Peter Hellyer
13-12-2008, 10:23
Since an earlier post on the Qurrayah Pools seems to have disappeared, I'll update.
Most will know the 'old' pools, just on the inland side of the Fujairah coast road, north of the oil tank farm, and before you get to Qurrayah village and the entrance to Wadi Safad. This began as an area where gravel was excavated, then, with the dumping of waste water commencing, it became an area of "water" pools, reedbeds and extensive areas of mesquite. And a great site it was too - with a number of rarities being recorded, roosting gulls and herons, hundreds of waders, including 200+ pairs of black-winged stilts, dozens of ducks and more.
The "old" site has now been fenced off, to become the location of the new Main Oil Terminal for the Abu Dhabi - Fujairah oil pipeline. Access isn't possible without permission - but on Thursday 12th December virtually all of the pools had been filled in and bulldozers had grubbed out most of the trees.
However, just to the north, the Municipality sewage/waste water tankers are still dumping and a new "pool" has been created. It can be viewed from adjacent to the highway (try driving up close, between the northern side of the fenced compound around the old pools and the construction equipment a bit further up).
If you drive a bit further up, there's a good track that runs inland along through trees and rubbish dumps, and then, before you reach the mountain edge, there's another track to the left that runs through more rubbish dumps to take you round to the back of the new 'pool.' Once there, a left turn (i.e. to the north again) will take you back into an area of largely dead trees. Lots of duck and herons (in the early morning) to be found amidst these trees - though rather wary and liable to flush as a car gets close.
I've now looked at the area several times since September. Nothing rare seen yet - typical birds are grey herons (up to 40-50), black-winged stilt (25+), roosting gulls, small numbers of waders (ruff numbers sometimes 50+) moorhen, red-wattled plover, mallard, teal, citrine wagtail etc. Bonelli's eagles overhead sometimes (presumably the pair I saw up Wadi Safad on 10th December).
IF Fujairah gets some decent rains this winter, the area could become interesting, for a while - until the new waste water treatment plant can cope with all of the sewage tankers, so the dumping stops.
Worth a quick visit when on a Fujairah sea-watch, perhaps.
Peter
Most will know the 'old' pools, just on the inland side of the Fujairah coast road, north of the oil tank farm, and before you get to Qurrayah village and the entrance to Wadi Safad. This began as an area where gravel was excavated, then, with the dumping of waste water commencing, it became an area of "water" pools, reedbeds and extensive areas of mesquite. And a great site it was too - with a number of rarities being recorded, roosting gulls and herons, hundreds of waders, including 200+ pairs of black-winged stilts, dozens of ducks and more.
The "old" site has now been fenced off, to become the location of the new Main Oil Terminal for the Abu Dhabi - Fujairah oil pipeline. Access isn't possible without permission - but on Thursday 12th December virtually all of the pools had been filled in and bulldozers had grubbed out most of the trees.
However, just to the north, the Municipality sewage/waste water tankers are still dumping and a new "pool" has been created. It can be viewed from adjacent to the highway (try driving up close, between the northern side of the fenced compound around the old pools and the construction equipment a bit further up).
If you drive a bit further up, there's a good track that runs inland along through trees and rubbish dumps, and then, before you reach the mountain edge, there's another track to the left that runs through more rubbish dumps to take you round to the back of the new 'pool.' Once there, a left turn (i.e. to the north again) will take you back into an area of largely dead trees. Lots of duck and herons (in the early morning) to be found amidst these trees - though rather wary and liable to flush as a car gets close.
I've now looked at the area several times since September. Nothing rare seen yet - typical birds are grey herons (up to 40-50), black-winged stilt (25+), roosting gulls, small numbers of waders (ruff numbers sometimes 50+) moorhen, red-wattled plover, mallard, teal, citrine wagtail etc. Bonelli's eagles overhead sometimes (presumably the pair I saw up Wadi Safad on 10th December).
IF Fujairah gets some decent rains this winter, the area could become interesting, for a while - until the new waste water treatment plant can cope with all of the sewage tankers, so the dumping stops.
Worth a quick visit when on a Fujairah sea-watch, perhaps.
Peter