June–July 2026 Field Report: Bird Monitoring, Eco-Tourism and Conservation Outreach Across Lebanon

Throughout June and July 2026, SPNL Nature Guide and Bird Monitoring Officer Chadi Saad continued an intensive programme of field conservation, biodiversity monitoring, environmental education and eco-tourism across Hammana and several ecologically important sites in Mount Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. Through daily fieldwork, guided nature experiences and systematic bird monitoring, Saad helped connect hundreds of visitors with Lebanon’s natural and cultural heritage while contributing valuable scientific data to global biodiversity monitoring through the eBird platform.

Daily Presence in Hammana Hima

A daily field presence was maintained in Hammana Hima for no fewer than four hours per day.

The work included bird observation, habitat monitoring, guided visits, nature interpretation and engagement with visitors interested in Hammana’s biodiversity, history and cultural heritage.

More than 350 people visited Hammana and the Hima during the reporting period. Visitors came from Lebanon, the United States, France and Switzerland.

The visits included guided tours through Hammana’s natural landscapes, accompanied by storytelling that connected the area’s biodiversity with its social, cultural and historical identity.

Visitors were introduced to Hammana Valley, the Hima conservation model, local birdlife, mountain ecosystems and the role of traditional community practices in protecting natural resources.

This combination of nature guiding and heritage interpretation helped transform the visits into educational experiences rather than conventional sightseeing tours.

It also demonstrated the potential of the Hima model to support sustainable tourism, environmental awareness and the local economy.

Geographic Coverage

Bird monitoring and field visits were carried out across a range of habitats, including wetlands, agricultural landscapes, mountain ecosystems, forests and bird migration viewpoints.

The principal sites covered during June and July included:

• Hammana Hima
• Hammana Hima Farm
• Hammana Raptor Migration Viewpoint
• Hammana Valley and Joura
• Anahita Bird Watching Site
• Ammiq Wetland
• Houch Aammiq
• Domaine de Taanayel
• Anjar
• Kfarselwan and Sanine
• Litani Kneysi

The diversity of these locations allowed the monitoring programme to document wetland birds, mountain species, resident passerines, breeding birds and birds of prey.

Scientific Monitoring and eBird Reporting

All bird observations recorded during the field visits were submitted to eBird, the global bird observation and biodiversity platform managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Uploading the observations to eBird ensures that local fieldwork contributes to a broader scientific database that can support research on migration, breeding, population trends and habitat use.

During June and the first half of July, the submitted checklists documented considerable diversity across the surveyed locations.

Individual checklists recorded between five and 32 species, depending on the site, habitat and duration of the visit.

Monitoring in Hammana

Monitoring in Hammana covered the Hima Farm, the raptor migration viewpoint, Joura and the Anahita Bird Watching Site.

The observations demonstrated the ecological importance of Hammana’s mountain habitats for both resident birds and birds of prey.

Species recorded in Hammana included:

• Short-toed Snake-Eagle
• Long-legged Buzzard
• Eurasian Kestrel
• Masked Shrike
• Eurasian Jay
• Common Raven
• Hooded Crow
• Crested Lark
• Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
• Sardinian Warbler
• Cetti’s Warbler
• Eurasian Wren
• Eurasian Blackbird
• Blue Rock-Thrush
• Northern Wheatear
• Isabelline Wheatear
• Rock Sparrow
• European Greenfinch
• European Goldfinch
• European Serin
• Rock Bunting

A monitoring visit to Hammana Hima Farm on 18 June recorded nine species, including two Short-toed Snake-Eagles, one Long-legged Buzzard and one Eurasian Kestrel.

Further monitoring at the Hammana raptor migration viewpoint on 25 and 26 June recorded Short-toed Snake-Eagles, Eurasian Kestrels, Masked Shrikes, Common Ravens, Rock Sparrows and Rock Buntings.

These observations reinforce Hammana’s importance as a location for raptor monitoring and as part of the broader migratory corridor crossing Mount Lebanon.

Public Engagement at the Anahita Bird Watching Site

The Anahita Bird Watching Site continued to play an important role in public engagement and environmental education.

On 4 July, a field activity involving approximately 150 observers was recorded at the site. Participants documented seven bird species and 24 individual birds during a three-and-a-half-hour visit.

The observations included:

• Two Short-toed Snake-Eagles
• One Masked Shrike
• Nine Hooded Crows
• One Sardinian Warbler
• Five Eurasian Blackbirds
• Four Rock Sparrows
• Rock Bunting

Additional monitoring visits on 8 and 12 July recorded Eurasian Kestrels, Eurasian Jays, Crested Larks, Eurasian Linnets, European Greenfinches, European Serins, Eurasian Wrens and Rock Buntings.

These activities show how bird monitoring can be combined with citizen participation and environmental awareness.

Ammiq Wetland and Houch Aammiq

Ammiq Wetland recorded the highest bird diversity during the reporting period.

A monitoring visit on 2 July documented 32 species, while a second visit on 9 July recorded 25 species.

The records included a wide range of wetland birds, including:

• Eurasian Moorhen
• Eurasian Coot
• Little Grebe
• Great Crested Grebe
• Little Bittern
• Black-crowned Night Heron
• Little Egret
• Squacco Heron
• Western Cattle-Egret
• Great Egret
• White-throated Kingfisher
• Eurasian Penduline-Tit
• Calandra Lark
• Graceful Prinia
• Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
• Moustached Warbler
• Common Reed Warbler
• Great Reed Warbler
• Bank Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• Cetti’s Warbler
• Eurasian Blackcap
• Lesser Whitethroat
• Sardinian Warbler
• European Greenfinch
• European Goldfinch

Evidence of breeding activity was also recorded. Seven Great Crested Grebes were observed on 2 July, including three chicks.

The presence of chicks and juvenile birds is a particularly important indicator of the wetland’s function as a breeding habitat.

Monitoring in Houch Aammiq and the surrounding area also recorded Little Egrets, Squacco Herons, Great Egrets, Calandra Larks, Crested Larks, Graceful Prinias and Great Reed Warblers.

An earlier visit on 9 June documented 21 species, including White-winged Terns, Little Grebes, Black-crowned Night Herons, Greater Short-toed Larks, Calandra Larks, Great Reed Warblers, Bank Swallows, Black-headed Buntings and Corn Buntings.

Domaine de Taanayel

A visit to Domaine de Taanayel on 9 July recorded 15 bird species.

The observations included:

• Laughing Dove
• Eurasian Moorhen
• Black-crowned Night Heron
• Little Egret
• Squacco Heron
• Western Cattle-Egret
• Hooded Crow
• Zitting Cisticola
• Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
• Common Reed Warbler
• Cetti’s Warbler
• Lesser Whitethroat
• Sardinian Warbler
• Eurasian Blackbird
• House Sparrow

Fourteen Squacco Herons were recorded, including chicks, providing further evidence of breeding activity in the area.

The monitoring results highlight the value of Taanayel’s wetland and agricultural habitats for both waterbirds and smaller passerine species.

Anjar

Monitoring in Anjar was conducted in June and July.

A visit on 9 June recorded 17 species, including Common Wood-Pigeon, Eurasian Jay, Graceful Prinia, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, White-spectacled Bulbul, Lesser Whitethroat, Greater Whitethroat, Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, Rock Sparrow and European Serin.

Two further visits on 2 July recorded wetland, woodland and farmland species, including Eurasian Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Barn Swallow, Common Hoopoe, Syrian Serin, Eurasian Jay, White-spectacled Bulbul and European Greenfinch.

The presence of the Syrian Serin is particularly noteworthy because of the species’ association with mountainous and semi-open habitats in the Levant.

Kfarselwan, Sanine and Litani Kneysi

Mountain monitoring conducted on 6 June covered Kfarselwan–Sanine and Litani Kneysi.

At Kfarselwan–Sanine, seven species were recorded, including:

• Short-toed Snake-Eagle
• Lesser Spotted Eagle
• Long-legged Buzzard
• Eurasian Kestrel
• Lesser Whitethroat
• Northern Wheatear
• Rock Sparrow

The combination of Short-toed Snake-Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle and Long-legged Buzzard illustrates the importance of these high-altitude landscapes for raptors.

At Litani Kneysi, ten species were recorded, including Short-toed Snake-Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, Red-backed Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Northern Wheatear, Eurasian Linnet and Black-headed Bunting.

These observations demonstrate the value of upland and open-country habitats for migratory and breeding species.

Key Results for June and July

The main achievements during the reporting period included:

• Maintaining a daily field presence of at least four hours in Hammana Hima.
• Receiving and guiding more than 350 visitors from Lebanon and abroad.
• Combining nature tourism with storytelling about Hammana’s natural and cultural heritage.
• Monitoring birds across multiple Himas and proposed Natural Park sites.
• Documenting wetland, mountain, agricultural and forest species.
• Recording evidence of breeding, including chicks of Great Crested Grebe and Squacco Heron.
• Engaging a large public audience in birdwatching activities at the Anahita Bird Watching Site.
• Uploading all monitoring reports and checklists to eBird.
• Strengthening the scientific basis for future conservation planning.

Contribution to the Natural Park Vision

The monitoring work conducted in Hammana, Sanine, Kfarselwan, Ammiq, Anjar and surrounding areas contributes directly to SPNL’s broader vision for landscape-level conservation.

Repeated monitoring helps identify species distribution, ecological corridors, breeding areas and habitats that require protection.

It also supports the development of a future Natural Park model that connects biodiversity conservation with community participation, environmental education and sustainable rural tourism.

The results from June and July show that the proposed Natural Park landscape contains a significant variety of habitats, ranging from freshwater wetlands and agricultural areas to mountain slopes and raptor migration sites.

Plans for the Next Month

During the next reporting period, the field programme will focus on the following priorities:

• Continuing bird monitoring at proposed Natural Park sites.
• Continuing regular monitoring within SPNL Himas.
• Maintaining daily field activities in Hammana Hima.
• Expanding visitor engagement and guided nature tours.
• Continuing heritage and environmental storytelling.
• Recording evidence of breeding and seasonal bird movements.
• Uploading all observations to eBird.
• Completing at least 25 new bird monitoring reports and checklists.

Through this combined approach, SPNL continues to link scientific monitoring with community participation, environmental education and sustainable tourism.

The work undertaken during June and July illustrates how the Hima model can protect biodiversity while creating stronger connections between people, nature and local heritage.

Field activities and monitoring conducted by: Chadi Saad, SPNL Nature Guide and Bird Monitoring Officer. All bird observations were submitted to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird platform in support of national and global biodiversity monitoring initiatives.