Oman Day 11 9th and 10th Cinereous Vulture for Oman!

I didn't connect with the Yemen Serin at Tawi Atayr but instead found the 9th and 10th records of CINEREOUS VULTURE, including this immature with 4 Lappet-faced and 21 Griffon Vulture! 

   A great day from start to finish! I thought I would give the Yemen Serin a second chance at Tawi Atayr after failing to see them a few days ago. On route I stopped off at Ayn Hamran first thing and driving towards the site from Highway 49, I was rewarded with cracking views of 2 Eastern Imperial, 2 Steppe and a immature Great Spotted Eagle at the side of the road. I thought I would give a few hours in the scrub before you hit Ayn Hamran. I could hear Arabian Warbler followed by a very loud song that I wasn't familiar with next to the stream. After a few minutes, I heard it again and there was a male Black-crowned Tchagra. This was my first one of the trip so far. A Turkestan Shrike was also in song followed by 2 Daurian Shrike. Nearby there was a wadi and as I walked deeper into the it and I flushed a Roller. This was a new bird for me and I stayed on it to see where it was goin to land but it disappeared around the bend out of sight. I went searching and relocated it on the lower branches of a tree in the shade. It showed very well then flew back down the wadi. After seeing 4 Namaqua Dove, 2 more Daurian Shrike and 2 Arabian Warbler, I returned to the stream and put up it or another Rufous Turtle Dove! It was only a mile or so from where I found the individual up road over a week ago. So I reckon it's safe to say it's the same one. This time, it was out in the open in the very intense hot sun and showed a lot better.

Adult Eastern Imperial Eagle

Immature Eastern imperial and Steppe Eagle

Immature Great Spotted Eagle

Eastern Imperial and Great Spotted Eagle

Male Black-crowned Tchagra

At last I've seen a Roller!!

  

 Over a week ago I found this Rufous Turtle Dove just up road from where I had it today and thought that it was a very rare bird for Oman. However, Jans Eriksen, a local birder, let me know that there had been 168 records in the country with 71 in Southern Oman! 

A single male Desert and good numbers of Isabelline Wheatear were also present in the surrounding area

 

Ayn Hamran

  It was mid-day when I arrived at Tawi Atayr and going by James Lidsters directions he gave me, as he saw 14 here a few weeks back, of where to find the Yermin Serin, I was determined to find them. However, after over an hour of seeing Arabian Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush and 4 Tree Pipit, there was no sign of them anywhere. I hadn't given up and thought I would try further up road. As I pulled out of a junction, I could see some large raptors circling high up. I was out of the car immediately as they looked good for vultures. 7 European Griffon Vulture with 4 Eastern Imperial Eagle. They were coming lower and appeared to land behind a ridge way off in the distance. I had to get closer as there could be a Lappet-faced Vulture with them. I was just going to set off on foot across the rocky plain when a quick look up in the sky revealed dots in the blue sky. Lifting my bins and I picked out a rather large dark vulture which I could think could only be Cinereous Vulture after seeing a single while working in the Himalayas a few year back. I knew this was a rare bird for Oman but how rare I had know idea. I tried to get some records shots before it moved on but it was obvious this was interested in what the other vultures were feeding on below and it to eventually came down and joined the others. Trying to get photos of the Cinereous, I could of easily missed the 2 Lappet-faced Vulture that were also circling but both birds moved out south, A long-legged Buzzard took on a Booted Eagles as well but I wasn't interested in them and starting to run down a hill after the vultures that were on the deck already. And I mean run because they were a long ways off. As I came closer to where they were, I used the cattle as an advantage to get closer. Packed together were 21 European Griffon Vulture and a single Lappet-faced Vulture but where was the Cinereous Vulture. I scanned again with my bins and hidden behind the cows were another Lappet-faced Vulture and not one but 2 CINEREOUS VULTURE!!  An adult and immature!
  I wanted to get closer but the cattle were moving on leaving me pretty exposed out in the open. I knelt down low but one of the Griffon Vultures must of seen me and they all took flight giving me the opportunity to get some great flight views. With in minutes they were rising on the thermals and I lost most of them. Magic stuff!! I then focused on the wagtails I could hear all the time while observing the vultures but out of the 20+wagtails, they seemed be all Sykes Wagtail.. Returning to the car, I drove around the corner and there was a Short-toed Eagle sat on top of a telephone pole. It just stayed there as I took pics from the car and was still there when I returned an hour later after no success with Yemen Serin. I leave them for another time as I was more than happy with the vultures.

Male Arabian Wheatear

First sighting of one of Cinereous Vulture was almost a dot in the sky. I took this pic when it came down a little a little closer..

Both Cinereous on the deck with a European Griffon on the right and you can just see the head of the Lappet-faced Vulture on the left

  

The adult and immature CINEREOUS VULTURE

Compared in size to a Eastern Imperial Eagle the Cinereous Vulture look enormous  

 

2 Lappet-faced Vulture

Altogether there were 21 Griffon Vulture

So thanks for the duff information from James Lidster of where to see Yemen Serin in Oman, I would of never of came across these vultures. In a good hour I observed a single Long-legged Buzzard, Booted and 7 Eastern Imperial Eagle, 21 Griffin, 4 Lappet-faced and 2 CINEREOUS VULTURE!!

The vultures were feeding just behind the cattle 

Then not long after seeing the vultures I bumped into this Short-toed Eagle

   

Fan-tailed Raven

I finished the day off at Saadah Park back in Salalah and the male Crested Honey Buzzard was still present with the 10 Tree Pipit

Sounds like Pink Floyd as you would expect from the amazing Roger Waters. With his involvement in being pro-Palestinian and with BDS, American Express pulled out from being his sponsor during his tour. He's just finished a very successful world tour playing in big venues including Hyde Park. To think that Pink Floyd Tribute Band were goin to play in Occupied Palestine, they must of been crazy! What were they thinking of?? Waters was on their back, like he was when he pleaded for Nick Cave and Radiohead and other artist not to play there, and out of all them, the tribute band pulled out. Other Artist have pulled out and boycotted Israel as well in the past and it is increasing.