8 April
Arrived at Amman's Queen Alia International Airport on RJ118 from Heathrow, via Berlin. It was dark on arrival, so we went straight to the Shepherd Hotel.
9 April
With guide Elias our first stop of the holiday was the shore of the Dead Sea. A walk just north of the new Dead Sea Hotel allowed us to see most of the local birds, so we moved onto the Tamarix scrub by the funfair to find Dead Sea Sparrow.
Before lunch at the Suwayma Resthouse some of the group floated on the Dead Sea, and then we set off back towards Amman. A brief stop at Kafrayn Reservoir was followed by a longer look at Shuna Reservoir at the foot of Wadi Shu'ayb (the water level was very high). Our final stop was amidst the orange blossom half-way up Wadi Shu'ayb and it was an effort to drag ourselves away from this very productive roadside ramble. Night at the Shepherd Hotel.
10 April
Our planned visit to the King Talal Dam was finally aborted and replaced by a roadside walk near the Zarqa River. In the bus we then climbed up to the Dibbin Forest. Here we found at least three species of orchid in the Aleppo Pines and Strawberry Trees.
Lunch at Hamzeh's Restaurant at Jerash included a display of pitta bread making and then we moved on for a full afternoon at the Roman Decapolis city of Jerash (Gerasa). Elias showed us the temples, theatres and churches and made sure we visited every corner of this extensive site. Local birdwatcher, Mr Arslan Ramadan visited us at the hotel in the evening. Night at the Shepherd Hotel.
11 April
With our new guide "Louis" (=Lu'ai) and driver "Captain" Khalid we set off towards Azraq. Qasr al Kharana was our first stop and we walked out in the desert wearing as many layers of clothes as we could find! A few worked flints were found at a Stone Age site.
The wind persisted at Wadi al Butm, where we studied the Omayyad bath-house, ate our picnic lunches and then explored the tree-lined wadi for migrant birds. After a welcome cup of tea at the Azraq Resthouse, some of the group looked around the grounds before our evening meal. Night at Azraq Resthouse.
12 April
Our first early morning start went ahead without the promised cup of tea and we headed off round to the east side of the flooded qa' (=mudflat) to make use of the morning light. Exceptional winter rain had flooded the qa', but the consequent lack of mud probably reduced the number of waterbirds we could find. They proved more concentrated at the fishpools where we spent a couple of fruitful hours after our late breakfast.
We had lunch at the Hunter's Restaurant and this was followed by an afternoon at Shaumari Wildlife Reserve. Despite the dancing girls, a Nightjar roosted on a high branch. Night at Azraq Resthouse.
13 April
The black basalt desert 10 km east of As Safawi was our venue for the morning and, despite its initial barren appearance, this site proved very productive after the winter rains had brought on a flush of grasses. Singing Bimaculated Larks and Pale Rock Sparrows were an unexpected addition to the local black morph Mourning Wheatears.
After lunch we toured Azraq Castle, but the remainder of the afternoon proved rather frustrating as a rich marshy area (Burgess pools) could not be reached by bus or on foot due to wet mud. So, we reverted to the fishpools for a short while. Night at Azraq Resthouse.
14 April
A travelling day with several stops through the dramatic scenery of the King's Highway. After crossing the desert back towards Amman, we stopped at Madaba to see the mosaic map in St George's Church. Next stop was at Wadi al Mujib, then a photo stop for Black Irises by the roadside.
At Karak we lunched and then just had time for a whistle-stop tour of the castle before we had to continue on our way. We arrived at the Dana Campsite in the late afternoon in time for a brief walk. The evening proved cool and there was a rush on blankets in anticipation of an unseasonal night! Meals provided by the Shepherd Hotel. Night in tents, Dana campsite.
15 April
A pre-breakfast walk near the camp revealed frost on the grass! No wonder we had been cold! After eating we headed off towards the oak woods near Dana village - and managed to find a few Tristram's Serins, a local speciality. Then the Dana Wildlife Reserve warden gave us a tour of the Dana conservation village, where repopulation of the ancient hill village is being encouraged.
After lunch back at the bedouin tent, the afternoon was free for exploration around the campsite. A few ventured up Ar Rumana hill, behind the camp (some until dark!). Thirty Palestinian Israelis joined us at the camp. Full moon tonight. Night in tents, Dana campsite.
16 April
We left the campsite quite early so we could make the most of our day in Petra. The horses now only go as far as the dam, but we walked anyway. After the siq and Treasury some of the group climbed to the High Place and down through Wadi Farasa. We regrouped at the Forum Restaurant, but after a leisurely lunch we again split into two groups - one climbing to the Monastery and the other looking at the museums area. It was getting dark by the time we headed back up the siq and by torch light we finally reached the Resthouse. Unfortunately the only sign of Hume's Tawny Owl was a brief call in the siq (and another from the Resthouse during the night). Night at the Petra Resthouse.
17 April
Our bus climbed up through Wadi Musa and we had an opportunity to view Petra from the high ground where many new hotels are being built. After driving through the Sharra Uplands we descended the Ras an Naqab escarpment and made for the Wadi Rum Resthouse for lunch. The local pair of Verreaux's Eagles conveniently performed above the high cliffs.
As the temperature cooled in the mid afternoon we boarded the jeeps which took us to our camp in the next wadi - Wadi Umm Ishrin. The two-man tents, bedouin tent and "tardis" had been well set out near the Rakabat Canyon where we walked to after a siesta. Unfortunately it had clouded over, but the view from the high sand dune (see cover of "The Book"!) was none the less as dramatic as ever. We were treated to close views of dung beetles tonight, and a snake upset the locals more than us! Night in tents, Wadi Umm Ishrin.
18 April
It was again cloudy when we did our early morning walk to the canyon, and then we packed and had breakfast. It was luckily only after this that the wind whipped up a vicious sand storm and there were even a few drops of rain. Good job nobody was in the "tardis" as it was blown over, along with a couple of tents. The high-speed jeep trip back to the bus was enjoyed by all!
After the descent through Wadi al Yutum we arrived at a hazy and overcast Aqaba. Fortunately we were able to wash off the desert dust at the Aquamarina II Hotel before eating again. It rained whilst we were in the Al Shami Restaurant (and Ata Ali) so the afternoon was rather a wash-out and it was decided to postpone the snorkelling. Some of the group made the short walk to the beach for a late seawatch, others had a free afternoon for shopping and relaxing. Night at the Aquamarina II, Aqaba.
19 April
Pre-breakfast we returned to the seawatching spot by the Ayla archaeology site, but for the rest of the morning we birdwatched at the sewage works (sorry, water treatment plant). Whilst we were getting our military pass we were met by the plant's manager, Jamal Reyate, and we were soon busy identifying the masses of birds to be found at the pools. The total reached 66 species, including Black-winged Pratincole which was seen well enough to convince everyone. Ducks, waders, gulls and terns gave us superb views and one of the group kindly donated his field guide to Mr Reyate - let's hope he keeps up his interest in birds.
Lunch was again at Al Shami and Ata Ali, then we took the coast road south to the Royal Diving Centre. Some of the group snorkelled, but it was rather rough and not without its dramas! Birthday celebrations were followed by a visit to the bedouin village run by Mr Reyate. Night at the Aquamarina II.
20 April
We left Aqaba early as we had 350 km to drive back to Amman. Our first stop was at Fidan, where we walked a circuit across Wadi Araba desert before eating our picnic lunch under an acacia. We continued north along the Rift Valley, including the Dead Sea road which had only been opened the previous month. A leg-stretch at the new Mujib bridge was our last stop before Amman. We arrived in time for a few of the group to take a taxi to the amphitheatre - guided by our original guide, Elias! Night in the Shepherd Hotel.
21 April
Our flight back to Heathrow was delayed from 11.15 to 13.15. Eventually flight RJ117 took off, heading west over the Dead Sea and Israel (a route only possible since the Peace Agreement). We stopped in Berlin before the final leg to London.
The final bird list of the tour totalled 188 species.