Thrush Yemen Thrush Long-billed Pipit Richards Pipit

Day 2 Arabian Babbler Palestine & Shining Sunbird White-breasted White-eye Black-crowned Tchagra Isabeline Shrike Little Swift Grey-headed Kingfisher White-throated Bee-eater Arabian Woodpecker.

Day 3 Black-bush Robin, Rüppells Weaver, Arabian Waxbill, African Silverbill, Yemen Serin, Arabian Serin, Rufous-bush Robin.

Day 4 Tristram's Starling, Yemen Linnet, Yemen Accentor, Arabian Wheatear, Red-breasted Wheatear, Hume's Tawny Owl, Philbys Partridge, African Palm-Swift, Red-capped Lark, Arabian Woodpecker, Golden Oriole, Wryneck, Lammergeyer.

Last Day Amethyst Starling, Spotted Flycatcher, Brown Woodland Warbler, Didric Cuckoo, Arabian Partridge Long-legged Buzzard, African Rock Martin, Crag-Martin, Gambage Flycatcher, Clamorous Reed Warbler, House Bunting, Cinereous Bunting, Isabeline Wheatear.

On our last day of birding we had the most amazing experience I have ever had with a bird of prey.As we were leaving a wadi we were presented a Long-legged Buzzard in summer plumage on migration just 75 meters away...

Well this guy put on one fantastic display he swoop, grabbed branches, dived, spun round, flip over and swoop again and again for a whole 10 minutes or more.

Yousf said to me "that was meant for us" (throughout this time you heard me saying with excitement, wow, this is out this world, I have never seen anything like this in my life).

My reply to Yousf was you better believe it, this was a message straight from spirit even non-believers would believe after that show.

Would I go again?

You bet. If anyone is interested in going let me know and would be happy to organise it.

Areas Visited

Al Mahwit wadi Ahjar Kawkaban Shibam Sana’a Dump (Eagle City) Wadi Haml.

Tuesday 3 July 2007

Trip List


* = In the Bag
** = Endemic Speices 12 out of 13 seen.

Eurasian Griffon Vulture
* Lammergeier

Black Kite

Long-legged Buzzard

Common Kestrel
** Philby's Partridge
** Arabian Partridge

Green Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Rock Dove
* African Collared-Dove

Palm Dove

Namaqua Dove
* Dusky Turtle Dove

Bruce's Green Pigeon
* Hume's Tawny Owl
* African Palm-Swift
* Little Swift
* Grey-headed Kingfisher

Green Bee-eater
* White-throated Bee-eater

European Bee-eater

Hoopoe

Wryneck
** Arabian Woodpecker
* Red-capped Lark

Crested Lark
* African Rock Martin
* Crag-Martin

Red-rumped Swallow

Tree Pipit
* Long-billed Pipit
* Richards Pipit

Yellow Wagtail

Blue-headed Wagtail

Grey Wagtail

Whinchat

Stonechat

Redstart

Golden Oriole

Rufous Bush Robin
* Black Bush Robin

Masked Shrike

Isabelline Shrike

Great Grey Shrike
* Didric Cuckoo
* Yellow-vented Bulbul
** Yemen Accentor

Blackstart
** Arabian Wheatear

Mourning Wheatear
* Red-breasted Wheatear

Pied Weathear

Northern Weathear

Isabelline Wheatear
* Little Rock-Thrush
** Yemen Thrush

Graceful Prinia
* Streaked Scrub-Warbler
* Olivaceous Warbler
** Arabian Warbler

Whitethroat
* Brown Woodland-Warbler

Eurasian Chiffchaff

Clamorous Reed Warbler

Bonnelis Warbler
* Speckled Warbler
* African Paradise-Flycatcher

Spotted Flycatcher

Gambage Flycatcher
* Arabian Babbler
* Palestine Sunbird
* Shining Sunbird
* White-breasted White-eye
* Black-crowned Tchagra
* Isabelline Shrike
* Brown-necked Raven
* Fan-tailed Raven

Tristram's Starling
* Amethyst Starling

House Sparrow
* Rüppells Weaver
** Arabian Waxbill
* African Silverbill
** Yemen Serin
** Arabian Serin
** Yemen Linnet
** Golden-winged Grosbeak
* House Bunting
* African Rock Bunting
* Cinereous Bunting