more than 33 islands and form an area of 700 km2. The islands vary in size and structure and the largest one is known as Bahrain. Various types of natural habitats are present in Bahrain  but there are vast areas of open desert present in the region.

Bahrain is a mecca for a wide variety of birds. With the United Arab Emirates further down the Gulf, this little known island is often ignored. However with its mixture of desert, marsh, mudflats, mangrove swamps and sub-tropical gardens, this island is a bird watchers paradise. These sites are a few within easy reach of the capital, Manama.

situated in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Salwa in the northern Arabian Gulf. Whilst the lush northern region harbours a wealth of wildlife, interest lies mainly in Bahrain's muddy eastern shores, host to thousands of migrating shorebirds.

between 1976 and 1979 at Al Markh. Al-Areen was developed primarily to provide a refuge for endangered species and as a wildlife educational centre. Now, that the introduced vegetation is well established and after the creation of artificial ponds, the number of resident birds has increased to approximately 15 species (including the black-crowned finch lark, desert lark, crested lark and the hoopoe lark) and more than 84 migrant species have been recorded at the site. 

Factoids taken from Where to watch birds in Asia  - by Nigel Wheatley

Hawar Islands, 18 km. south of Bahrain Island. These islands host the largest known breeding colony of Socotra Cormorants (over 100,000 pairs have been known to be present from October to February), as well as breeding Sooty Falcon (May to November). 

natural habitats on the islands is reflected by the high diversity of avifauna where more than 300 different species of birds have been recorded. The small size of Bahrain makes bird watching activity enjoyable due to the easy access and travel from one place to another within very short time, which allow enthusiast birdwatchers to cover much larger area and observe more species. AlReem Environmental Consultation and Ecotourism has been running various wildlife tours and packages for the last few years. This environmental body is headed by local ecologist and ornithologist who spent more than 15 years in fieldwork and surveys.