BIRDS IN SYRIA
During 1997-2000 I made three visits to Syria. Unfortunately my fellow travellers did not share my interest in birds so the possibilities to stop wherever I wanted to were not that big but never the less I made some observations that might be of interest.
I have not found much written about birding in Syria so I am not sure what is interesting or not. Therefore I include all my notations. There are also some notes from 1974 when I spent six months in the country. As I was a young beginner then I have excluded some uncertain observations.
Shag:
1 on a small island Ras al-Bassit 28/4-00
Grey Heron:
2 passing Tartous 28/3-97
3 S Tartous 11/4-98
3 passing Deir Ez Zur 23/4-00
White Stork:
4 NE Damascus 27/3-97
4 W Homs 27/3-97
2 SE Ras al-Bassit 28/4-00
Several migrating Deir Soleib – Misyaf 29/4-00
Several hundred NW Homs 29/4-00
Black stork:
1 SW Palmyra 21-22/4-00
1 migrating Apamea 28/4
Mallard:
50 Deir Ez Zur 8/4-98
Black Kite:
1 W Homs 27/3-97
30-40 migrating Krak des Chevaliers 11/4-98
Buzzard:
Hundreds passing Krak des Chevaliers 11/4-98
Aquila sp:
Several migrating Krak des Chevaliers 11/4-98
Booted Eagle:
1 30 km SW Palmyra 7/4-98
Montagu´s Harrier:
Several migrating in the desert around Palmyra 21-22/4-98
Kestrel:
1 Krak des Chevaliers 4/4-74 and 27/3-97
Lesser Kestrel:
1 Qalaat As Rabbeh 8/4-98
1 Doura Europous 8/4-98
2 Rasafeh 9/4-98
2 Krak des Chevaliers 11/4-98
1 male Deir Soleib 29/4-00
Moorhen:
1 close to Mari 8/4-98
Coot:
Several Deir Ez Zur 8/4-98 and 23/4-00
Great Snipe:
1 Ras al-Bassit 28/4-00
Common Sandpiper:
1 Deir Ez Zur 23/4-00
Cream-coloured Courser:
3 Zenobia Desert Camp, S Palmyra 21/4-00
Several in the desert Palmyra – Deir Ez Zur 22/4-00
Yellow-legged Gull:
Several Tartous 28/3-97
Several Ras al-Bassit 28/4-00
Lesser Black-backed Gull:
Several Tartous 28/3-97
Black.headed Gull:
Several Tartous 28/3-97
Palm Dove:
Common Damascus march 97, april 98 and april 00
Collared Dove:
Several along the road Palmyra – Deir Ez Zur 7/4-98
Rock Dove:
1 Palmyra – Deir Ez Zur 7/4-98
Cuckoo:
1 heard in the mountains E Latakia 28/4-00
Swift:
Seen in Damascus 24/3-97, Maloula 12/4-98 and migrating in Deir Ez Zur 23/4-00, but not in great numbers.
Alpine Swift:
Seen in Palmyra 13/4-74 and Maloula 12/4-98
Kingfisher:
1 Mari 8/4-98
Pied Kingfisher:
1 Deir Ez Zur 23/4-00
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater:
Several Mari 8/4-00
Bee-eater:
Several migrating around Palmyra and in Deir Ez Zur 22/4-00
Roller:
Several Hama – Misyaf – Homs 29/4-00
Hoopoe:
1 Palmyra – Deir Ez Zur 7/4-98
1 Doura Europous 8/4-98
Wryneck:
1 (climbing on a wall) Damascus 7/4-98
Crested Lark:
Several Ebla 29/3-97, Deir Ez Zur – Palmyra 7/4-98, S Tartous
11/4-98, Soukneh 22/4-98 and Apamea 28/4-00
Hoopoe Lark:
1 Soukneh 22/4-00
Temminck´s Horned Lark:
2 Homs – Palmyra 13/4-74
Sand Martin:
Some migration along the Euphrates, Deir Ez Zur 23/4-00
Swallow:
Several in Damascus 24/3-97 and Deir Ez Zur 8/4-98.
Migration in the desert around Palmyra 21-22/4-00
Heavy passage (around 300/minute!!) along the Euphrates, Deir Ez
Zur, early morning 23/4-00
Red-rumped Swallow:
Seen in Palmyra 13/4-74 and Damascus 24/3-97
Some migration Deir Ez Zur 23/4-00
House Martin:
Seen in Damascus 24/3-97
Red-throated Pipit:
3-4 Zenobia Desert Camp, S Palmyra 21/4-00
Yellow Wagtail:
Common Palmyra 13/4-74
White Wagtail:
1 100 km SW Palmyra 21/4-00
Red-backed Shrike:
1 Ras al-Bassit 28/4-00
Woodchat Shrike:
1 S Tartous 11/4-98
1 Zenobia Desert Camp, S Palmyra 22/4-00
Magpie:
2 SE Deir Ez Zur 8/4-98
2 Deir Ez Zur 23/4-00
Jay:
Heard in the mountains E Tartous 10/4-98
2 Ras al-Bassit 28/4-00
Raven:
3 – 4 Palmyra 7/4-98
Wren:
1 singing Krak des Chevaliers 27/3-97
Several singing in the mountains E Tartous 10/4-98 and E Latakia
28/4-00
Robin:
1 Bara 29/3-97
Nightingale:
1 singing Ras al-Bassit 28/4-00
Redstart:
1 male Zenobia Desert Camp, S Palmyra 21/4-00
Black-eared Wheatear:
1 male Ebla 29/3-97
Blackbird:
Several singing in the mountains E Tartous 10/4-98 and E Latakia
28/4-00
Blue Rock Thrush:
1 singing in the Old City, Damascus 19-30/4-00
Cetti´s Warbler:
Several singing Deir Ez Zur 8/4-98 and 23/4-00
Fan-tailed Warbler:
1 singing close to Krak des Chevaliers 27/3-97
Blackcap:
Several singing Damascus 24/3-97
1 male Zenobia Desert Camp, S Palmyra 21/4-00
Lesser Whitethroat:
Several singing in the mountains E Tartous 10/4-98
1 Zenobia Desert Camp, S Palmyra 21/4-00
Sardinian Warbler:
Several Ras al-Bassit 28/4-00
Graceful Warbler:
1 singing Adra 7/4-98
Very common along the coast S Tartous 11/4-98
A few singing Ras al-Bassit 28/4-00
Chiffchaff:
Several singing in Damascus 24/3-97and in the coastal mountains 10/4-98, 27-28/4-00
Great tit:
Singing males heard Krak des Chevaliers 27/3-97, Bara 28/3-97,
coastal mountains 10/4-98 and 28/4-00, Ras al-Bassit 28/4-00,
Deir Soleib 29/4-00
Nuthatch:
Several heard in the mountains E Tartous 10/4-98
Yellow-vented Bulbul:
2 Ras al-Bassit 28/4-00
Spanish Sparrow:
10 Zenobia Desert Camp, S Palmyra 21/4-00
Dead Sea Sparrow:
10 Mari 8/4-98
Rock Sparrow:
Several Maaloula 12/4-98
Chaffinch:
Several small flocks Bara 28/3-97
Linnet:
Heard Bara 28/-97
Goldfinch:
A few Krak des Chevaliers 27/3-97 and Deir Soleib 29/4-00
Greenfinch:
A few Krak des Chevaliers 27/3-97
1 singing Maaloula 12/4-98
Serin:
Several Bara 28/3-97
Several singing in the mountains E Latakia 27/4-00
Ortolan Buntung:
1 Zenobia Desert Camp, S Palmyra 21/4-00
Cretzschmar´s Bunting:
1 10 km E Tartous 10/4-98
Black-headed Bunting:
Very common Ras al-Bassit 28/4-00
Several singing Apamea 28/4-00
Corn Bunting:
1 singing Ebla 29/3-97
1 singing close to Krak des Chevaliers 11/4-98
Several singing Ghab 28/4-00