Are you tempted to go?

2007-10-20T01:39:00.000-07:00

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.

Trip List

2007-07-03T02:21:00.001-07:00

	* = 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

Birding the Yemen

Are you tempted to go?

Trip List