Useful Links

Social Media

Follow these links for Simon Tull’s Flickr and Instagram pages

Follow these links for Gavin Farnell’s Flickr and Instagram pages

Field Identification Guides

There are two essential field guides to the birds of the Middle East

Birds of the Middle East, Second Edition. Richard Porter & Simon Aspinall. Helm Field Guide 2010, available in English and Arabic language versions and also as a free smartphone (Android, IOS) app.

Collins Bird Guide, Second Edition. Lars Svensson, Killian Mullarney, Dan Zetterström, Peter Grant, David Christie. HarperCollins, 2015.

Other Resources

EBird provides a useful account of birds seen in Qatar, which includes a month-by-month bar chart of species occurrences. Registered users (membership is free) can upload their own observations and receive bespoke alerts of birds reported.

Xeno-Canto is a global database of searchable and downloadable bird sounds.

Ornithological Societies

The Ornithological Society of the Middle East (OSME) encourages an interest in birds and the conservation of them and their habitats. The OSME Regional List (ORL) is the definitive list of bird species occurring in the region. They publish Sandgrouse bi-annually. Birdwatchers with an interest in the birds of Qatar and the Middle East are strongly encouraged to take up membership of OSME.

BirdLife International is a global partnership of conservation organisations that strives works towards the sustainable use of natural resources, global biodiversity and the conservation of birds and their environment.