White-throated Bee-eater

This crowd-pleaser (1st for Israel, 3rd WP) has been around since the middle of August but today I finally had a chance to see it. Itay Herling very kindly offered a birding trip and I jumped at the chance. We met at 5 a.m. near Sde Boker and headed south. The drive through the desert as the dawn slowly broke was wonderful - soft pastel hues and and strange contrasts. Arrived at K20 (the Bee-eater site) around half past seven and met Itay Shani who was guiding a group. So far they'd had no luck locating the bird. The bee-eater has been difficult to track down and, while local to the site, has been very flighty and mobile. We split up to cover ground and within 3 minutes Itay S phoned saying that he'd found it.
Eventually got some superb views. What an amazing bird!

The K20 pools usually have a lot offer and Itay H and I found a cracking Broad-billed Sandpiper. Unfortunately it flew off before I could get a photo. Consolation was a pair of Hoopoe Lark....