Kuwaiti team spots stunning bird species in Jordan’s Azraq Wetland Reserve
Mohammad Shah, head of the Bird Monitoring and Protection Team at the Kuwait Environment Protection Society, accompanied by members of the Jordanian Photography Association, recently observed a variety of remarkable birds in the Azraq Wetland Reserve in Jordan.
More than 350 bird species have been recorded at the reserve, representing two-thirds of all bird species in Jordan. The reserve is also home to the Sarhani fish, the only vertebrate species endemic to the area, along with a rare fish found nowhere else in the world.
Shah highlighted the species observed during the visit, saying, “The first birds we encountered were the great white pelican, wandering between the lakes, followed by summer egrets, little egrets, Eurasian thrushes, moorhens, crested grebes, little grebes, blue-cheeked bee-eaters, grey herons, and red-backed shrike.”
He added that the team ventured into the desert areas near the reserve to monitor additional species, spotting the crowned lark, horned lark, desert goldfinch, gray sandpiper, great grey shrike, hooded shrike, spotted flycatcher, and thorny plover.
“The sun set, forced us to stop and return to Amman, leaving us with a sense of joy and happiness from a new experience and the opportunity to make new friends,” Shah said, reflecting on the successful birdwatching expedition.
Established in 1978, a year after being included in the Ramsar Convention as the first Arab wetland reserve under the agreement, Azraq serves as a critical stopover for migratory birds.
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