Bridled Tern - Onychoprion anaethetus
I spent the weekend diving in Oman on a Dhow trip with a different bunch of families. It was mainly about the fish but my eye did wander out to the birds and I managed to remind myself that the Task is still on. I am sure that I have posted about other Dhow trips but they are a firm favourite with the family. A two hour drive over to Dibba assisted by new roads and then a good 3-4 hour cruise up the coast of Oman from about 5.30 pm (the Musandam peninsula) towards the Hormuz straights. You wake up to this !
The geology is spectacular and the sea for once was a great temperature for swimming and snorkelling and as clear as a bell. Turtles, rays, fish - all perfect.
The days are just filled up with diving, snorkelling, eating, banana boat rides, hand lining, more eating, card games, talking and so on. Little or no mobile reception enhances the experience - the out of office just goes on for 48 hours. There is nothing you can do so you just have to go with the flow.
Its relaxed - A bit like this old Omani cargo ship - I'd love to borrow this for a few days and steam up and down the coats rooting out seabird colonies and diving the reefs !
Our own vessel was a touch more up market and equipped (for once) with air conditioned cabins and and a lounge - there were even plugs so one family brought a Nespresso machine. Below wasn't our Dhow but you get the idea. 4 or 5 cabins below and two decks (an upper and lower) also used for sleeping out under the stars and sunbathing etc. big long table for meals.
The bird - 1,000,000 pairs of these in the Indian Ocean and perhaps 50,000 in the Gulf proper. Technically this is not the Arabian/Persian Gulf but the "Gulf of Oman" which is really an offshoot of the Indian Ocean. Its nesting time at the moment and the whole rocky coast will be littered with nests. These birds are ocean going and feed up to 50 km from shore. They roost at night on islands, in trees and also on floating bouys and other debris on the ocean. One report says that they feed and roost on the great piles of weed in the Sargasso sea.
I got this picture of their sea perching habits - here on the float for a lobster pot.
At times you could cruise round the corner to see 1,000 birds filling the sky and all fishing at once. At other times not a Tern for 15 minutes. As I say though ...One good tern deserves another.
I really need to get wedded back to my camera for "context shots" to tell the story of the place and the bird. Can you believe I got so excited with a pod of 10 dolphins I did not even think to grab the thing.
I love reading back the daily Bird - if nothing else it is a good record of trips. More pictures and more effort for the rest of the year ! A promise to myself - I will public publish again when I get to 500 birds. Thats a good round number to aim for this year - I have a lot of travel coming up.
Bridled Tern, Onychoprion anethetus
7 May 2016
Gulf of Oman, off Musandam Peninsula, Oman
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