UAE Bird Guiding
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As of November 2018 we are struggling with availability of birdguides, the few we have are only available during some weekends (Friday & Saturday).
If you find yourself in Dubai, you can either rent a taxi for a half day or full day from Dubai Taxi, by ordering 24 hours in advance.
In 2019 the taxi rates are AED 900 for 6 hours and AED 1,800 for 12 hours.
Be prepared with instructions to the taxi driver, as few of the birding sites are known to them.
Guiding Rates
General rate is AED 150 pr hour (US $ 40). This includes the guide in a four-wheel drive vehicle.
Half day guiding, 6 hours: AED 800/- (US $ 220)
This is for 1-3 persons, no additional cost if you are one, two or three persons in the car.
Full day guiding, 12 hours: AED 1.600/- (US $ 435)
This is for 1-3 persons, no additional cost if you are one, two or three persons in the car.
Pick-up & drop-off in Dubai is normally at a central location, for example at hotel along Sheik Zayed Road, esp. if you are staying at an obscure hotel, in areas of Dubai with heavy traffic. Your guide will let you know the details.
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To contact a bird guide, see Contact.
Stewart Kirkcaldy - DUBAI
Stewart hails from the UK and has been birding for over 30 years.
He worked in various conservation projects in the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, UK, in the early 1980’s with the Forestry Commission. As a youth he used to assist with guided walks with the Countryside Ranger Service at a local Loch near his home town in Scotland; and in his early years sigthed an estimated 1,200 species from his travels.
He has also spent time in Kruger National Park in South Africa.
He was in Australia in the Capital Territory in 2015, and has visited various locations across the whole of the United Kingdom.
As a resident of the UAE since 2005, he is familiar with the local birding hotspots.
His UAE list is currently over 200 species since he began recording in 2015.
Stewart is a keen photographer and is currently documenting the avifauna of the UAE and has an in depth knowledge of Canon equipment. He can accommodate up to three plus their equipment in his long wheelbase Mitsubishi Pajero.
Stewart is available on weekends (Fridays and Saturdays) but may be available for a day midweek if enough advance notice is given, he will happily supply eBird checklists for specific areas to assist with clients achieving their wish list goals.
Write him now
Jacky Judas - EAST COAST
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Jacky hails from the north of France, birding since the age of 12.
He says: 'mainly birding in France during my younger years, but then French Austral and Antarctic territories, where I have worked on Albatrosses and Penguins, in French Guiana for my PhD in tropical ecology, in Europe, Africa, central Asia, Madagascar, New Zealand, China, Nepal, Pakistan, and most of Arabia (Saudi Arabia, where I was resident for 5 years, Oman, Yemen) and quite regularly in Thailand, which is my favorite destination.
I have never managed to make a count of my life list, possibly around 3000'.
Jacky has been a resident in the UAE since 2004.
His availability would be mainly during weekends (Fridays and Saturdays), but if required and adviced sufficiently in advance, week days might also be possible to arrange.
Jacky can guide on the East coast, including the following sites: Masafi Wadi, Wamm Farms, Dibba Port, Fujairah Port Beach, Khor Kalba, and the Hajar Mountains more generally.
Hopefully, he might include a visit to Wadi Wurayah in a near future. This is not an easy birding place, but might be interesting for a few species like Hooded Weathear, or Lichstenstein Sandgrouse in the evening, or even trying more for Omani Owl.
Jacky is also well versed in other topics than birds, including dragonflies, butterflies, reptiles, mountain flora, some notes on the geology, and general conservation in the UAE.
Jacky can also extend birding to Al Ain, to sites like Green Mubazzarah, Zakher Lake, Ayn al-Fayda, Jebel Hafit.
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Write him now
James Keogh - DUBAI
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James hails from the green island of Ireland,
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Beginning at 14 years old in Kenya, East Africa his birding experience extending out to include Ireland, New Zealand (North and South Islands) and Central America (El Salvador and Costa Rica). Some time was spent in Switzerland, mainly in the Canton of Zurich.
An avid amateur birder busy building up his life list.
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A resident of the UAE since 2018, experienced in multiple day overlanding adventures, he has a lot of experience in spotting the bigger game such as the re-introduced Oryx, Mountain Gazelle and Sand Gazelle.
Member of the Dubai Off-roaders 4x4 club, James can accommodate up to 3 people plus equipment in his Jeep Wrangler Unlimited.
James is keen to offer his help to visiting birders looking for transport and a knowledge of the UAE birding sites. Being a newcomer to the region, he is still learning about the local avifauna, and can not offer immediate identification help on the difficult to ID species-groups, but you will have a great and enthusiastic birding campanion with you, expertly navigating the UAE roads and trails, helping you to look for those hard-to-find target species.
Available all week incl. weekends (this is unique in the short list of UAE bird guides!), which is great for those looking for multiple-day trips. If requested, James can supply an eBird checklist or prepare a trip to give the best Bird species variation to maximise your available time period.
Write him now