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14 April
We left London's Heathrow airport at 10.45 landing in Amman around 17.00 (clocks forward two hours). Our guide Lu'ai arrived and took us to into the city for our first night in the Shepherd Hotel arriving at 18.00 with time to unwind a little before our meal at 20.00.
15 April
Heading south (and down!) to the Dead Sea for our first look at Jordan's birds, we reached the mouth of Wadi Mujib by 9.30. Here we searched around a small plantation for migrants. This was an excellent first stop, with several warblers including Barred and the first of many Olivaceous. Resident species also put in an appearance with several Tristram's Grackle, Little Green Bee-eater and even a male Hooded Wheatear. The nearby tamarisk area provided us with Dead Sea Sparrow (eventually seen well by a nest!) and Rufous Bush Robin. After lunch and a float in the sea, we took the road ascending Wadi Shu'ayb towards Amman stopping several times in the different habitats as we gained height. Shuna Reservoir provided us with a few species of wader plus Orange-tufted Sunbird and the locally rare Jackdaw, although the seventeen Garganey on the water rather stole the show. Our stops further up were alive with birds with Ortolan and Cretzschmar's Bunting, Black-eared Wheatear and perhaps the biggest surprise Indian Silverbill - an introduced species previously recorded only from the Jordan Valley and Aqaba. We returned to our hotel by 18.15.
16 April
North of Amman, we walked along a stretch of the Zarqa River, again alive with singing birds. Various stops on the road as it climbed provided us with Short-toed Eagle, Long- legged Buzzard, more Cretzschmar's Buntings and finally some very active Long-billed Pipits singing and displaying. Our lunch stop in the shade of Dibbin Forest gave us Blue Tit and several Jays alongside other woodland species. We then spent the whole of the afternoon in the well-preserved Greco Roman city of Jerash where our guide gave us an overview of this fascinating area, returning to the hotel by 18.05.
17 April
Heading out to the eastern desert, we noticed several pools of water indicating the amount of rainfall this winter. We picked one area at random and saw our first Temminck's Horned Larks and Anita found a Roller, which conveniently perched on a pylon for us. Our next two stops at Qasrs Kharana and Amra we saw several migrants including Wryneck and both Nightingale and Thrush Nightingale. The tree-lined Wadi Butm was to provide not only some much-needed shade for lunch but also the rarest bird of the trip (although it took some working out!) A richly coloured Phylloscopus warbler caught our eye and we watched it feeding actively in pistachio trees for some time, noticing it had a wing bar. It had bright green upperparts including a long bright yellow supercillium and yellow underparts. It looked most like a brightly coloured Greenish Warbler and after consultation with literature it fits perfectly with Green Warbler - a Turkish breeding species which spends the winter in India. Just a little out of its way but not wholly unexpected in Jordan. Moving on to Azraq guesthouse we spent a very rewarding evening at Azraq wetland reserve. Considering this tiny wetland is now maintained artificially, it remains a fantastic magnet for birds crossing the surrounding desert. Here we saw two Bitterns, Squacco, Night and Purple Herons, Pied Kingfisher and a Little Tern (a species which used to nest here). Unfortunately, it was too dark to identify the two nightjars we saw just before leaving.
18 April
After a quick walk around the resthouse before breakfast we headed out to the eastern basalt desert where we soon caught up with several key birds of the area particularly the dark morph Mourning Wheatear ('Basalt Wheatear') and Desert Lark (subspecies annae). Here too we some other larks including Bar-tailed Desert and singing Lesser Short-toed Larks. A visit to the RSCN Shaumari reserve provided us with a bewildering array of migrants: Lesser Grey and Southern Grey Shrikes, Ortolan Bunting, Roller, and two Rock Thrushes. In the afternoon we explored the flooded Qa area (low lying desert) and saw a good selection of waders and many Red-throated Pipits.
19 April
Leaving Azraq we headed west stopping in Madaba to view the famous mosaic map. Climbing through Wadi Mujib, we heard a strange buzzing call. It was well worth stopping however since it turned out to be a singing Pale Rock Sparrow - a species which breeds occasionally within the region but can be absent in many years. Our journey took us through Wadi Mujib where we found some rather shrivelled Black Iris and on to the magnificent Karak Castle. Our destination was Dana campsite perched on top of the rift margin overlooking Wadi Araba. We arrived here during the early evening, we had time to settle in before dinner.
20 April
An early morning walk from the campsite was particularly notable for several more singing Pale Rock Sparrows. After breakfast, a stop at the nearby Lahdha spring area provided as treat for a few of us as a male White-throated Robin perched briefly a couple of times before disappearing. Our attempt to find it failed but we did see find an active pair of Spectacled Warblers and some Irises. From here, a short drive took us to the oak and juniper covered hillsides at Barra. There were more Pale Rock Sparrows singing everywhere we stopped - certainly a good year for them! Our main quarry, Syrian Serin eluded us on this walk but there was plenty to see on our walk towards the ancient, recently re-populated village. From the resthouse, we saw both Griffon and Egyptian Vulture soaring in Wadi Dana. Returning to the campsite for lunch, we rested in the heat of the early afternoon before walking another one of the nearby tracks. One of the most memorable sights was the extremely tame Orange- tufted Sunbirds feeding near our tents. Among the vegetation, we were lucky to find a Chameleon allowing us to take some photographs.
21 April
Although we were leaving Dana today, we decided to visit Barra again and were lucky enough to find a singing Syrian Serin next to the road. A short walk nearby gave us an amazing sight of around forty Ortolan Buntings perched in the same bush. We also found a Spur-thighed Tortoise - more easy wildlife photography! On route to Petra we found an amazing stretch of wire fencing near Rafiq providing a perch for seven Isabelline Wheatears, three Lesser Grey and eight Red-backed Shrikes. We had time for a visit to the impressive Shawbak castle (undergoing much renovation) before arriving at the Little Petra - Al Bayda area for a taster before tomorrow and our full day in the main Petra site. Here we saw our first Sinai Rosefinches - all females but we were bound to see the striking males tomorrow!? A short drive brought us to our five star hotel - a bit of luxury in-between tented accommodation.
22 April
Up early and through the gates of Petra by 7.30! This incredible site is well worth a whole day - and it is a full day. With our local guide, we ascended to the High Place of Sacrifice first (with convincing sacrificial demonstration - sorry about that Terry!) where we saw two eye-level Honey Buzzards. We also saw two vivid Blue Sinai Agama lizards before we took the steps back down to our lunch in the basin restaurant. In the afternoon, a smaller party climbed to the Monastery. We did see plenty Sinai Rosefinches but again they were all females. Where were all the males? As we headed out of the site, some of us managed to see one male but we were beginning to think that things weren't looking too good for the species!
23 April
Today were descended into the Rum desert, stopping and searching in good-looking habitat. One particular area (a few bushes around a small building) was full of migrants. We spent some time here and found among others a Rock Thrush, Rufous Bush Robin and Black-eared Wheatear. We also saw out first White-crowned Black Wheatears. After lunch at Wadi Rum resthouse, we took jeeps to our next accommodation - a tented camp in Wadi Umm Ishrin. This truly special place was many peoples' highlight of the trip. We were the only people staying here and were looked after wonderfully by our Egyptian caterer who stayed with us the whole time making sure we didn't go hungry (or indeed stay sober!). A late afternoon walk into Rakabat Canyon showed us where all the male Sinai Rosefinches were at last. Here too were plenty of other migrants and we spent some time scouring the bushes. After dinner around a campfire we endured (sorry enjoyed) some of Mick's jokes before we slept - many of us woken by a Hume's Tawny Owl calling periodically through the night.
24 April
We had time to explore the local area before breakfast finding more Sinai Rosefinches and Scrub Warbler. We then searched the bushes at the entrance to Rakabat Canyon where we managed to catch up with both Upcher's and Arabian Warbler. The latter, very unusual to see away from acacias. Back at the resthouse, we drove south to Aqaba arriving at noon. Birds of prey had been a little thin on the ground so far and it was nice to see several Honey Buzzards over town. An afternoon walk along the coastal allotments and beach gave us several new birds for the trip including Gull-billed and Caspian Tern and a handful of White- eyed Gulls. In the evening, from the bar on the roof of our hotel at least six Levant Sparrowhawks flew overhead - one actually landing in a tree below us. Hopefully a sign that more would be on their way tomorrow.
25 April
We checked the coastal allotments for migrants (Red-throated Pipit, Thrush Nightingale) before breakfast then headed for Aqaba sewage works. As we approached, more Levant Sparrowhawks flew out of the bushes where they had roosted overnight. The sewage works lived up to the hype with an excellent range of waterbirds in large numbers including Garganey, Spur-winged Plover, Marsh Sandpiper, Collared Pratincole, Slender-billed Gull and even a Great Black-headed Gull. Among the birds of prey were Montagu's Harrier, Booted Eagle and some wonderful Honey Buzzards, however the bush containing 12 male Golden Orioles took some beating! Leaving with full notebooks, we had lunch in a local restaurant before having a 'breather' in the hotel during the midday heat. At four, we drove along the south beaches road looking. Lu'ai found a good place to stop since there were two summer plumaged Greater Sand Plovers feeding nearby! During a short sea watch, around 23 White-eyed Gulls passed before we returned to the hotel. Some of us walked to the jetty of the Aquamarina hotel where we were amazed to see three Red-footed Falcons flying low over the sea and over the King's Palace before we returning to the hotel.
26 April
Our morning walk to the allotments gave us our second Barred Warbler of the trip, several Thrush Nightingales alongside large numbers of Olivaceous Warblers. Our second morning at Aqaba sewage works was just as good as yesterday with even more Levant Sparrowhawks. Extra birds to yesterday's visit included Osprey, Temminck's Stint and Arabian Babbler. After lunch and a rest, we took a glass-bottom boat trip to view some of the wildlife under the sea. Our evening sea watch from the jetty produce 24 White-eyed Gulls, Cory's Shearwater and an Arctic Skua.
27 April
This was our last full day in Jordan but we certainly made the most of it, travelling back to Amman via Wadi Araba. Any sort of vegetation along this route can be well worth checking for migrants and we made several stops along the route. The first stop added another species to the trip list even if the birds themselves were in Israel! Around two hundred and fifty Greater Flamingos were feeding in pools a few miles in the distance. Near Fidan, we saw our first Pallid Harrier, and then stopped in an oasis for some shade during lunch where we saw two Sand Partridge and more Arabian Babblers. As we drove further north, we passed through more agricultural areas where we saw our one and only Black Stork, White-breasted Kingfisher and a few Levant Sparrowhawks. Despite the large number of people enjoying their Friday off near the Dead Sea shore, we managed to arrive back in Amman by seven in good time for our final dinner.
28 April
Some of the group squeezed in visits to the nearby Citadel and Amphitheatre before we had to leave for the airport. We arrived back in London at 17.30.
Richard Bashford (leader)