Welcome to the Birds of Kuwait Birdwatching Tours
I am Abdulrahman Al-Sirhan, a Kuwaiti bird watcher and bird guide. I am the chairman of the Kuwait Ornithological Rarities Committee (KORC), a council member of the Ornithological Society of The Middle East, The Caucasus, And Central Asia OSME, and co-author of the Birds of the Middle East – (Helm Wildlife Guides).
The following birdwatching tours are available to book now. They include three meals, reserve entrance fees, hotel accommodation in a double room, transport in 4 WD, and all the services of the bird guide.
Birdwatching Tours in 2024/2025:
Autumn Tour 18—26 Nov 2026 (8 nights), price: $1750. (spaces available)
Autumn Tour 12-20 Dec 2026 (8 nights), price: $1750. (spaces available)
Winter Tour 13-21 Jan 2027 (8 nights), price: $1750. (spaces available)
Spring Tour 8-16 Apr 2026 (8 nights), price: $1750. (spaces available)
Spring Tour 3-11 Apr 2028 (8 nights), price: $1900. (spaces available)
Spring Tour 13-21 Apr 2028 (8 nights), price: $1900. (spaces available)
Birdwatching Tours in 2024/2025:
Saudi Arabia Tour 08-16 May 2026 (8 nights) price $2500 (spaces available)
Kuwait’s bird list is 424, a good number for an under-watched small country. To see Kuwait’s bird checklist, please visit this link: Kuwait Bird List.
The Winter Tour Targets
Lesser Flamingo (irregular), Little Grebe, Laughing Dove, Namaqua Dove, Purple Swamphen, Spur-winged Lapwing, Red-wattled Lapwing, Sociable Lapwing (irregular WV), White-tailed Lapwing, Tibetan Sand Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Terek Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Crab-plover, Caspian Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Whiskered Tern, White-winged Tern, Greater Crested Tern, Lesser Crested Tern, Slender-billed Gull, Pallas’s Gull (rare in autumn, common in Feb and late Jan), Armenian Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull (both Steppe and Heuglin’s Gulls), Little Bittern, Black-crowned Night Heron, Squacco Heron, Western Cattle Egret, Pallid Swift, Pallid Scops Owl, Crested Honey Buzzard, Greater Spotted Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Shikra, Pallid Harrier, Common Buzzard (Steppe), Indian Roller, European and Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (both rare in Nov, occasionally seen in Nov only), Pied Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher, Great Grey Shrike, Masked Shrike, Isabelline Shrike, Eurasian Penduline Tit (irregular), Greater Hoopoe-Lark, Bar-tailed Lark, Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark (becoming rare), Temminck’s Lark, Turkestan Short-toed Lark, Delicate Prinia, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Hume’s Leaf Warbler, Mountain Chiffchaff, Red-vented Bulbul, White-eared Bulbul, Barred Warbler, Asian Desert Warbler, Menetries’s Warbler, Afghan Babbler, Grey Hypocolius, Bank Myna, Common Myna, Siberian Stonechat, Desert Wheatear, Isabelline Wheatear, Finsch’s Wheatear, Mourning Wheatear, Red-tailed Wheatear, White-crowned Wheatear, Purple Sunbird (recently regular), Spanish Sparrow, Red-throated Pipit (rare in winter).
Other possible species that hard to find or irregular include:
Eversmann’s Redstart, Black-throated Thrush, Richard’s Pipit, Olive-backed Pipit, Oriental Skylark, Bimaculated Lark, Calandra Lark.
The Spring Tour Targets
Laughing Dove, Namaqua Dove, Spotted Crake, Purple Swamphen (ssp. poliocephalus), Little Crake, Spur-winged Lapwing, Red-wattled Lapwing, White-tailed Lapwing, Caspian Plover (rare), Tibetan Sand Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Terek Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Black-winged Pratincole, Bridled Tern, Caspian Tern (rare), Gull-billed Tern, Whiskered Tern, White-winged Tern, Greater Crested Tern, Lesser Crested Tern, White-cheeked Tern, Slender-billed Gull, Pallas’s Gull, Socotra Cormorant, Squacco Heron, Western Cattle Egret, Pallid Swift, Pallid Harrier, Common Hoopoe, European Bee-eater, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Pied Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher, Great Grey Shrike (ssp. pallidirostris), Masked Shrike, Woodchat Shrike (ssp. niloticus), Isabelline Shrike, Red-backed Shrike, Red-tailed Shrike, Greater Hoopoe-Lark, Bar-tailed Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, Turkestan Short-toed Lark, Upcher’s Warbler, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Moustached Warbler (ssp. mimicus), Basra Reed Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Red-vented Bulbul, White-eared Bulbul, Barred Warbler, Eastern Orphean Warbler, Asian Desert Warbler, Menetries’s Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Afghan Babbler, Grey Hypocolius, Bank Myna, Common Myna, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, White-throated Robin, Thrush Nightingale, Common Nightingale, Semicollared Flycatcher, Common Rock Thrush, Blue Rock Thrush, Siberian Stonechat, Desert Wheatear, Pied Wheatear, Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, Isabelline Wheatear, Indian Silverbill, Pale Rockfinch, Yellow-throated Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Western Yellow Wagtail (ssp. flava, feldegg, beema, leucocephala, thunbergi, lutea), Citrine Wagtail, Red-throated Pipit, Water Pipit (ssp. coutellii), Cinereous Bunting (ssp. semenowi), Ortolan Bunting.
WP specialty:
Asian shikra, Hypocolius, Crested Honey Buzzard, Afghan Babbler, Eversmann’s Redstart, Indian Roller, Basra Reed Warbler, Socotra Cormorant, Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Crab Plover, White-cheeked Tern, Bridled Tern, Yellow-throated Sparrow, Pale Rockfinch, Asian Desert Warbler, Ménétries’s Warbler, Greater Crested Tern, Lesser Sand Plover, Red-vented Bulbul, White-eared Bulbul, Rüppell’s Weaver, Bank Myna, and Common Myna.
You may consult Kuwait’s Bird Checklist at this link: https://kuwaitvisa.moi.gov.kw/
Private Tours:
I also do private birdwatching tours on dates appropriate to specific individuals or groups. Please use the Booking Form below with your suggested dates to get a quote and see if I am available.
Prices:
Price for Spring Tour: $1750.00 (including a boat trip)
Price for Autumn/Winter Tour: $1750.00
Single room supplement: 8 nights $280, 7 nights $245, 6 nights $210, 5 nights $175. For Saudi Arabia $450.
Deposit: $300.00
Group Size: Minimum number for the tour to go ahead is Five, and the maximum is Ten. I would accept three with a price increase of $200 for each person and four with an increase of $150 for each.
Spring Tour will include a boat trip to see the Socotra Cormorant, White-cheeked Tern, Bridled Tern, and whatever we encounter.
The photographic opportunity is superb as of the sunny weather and open areas.
After booking, you must confirm by paying a non-refundable deposit of $300. Instruction on how to pay the deposit will be sent by email.
Terms and Conditions:
Included in the price:
- Accommodation in twin-bedded rooms that includes breakfast and dinner.
- Light lunch, water, tea, coffee, and refreshment during the daytime.
- Entrance fees to reserves and professional bird guidance.
- Ground transport in 4WD, and also transport from and to the airport.
Not Included in the price:
- Air travel tickets, travel insurance, passport costs, entry visa fees, and excess baggage charges.
- Telephone calls, laundry, room service, snacks, and anything of a purely personal nature.
Physical Requirement:
The tours involve short walking distances, as in most reserves, we drive through dirt roads and stop for short walks on mostly flat ground.
Tour Cancellation:
I reserve the right to cancel any tour for insufficient reservations (2 or 1) 60 days before the tour begins.
Cancellation and refund:
You may cancel your tour and get your deposit refunded back to you as long as it is 90 days before your tour begins.
Updated on 25 February 2026!
Entry Visa to Kuwait:
The passport holders of the following countries (52) can obtain Tourist Visa online at: https://kuwaitvisa.moi.gov.kw/ . You are granted to stay for three months from the date of arrival. A 3 KWD (9 Euro) will be required for some countries.
ANDORRA, AUSTRALIA, AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, BHUTAN, BRUNEI, BULGARIA, CAMBODIA, CANADA, CROATIA, CYPRUS, CZECH, DENMARK, ESTONIA, FINLAND, FRANCE, GEORGIA, GERMANY, GREECE, HUNGARY, ICELAND, IRELAND, ITALY, JAPAN, LAOS, LATVIA, LIECHTENSTEIN, LITHUANIA, LUXEMBOURG, MALAYSIA, MALTA, MONACO, NETHERLANDS, NEW ZEALAND, NORWAY, POLAND, PORTUGAL, ROMANIA, SAN MARINO, SERBIA, SINGAPORE, SLOVAKIA, SLOVENIA, SOUTH KOREA, SPAIN, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, The People’s Republic of China – Hongkong, TURKEY, Ukraine, UNITED KINGDOM, UNITED STATES, VATICAN.
Note: The rules of visa are also online at https://kuwaitvisa.moi.gov.kw/.
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