Just returned from a solo trip to Oman. Not a place high on many people's list of places to visit but I really enjoyed it. Never seen so many birds in my life! Waders and gulls were on my birds to see list; Crab Plover, GBH Gull and Cream Coloured Courser. Managed 2 of the 3, still need to track down that courser.

As Lincs birders we are used to seeing large numbers of waders and gulls but try the shores of Oman, mind boggling! Close to the ferry terminal at Shannah were more waders than I could ever have imagined, including loads of Crab Plovers, a few Tereks and sandplovers galore. This was just a small taster of what was out there. Most of the area is out of reach to sensible people. But for anyone with serious off roading skills then vastly more waders are to be seen.

I managed a few other newbies but the total list was never going to be impressive. Met only one other birder in 2 weeks and he was THE man who wrote the book on Oman birdwatching. So a good tick

As for Oman, totally safe, quiet, loony drivers though, friendly folk, lots of good cheap Indian food, very cheap petrol, excellent roads, expensive hotels but camping is the way to go, pretty much absolutely anywhere - I slept in the car for half the trip.

Check my Flickr site for maps of where I went; photos of the trip to be added over next few days/weeks.

ttfn

Adi