Dubai March 2015 - 21st March 2015

For our last birdwatching session of this fantastic holiday under Dubai skies we returned to Ras La Khor Wildlife Sanctuary and in particular the Mangrove hide.

In a small bush near the hide sat a Striated Heron waiting patiently for some unsuspecting prey to pass by.

Greater Flamingoes, Great White Egret, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Western Reef Heron (dark phase) were all feeding in front of the hide.

Pintail and Teal were also present closeby.

All the birds were on high alerted when a Greater Spotted Eagle flew over a few times before stopping to perch on a small tree. The Red-Wattled Plovers did not stop harassing the eagle until it left the tree.

In the distance an Osprey was flying above the Dubai Creek to distant to photograph, but an another bird to add to our lists.

Just before we left Ras La Khor as the light was starting to drop I took a couple of photos to show its close proximity to the high-rise modern world of Dubai.

Back in the garden with the sunshine fading, we were rewarded with a drop in by two Indian Sliverbills.

I finished the holiday, with 134 bird species (including 6 lifers) and 3 butterfly species (Plain Tiger, Swallowtail & Desert White).

We had a great time, seeing some fabulous birds and amazing scenery. All birds were self-found by my family and although we tried to make sure everybody saw the same birds there were a few that were missed. I would estimate that my family saw 145+ bird species during our stay.