The Urban Birder
A wealth of brilliant birds await you in the coastal city of Aqaba – but you may want to leave your telescope at home
David Lindo ‘looks up’ in the coastal city of Aqaba, Jordan
Aqaba is the only coastal city in Jordan and is situated in the southernmost part of the country. It borders Israel and indeed, is directly opposite Eilat, a location that is well known for its birding riches. I travelled during November 2019, having been invited to explore the wider country as well as to indulge in some quality urban birding in Aqaba itself. I stayed with my hosts the Hyatt Regency Aqaba Ayla Resort, an extremely swish five-star hotel complex set in the grounds of a high-end golf course – itself a fascinating birding venue. More about that later.
I spent the ensuing days on excursions visiting cultural sites such as the amazing Petra, and Star Wars-like dramatic landscapes at Wadi Rum. I encountered incredible desert birds such as Sinai Rosefinch, Brown-necked and Fan-tailed Ravens and larks galore, like Desert, Bar-tailed, Temminck’s and Greater Hoopoe Larks. Perhaps the most fabulous bird was a brief but good look at a Desert Owl at Dana Nature Reserve.
Formally known as Hume’s Owl, it is a species that has attained legendary status among world birders, as it has only been relatively recently discovered and is very range-restricted. I had to work for it though, as it entailed a steep late-night trek into a mountain range that actually left me feeling quite sick. The reward was to hear two of these enigmatic owls calling with their distinctive Collared Dove-like hoots, before seeing one closely flap past, illuminated by the moonlight. Utterly incredible!
Meanwhile, back at base, there was no let-up in the excitement. The golf course around the hotel had been designed with nature in mind, with areas of bushy cover along with a couple of water bodies. The shrubs harboured Sardinian Warblers and, perhaps more exotically for me, Scrub Warblers. They have a weird vibe for a warbler reminding me of a tiny babbler, round bodied with sticky-uppy tails.
White-crowned Wheatears were also fairly prevalent, even in the heart of urban areas; the males being handsome birds with their black plumage relieved by white undertail coverts, outer tail and crown. Overhead, Rock Martins were regularly swooping. These swallows were clearly paler than the closely-related Crag Martins that I was used to in Spain.
Every evening, after our daily excursion, I made it a habit to check the larger lake
(which was still quite small). Birds like White Wagtail were plentiful and I watched Kingfisher and Pied Kingfisher – the latter species dramatically hovering over the water before plunging after fish. Striated, Squacco, Purple and Grey Herons all frequented the small lake, along with Great White and Little Egrets. Late one evening, I stumbled across a Western Reef Egret. Its dark plumage stuck out like a sore thumb. Apparently, it was the first record for the site!
Largely ignored area
The urban birding pièce de résistance was visiting Aqaba Bird Observatory. Those of you who have visited the Bird Watching Centre in Eilat could be forgiven for immediately comparing Aqaba’s offering as a poor man’s version. Wandering around an underdog among the more recognised urban birding jewels in the world appealed to my sensibilities.
Like the former site, Aqaba is a series of managed lagoons with areas of scrub. Some of the basins are reed-fringed, whereas others are quite bare of vegetation. While the Israeli site is designed with walkways, hides and a visitor centre, Aqaba Bird Observatory has none of these luxuries, yet. Whatever species that has famously turned up at the bird watching centre has anonymously turned up in Aqaba. It simply is not visited by many birders.
My guide, Feras Rahahleh, and I walked around its lagoons tracing the recent tracks of the tractors that were still carving out the paths. Being the manager of the observatory, he was very keen to show me every single bird on site.
We carefully approached the basins to observe hundreds of Cormorants nervously loafing at the opposite end of the lagoons. Hanging out with them were good numbers of Black-winged Stilt, Spur-winged Lapwing, Ruff, Little Stint, Snipe and Red-throated Pipits. Black-headed Gulls were numerous standing alongside some inconspicuously hidden and superficially similar Slender-billed Gulls.
A lone foraging Whiskered Tern, in non-breeding plumage, broke my gaze as I was sifting through the bobbing Pintail, Wigeon, Teal and at least five Ferruginous Duck – always nice birds to see!
Sleeping giant
Feras saved the best to last. As I watched a couple of Greater Flamingos stride in another lagoon, he pointed out a couple of species that were complete newcomers to the scene: around 20 Egyptian Geese and a lone Lesser White-fronted Goose that had taken up permanent residence the year before. The Lesser White-front was a lifer for me and a perfect way to end my Jordanian birding experience. Aqaba is certainly another sleeping giant within the ornithological world.
I must make you all aware of one major issue when visiting this incredible country to enjoy its wildlife. You may not be able to bring binoculars, telescopes and cameras into the country! My entry into Jordan at Aqaba Airport wasn’t the most welcoming.
I was held up for 45 minutes being questioned by authorities over my possession of a telescope. After threatening to confiscate it, I eventually convinced them otherwise. The very warm welcome offered at the hotel afterwards certainly helped to calm my frayed nerves. Leaving the country was not much better. I was stopped a total of five times over my telescope and nearly missed my flight as a result. There does not seem to be any official advice regarding getting permits for optics and cameras.
Thanks to: Hyatt Regency Aqaba Ayla Resort
https://www.ayla.com.jo/
Feras Rahahleh at Aqaba Bird Observatory
jdtours.com/the-aqaba-bird-observatory
Reference Guide: Collins Bird Guide