Flamingos
Flocks on the lakes.
Charbel Zakhour — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Thabreezmuhamed — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Thabreezmuhamed — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nithisha Nantha Kumar — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ammaralkurdi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alexandermcnabb — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mamat mahooi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Thabreezmuhamed — CC BY-SA 4.0
Man-made lakes in the desert at Saih Al Salam, south of Dubai, inside the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, the first unfenced nature reserve in the UAE, which covers about ten per cent of the emirate. The lakes stretch for some ten kilometres among the dunes and trees and have become a haven for birds: flocks of 300 to 500 flamingos and more than 360 other bird species, 158 of them migratory, along with black swans gliding near the shore. The reserve also has 26 reptile and nine mammal species. The reserve was declared in January 2018 after complaints about litter left by visitors and the deaths of some birds and fish; Dubai Municipality now manages it, with limits on some leisure activities. The visit is free; early mornings or the hour before sunset are best for birdwatching. Don't feed the birds and take your rubbish with you. You need a car to get there, and winter is the best season.
Flocks on the lakes.
Near the shore.
Dunes and water.
Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, Saih Al Salam, south Dubai
Yes, it is free; you need a car to get there, and early mornings or the hour before sunset are best for birds.