Cool Pool

Neima Pool is a nice name. One feels like visiting it — which is what I did last week.

Recently an environmental bulletin revealed someone had found a group of rare birds in this pool situated in Al Ain.

Last Friday, we drove up to Jebel Hafeet roundabout and took a right turn heading west towards Abu Dhabi. Within 3km we came upon a roundabout and a narrow but long body of water running almost parallel to the road.

We parked our vehicle on a dirt track by the water body and stepped out. We were shocked.

It appeared that the pool has been formed from untreated sewage fluid. The water was turbid and looked like a soup of green algae.

The pool, in the middle of the desert, is about a kilometre in length and nearly 100 metres in average width.
Submerged mesquite trees reveal that the area once supported a camel or sheep yard. A lone ghaf tree (Prosopis cinerea) provided shelter to many birds, butterflies and grasshoppers.

It took us nearly 90 minutes to make a complete circle of the pool. Along the way we saw many mini-dunes completely covered with lines upon lines of bugs, beetles, scorpions, lizards, gerbils, jerboa and also a desert fox.
Finally we spotted a red-necked phalarope, which had come from the Siberian tundra.

Most rewarding were a dozen ducks and many small to large waders at the edge of the waters.