Birding sites Qatar

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Cheapflight

255 species recorded in the country
Most of Qatar, with its flat desert and scanty vegetation, supports only a sparse and restricted avifauna. Of 255 species recorded in the country, about 23 breed, 78 are winter visitors and 104 are more-or-less regular migrants; the rest are vagrant or are rarely recorded. Seabirds breed on the offshore islands, possibly in internationally significant numbers, but the colonies have not been comprehensively surveyed; the species include Phalacrocorax nigrogularis, Egretta gularis, Sterna casoia, S. bengalensis, S. repressa and S. anaethetus. Parts of the law, rocky coast have broad intertidal flats of sand or mud, but coastal waterbirds are generally found at low densities except in certain spots, mostly on the more sheltered east coast. Outside the breeding season, the coastal zone of Qatar supports internationally important numbers of P.nigrogularis and, possibly, of Dromas ardeola.
for more information about Qatar's important bird areas, click here

Al-Aliyah island
A small, low, rocky outcrop within 5 km of the northern outskirts of Doha, and 3 km offshore. Surface is loose, weathered limestone rock with uneven cover of salt-tolerant bushes (Zygophyllum, Limonium). A sand-spit extends south for about 2 km at low tide, and there are broad intertidal flats to the south and east, and coral reefs nearby. The island is occasionally visited by fishermen and authorized falcon-trappers.
Surveys in 1992 and 1993 found Phalacrocorax nigrogularis (350 pairs), Egretta gularis (17 pairs), and second-hand reports of Sterna bengalensis (75 pairs), White-cheeked Tern (Sterna repressa) (25 pairs) and S. anaethetus (50 pairs). None of these populations exceed the 1% population levels, but the figures for terns are probably underestimates.
BirdLife International 2005

Field Guide to the Birds of the Middle East
Richard Porter,Steen Christensen & Per Schiermacker
Illustrated by A Birch,J Gale,M Langman & B Small

" The bottom line is:this is the best field guide published so far on birds of the Middle East."....Josef Kren, Wilson Bulletin

" A real tour de force and should remain the standard work for the region for a long time to come."..Gordon Hamlett, Birdwatching

"An indispensable and thoroughly recommended aid for birdwatchers in the Middle East and beyond." ...Andrew Grieve, Birdwatch.
Click here for ordering details.....