NATURETREK - JORDAN - 17-25 FEBRUARY 2001 - Diary

We arrived at Queen Alia International Airport just after sunset and were met by guide Louis and driver Kamal. There was a little rain at first, but on the highest ground behind Dana we entered the hill fog and some snow! Visibility was especially poor above Dana village and it took a while for the driver to find the turning.

Dawn was clear, but the mist soon came down and on our early morning walk in the terraced fields we had to rely on calls to get our first Jordanian birds. A brief view of a Hawfinch gave a taste of things to come.

After breakfast, our walk was not helped by the mist and we resorted to looking at the geology and a few early flowers. Eventually, we got tantalising glimpses of the magnificent views and we were able to pin down Griffon Vulture, Bonelli’s Eagle, Finch’s Wheatear, Rock Martin and Blue Rock Thrush on our walk back to the guesthouse.

After lunch, in much improved weather, we explored the fields around Ladha spring, and found a flock of Wood Larks, but unfortunately no Syrian Serins. We finished our walk at the Tower and a glass of hot sweet tea.

A repeat walk in the terraces before breakfast produced two Hawfinches and our first Orange-tufted Sunbird, but we still struggled to see a Chiffchaff. Before we left Dana, we walked through the village and had excellent views of two Rock Martins perched above a window of the Dana Tower Hotel. A descent partway down the steep track into the wadi produced good views of Sardinian Warbler and we heard a very early Cuckoo.

After a picnic lunch near the castle (with Long-legged Buzzard overhead and a Hummingbird Hawk Moth at our feet), we drove up to have a tour of Shawbak Crusader Castle and saw our first Mourning Wheatear and, surprisingly, more perched Rock Martins.

We reached Wadi Musa via a detour due to road works. A walk through Little Petra was followed by a visit to the Stone Age Bayda village - with female Sinai Rosefinches and Mourning Wheatears en route.

After an early breakfast we met Ahmad our excellent local guide for a full day in Petra. Louis warned us that the day would be cold and most of the group put on extra layers and gloves. At the entrance to the Siq, we saw our first stunning male Sinai Rosefinch before walking down to the equally stunning Treasury. Some of the group climbed up the steps to the High Place of Sacrifice, descending by a quick, but unorthodox route. The other half of the group visited the Royal Tombs (with a welcome hot tea in a cave with the bedouin) and Petra Church with its fine mosaics. We all saw White-crowned Black Wheatear and some saw Blackstart. When the groups met up, there were signs that the weather was deteriorating further – the cold wind was strengthening and thick dust filled the air - and on the advice of Ahmad we reluctantly abandoned our afternoon visit to the Monastery (Ad Dayr). After lunch, the dust storm had really set in and we retraced our steps up the Siq. All in all, a rather cold day!

We opened our curtains in the morning to see a light covering of drifting snow and more hill fog. With caution, Kamal drove us slowly over the fog-bound high ground (1600 m), with snow either covering the road or blowing across it in the strong wind. We descended the Ras an Naqab escarpment in thick fog, before reaching the lower ground where we able to see at least some of the impressive scenery. During a brief stop we witnessed a small passage of adult Steppe Eagles - an early migrant through these parts.

Our walk in Wadi Rum turned into a fruitless search for Scrub Warbler, although we did success in getting superb views of several White-crowned Black Wheatears and Desert Larks and a perched Long-legged Buzzard. Bird of the day, though, was definitely an adult Verreaux’s Eagle (one of only one pair in Jordan) that gave spectacular views as it patrolled the hilltops for Rock Hyrax, its favoured food.

A lunch stop at the Rum Resthouse also added Tristram’s Grackles to the list. This was followed by a cold, windy afternoon at the irrigated fields at Disi. We had excellent views of a pair of Hen Harriers and the only Isabelline Wheatear and Hoopoe of the trip. We also had tantalising flight views of Red-throated Pipit, Skylark, Water Pipit and Spanish Sparrow. We reached Aqaba just after dusk - at least it was a bit warmer!

A pre-breakfast walk to the coastal allotments and palms added Indian House Crow, Lesser Whitethroat and White-eyed Gull to our list.

Aqaba sewage works lived up to its reputation and provided us with a busy morning with good views of a wide variety of ducks, gulls, birds of prey and passerines. An adult Imperial Eagle we had been watching in a tree then attempted to catch a Pintail right in front of us. Black-necked Grebe, Ferruginous Duck, Gadwall and Barbary Falcon were other highlights. In a well-vegetated corner, we saw Arabian Babbler and a pair of Dead Sea Sparrows and hundreds of Pallid Swifts filled the air. Then there were those ‘wolves’ - although seemingly unlikely, it is hard to see how they were anything else but genuine Wolves.

After lunch in a local restaurant, where some of the group tried the local mensaf, we drove down to the South Beaches and a leisurely stroll along the shore produced good views and a chance to compare Kentish Plover, Little Ringed Plover and Greater Sand Plover – and a first-winter male Desert Wheatear as a bonus.

A repeat trip to the allotments produced superb views of 33 Desert Finch and a Grey Wagtail before breakfast.

We wondered what the sewage works would offer on our second visit - and true to form produced a rather different selection of birds. Yesterday’s productive corner turned up Little Green Bee-eater and Indian Silverbill today, and we had stunning views of three Pied Kingfishers. The trees were dripping with Chiffchaffs and a conservative guestimate of 300 birds was logged. Other additions included Reed Warbler and early Sedge Warblers, and Graceful Warblers seemed much easier to see than yesterday.

We lunched in the ‘Bedouin Village’ and by chance looked out and saw a Quail. In the afternoon we walked from Aqaba Castle (Ottoman) through the allotments with excellent views of Red-throated Pipits (with and without red throats).

Two hours north of Aqaba, in Wadi Araba, our first stop failed to produce the regular Bar-tailed Desert and Hoopoe Larks, but we scored by finding a Desert Warbler and 18 Temminck’s Horned Larks (a rarity in Wadi Araba) flew past. At nearby Fidan, we saw Blackstart and Southern Grey Shrike in acacias and glimpsed a possible Arabian Warbler. Soon after heading on north, we came to an emergency halt to watch two roadside Hoopoe Larks and at the same time an Egyptian Dhabb lizard was seen.

Further north, we reached the Dead Sea and stopped at the mouth of Wadi al Mujib, which was flowing muddy brown. We saw Tristram’s Grackles and close scrutiny of the warblers produced both Cyprus (two females) and Sardinian Warblers (at least a pair). An added bonus was a flock of Trumpeter Finches feeding on the ground.

With dusk fast approaching, some of the group squeezed in a dip in the Dead Sea, while the remainder of the group watched Little and Alpine Swifts overhead.

With time to spare in the morning, we walked to the Roman Amphitheatre, via the Jordan River Design craft shop and the bustling streets of Downtown Amman. The temperature was finally starting to rise, but we had to head off to the airport for our return flight to Heathrow.

Ian Andrews (leader)

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