Today was my last trip to the Farm. I’ve been coming here, off and on, for months and I’m so glad I discovered it. The variety and number of birds here is unlike anything anywhere in Qatar. Today’s trip started early as I wanted one last chance to see the Lilith Owls. Lilith Owls I… Read More >Lilith Owls On My Last Visit to Irakaya Farm ..read more

I’ve been coming to Karaana Lagoons for as while now, and I travelled to Karaana Lagoons today to see how the site has developed over the summer. It remains a perplexing location. Several kilometres west of Irakaya Farm, you have to double back on yourself to gain access. There are no signs to alert you… Read More >Creatures of the Desert Lagoon ..read more

The Fat Birder is a birding legend. If you want a good quality scope for not silly money — here's a great option according to @Fatbirder. #birding ..read more

I’ve been a frequent visitor to Irakaya Farm for many months now. In his post I would like to dwell on its significance to the expatriate birder, and on its importance to Qatar as a precious natural resource. From the Desert, A Garden Driving out from Doha on the Salwa Road, which leads to the… Read More >Qatar’s Secret Garden ..read more

The movements of migratory birds are one of nature’s most impressive phenomena. But because these journeys largely occur under the cover of darkness, the enormous magnitude of birds migrating can be difficult to comprehend, much less experience ..read more

The movements of migratory birds are one of nature’s most impressive phenomena. But because these journeys largely occur under the cover of darkness, the enormous magnitude of birds migrating can be difficult to comprehend, much less experience. The BirdCast project aims to empower everyone to see nocturnal migration in a new light through access to tools to monitor, predict, and understand avian movements. eBirders can take advantage of BirdCast’s forecasting and monitoring to guide their birding, and cities can use BirdCast to plan Lights Out initiatives to prevent bird strikes, as well as c ..read more

It doesn't seem possible, but there are in fact, ospreys in the desert! Read on to find out what's going on ..read more

After the failure to obain access to the Farm on Friday, I thought I’d drive down after work today and see if it I could get in. I’m glad I did because there was a lot going on. I’d only previously visited the farm during the peak migration period from January through February and into… Read More >Irakaya Farm 21-9-2020 ..read more

Whether you know Podiceps cristatus as Great Crested Grebe, Bahri, or Somormujo lavanco, your eBird experience can display bird names in your preferred language. With 9 new options, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology now offers bird common names in 78 languages and regional dialects – including 15 variations of Spanish and 6 for French! Recent additions to common names include Arabic, Asturian, Azerbaijani, Catalan, Gallegan, and Slovak as well as two new regional versions of Spanish (Peru and Paraguay) and one additional version of French customized for French Guiana.  We also now have compl ..read more

An article published on the American Birding Association’s website said a lack of food and hypothermia were the likely cause of the mass mortality event ..read more