Jordan – Birding in the Autumn

15th – 23rd October 2005

by Duncan Dine 

In mid October, Becky and I joined a Naturetrek tour to Jordan primarily focusing on the birding, with a day at Petra.  We also visited some crusader castles and various historical sites and best of all, the famous Aqaba sewage treatment plant! You require a permit to visit this as it is a sensitive site right on the Israeli border. 

The weather at this time of year was excellent – low 20 degrees and dry although on a couple of days quite windy.  Jordanians were very hospitable and at no time did we feel at all uncomfortable.  It was with sadness that we heard of the bomb attacks in Amman after we had returned to the UK; I would still have no hesitation in returning to Jordan. 

Our first day was taken up in transit and the first night was memorable by being woken at what seemed an unsociable hour by the call to prayer – we were there during Ramadan.  After breakfast we boarded our minibus and the first bird I noted was a female Kestrel on the hotel TV aerials.  Leaving the city, our first stop was at Kharana castle.  This impressive castle dates from crusader times and was thought to be a contemporary Travel Lodge.  Good birds seen here included Isabelline Wheatear and a pair of Namaqua Doves; the latter are extremely small, about the size of a budgerigar.  The male is very attractive with black around the throat and breast.  We also saw a Silky Jird (Meriones crassus) also known as Sundevall's Jird, which is like a gerbil with a long tail – a most unexpected mammal sighting. 

Very close by were some 7th century bathhouses with beautiful frescoes still intact.  This was situated in a wadi with a reservoir.  Here we ticked off lots of common migrants, the highlight being Eastern Bonelli's Warbler.  We then took lunch at Shaumari wildlife reserve where a project to breed Arabian Oryx and Syrian Ass was taking place.  The best bird here was a fly-over Steppe Eagle.  We finished the day at the Azraq “wetland”, tragically now virtually dry.  This site used to hold water birds all winter, but has been pumped dry to supply Amman with water.  Hopefully plans to regenerate this site will come to fruition.  I managed to find a Squacco Heron and a couple of Marsh Harriers which patrolled the reed beds. 

An early start for our second day saw us first birding the hotel grounds where we found a pair of White-cheeked Bulbuls, which are still very rare in the Western Palaearctic region, and a group of Desert Finches posed on telegraph wires.  We travelled out into the black basalt desert on the road to Iraq.  At a known stake-out we found the black morph of the Mourning Wheatear (see pic left - not black morph) and a group of Temminck's Horned Larks – a bird I had wanted to see for a long time.  Heading back to Azraq we had one of our most surreal sightings as we watched a party of pintail flying over the desert, searching for water.  The remainder of the day was spent travelling to Dana.  We stopped along the route most memorably at a viewpoint over the Mujib valley; there were fantastic views, but best of all, our first African Rock Martins.  We travelled on to the Dana guest house with its breathtaking views from its balcony where we were to spend the following morning birding.  

The following day we were up just as the sun began to rise and with the whole group on the balcony, we soon located our number one target bird there – the rare and localised Syrian Serin, with small groups flying past and perching just below us.  We also had parties of Chukar in the rocks and another highlight was a Jackal which walked below us, unaware of our presence.  As it grew lighter we recorded a pair of Bonelli’s Eagles and Griffon Vultures perched on rock faces, waiting for thermals to soar.  We then took a walk around the village and spotted our first Tristram’s Grackles, which were about the size of a starling with a huge orange wing panel which is very obvious in flight.  Also seen was Blue Rock Thrush and another lifer for us, a pair of Scrub Warblers, which were always on the move and very reminiscent of Prinias.  I was then very pleased to find the first Sinai Rosefinch, another speciality of the area; a nice male, the head, breast and rump a beautiful shade of pink. 

After breakfast we visited a drinking pool with a small hide in front of it, with 30+ Sinai Rosefinches (see pic left) coming in to drink along with a few Desert Larks.  It was really hard for me to leave but we were off again on the short drive to Shaubak castle, another crusader castle, with again, more Syrian Serins.  We finished the day at Little Petra, a prelude to the big one. 

Following breakfast we walked into Petra (see top pic - the Treasury) itself with a local guide who brought the site to life.  Built by the Nabateans, at its peak 30,000 people lived in the city.  The entry through the Siq, a natural chasm in the rock, which ended right opposite the fantastic Treasury building heightened our anticipation.  Exploring the site, we still found good birds including Blackstart and White-crowned Black Wheatear and then I had one of those moments I dread.  I took a comfort stop only for Becky to spot two Sooty Falcons, my number one target bird for the trip.  Worse still, they had disappeared by the time I got back.  

After lunch we walked up to the Monastery which is 800 steps uphill.  We stopped on the way up to look at our first Fan-tailed Ravens but it was well worth the walk as on reaching the Monastery we were greeted by our first Palestine Sunbirds; up to six birds in total (see pic left).  And then the shout of “Sooty Falcon!”; huge relief as the falcons gave prolonged views.  These late breeding falcons winter in east Africa and have complete mastery of the sky. We also saw a Barbary Falcon here, for a good comparison. 

Our walk out of Petra was by torchlight after dark.  We were hoping for Hume’s Tawny Owl and were lucky to get one bird calling distantly as we were leaving the Siq, but alas no sighting.  This was more than made up for by the atmospheric walk out of Petra in the dark, which very few tourists get to do. 

The following day we left Petra heading towards Jordan’s only port at Aqaba on the Red Sea.  Our first stop was at a small village called Dissih. Here the fields were being cultivated and we located fair numbers of Red-throated Pipits.  Once learned, the call was an excellent way of picking them up in flight.  Among various sightings we made here were a first year Masked Shrike and I found a female Golden Oriole.  From here we made our way to Wadi Rum with its dramatic scenery.  This site was made famous by Lawrence of Arabia.  We transferred to a four-wheel drive jeep to explore the breathtaking view of the desert and then stopped at another area of cultivation where we were lucky enough to find a first winter Hooded Wheatear (see pic below left), definitely one of the birds of the trip. 

It was then on to Aqaba and a walk along the sea front which brought us the sought-after White-eyed Gull and a Great Black-headed Gull.  In the small allotments along the seafront  were a pair of White-breasted Kingfishers. 

On the Friday, we visited Aqaba’s famous sewage works.  Once past the guards, we had the site to ourselves.   Soon we were racking up a double-figure count of Slender-billed Gulls, lots of Whiskered Terns, two Caspian Terns and amongst many waders I was pleased to find seven Marsh Sandpipers and good numbers of Spur-winged Plovers.  Also pleasing to see among lots of duck were a few Ferruginous Ducks.  In the afternoon we returned to the promenade adding Steppe Buzzard and the only Purple Heron to the trip list. 

The next day we headed back to Amman along the Dead Sea Highway, planning to stop at various wadis.  At Wadi Fidan in windy conditions we found Little Green Bee-eater and Tawny Pipits.  After a lunch under an acacia tree, we added Southern Grey Shrike and Sardinian Warbler to the list.  We continued on to the Dead Sea where I took the obligatory float, holding my field guide. 

Our last stop was to be at Suwayma for Dead Sea Sparrow, but alas with the light fading this proved to be the only serious dip of the trip.  But every trip should have a happy ending, and Becky’s and mine certainly did with three Arabian Babblers just as the sun was setting – another lifer that rounded off a perfect trip. 

The following morning we flew out of Jordan to the UK, having seen 147 species with those Sooty Falcons definitely my bird of the trip.

Duncan Dine