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BIRDWATCHING AFTER GONU
written by franci fryberger
I“This new channel has been an astounding success for it has opened up some prime bird real estate to even the casual observer”

AN ILL WIND
The silver lining
When tropical storm Gonu blew through coastal Oman in June 2007, it left death and destruction in its wake. It will take years to rebuild the many devastated coastal towns, villages and roads. But, as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Although tropical storm Gonu caused a sea surge and floods at Qurm in the Muscat area, it also scoured two new channels through the
estuary, washing out mangroves, palms, parking lots and roadways in the process.

One of these channels is now quite broad and looks like a tidal flat. The channel appears to be filled with fish. And the fish are attracting many birds.

PRIME REAL ESTATE
Bringing birds to the public
From the bird-watching point of view, this Gonu-carved channel has been an astounding success for it has opened up some prime bird real estate to even the casual observer. Most of the birds now feeding along this channel have been seen before in or near Qurm Natural Park and the mangrove estuary, according to bird watchers Simon Tull and Ross Hendrie. “But,” says Ross, “this new channel sort of brings the birds to the public.” One has only to look out over the tidal flat (perhaps from near the Qurm Beach Starbucks, which is still closed after the flood), to see the many different birds that, pre-Gonu, remained hidden from view in the park.

The various birds are not there all day, every day. Simon suggests that the best viewing times are either early in the morning or in the evening, particularly at high tide (tide tables for the Muscat area appear at the back of every issue of Oman Today). Bird watching is most rewarding during the period from March to October.

Birds that Ross and Simon have recently seen feeding along this tidal channel include the greater flamingo, glossy ibis, a wide range of gulls and terns, herons, ducks and geese, wading birds and cormorants. You might even be fortunate enough to find an osprey fishing in the creek, or a greater spotted eagle patrolling the nearby treetops.

CONSTRUCTION
Bridges over birds
The washed out road across the estuary is being rebuilt. During this construction phase the two new Gonu-carved channels have been mostly dammed to allow for construction work and so that detoured vehicles can pass. New bridges will span the two channels carved by the storm. It will be months before these bridges are completed and the road across the estuary is restored. Once the bridges are in place, the new channels will be reopened so that seawater will flow through them directly into and out of the estuary, as well as through the older channels. For now, the tides ebb and flow mostly through the older channels on either side of the estuary.
If you would like to know more about birds in Oman, including those that may be in Qurm Estuary, visit the website www.birds oman.com or consult Common Birds of Oman (Al Roya Publishing), both of which are produced by Hanne and Jens Eriksen.