As summer loosened its grip on Lebanon’s mountains and wetlands, Chadi Saad kept daily watch over the migratory corridors that lace the country together: the Anahita raptor viewpoint on the Damascus Highway (Jabal Lubnan), the Hima Hammana ridges, the reedbeds of Ammiq Wetland, the shores of Lake Qaraoun, and the fields around Anjar, Mansura. Over seven weeks, he filed 24 eBird checklists, weaving a detailed picture of autumn passage that stretches from high-altitude thermals to mirror-still marshes.
Raptor Highway: Anahita’s October drama
The ridgeline above the Damascus Highway lived up to its reputation as a conveyor belt for migrating birds of prey. In mid-October, Chadi logged a classic mixed flight: Short-toed Snake-Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Levant Sparrowhawk, Eurasian Goshawk (2) and Common Raven, with Barn Swallow (16) flickering south on the same wind (16 Oct). Nocturnal movement punctuated the week with a Eurasian Nightjar (15 Oct). Earlier pulses included Northern Shoveler (36) powering past (6 Oct) and Alpine Swift (2) slicing the updrafts (3 Oct). September had already teased the season’s grandeur: Steppe Eagle (28 Sep), Red-footed Falcon (26 Sep), Hen Harrier (16 Sep), Egyptian Vulture (18 Sep), Bonelli’s Eagle (22 Sep), Eastern Olivaceous Warbler (5 Sep), and Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler (3) (2 Sep). From Hammana’s SPNL viewpoint (8 Sep) he added Eurasian Jackdaw (6)—an uncommon altitude note for early autumn.
Wetland heartbeat: Ammiq & Lake Qaraoun
Water pulled in a different cast. Lake Qaraoun held Eurasian Coot (50) on 21 Oct and Little Grebe (2) on 12 Oct, while Ammiq delivered a daily carousel of waders, wildfowl, and reedbed specialists:
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20 Oct: a show-stopping Great White Pelican, Great Egret (2) and a jewel-like Bluethroat.
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21 Oct: Common Redshank (2) and Tawny Pipit (15) along drawdown edges.
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22 Oct: a superb wetland mix—Black Stork, Long-legged Buzzard (2), European Roller, Stock Dove (3), Common Snipe (2), Green Sandpiper (3), Cetti’s Warbler (2), Whinchat (3), Crested Lark (2), and European Goldfinch (9).
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24 Oct: peak late-October diversity with Green-winged Teal (6), Gray Heron (2), Common Ringed Plover, Northern Lapwing (8), Little Stint, and a predator’s parade—Black-winged Kite, Western Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Eurasian Kestrel, and Common Kingfisher. Reed- and field-edge songbirds rounded the scene: Graceful Prinia (7), Eurasian Blackcap, Eurasian Wren, European Stonechat (5), Northern Wheatear (2), and White Wagtail.
Fields in flux: Mansura & Anjar
Over Mansura (24 Oct), Chadi clocked a rolling kettle of Black Kite (32) with Common Buzzard, European Honey-buzzard, and a strong pulse of passerines: Willow Warbler (7), Spotted Flycatcher, Common Redstart (2), Black Redstart (3), European Serin (3), plus local residents (Eurasian Blackbird, House Sparrow).
In Anjar, two crisp Lesser Whitethroat (11 Oct) and, later, cemetery regulars—Common Wood-Pigeon (2) and European Starling (17 Oct)—added texture to the valley’s hedgerow rhythm.
Why it matters
Across one compact season, Chadi Saad documented an exceptional spread of species—from flagship raptors (Steppe Eagle, Bonelli’s Eagle, Egyptian Vulture) to wetland linchpins (Great White Pelican, Black Stork, Northern Lapwing) and shrubland migrants (Bluethroat, Whinchat, wheatears). The data spotlight how Anahita’s mountain passes and the Ammiq–Qaraoun wetland complex function together as a single migration machine on the African–Eurasian Flyway.
For SPNL, the steady cadence of daily site presence and 24 submitted lists is exactly what turns community monitoring into conservation leverage—evidence that can inform anti-poaching patrols, guide habitat management, and power public outreach from Hima Hammana to every village along the Litani.
Fieldwork timeline (highlights)
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Sep 2–18: Early movers at Anahita (Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler; Egyptian Vulture; Hen Harrier).
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Sep 26–28: Falcons and eagles crest the ridge (Red-footed, Steppe).
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Oct 3–6: Alpine Swift wave; Northern Shoveler surge (36).
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Oct 11–17: Anjar hedgerows & cemetery species; Anahita’s mixed raptor day and a surprise Nightjar.
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Oct 20–24: Wetland crescendo at Ammiq–Qaraoun; raptor and passerine push at Mansura.
