30 March
1624 hrs - arrived at Amman's Queen Alia International Airport on RJ118 from Heathrow (without scheduled stop in Berlin). We were driven straight to the Shepherd Hotel.
31 March
With our guide "Louis" (=Lu'ai) and driver Sa'id we set off to our first stop of the holiday (sorry, expedition) by 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 Sparrows singing above their nests.
Before lunch at the Suwayma Resthouse some of the group floated on the Dead Sea, and then we set off back towards Amman. Following a roadside stop at Shuna Reservoir at the foot of Wadi Shu'ayb, we headed up this lush valley to explore the Mediterranean habitats . Night at the Shepherd Hotel.
1 April
North of Amman, we visited the Zarqa River and the King Talal Dam. In the bus we then climbed up to the Dibbin Forest. Here we found several species of orchid amongst the Aleppo Pines and Strawberry Trees. Our picnic was interrupted by a noteworthy passage of 12 Lesser Spotted Eagles (see page 67 of "The Book").
Then we moved on for a full afternoon at the Roman Decapolis city of Jerash (Gerasa). Our excellent guide, Khalid, showed us the temples, theatres and churches. Local birdwatcher, Mr Arslan Ramadan visited us at the hotel in the evening. Night at the Shepherd Hotel.
2 April
En route to Azraq we stopped at Qasr al Kharana, and then walked out in the desert towards a Stone Age flint mound. Once tracked down the Hoopoe Lark, Temminck's Horned Lark and Red-rumped Wheatear all put on a fine display.
A short distance further east, we visited the Omayyad bath-house of Qasr Amra - but an obliging Sardinian Warbler rather stole the show. After eating our picnic lunches, we explored the tree-lined wadi for migrant birds. A Scops Owl led us a merry dance!
The Azraq oasis was all but dry, and even the fishpools contained little water. Desert Finches did come down to drink, however. A brief excursion around the Resthouse whet our appetite for an early start next day. Night at Azraq Resthouse.
3 April
At dawn, a circuit of the Resthouse grounds produced several new migrants. After breakfast we drove towards Iraq to explore the black basalt desert at a "totally random site" 10 km east of As Safawi. Our main objective, the localised black morph of the Mourning Wheatear, was soon located. Excellent views of Desert Wheatear were also appreciated by the group.
We had lunch at the Hunter's Restaurant and then toured Azraq Castle (a Roman outpost also used by Lawrence). Driving across the desert after an afternoon at the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve Sa'id luckily spotted five Cream-coloured Coursers crossing the road!
An attempt to rehabilitate the parched Azraq oasis has created a small reedbed by the Shishan pools. An action-packed hour was spent here at dusk as hundreds of Swallows came in to roost.
Full moon tonight and total eclipse at midnight. Night at Azraq Resthouse.
4 April
This was 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 lunch/photo stop for Black Irises and Calandra Larks.
Our fascinating tour of Karak Castle took us through the numerous underground rooms and passages. During the latter part of our journey to Dana we saw several spirals of raptors. We took the new shuttle bus down the steep hill from the tower to find that the Israeli Ambassador has eaten our meal! Dinner did eventually appear, and afterwards we saw Comet Hyakutake. Clocks changed to summer time tonight - dawn will be one hour later! Night in tents, Dana campsite.
5 April
Some of the group enjoyed a pre-breakfast walk near the camp. Later we ambled through oak and juniper woods near Dana village, and managed to find several Tristram's Serins, a local speciality. Lesser Kestrels also performed well. Our walk ended in the Dana conservation village, where repopulation of the ancient hill village is being encouraged. We were impressed to see the variety of high quality gifts on sale at the new RSCN shop - they were certainly glad to have opened it especially for us!
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, others took the opportunity to study birds and flowers closer to the camp. Night in tents, Dana campsite.
6 April
The early risers were greeted by low cloud and swirling mist - not quite what we expected. The raptors were also a little put out, but it did lead to a spectacular fly-past of Buzzards. As we left in the shuttle bus, they were still gliding past just over our heads. It was a job to drag ourselves away from spectacular Dana!
Having just spent two nights camping, the newly opened, 5-star Petra Plaza Hotel was a bit of a culture shock! We made the most of its luxuries!
The Little Petra - Al Bayda area was an ideal introduction to Petra's archaeology and birds. A perched bird of prey took several attempts to identify - eventually it showed itself to be a Long-legged Buzzard, and Sinai Rosefinches were seen well by all. Night at the Petra Plaza Hotel.
7 April
After a short delay, we entered the siq and began our tour of Petra's high places (yes, two in one day!). After photographing the Treasury, the group climbed the steps to the High Place and then down through Wadi Farasa. After a leisurely lunch, we climbed to the Monastery and then returned to the siq - a total round trip of some 12 km (7-8 miles). Night at the Petra Plaza Hotel.
8 April
Soon after leaving our hotel we stopped to explore an area of the Sharra Highlands (1600 m altitude). We had close views of displaying Isabelline Wheatears, but 6 Rock Thrushes were unexpected. 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, and White-crowned Black Wheatear completed our set of Jordan's wheatears.
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 and bedouin tent had been well set out behind a high sand dune. We walked into the Rakabat Canyon and admired the view from the top of the dune (see cover of "The Book"!). Night in tents, Wadi Umm Ishrin.
9 April
Several of us were up to see the dawn, and after breakfast we walked to see some ancient petroglyphs or "rock art". We rejoined the coach and continued on to Aqaba.
Lunch was at Al Shami Restaurant (and Ata Ali for ice cream!). Some of the group went to the hotel beach to seawatch until dusk. Night at the Alcazar Hotel, Aqaba.
10 April
Pre-breakfast we walked to the seawatching spot by the Ayla archaeology site - quite cool in the strong northerly wind.
The whole morning was spent at the sewage works. Here we met the plant's manager, Jamal Reyate, who proudly took us to his new birdwatching tower - built especially for us! The wind didn't abate and the raptors made little progress as they struggled low into the wind. Numerous raptors, ducks, waders and gulls kept us busy. A fall of confiding Bonelli's Warblers meant that everyone had a chance to see all the identification features.
Lunch was again at Al Shami and Ata Ali, then we took the coast road south towards the Saudi border. Still the wind blew, and raptors continued to fly over ... spiral after spiral after spiral! Night at the Alcazar Hotel.
11 April
Dawn saw the stalwarts at the beach again. A flock of 23 newly-arrived Black-winged Stilts wanted to land.
Our repeat visit to the sewage works proved even better than yesterday's. Excellent views of Little Green Bee-eater (at Jordan's first recorded nests), Marsh Sandpipers, White-tailed Plover and Citrine Wagtail added to our list, and single Curlew and Whimbrel were compared side-by-side. Booted Eagle and Levant Sparrowhawk were also appreciated. Our two days at the sewage works has produced an amazing 92 species!
The afternoon was free for snorkelling, shopping or swimming, but at 5.30 some of the group reassembled hoping to see a Hobby at dusk. One duly performed! Night at the Alcazar Hotel.
12 April
Early risers again met at the beach. After breakfast we left Aqaba to drive back north to Amman. Our first stop was at Fidan, where we walked a circuit across Wadi Araba desert and found a pair of Bar-tailed Desert Larks. After exploring some acacias, we ate our picnic lunches and then continued north along the Rift Valley stopping at Lot's Cave at As Safi and "Lot's Wife" by the Dead Sea. This was our last stop before Amman. Night in the Shepherd Hotel.
13 April
We awoke to heavy rain! During a lull, some of the group visited the Amman amphitheatre and museum, before it started again and we made our way to the airport. Sa'id, the driver, told us that our final mileage of the trip was 1900 km (1190 miles).
Our direct flight back to Heathrow (RJ111) left on time, and we touched down at 1743 hrs.
The final bird list of the tour totalled 183 species.