Lions, warthogs, meerkats, giraffes, blesboks, bat-eared foxes, aardwolf, secretarybirds, sandgrouse, bustards, owls, falcons, eagles, hornbills and a variety of weavers and finches awaited us in the Kalahari desert.

A full day in Qatar with a rental car was the perfect scenario to look for the hypocolius, a mythical Persian Gulf wintering specialty. Namaqua doves, wheatears, desert warblers, sparrow-larks and more awaited.