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I have just returned from a 2-week trip to the UAE and Oman. My friend, Ted Cordery from Arizona, joined me on the trip. We met in Dubai, hired a car at the airport and then set off for Al Ain. I visited Al Ain in June and I wanted to show Ted the red dunes and the numerous reptiles that...

Thanks, tarcan and josh. Here are a few aerial photos along the flight path from Dubai to Lisbon. My flight departed at 10am and then followed the sun for the 8 hour flight to Lisbon. It felt like a geography lesson when I looked out and saw places that I had read about for years. Dubai...

I recently spent two weeks in south western Spain. On this trip, I stayed at Los Veneros. It was a conference centre with accommodation and was only about a 15 minute drive to the mine where I worked. My work days were long and I rarely was able to get out for a walk even though it was light...

Thanks, shrike. Here are a few more shots. Arabian Dune Gecko (Stenodactylus arabicus): Aren't the feed amazing? Perfectly formed for life on the dunes. Hoopoe Lark, my first. Salmon Arab: Blue Argus: Caper Gull: Hume's Wheatear, a juvenile: Arabian...

I spent four nights in the UAE including two nights at Al Ain followed by the two nights in Oman (already posted) and then two nights at Fujairah. Here is a map that shows the areas where I searched for reptiles: A: Al Ain area B: Fujairah area C: near Al Malaiha Typical habitat...

Thanks, MrCrakerpants. Hello korg, yes, this was even bigger than the large black solifugid that I saw before. The body and jaws were not nearly as robust but the legs were longer. This one was about the size of my hand with fingers outstretched. When looking at photos on the net, I saw...

Thanks, David. I bet it looks a little different there in Oman to what you see in Minnesota! Oman is such an incredibly dry place.

Thanks, Michiel, for the possible identification. The Snark, I don't believe these are igneous rocks. I think that they are primarily limestones or of sedementary origin. The mountains are young, rugged, but crumbling. I think that landslides are a frequent problem in the mountains. Marc...

I am just back from a few days in the UAE and Oman. This report will cover my two nights in Oman. I stopped there while on the return trip from Spain where I worked for a couple of weeks. The UAE and Oman are great places for reptiles and have a good diversity of species. A new field guide to...

I took this photo a few days ago in the Hajar Mountains above Bahla, Oman. I found it and several others while looking from reptiles on the road at night. The solifugids were incredible and by far the largest that I have ever seen. Their leg spread was about the same as a tarantula. They...

Beautiful bee. I am glad that the season is beginning for you again. Look forward to the pics! Regards, David

Thanks, everyone, for the comments and extra info. Snark, there were surprisingly a number of animals on the road at night in that harsh desert. I saw many individuals of three species of geckos, grasshoppers, walking sticks, big crickets, spiders and two of these big solifugids. I would...

Les, Maybe next year we can catch up on a trip somewhere in southeast Asia. Thanks, zonbonzovi. It was fun to see a "new" part of the world and on such a good day with clear skies. Regards, David

Lovely shots, tarcan. Always great lighting and amazing images of the arthropods! Do you know the Malaysian macro photographers, Kurt and Derrick? I think that you would enjoy their shots as well. They also use a Canon MPE-65 and like you, take incredible photos. Their photo sessions are...

Thanks for the interesting information, Tarantual_Hawk. Regards, David

Greetings all, Here are a few photos of an enormous camel spider that I saw last week in Oman. This creature was the largest solifugid that I have ever seen. I thought that it was a small tarantula when I saw it running on the road. I often saw large crickets on the road so I suppose that...

Thanks very much, Wade. Interesting info. Here are a few final shots of Saudi Arabia from the air. On the flight over, we departed Dubai for Lisbon in the late morning and then followed the sun for the remainder of the flight. It was fantastic and turned out to be a practical lesson in...

Thanks, Tarcan. It was an impressive creature. Hello Les! Glad to see you here as well. I usually have an arachnid or two so post my reports to this forum as well. Thanks so much for all your help with the butterflies. Your world knowledge of these insects is astounding! I agree that...

thanks, tarcan. After a couple of days in the mountains, I headed to the coast and stayed in the town of Sur. My original plan was to use this as a base and then head into the Wahiba Sands, a massive set of dunes that are located about 50km south of the city. Unfortunately, I could see the...

Greetings everyone, Earlier this month, I went on a work trip to Spain for a couple of weeks. On the return journey to Sydney, I decided to break the flight in Dubai, hire a car and set off to Oman for a few days. I spent 4 days in the northern part of the country and visited the rugged...