In an attempt of spending a weekend evening outdoors in Dubai’s harsh summer, we decided to explore Al Quadra Lakes and are glad we did that. Al Quadra lakes are manmade 4-5 lakes in the middle of the desert surrounded by planted local trees. But the results of these local government efforts are stunning. It is one of the best examples of creating a natural habitat. According to sustainable development principles, if we need to disturb any natural habitat, we need to create almost double the size of natural habitats to keep the balance in nature. Once we create this natural habitat, flora fauna starts growing there and local birds, animals start thriving on it. and the natural biodiversity cycle starts again in a place where there was no significant life before.

When we reached near Al Quadra Lakes, the first glimpse of growing wildlife was running and jumping gazelle! It was amazing to see this beautiful local animal in the wild. I have always seen gazelle in captivity before. But in wild it ran very fast and far away. It jumped high in the air a few times and ran farther. We did not expect this so couldn’t catch this moment on our phone camera but it was a moment to remember, a feast for our eyes!

The waters in the lake were clean and clear. Tilapia fish are released in water to attract fish-eating birds in turn, the bird waste acts as organic manure to the lake water. Thus, many planktons, zooplankton, and insect larvae grow in the lake water, making this attractive to many migratory as well as resident birds.

Ducks who made these lakes their home were a great attraction for kids. Next time we need to bring bread with us for duck feeding, Ruhaan would love this activity. There were a lot of dog owners and their dogs were enjoying a swim in waters to cool down in summer. This definitely a great place to play in the water, making sure that we do not leave any of our traces like garbage behind. In such places, everyone should carry their garbage back to the city or to the mosque next to Al quadra lakes, where there is a garbage disposal facility. There is a cycle track near lakes, which is very popular. Or if you want to take a walk around all lakes it can take almost an hour.

We spotted many different birds on the lake, this is a great new spot for bird watching. Laughing dove, pigeons, sandpiper, Red-wattled lapwing were amongst the birds which we spotted. There were also huge falcon-like large winged birds, but we could see them properly after sunset. But the great thing was the weather was less humid, as it’s away from the coast and there was a constant breeze around sunset. So it was feeling good outside. As this place is away from the residential area, it is also a great spot for sky watching. The sky was clearer than in cities (because of the lack of light pollution).
On the way back we were lucky to spot the gazelle again, this time it was completely dark but the gazelles eyes were shining like two bright stars on Earth! We could see its figure clearly, this time it didn’t run or jump but just looked at our car in an alert. We stopped, not to disturb it and it vanished in a second. No surprise! because some gazelle is able to run at bursts as high as 60 mph (97 km/h), or run at a sustained speed of 30 mph (48 km/h).

I am sure we’ll go there again and hope next time we can see the addition to existing biodiversity!