Oman - Day 5 29th October

 Day 5  29th October

We were up at 5.45  for a 6.15 start to drive to the port for the 7 o’clock ferry back to Shannah. It was a bit chaotic but we got boarded and went up to the Families room, where we ate our packed breakfast, waiting for the boat to leave and for them to open the door to the upper deck. It was a quiet crossing, with some dhows ahead of us looking like they were racing to be first in port. As we crossed we saw several Wilson’s Petrels. We then drove straight to Filim where there were loads of waders, including Great Knot, Flamingo and Godwits among the Sandplovers.

We drove a bit further to a creek to look for kingfisher that had been reported over the last day or two but not much luck. We parked by a camel trough and walked round the the edge of the creek, surprising a wagtail in a muddy pool. After we climbed up the rocks we made our way to the water’s edge and sat around hoping for the kingfisher to show. We gave up after a while and made our way back to the cars where we had some close encounters with some camels. We also had good views of Siberian Stonechat and an agama. 

We then drove to Al Ghaftain, a hotel and oasis stop on the edge of the Empty Quarter, parked up and birded the ‘garden’ round the hotel where there were a large number of cats. We also saw a couple of Red-breasted flycatchers feeding among the trees. We climbed out of the compound to walk round a small enclosed area of bushes but not a great deal and climbed a sand pile to check out an area of bushes outside. Again not a lot but there was a lone tree in a compound. We had to ascend a sand hill to return to the grounds where a couple of shrikes were found, sparking a lively discussion about identification. We then booked in and went for dinner. 

We went out for a quick walk round with torches and the thermal but nothing. So we turned in ready for an early start to tomorrow.