Biosphere Expeditions: blogs from the frontline of wildlife conservation and the fight for a more sustainable planet

Update from our wildlife conservation volunteering holiday in Dubai (UAE) working on oryx, wildcat and desert species

Today is Saturday and we have said farewell to group 1 after an good week with a hidden bonus as we packed up camp this morning, more of which later!

After a week of hard work, the team completed 55 (of 62) quadrat surveys, multiple bird counts (where Matthias and Georgina deserve special mention for passing on their extensive knowledge to other citizen scientists) and the hunt for the elusive Pharaoh eagle owl goes on. Our camera traps captured Arabian red foxes, Arabian hare and jerboa, none of which we spotted during daylight hours.

We did spot and identified 58 different species within the DDRC – it might have been more if some of us had realised we were counting insects too 😉 In total we racked up 44 bird, 8 mammals, 4 reptile and 3 insect species. Highlights included our flagship species, the Arabian oryx, as well as desert foxes and plenty of Arabian and sand gazelles.

Weather has been very pleasant with slightly cooler temperatures than earlier in the week, which enabled us to get more survey work done in in the afternoons. Most of us revisited the highly recommended new Visitors Centre here at the DDRC to help identify what we’d seen, or perhaps it was because it is the nearest Costa Coffee shop…. 🙂

We rounded off group 1’s week with an evening meal at our desert camp. A superb South Tyrolean pasta dish and a pepper side dish produced by the amazing Elisabeth. We all hope she comes on an expedition again 😉

Ah, nearly forgot the bonus. While breaking camp this morning, our birders suddenly got very excited and rushed off to a nearby ghaf tree. There, roosting in the branches, was what we think was a long-eared owl. Photographs were taken and will be sent to the Dubai Birding Committee for confirmation. If we’re right, this would be a huge first for the DDRC. Standby group 2, the location is right next door to camp!

Continue reading “Arabia: Exciting owls”

Update from our wildlife conservation volunteering holiday in Dubai (UAE) working on oryx, wildcat and desert species

It’s day four on our desert expedition and while I am writing this, everyone else is out in the field collecting data. We work in four teams swapping activities such as circular observation, bird census and pharaoh eagle owl survey. All data collected in the field also need to be typed in to the computer, which makes data entry another activity we will bring in in a couple of days. The daily routine works well: Getting up at 5:30, breakfast at 6:00 and heading out into the field at 7:00. The teams are back at camp in the afternoon for tea, coffee & a refreshing cold shower before the daily de-brief at 17:30, planning the next day and dinner afterwards.

The temperature has increased gradually day by day (30C/15C day/night) and with some cloud cover, we experienced early morning mist today for the first time. I bet the animals and plants very much enjoyed the humid air as much as we did during the early morning survey walks.

You will be hearing from us again once this group is done and we can give you a summary of what we have achieved so far. Tomorrow will be another packed survey day, same as on Friday morning, when we will collect the camera trap SD cards for reviewing.

Continue reading “Arabia: Packed days”

Update from our wildlife conservation volunteering holiday in Dubai (UAE) working on oryx, wildcat and desert species

On Saturday group 1 arrived without mishaps and were treated to a visit to the brand-new DDCR Visitor Centre, its displays serving as an introduction and featuring plenty of Biosphere Expeditions mentions and joint achievements, of which everyone involved in the expeditions over the years can justifiably be proud of. Our staff were happy to see their pictures, handwriting and other “artefacts” on display.

From the Visitor Centre we proceeded into the DDCR. The gazelle and oryx welcome committees were there, as ordered. We stopped off at the office for a quick orientation talk and to explain where all the science gear was, what the maps meant and more.

The final stop was base camp for the safety talk and to pitch tents and get settled in. Then a beautiful sunset, dinner and bed, because we have to be up before the sun rises to get ready for the day. 30C during the day, 8C in the night. Spare sleeping bags were in demand. It’s the desert after all.

More training on Tuesday, first in the classroom on theory and then practice newly learnt skills in the field. The first camera traps are going out into the field as I write this. Well done group 1! I think everyone will sleep well tonight. It’s not a holiday, you know :))

Continue reading “Arabia: In the desert”

Update from our wildlife conservation volunteering holiday in Dubai (UAE) working on oryx, wildcat and desert species

We’re here. It’s the usual dash to get ready and we will be. There’s six of us dashing (see picture below).

The sun is shining, bathing the desert in earthy colours of red, brown and yellow. The sky is azure, the birds are singing and the gazelles and oryx are doing their thing in the desert. Camp is noisy. Last night there were diggers for the water project nearby, destroying the desert silence and keeping some of us awake. They work 24/7 sometimes close to camp, so bring ear plugs!

The schedule is ready (see below), so come prepared for an expedition, not some cushy desert holiday.

Safe travels. See you soon, group 1.

Continue reading “Arabia: Noises in the night”

Update from our wildlife conservation volunteering holiday in Dubai (UAE) working on oryx, wildcat and desert species

Welcome to the first diary entry of the 2024 Arabia expedition. I am Malika Fettak, your expedition leader.

This expedition and I share a long history going back to 2012, the very first Arabia expedition to the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR). Since then, the city, surrounding areas and the desert landscape have developed into something else. 2-lane roads have turned into 8-lane highways, spaces between buildings have been filled with even more skyscrapers and the size of the city has multiplied. Along the approximately 60 km from Dubai to the DDCR, where just over a decade ago there was only desert, road networks for new housing areas already exist both sides of the highway indicating construction areas in the near future. However, all of this is literally left behind once you pass the gate to the reserve. The desert landscape that stretches before your eyes seems to be from a different time, before the oil, when Dubai was nothing more than a settlement of fishermen at the Creek.

The reserve is like an island: 230 square kilometres in size, surrounded by a high solid metal fence and strictly guarded entrances that can only be passed by a very restricted group of people. Among these are us, the expedition team, contributing to conservation and supporting the Reserve’s management. We are special guests every year with the privilege of setting up a desert basecamp for the expedition and moving freely with the expedition 4×4 vehicles. No tourist or other individuals have access to the reserve without supervision, can not move around on their own, let alone stay overnight. That makes this expedition something very special.

This year a DEWA (Dubai Electricity & Water Association) project is underway 24/7 in the Reserve, causing quite a bit of noise around the base camp site we have used recently. So this year we will be back in a spot that we have used in the past, with updgraded facilities of water supply, shower, toilet, campfire, solar power for our fridge etc.

New this year also is the DDCR Visitor Center that was opened only a few months ago. Designed and equipped with great dedication by the DDCR staff, this year we look forward to touring it by way of introduction before we settle into camp and explore the desert ourselves. For a few weeks, we will be extra eyes and ears in the field, documenting, reporting and exploring and what DDCR managment needs to know for effective protected area management. We will come across oryx and gazelles frequently on our drives and walks, explore & record fox dens and nesting sites of desert eagle owl and we may be lucky enough to spot and record vultures and other desert species.

I look forward to meeting the first team in a week at the Premier Inn in Silicon Oasis. I’ll write again before that with updates from the desert.

Malika Fettak
Expedition leader

Continue reading “Arabia: Changes”