Qatar 2024
Chronicles
24 Jan & 12 Feb 2024
Isabelline wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina) in Abu Sidrah, 24 Jan 2024.
Day 1 Wednesday 24th January 2024
Aina arrived at Hamad International Airport from Barcelona, while Adri arrived from Madrid after a one-hour delay. Meeting at the airport around 07:00 in the morning, we picked up our rental car from the terminal, where we already spotted some common mynas, laughing doves, Eurasian collared-doves and house sparrows. Although the rental process for budget vehicles felt somewhat sketchy compared to Europe, we encountered no problems. The infrastructure is well developed, with diverse options to choose from.
Roads and reeds in Irakhiya Farm, 24 Jan 2024
Irakhiya Farm
Irrigated complex of farms in the central area of the country, about 50 km from Doha. The circular farm plots create a green oasis that attracts good numbers of waders and raptors, especially in winter, as the lagoons dry out in the summer. A group of lagoons in the center of the farms can be accessed by road. Reeds and shrubs in the area attract a long list of migrants during passage (see here).
On the road heading southwest between Doha and Abu Samra, we turned left at km 48 towards Baoudiyad Rd. We had read that Irakhiya Farms are private and only accessible through a gate which is usually surveilled by guards. However, we encountered an open gate with no staff and no one seemed bothered by our presence, although we did not visit the farms themselves. We drove to the point where the northern and southern sections of the farms are connected and an open area next to the main lagoon served as a parking spot. Here, we saw our first white-eared bulbuls, isabelline shrikes and delicate prinias.
The main lagoon was full of birds. In a shallow area in the center, a juvenile whiskered tern was resting alongside four northern lapwings and two red-wattled lapwings. Closer to the shore, a flock of 21 western cattle egrets rested on some branches. Among the reeds, we spotted flocks of Indian silverbills, a bluethroat and a vocal clamorous reed warbler.
An open area in the reeds allowed a good view of a shore bordering shallow waters and mudflats in the same lagoon, where dozens of waders had gathered. This flock included around 40 little stints, four Temminck’s stints, two ruffs, two marsh sandpipers, two wood sandpipers, a common sandpiper and a dunlin. As we scanned the flock, gull-billed terns, western marsh harriers, a pallid harrier and a greater spotted eagle flew over the lagoon.
The road in and around these lagoons is quite interesting. The poles serve as sitting spots for kestrels, and the fencing around the farm fields had three obliging Namaqua doves on our way out of the farm.
Vegetation in the ‘oasis’ of Abu Sidrah, 24 Jan 2024
Abu Sidrah
Small village in the rocky desert of northwest Qatar. The road heading to the village holds different desert specialties. Perhaps most interestingly, a oasis-like shrubland east of the settlement held a wintering group of hypocolius, a scarce visitor in the country (see here).
The road to Abu Sidrah was quite interesting, not only due to the never-ending desert landscape, but also because we mostly drove past big 4×4 trucks with falconry birds inside, groups of dromedary camels, and several men — whom we understood were collecting tubers in the desert. Driving with the car windows down, we soon heard the song of the black-crowned sparrow-lark and enjoyed different males displaying nuptial flights. On the roadsides, we spotted several crested larks and Egyptian spiny-tailed lizards, which hid in their burrows as soon as we stopped the car to see them.
Abu Sidrah joined our itinerary because of several eBird reports some weeks prior to our visit, but we lacked any detailed information about the area. The village is connected to the main road system by a paved road, but getting closer to the target shrubland (25.713631, 51.088091) was only possible via dirt roads. Due to the midday heat (28 ºC) and the distance from the village, we drove along a path as far as our humble little rental car could manage — though any larger vehicle would handle it just fine. From that point, we walked towards the shrubs for about 15 minutes.
The shrubs, including jujubes and acacias, held good numbers of laughing doves and Eurasian collared-doves. Two Arabian gray shrikes look for preys from bushes in the periphery of the shrubby area while several passerines sing from the vegetation. As we get close to the core of the shrubland, pairs and small groups of hypocolius fly over us, often calling. They behave elusively, offering a glimpse of some birds sitting on an acacia tree, whereas most birds seen flew over us.
Satisfied and excited as we were, we slowly left the shrubs, noticing the birds of the surrounding desert area. As we took pictures of a smart desert wheatear, a tiny blob faded with the background moved among the bushes, only noticed from afar by the small shadow it casted. An Asian desert warbler was displaying the curious behavior displayed in the Collin’s Bird Guide, associated to the desert wheatear. Not too far, we connected with an isabelline warbler and a flock of a dozen gray francolins as we drove away from Abu Sidrah.
Sun setting over the mangroves of Purple Island, 24 Jan 2024
Purple Island
Island off Al Khor city in a small gulf surrounded by mudflats and connected to the mainland via a boardwalk crossing a well-preserved patch of mangrove. Branded as a touristic place, this island attracts good numbers of gulls, terns and waders (see here).
We reached the Al Khor area right before sunset and the temperature became very pleasant. Walking along the duckboard, we saw flocks of hundreds of great cormorants flying over the city and the island, likely heading to a roosting site. At some distance, we managed to spot several lesser black-backed gulls, slender-billed gulls and an exciting Pallas’s gull flying over the mangrove as the sun set.
The island features stunning geological formations, set against the backdrop of mangrove woods, the waters of the gulf and the urban skyline illuminating as dusk falls. We found a sea lavender (Limonium axillare) growing abundantly on the island — a botanical group that has piqued my interest.
Purple Beach teemed with an array of shorebirds gathering to feed under the last lights of the day and roosting. Among them were several little egrets and gray herons, black-bellied plovers, sand-plovers, ruddy turnstones, godwits, common terns, a flamingo, a whimbrel, a curlew, a Caspian tern and a flock of over 40 little stints — as that observed earlier in the day.
By 18:30 everything became pitch black — we concluded our explorations and made our way back to Hamad International Airport after an immensely rewarding day. In total, we identified 58 different bird species, successfully ticking off our two primary targets: hypocolius and Pallas’s gull. Excited and tired, we sit back and enjoy some dinner in preparation for an overnight flight to Nairobi.
Our rental Suzuki Dzire parked on a roadside as we look for black-crowned sparrow-larks (Eremopterix nigriceps) in the desert, 24 Jan 2024.
Day 2 Friday 12th February 2024
We arrived at Hamad International Airport after an overnight flight from Nairobi at 06:30. After clearing customs, we took it easy and decided to explore Doha without specific information about recent bird sightings. We bought a full-day metro pass at the airport for QAR 6.00 (approximately € 1.50). As we exited the airport, we noticed that early morning rains had cooled temperatures to around 16°C, prompting many Qataris to stay home.
Morning in the Boulevard before Lusail Plaza Towers, 12 Feb 2024
Lusail Boulevard
Street in the second largest city of Qatar north of Doha, with views to the Lusail Plaza Towers — the tallest buildings of the country. It is adjacent to Lusail Stadium, which hosted several 2022 FIFA World Cup matches, including the final game (see here).
Our first destination took us to the farthest point we visited during the day. The metro ride to Lusail offered a captivating panoramic view of Doha’s urban development. Lusail Boulevard, while not a wildlife hotspot, surprised us with more than just the usual common mynas, house sparrows, laughing doves and Eurasian collared-doves.
Among the bougainvilleas and trees along the street, groups of cooperative white-eared bulbuls flitted back and forth. We spotted the first red-vented bulbuls for our country list — this species likely hasn’t spread far beyond the metropolitan area, unlike other birds also introduced to Qatar. A secretive Eurasian blackcap skulked in the hedges, contrasting with a delicate prinia perched openly on a branch, emitting its distinctive rattle and offering us our best views of this species during our trip.
Panorama from Al Bidda Park, 12 Feb 2024
Al Bidda Park
Large green area in downtown Doha hosting the International Horticultural Expo 2023 at the time of our visit. Lawns and garden trees attract migrant birds, making it to the top of birdwatching destinations in Doha (see here).
The metro brought us to the Corniche area, where we strolled towards Al Bidda Park. Initially excited about the idea of visiting an International Expo, we found that most stands were closed due to the weather, which was only cloudy and not piping hot (22 ºC). We took advantage of the opportunity to relax on the lawn. Surrounded by laughing doves and white-eared bulbuls, I soon spotted an odd bird darting back and forth from a tree. It turned out to be a masked shrike, the first of four different birds we encountered wintering in the park.
Exploring the infrastructure set up for the Expo, we also spotted red-vented bulbuls again, along with groups of Indian silverbills foraging on the grass and a dull crested lark between some colorful petunias. An Eurasian kestrel and a rose-ringed parakeet flew overhead, while an unexpected common sandpiper was probing for worms despite the lack of suitable water bodies in the park.
After reaching Al Bidda metro station, we left towards the Souq Wakif for a more touristic experience. We enjoyed a tasty, cheap lunch on the front terrace of a local restaurant, surrounded by elegant visitors and curious cats.
Wooden boats of Dhow Harbour in Doha, 12 Feb 2024
Dhow Harbour
A former fishing and pearling port, now this island is attached to downtown Doha. Today, tourists are attracted by traditional wooden boats remaining from old times and by a privileged skyline of Doha skyscrapers (see here).
We continued our walk towards Dhow Harbour, where we observed various gull species soaring around the boats, including a lesser black-backed gull, several slender-billed gulls and numerous black-headed gulls. As we explored the area further, we were delighted to spot a western reef heron at an incredibly close distance, gracefully navigating between the boat poles and harbor facilities — our third main target of the trip!
Amidst our stroll towards the skyline panoramic viewpoint at sunset, we shared stories and reflections on our experiences in Qatar and Kenya over the past weeks. Nearby, a busy family of Indian silverbills tended to their chicks, while small groups of white-eared bulbuls roosted in the palm leaves. A nice end to a positive experience.
Our day in Doha yielded sightings of 20 different bird species, some of which we had not encountered on our first day despite extensive travels across the country. This number is likely surpassed during migration periods, when Doha’s green spaces, particularly Al Bidda Park, attract transient passerines. Overall, Qatar proved to be a rewarding destination for birdwatchers making long stopovers at Hamad International Airport, whether exploring the country’s diverse landscapes by car with its well-developed road network and rental car options, or enjoying a more relaxed and tourist-oriented experience strolling through Doha.