Urim fields - Sociable Plovers and Saker

I looked for the Urim fields Sociable Plovers last week without success and I've been itching to have another crack at them all week. Frank Moffat saw the 22 strong flock yesterday and passed on very precise location details. Found them this morning with no problems (thanks Frank). Superb birds. Just my luck that it was overcast and rainy.

I was busy with other matters until midday and the rain/drizzle had stopped by the time I returned to the fields. Another great attraction of these fields are the falcons, especially Saker. The light was still awful and the images below are highly post-processed in order to bring out the details.

A very light Long-legged Buzzard did a fly-by,

and this gorgeous Pallid Harrier spent some time hunting along the farm track.

(update - returned to the fields (14.01) to try and get better photos of the Sociables. No luck but here is a Peregrine

and another Long-legged Buzzard

and a very distant shot of the Saker (I think) chasing the Peregrine.

The nearly empty Re'im reservoir held a few Cranes,

a young Eastern Imperial Eagle,

four Shelduck among the Teal, 

and a small flock of Serin along the bank.

Plenty of Linnets

Chaffinches, Greenfinches and Goldfinches.

Some Lapwings in the fields (common but really lovely),

On the way home I checked the sewage pond at Urim - a single Black-necked Grebe among the Little Grebes, Coots and Teal.

Another red eyed bird - Black-shouldered Kite.

Last week Itay Herling and I spent a morning around the Re'im area. About 25 Desert Finches were a surprise,

but definitely the best birds were these geese - Greylag

and a couple of Greater White-fronteds.