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Bird Watching Program in Jordan

bird watching picture Bird-watchers from all over the world have started organizing weeklong trips to Jordan to enjoy the sight of some rare species of indigenous birds and others that migrate annually between the northern and southern hemispheres. Jordan's location at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa means that birds from these three continents can sometimes be spotted in the same general area in Jordan.

Jordan's remarkable variety of habitats - from rugged mountains and evergreen woodlands to scrubby steppe and hot deserts - also makes for a dazzling variety of bird species. Jordan's segment of the Syrian-African Rift Valley is something of a high-traffic crossroads on the main migration routes for birds moving between Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Russia, towards Africa and back. At certain times of the year, the skies over the Rift Valley are full of circling birds of prey.

The pleasure of bird watching in Jordan is also enhanced by the genuine friendliness of the Jordanian people, and the opportunity to combine bird watching with trips to some of the Middle East's most awesome ancient and natural wonders, such as Petra, Wadi Rum, or the Dead Sea.

What sort of birds can you see?

The Eastern Desert habitat, including the Azraq oasis with its Wetland Reserve, is home to local desert and aquatic species, and is periodically visited by migrants. The species one can meet here include Temmink's Horned Lark, Desert Lark, Hoopoe Lark, Desert Wheatear and Trumpeter Finch. In winter, Cranes and Imperial Eagles roam across this area, and in the Desert Castles area east of Amman you can see Thick-billed Lark and Red-rumped Wheatears.

In the western highlands, the Mediterranean habitats surrounded by open steppe country - the wooded areas of the north (Zubia, Ajloun and Dibbin), and Dana in the south - are home to the Palestine Sunbird and different Warblers (Upcher's, Orphean and Sardinian). The more open steppe habitats typically contain the Spectacled Warbler, Long-billed Pipit, Black-eared Wheatear, Woodchat Shrike and Linnet.

The rift margins and valleys of the western highlands of four biogeographic zones, Wadi Shu'ayb and Wadi Mujib with their perennial watercourses are home to beautiful White-breasted Kingfisher, while at the magnificent rocky gorges of Wadi Rum, Dana, Mujib and Petra you can find the Griffon Vulture, Bonelli's Eagle, Hume's Tawny Owl, Blackstart, different Wheatears, Scrub Warbler, Sinai Rosefinch, House Bunting, Tristram's Grackle and Fan-tailed Raven.

The Dead Sea area and Wadi Araba are home to Arabian and African species such as the Sand Partridge, Bar-tailed lark, Dunn's lark, Hoopoe Lark, Little Green Bee-eater, Blackstart and Arabian Babbler.

Several fine colour guides to bird watching in Jordan have been published in recent years.

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