Birds of Wadi Sayq, Dhofar, Oman: British Exploring Society expeditions January-March 2012 and 2013

摘要

The first thorough biological assessment of the Dhofar region was conducted in 1977/1978 by the Oman Flora & Fauna Survey and published as a special report in Journal of Oman Studies (Shaw Reade et al 1980). Since then the wildlife of Oman has become comparatively well known, with the bird fauna particularly well recorded and reported (Eriksen & Victor 2013). In contrast Wadi Sayq, in southernmost Dhofar close to the Yemen border, has received comparatively little scientific attention. Shaw Reade et al (1980) reported a number of new bird species records for Arabia in this area although the survey was limited to just three days. Since then, Wadi Sayq had not been assessed by a dedicated expedition. The British Exploring Society (www.britishexploring.org) led two expeditions, 2012 and 2013, to the area (Borrell & Ball 2012, Ball et al 2013), undertaking detailed surveys of a number of taxonomic groups including insects (Ball 2014), amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds. Wadi Sayq is considered one of the greenest valleys in the Dhofar mountains and is comparatively less affected by human disturbance due to remoteness and inaccessibility than adjacent areas (Annette Patzelt & Hadi Hikmani pers comm February 2012).