The Birds of the United Arab Emirates. By Colin Richardson. Hobby 
Publications (Dubai and Warrington). 180 pages, 28 Colour plates, line 
drawings and maps. Softback £15. 
The United Arab Emirates lie along the southern shore of the Arabian Gulf, from 
the Qatar Peninsula to the Gulf of Oman; bisecting northern Oman, thus separating 
the northern peninsula from the rest of that country. Consisting of seven Emirates 
(Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al Quwain, Ras al Khaimah and 
Fujeirah), the total area of the UAE is about 110,030sq km. Many readers, 
particularly those unfamiliar with the region and perhaps holding preconceptions 
that Eastern Arabia consisted only of flat desert, will wonder at the photographs 
in this book which depict typical habitats: deserts, coasts, parks and gardens, 
mountains and wadis. 
All you need to know about the birds of the UAE is here: monthly summaries; 
typical habitats; where, when and what to watch; together with useful location 
maps. Some 109 pages are devoted to an annotated national list of 360 (many 
mouth-watering) species, the majority illustrated in unfussy line drawings by 
Bill Morton. There are succinct remarks on status and habitat, supplemented by 
breeding distribution maps and migration timing charts. Twenty colour plates 
intersperse the text with 101 small, but mostly good quality photographs of birds. 
In the list, the reader can appreciate some of the care with which this work has 
evidently been prepared. For example, with an average of three species per page, 
the line-drawn figures are placed to face each other across opposite pages. Tlie 
eyebrows of some taxidermists and more than a few Gulf birdwatchers may well 
be momentarily lowered by the apparent absence of Herring Gull from the 
national list, an omission which the author is at pains to explain. Supplementary 
Usts of unconfirmed species and escapes are given. 
I like the compact size of this volume; just right for the glove compartment and 
light enough to be carried in the field. It appears reasonably robust, although the 
covers of my copy are starting to de-laminate. But this book is not a field guide, 
rather, as the cover states, a guide to status and distribution. 
The photographs of habitat convey the physical diversity and, in many places, 
the wild beauty of this part of Arabia. Writing this while a blizzard rages beyond 
my window brings back warm memories of birdwatching trips to the UAE: 
seeing my first Red-wattled Plover in a hayfield at Ras al Khaimah; looking for 
White-collared Kingfisher amongst the mangroves of Khor Kalba; counting Crab 
Plovers on the mudflats of Umm al Quwain ; and stark mountain ranges harbouring 
deep wadis, habitats for various birds of prey. 
The birdwatching potential of the UAE is exemplified by this admirable, reasonably 
priced publication, which results from the enthusiasm and enterprise of its 
knowledgeable author. When peace is restored to Arabia, the UAE will surely be 
on the itinerary of those birdwatchers who roam the world. Perhaps, if you have 
not yet bought a copy of this welocme addition to the literature on Arabian 
Ornithology, you should. 
Tom Nightingale 
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