moloch
16-Nov-2013, 06:44 PM
In October, I spent a couple of weeks in the UAE and Oman while on the way home from Italy. I met an old high school friend in Dubai and we set off on what was primarily a reptile photography trip. We both enjoy natural history in general so we also had a wonderful time studying the birds, plants and butterflies. October was a good month for northern migrants and we saw large numbers of these particularly near oases. It was hard to concentrate on any particular group of animals or plants since the whole place was so interesting.
Here is a map that shows the route that we followed through the UAE and Oman:
B: Al Ain, UAE
C: Bahla, Al Hajar Mountains, Oman
D: Salalah, Oman
H: Sur, Oman
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Oman/collages1000/mapoman_zps255b25ce.jpg
Our trip started at Al Ain, UAE ("B" on map). In June, I saw many butterflies in the garden of the Jebel Hafeet Mercure Hotel. This time, there were fewer flowers and hardly any butterflies to be seen. I was not able to take any butterfly photos at all. I will add a few photos of habitats and reptiles at the end of this post. There were some special creatures living in the dunes!
Next stop was a couple of nights at Bahla, Oman ("C" on map). This was a good base for studying the Al Hajar Mountains. We spent a day each on Jebel Akhdar and Jebel Shams. The weather was surprisingly humid and unfortunately, it was hazy much of the time. Views of the rugged mountains were not as good as in Feb when some of the following photos were taken:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Oman/collages1000/bahla_zpsce6bb360.jpg
Jebel Akhdar at about 2000m:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Oman/October%202013/Bahla/jebelakhdar1_zps7898b647.jpg
I always check this wadi along the road to the Jebel Akhdar. It is moister than most sites and is always good for birds, a few lizards and many butterflies. The milkweed in October was flowering profusely and it looked to be in good condition. Late summer is the monsoon on the coast and a little moisture also falls in the mountains.
Milkweed (Calotropis procera):
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Oman/butterflies%20Feb%20May%20Oct/Milkweed2Calotropisprocera_zpsdd8163dd.jpg
Ted took this shot of me while I was searching for Acanthodactylus lacertids. Notice how tall the milkweed is behind me. In North America, milkweeds were small plants unlike these that grow to the size of large shrubs or even small trees in places.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Oman/butterflies%20Feb%20May%20Oct/me_zps6bf71809.jpg
Further up Jebel Akhdar, conditions were dry and the milkweeds had lost most of their leaves.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Oman/October%202013/Bahla/habitat6_zpsc8f86510.jpg
Common Tigers (Danaus chrysippus) were numerous near the milkweeds.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Oman/butterflies%20Feb%20May%20Oct/butterflyCommonTigerDanauschrysippus_zps9367d1b5.j pg
Caper White (Anphaeis aurota)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Oman/butterflies%20Feb%20May%20Oct/butterflyCaperWhiteAnphaeisaurota_zps1abeaa73.jpg
Here is a map that shows the route that we followed through the UAE and Oman:
B: Al Ain, UAE
C: Bahla, Al Hajar Mountains, Oman
D: Salalah, Oman
H: Sur, Oman
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Oman/collages1000/mapoman_zps255b25ce.jpg
Our trip started at Al Ain, UAE ("B" on map). In June, I saw many butterflies in the garden of the Jebel Hafeet Mercure Hotel. This time, there were fewer flowers and hardly any butterflies to be seen. I was not able to take any butterfly photos at all. I will add a few photos of habitats and reptiles at the end of this post. There were some special creatures living in the dunes!
Next stop was a couple of nights at Bahla, Oman ("C" on map). This was a good base for studying the Al Hajar Mountains. We spent a day each on Jebel Akhdar and Jebel Shams. The weather was surprisingly humid and unfortunately, it was hazy much of the time. Views of the rugged mountains were not as good as in Feb when some of the following photos were taken:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Oman/collages1000/bahla_zpsce6bb360.jpg
Jebel Akhdar at about 2000m:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Oman/October%202013/Bahla/jebelakhdar1_zps7898b647.jpg
I always check this wadi along the road to the Jebel Akhdar. It is moister than most sites and is always good for birds, a few lizards and many butterflies. The milkweed in October was flowering profusely and it looked to be in good condition. Late summer is the monsoon on the coast and a little moisture also falls in the mountains.
Milkweed (Calotropis procera):
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Oman/butterflies%20Feb%20May%20Oct/Milkweed2Calotropisprocera_zpsdd8163dd.jpg
Ted took this shot of me while I was searching for Acanthodactylus lacertids. Notice how tall the milkweed is behind me. In North America, milkweeds were small plants unlike these that grow to the size of large shrubs or even small trees in places.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Oman/butterflies%20Feb%20May%20Oct/me_zps6bf71809.jpg
Further up Jebel Akhdar, conditions were dry and the milkweeds had lost most of their leaves.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Oman/October%202013/Bahla/habitat6_zpsc8f86510.jpg
Common Tigers (Danaus chrysippus) were numerous near the milkweeds.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Oman/butterflies%20Feb%20May%20Oct/butterflyCommonTigerDanauschrysippus_zps9367d1b5.j pg
Caper White (Anphaeis aurota)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Oman/butterflies%20Feb%20May%20Oct/butterflyCaperWhiteAnphaeisaurota_zps1abeaa73.jpg