7th March 2012

Awaking up with the blue skies and the sound of birds in the hotel garden was brilliant. A pre-breakfast walk along the shore to watching Terns fishing was the only similarity between Fujairah and home in the North East.

As we drove out of Fujairah heading to Kor Kalba we stopped to watch the local fishermen hauling in the nets to bring their catches ashore. Flat backed trucks passed by brimming with small silvery fish and the local birds did not miss a dropped fish. Socota Cormorants fished offshore in and out of the nets dashing between the small boats. Onshore there were small groups of Gulls and Terns presumably disgesting their catch and resting under the heat of the sun. Near to our parked car we spotted Sooty Gull, Black-headed Gull, Steppe Gull and a Slender-billed Gull just starting to get a pink flush. Common Tern, Sandwich and Bridled Tern rested at the waters edge on what was a beautiful morning.

Kor Kalba
What a wonderful birding location! When we arrived the bridge crossing the river was closed much to our disappointment as we had come especially to see White-Collared Kingfisher. So unable to drive any further we put up our telescopes and scanned from the bridge. We were very lucky after 5 minutes of scanning a single Kingfisher was seen flying across the mud catching crabs before fly up to a favoured tree. A Striated Heron and an Indian Pond Heron could be seen slowly moving across the exposed mud, stopping at the occasional pool. Then in a flash a dark bird of prey flow very close in front of us and as we followed its flight we identified it as a Sooty Falcon - Wow.

After studying the map, we drove around the other side of the mangroves to see what else could be found and we were not disappointed. We parked up near a stretch of creek about 100 metres long for a couple of hours and the birdlife was amazing. As we heading back towards to road we also stopped at two small pools which were full of birds. Our records for Kor Kalba were as follows:
Redshank
Kentish Plover
Marsh Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
White-collared Kingfisher (5 individual birds)
Laughing Dove
Great Sandplover
Bar-tailed Godwit
Indian Pond Heron
Striated Heron
Common Myna
Curlew
Green Beeeater
Black-tailed Godwit
Sooty Falcon
Common Kingfisher
Cattle Egret
Purple Sunbird
Swallow
Crested Lark
Willow Warbler
House Crow
White-cheeked Bulbul
Greater Flamingo
Black-winged Stilt
Temminck's Stint
White Wagtail
Crag Martin
Green Sandpiper
Desert Wheatear
Hooded Wheatear
Greater Spotted Eagle
Collared Dove
Lesser Sandplover
Ringed Plover