Pale Rock Sparrow

Pale Rock Sparrow, Hill Sparrow, Pale Rockfinch (my favourite): whatever you call it the Sde Boker hills were alive with its song this morning. Looks like another good year for this subtle and attractive bird.

They like to sing from the tops of bushes and shrubs. Their soft, buzzing song can make them difficult to pin down in the landscape but I counted at least six singers during my 20 minute walk along the hillside.

Didn't want to encroach too closely so this shot was taken handheld at 200x magnification (the photos above were taken at 50x and cropped). Really not a high quality image but pretty good if you just need to id a bird.