Birds watching tour

10 days – 9 nights

 

Day 1 : Airport/Azraq

Meets and assist at Queen Alia Airport, Assist with Visa formalities, transfer

 to Azraq via The black basalt desert first of all  we will stop at Shaumari

 Wildlife Reserve ( expected- the central Asian race hafizi) . And continue

 to  Wadi al Butm (this site proved very productive after the winter rains

 had brought on a flush of grasses. Singing Bimaculated Larks and Pale Rock

 Sparrows were an expected addition to the local black morph Mourning

 Wheatears).  where we studied the Umayyad bath-house, and then

 explored the tree-lined Wadi for migrant birds. Back to Azraq Castle, and

 Azraq guesthouse  welcome cup of tea at the Azraq Rest house, look

 around the grounds and  (Burgess pools) -  could not be reached by bus or

 on foot due to wet mud*.. Night at Azraq Rest house

* depend of flight schedule.

Day 2 : Azraq/Zarqa/Jerash.

Will have breakfast at Azraq guesthouse and transfer to Qa' Al-Zraq

( Expected: Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina Immature, near Zarqa, ) ,

 there will be Greater Flamingo,  drive to  King Talal Dam was finally aborted

 and replaced by a roadside walk near the Zarqa River. then climb up to the

 Dibbin Forest. Here we  find  at least three species of orchid in the Aleppo

 Pines and Strawberry Trees. Afternoon will drive to Jerash, and will have

 Lunch at Guesthouse,  afternoon at the Roman Decapolis city of Jerash

 (Gerasa showed you the temples, theatres and churches and visit every

 corner of this extensive site. Night at Olive branch Hotel.

Day 3 : Wadi El-Yabis/Wadi Shuaib/Dead Sea/Dana

 After breakfast we drive down to Wadi Yabis, a pretty Wadi which flows

 from the Ajlun Mountains to the Jordan Valley. Where we expect to find

 Water birds, then we drive down to Jordan Valley via Wadi Shuaib where

 the prophet Shuaib's tomb, both roads sides full of  fig trees  and

 pomegranate orchards. We will swim and float in Dead Sea, use mud and

 evening drive to Dana Natural Reserve in old village of Dana, night at Dana Hotel

 Day 4 : Dana/Wadi Dana/Fainan

 Breakfast will have to be prepared for 7 hours walking, we start early

 morning to walk in Wadi Dana: walk a very steep track towards the Wadi

 itself, and view the orchards from there. The orchards not only support

 resident species such as Yellow-vented Bulbul and Tristan's Grackle, but

 also a large number of passage birds during the migration seasons. In the

 lower Wadi, around Feinan, there are White-crowned Black, Mourning and

 Hooded Wheatears, Blackstart, Scrub Warbler and Brown Babbler. Hume's

 Tawny Owls are also present, and Sooty Falcon occur in summer. Resident

 birds of prey include Griffon Vulture, Bonelli's Eagle and Barbary Falcon,

 with Short-toed Eagle also present in summer. A major raptor migration

 route passes over Wadi Dana in the spring, with probably hundreds of

 thousands of birds (mainly Steppe Buzzard) involved. As many as 20

 species of raptor (resident and migrant) can be seen on spring days Wadi

 Dana is one of the most dramatic and unspoilt Wadis in the Southern Rift

 Margins, and it is the showcase reserve of the RSCN. The surrounding hills

 reach 1500 m, and hold a rich and distinctive, high altitude avifauna. The

 Wadi itself, flanked by red sandstone cliffs and narrow side gorges, runs

 down to Wadi Araba, and contains a range of habitats, many of which can

 only be reached on foot. We will walk for 7 hours till we arrive at the end

 of Valley beginning of Wadi Araba desert the Old Fainan, there will

 overnight at Bedouins at their tents, and having a Bedouin food for

 evening meal.

 Day 5 : Fainan/Petra

Leave  the Bedouin family  quite early so we could make the most of your

 day in Petra. After the siq and Treasury some , the High Place and down

 through Wadi Farasa. group at the Forum Restaurant,  lunch we again split

 into two groups - one climbing to the Monastery and the other looking at

 the museums area. head back up the siq and by torch light we finally

 reached the Rest house. Unfortunately the only sign of Hume's Tawny Owl

 was a brief call in the. Night at the Petra Diamond Hotel

Day 6 : Petra/Wadi Rum

 After breakfast driving through the Sharra Uplands we descended the Ras

 an Naqab escarpment and check in at the new visitor center then by Jeep

 Safari drive in the protected area will have lunch at Bedouin tent . The

 local pair of Verreaux's Eagles conveniently performed above the high cliffs.

 Expected to watch : Red-fronted Serin Serinus we will have round by Jeep

 and walk in famous canyon excepting more species and Night at tents,

 Wadi Umm Ishrin

 Day 7 : Wadi Rum/ Aqaba

After breakfast at the campsite we start walking around Khaza'ali and

 Khuttar Spring  expecting to find Ring Ouzel Turdus tortuous Two first-

winter birds, Redwing Turdus iliacus, and then we will walk to Lawrence

 Spring from there we get our jeeps and transfer to Aqaba, check in at

 Aquamarina II, afternoon we will drive you to  Aqaba Sewage Works - a

 useful feature, as they are not plotted on any maps. The sea watching

 spot by the Ayla archaeology site, we birdwatche at the sewage works

 (sorry, water treatment plant). Whilst we  get our military pass we  meet

 by the plant's manager, and we  soon will be  busy identifying the masses

 of birds to be found at the pools. The total reached 66 species, including

 Black-winged Pratincole which was seen well enough to convince

 everyone. Ducks, waders, gulls and terns gave us superb back to Red Sea

 beach: snorkeling. Or  short walk to the beach for a late sea watch, free

 afternoon for shopping and relaxing. Night at the Aquamarina II, Aqaba.  

Day 8 : Aqaba/Wadi Araba/Kerak

After breakfast at Aquamarina II we drive via Wadi Araba to Kerak lunch,

 and whistle-stop tour of the castle before, continue Hidan rich of 46

 speices, where we will walk a circuit across Wadi Moujip. Until  a leg-

stretch at the new Mujib bridge where last stop. Night at Moujip Hotel.

Day 9 : Kerak/Moujip/Amman

Breakfast and drive via Grand Canyon of Wadi al Mujib, a photo stop for

 Black Irises by the roadside. Where we expect to watch  most of the local

 birds, continue to Amman, Night at Petunia Hotel

Day 10: Amman/Airport.

 Breakfast, transfer to Airport, departure

 Packages included :

Meets and assist at Airport

All transfers by minibuses, Jeep Safaris

Hotel accommodation as mentioned in the itinerary

Tour guides (professional )

Camping in Wadi Rum

Horse ride in Petra

All meals (Breakfast, lunches, dinners)

Entrance fees to all sites mentioned

 FAQ:

1/ RSCN:

The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature in Jordan (RSCN) is an

 independent voluntary organization devoted to the conservation of

 Jordan's wildlife and natural environment. It was created in 1966 under the

 patronage of His Majesty King Hussein and has been given responsibility for

 protecting the country's wildlife and wild places. Membership costs 15 JD

 per year for an individual.

2/ The final bird list of the tour totaled 118 species.

3/ In line with the Association of European Rarities Committees'

 recommendation that "Every rarities committee should check the old

 exceptional records. In particular, reports of difficult

 species for which new identification criteria have been established should

 be reconsidered", JBRC has looked at the previously-published species

 mentioned in the itinerary.