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| WHITE PELICANS |
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| GLOSSY IBIS |
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| EUROPEAN NIGHTJAR |
One of my hobbies is birdwatching and from March to May a lot of interesting birds pass through Salalah on their way north.
I saw the three White Pelicans (Pelecanus onocratulus) on March 23. It looks like it's a family group with two adult parents and one immature bird. They stayed close together for a few weeks by the East Khawr (khawr is the Arabic for creek), before continuing their northward migration.
There was also a flock of up to 60 Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) on the East Khawr for a few weeks. I remember the first time I ever saw an Ibis, it seemed such an exotic bird. They still seem exotic to me now, with their metallic purple and blue feathers, and long curved bills.
The male European Nightjar ( Caprimulgus europaeus) was roosting on the branch of a tree outside my office window all day today, May 5. He will fly tonight. Whether he'll continue flying north or return to roost in the tree for a few days, I don't know. A male African Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis) stayed in the same tree for a few weeks last year. You can hear a Nightjar here:
