Lappet-Faced Vultures in Oman

Date: 25th January 2023
Time: 5:30pm 
Location: Zoom Webinar

Register here: 

We are pleased to invite you to this upcoming live webinar with Dr. Michael McGrady and Faisal Al-Lamki. Lappet-faced vultures are the largest breeding birds in Oman (wingspan 2.8 m, weight 6-8 kg), and are globally endangered. Little is known about their status in Oman. In 2021 the British Omani Society provided funding to Faisal Al Lamki to better understand their status and ecology in the sultanate. Coincidentally, the Environment Society of Oman (ESO) won a grant from the Disney Conservation Fund to carry out similar work in that year. This happy coincidence allowed the two initiatives to work together synergistically, and to extend the work both temporally and geographically. Since 2021, the field team has identified about 100 nesting sites, and in 2021-22, 25 of those were productive (yielding at least an egg). We fitted tracking devices to some nestlings, and have followed their movements. They have ranged over huge distances. We have also being involved in releasing back to the wild captive and illegally held vultures that have been confiscated. Our talk will discuss the important role scavenging birds play in the environment, and provide an overview of the work on Lappet-faced vultures in Oman that the British Omani Society has made possible. We will concentrate on the field work and tracking. We will also touch on other work on vultures, including the public outreach effort by ESO.

Dr. Michael McGrady

Dr. Michael McGrady is an avian ecologist with over 40 years of experience. His main areas of interest and expertise are in raptor ecology and population dynamics, and he has extensive experience in assessing likely impacts of human developments on birds. Dr. McGrady’s doctorate was on the ecology of urban sparrowhawks in Edinburgh. He has published over 90 peer-reviewed articles and made numerous presentations and written many unpublished reports for commercial clients. His work has been on four continents on breeding, migrating and wintering species. He has worked on various projects in Oman over the past 30+ years, including shorebirds on Barr al Hikman, Sooty falcons, Lappet-faced vultures, Egyptian vultures and Steppe eagles. In Oman he has worked with government, NGOs, universities, and commercial companies.

Faisal Al-Lamki

PDO / Shell retire from October 2016. He is currently volunteer for nature conservation studies and expeditions. He has worked and travel widely in Oman’s rural areas and have intimate knowledge of the country diverse geography. Faisal has twenty five years experience as an environmentalist and engineer in the oil and gas sector and four years in the public sector. He worked on overseas assignments including posting to Shell Holland and Shell Sarawak Malaysia as Principle Environmental Adviser. In the public sector, he worked four years with the office of advisor for conservation of environment, Diwan of Royal court Affairs, of which two years as deputy project leader with IUCN/WWF. As well as one year at the Ministry of Environment as the Director of Nature Conservation.