Dominic Standing's Field Photos

Postscrip to the previous post . . .

2012-02-09T11:08:00.002Z

Another flock of Pallid Swifts and at least one Alpine Swift just passed over my house.

Spring is here

2012-02-09T10:46:00.001Z

Spring is in the air - the woodpeckers are drumming. A few days ago (04.02.2012) I visited the large reservoir near Deqel. No birds at all on the water but the air was alive with the calls of Cranes. Over to the east were about 350-400 of them. Quite a sight!

A Long-legged Buzzard and Brown-necked Raven were the only other birds of interest as the track was being heavily used by 4x4s, moto-cross bikes and quad bikes.

The REAL sign of Spring came the following week. After a quick check of the Urim power lines (3 Eastern Imperial Eagles, Peregrine, Cranes, Skylarks) I drove Ze'elim and had a short drive down the Ha Besor route to the Besor Reservoir. Over the water were more than a dozen Pallid Swifts. Lovely birds.

Taking decent photos of Swifts demands patience, skill and some expensive kit. I lack all of these but one day, one day . . . .

Greater White-fronted Goose

2012-01-22T09:59:00.000Z

Very surprised this morning to see an odd goose in a flock of Egyptian Geese. I was working by the cow sheds so didn't have any binoculars with me but the white blaze was visible from a distance. Luckily rain stopped play early which gave me the chance to rush home and pick up bins and camera.

Greater White-fronted Goose! Very pleased to see that here.

Eastern Imperial Eagles

2011-12-31T15:09:00.000Z

An excellent finish to 2011. Three juv Eastern Imperial Eagles sat together in one of the northern fields before flying off. Two went north but one flew towards me allowing fantastic views. The adult was also present in its usual spot on the western edge of the Nir Oz fields.

All in all, it's been an excellent few months birding here. Highlights for me were Steppe Grey Shrike (1), Sociable Plover (4 max.), Oriental Skylark (1), Richard's Pipit (1) and of course, the winter raptors (Eastern Imperial Eagle, Spotted Eagle, Lanner Falcon, Peregrine, Merlin, Common Buzzard, Long-legged Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Pallid Harrier, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier). The winter fields have filled up with Lapwings, larks, pipits and Corn Buntings. Golden Plover passed through earlier (up to 49 in a single flock). A single Eleonora's Falcon and a small group of Levant Sparrowhawks seen from our porch were definitely the year's best garden birds.

The autumn passerine migration was a joy to see. Waves of Willow Warblers gave way to wintering Chiffchaffs. Black Redstarts replaced Redstarts. Bluethroats are numerous. Stonechats ditto. Two groups of Golden Orioles moved through. A single Savi's Warbler and a single Great Reed Warbler were highlights around the sewage pond. Also, a single Zitting Cisticola in the northern fields was a pleasant surprise.

Lesser Grey, Masked and Red-backed Shrikes were all common in season. No records of Woodchat Shrike yet.

Stone Curlew numbers in the stock yard rose to 85 before they dispersed.

My brother came over for a week in October and we managed some superb birding around here and in the Arava. Hooded Wheatear, Sooty Falcon, Little Bittern, Crowned Sandgrouse were new for me. We found a very smart Grey Phalarope at Khehemin - a rarity here.

There's always 'one that got away' and my one was a possible Nightingale ssp. hafizi. It appeared briefly and then went to cover, frustrating several attempts on my part to relocate it. Oh well.

Looking forward to an exciting 2012 spring.

Sociable Plovers - lost and found

2011-12-12T14:47:00.000Z

The Sociable Plovers have been missing for the last few days. The southern fields, where they were, were also denuded of Lapwings. I thought they may have moved on and so I was delighted to find three of them in the north fields. Once again, they were associated with a/the Lapwing flock.

The drive to the north fields turned up some good birds too. In the distance, to the west, a large falcon attacked a Peregrine which flew off low and very fast. The larger bird settled only to be attacked by a Black Kite. As they flew about I managed decent enough views to call it a Lanner Falcon.

Two Golden Jackal went sprinting across one of the ploughed fields. I've seen this pair on several occasions - they are wary but don't seem to mind human presence too much.

This Starling flock was amazing to see - beautifully choreographed flight: stills just don't do it justice.

A quick check of the sewage pond produced this Common Sandpiper . . .

. . . two Snipe, several Bluethroats, Swallow and a Sparrowhawk directly overhead.

Southern Grey Shrike

2011-12-08T12:39:00.004Z

A bright and windy day - the larger raptors stay low, roosting in the fields and trees but the falcons come into their own. Many Kestrels, Sparrowhawks and one Merlin rocketing around the fields. The highlight today though was this Southern Grey Shrike. These grey shrikes can be challenging to identify but I'm confident that this is Lanius meridionalis ssp. elegans. Hopefully it's not passing through and will stay for the winter. This one perched,

preened,

flew down to catch an insect,

then flew off into the shrubs.

Every day brings good views of Eastern Imperial Eagle.

Magnificent birds. This juvenile caught the attention of a Hooded Crow - despite the poor quality of the shot I've included it to show the size differences between the two. Even though the crow is a bit ahead of the eagle the eagle has twice the wingspan.

Kestrels are difficult to photograph - they don't allow close approach and fly off fast. I was pleased to get these two portraits of a female and male.

An obliging Common Buzzard.

Numerous other common birds around. Meadow Pipits

and Red-throated Pipits among them.

Sunbirds appear to be increasingly active. The males are iridescent

and the females decidedly less so. They do have a charm of their own though.

Quiet days

2011-11-28T09:29:00.002Z

The last few days have been fairly quiet in terms of new birds at Nir Oz. Having said that, the Steppe Grey Shrike, Sociable Plovers, Eastern Imperial Eagles, Hen and Pallid Harriers are all still here and have been joined by the Booted Eagle. Below are a few shots of some of the commoner birds around at the moment.

One of the numerous Kestrels, something edible in one of its claws.

One of the Buzzards being mobbed by Hoodies.

A classic Isabelline Wheatear - upright stance, pale forehead and black alula.

Some of the Corn Bunting flock that like the fields near the pomegranate orchard.

Spanish Sparrows are plentiful around the cowsheds - this individual looks like a composite of other Sparrow parts.

There were some 85 Stone Curlews together earlier in the Winter. They've dispersed now and most can be found near Magen.

Spur-winged Lapwing - very common, very handsome and very noisy (pik! pik! pik! pik! pik!)

Flocks

2011-11-25T12:41:00.002Z

Today was all about flocks . . .

. . . of 300+ Lapwings,

49 Golden Plover,

and many hundreds of Skylarks.

The GP flock has been increasing steadily from 7 to 17 yesterday to 50 today.

Both Eastern Imperial Eagles were in view today. The juv appears to have suffered some shotgun damage - there's a special place in hell for people who do this.

This Booted Eagle is a new one for me at Nir Oz. Despite the blurriness of the photo the 'landing lights' can clearly be seen.

Interesting size comparison with this Black Kite.

It was also good to the see the Sociable Plovers, Hen Harriers and a pair of Isabelline Wheatear.

Long-legged Buzzard, Hen Harrier and Eastern Imperial Eagles

2011-11-22T13:10:00.002Z

Another superb day for raptors in the Nir Oz fields. After turning up a Marsh Harrier to the west of Nir Oz I returned to home ground. This stunning Long-legged Buzzard circled up in perfect light. A different individual from the one I saw a few days ago.

Continuing on my rounds, I found the Sociable Plovers again, hunkered down between two crop lines and easily overlooked. The Merlin was also there, as were the obligatory Black Kites, Buzzards, Kestrels and Sparrowhawks. The northern fields were awash with larks again. This time I noticed three much larger larks in with a flock of skylarks. As they flew into land I saw the broad white trailing edge of the wings - Calandra larks! Sadly, no photos. The lark flocks were very skittish, presumably because two Hen Harriers were quartering the fields.

My attention was caught by an adult Eastern Imperial Eagle sitting on top of a distant tree. Very distinctive! It didn't allow for close inspection though and flew off at my approach.

A very different bird from the juvenile, below.

Various at Nir Oz, Mt Amasa and Arad

2011-11-19T18:44:00.005Z

No sign of the Sociable Plovers this morning but there's a lot of good territory for them here. Quite a few Hen Harriers around but few other raptors except for the usuals - this Buzzard has been around for a while.

Black redstarts have been for a few weeks - these are gorgeous birds and this one was no exception.

We left Nir Oz for a weekend in Arad. Every visit to this area has to include Mt Amasa. I got up extra early and arrived at the mountain (hill) in rain and wind. It felt quite like Scotland as I set off up the 'glen' with hands red with cold and binoculars soaked. Plenty of Finsch's Wheatears about but no interesting pipits despite a rather wet 2 hr search. I got off the hill just in time for the sun to come out along with an uber cute Scrub Warbler.

The break in the rain allowed for some distant shots of Finsch's Wheatear.

Several Black-necked Raven pairs were in sight on the way back to Arad. After breakfast I visited my favourite wadi and was rewarded with six(!) Griffon Vultures. At least two were wing-tagged. Ohad Hatzofe (Avian Ecologist, Division of Science and Conservation, Israel Nature & Parks Authority) says that one of the birds (E79) was born in 2006 and has been recently seen in Sde Boker (Nov 1st). This is part of the NPA monitoring of the Israeli Griffon Vulture's population study.

A very post-processed image to show the tag.

Sociable Plover

2011-11-17T10:53:00.015Z

My belief that the Nir Oz fields would host Sociable Plover proved correct this morning. Israel is a key wintering site for this highly threatened species that breeds in Kazakhstan and Southern Russia. Urim, 15 km south of here, is the traditional place to see them but I was delighted to find two individuals here.

Another exciting find - just after the plovers. The two images below are of Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta). This is the race I'm used to seeing in Northern Europe. It is much less common here although probably overlooked. (With thanks to Yoav Perlman (http://nubijar.blogspot.com/) for his comments)

Water pipit (Anthus spinoletta coutellii). This is the Middle Eastern race.

A single and rather late Yellow Wagtail made an appearance by the field edge. One wing appears damaged so it may stay for a while.

Grey Wagtails, Red-throated Pipits, Greenfinches, Chaffinches and Goldfinches completed the passerine list for this spot.

As with Goldfinches, sometimes the common birds are the best looking. This fine Northern Wheatear is such an example, concentrating more on the nearby Hen Harrier than me.

Ten raptors this morning at Nir Oz

2011-11-15T14:09:00.010Z

A superb morning in the fields. After last night's rains the light was superb and there was a strong and cold wing buffeting me - reminded me of Scottish birding. . . . The fun started with this obliging Merlin that sat quietly for a while before flying off in pursuit of a flock of passerines.

Driving on I saw a distant but obviously large and pale bird sitting in the middle of a field. A first I thought it must be a harrier but through the scope it turned out to be a Long-legged Buzzard.

A few minutes later a Spotted Eagle (top two) circled up from the fields with a Buzzard and disappeared South.

The best was to come in the Northern fields. First, I spotted some distant Dorcas Gazelle grazing but then my attention was distracted by a Hen Harrier sweeping by giving fantastic views. As it disappeared from view I turned to get into the car and saw a Pallid harrier flying fast towards me. Both harriers were flying in the same direction, just against the wind, and the difference in wing shape was staggering. The Pallied Harrier was wing-tagged but I couldn't make out the identification code. After this Peregrine, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel (not shown) made their appearances (everything against a backdrop of Black Kites, of course).

Six raptors in as many minutes! However, 10 minutes after the Hen Harrier a large falcon rocketed across the road, had a scrap with a Hoodie and flew fast South. Another Peregrine. Awesome.

All this activity put up the lapwing flock and I noticed some smaller waders among them. 11 Golden Plover!

Beautiful birds, Lapwings.

Red-throated and water pipits made an interesting diversion from the raptor-fest.

This morning was too good to last - the wind brought a huge dust storm which closed play for the day.

Hen and Marsh harriers

2011-11-11T10:36:00.000Z

The fields around here once again produced some good birds. A fine male Hen harrier was first on the scene, quartering the crop and swooping down. This followed by an equally fine,but distant, Marsh harrier.

Returning to the northern Nir Oz fields was a good idea. A large pipit flew by and landed about 10 m from the car. I only managed a short view but it was enough. Broad supercilium, pale lores, strong bill, dark streaks on buff breast and white underparts told me this was a textbook Richard's pipit - my first for Nir Oz.

Black kites again in abundance utilizing the agricultural machinery as convenient perches.

Sardinian warbler

2011-11-10T14:17:00.002Z

I didn't get to the fields as early as I wanted to this morning. However, I only had to wait for 10 minutes before a superb male hen harrier passed close by. As luck would have it my camera was in the car and the car was 100 m away.

I collected the camera was was immediately rewarded with this Sardinian warbler. By no means a rarity, it's still a lovely bird.

Looking North I could see huge flocks of larks flying up from the fields. Further on a peregrine set off a flock of 117 lapwings.

Black kites were everywhere today - either resting on the irrigation pipes or circling the thermals.

A quick check of the cow sheds on the way home produced a couple of Sparrowhawks that had this effect on the wintering Starlings . . .

Steppe Grey shrike

2011-11-08T16:20:00.004Z

An excellent day at Nir Oz - a Saker falcon and two ringtails that flew over the western fields was a good start but on the road to Magen I saw a shrike on a bit of scrub. A quick look immediately told me that this was no Southern Grey. The bill alone suggested (shouted, actually) Steppe Grey, Lanius meridionalis pallidirostris. These shrikes breed in Central Asia and winter in the tropics. A handful of these fantastic birds make it to Israel every year.

and a really poor in-flight shot but included to show the huge white wing patch . . . .

And just to illustrate the difference between Steppe Grey and the more usual Southern Grey here's a shot of the latter . . .

Trip Report: Israel 9 – 16 October 2011

2011-11-08T15:19:00.005Z

Israel 9 – 16 October 2011

Dominic and Roderick Standing

A brief trip but what we didn't get in terms of quantity we got in quality, including some southern Israeli specialities that had previously eluded us.

Introduction

We visited Israel in April 2009 and April 2010 when we had seen over 200 species but this was our first autumn trip together. I had also moved to Israel just two months previously so we were taking a hybrid view of Israel’s birds, part visitor and part resident. In the event the distinction proved meaningless as our current Israel lists aren’t so very different, although that will no doubt change as the months go by!

The range of species was very different from early April, with Red-backed Shrikes, Masked Shrikes, Spotted Flycatchers, Willow Warblers and Redstarts in abundance, but no Nightingales, Tree Pipits or Ortolans and almost no raptors or sylvia warblers!

Bird of the trip in Israeli terms was a Grey Phalarope at Kehemin sewage, not rare in the UK and Ireland but definitely rare in Israel. Both of us added Crowned Sandgrouse and Hooded Wheatear to our life lists and we enjoyed great views of a family of Sooty Falcons, a number of rails and crakes and a further seven species of wheatear.

Summary of Itinerary

Date	Locations Visited
9 Oct.	Nir Oz
10 Oct.	Ze’elim sewage and Wadi Besor
11 Oct.	Nizzana, Azuz, Kehemin sewage and Ze’elim rubbish dump
12 Oct.	Kehemin sewage, Yeroham reservoir, Mitzpe Ramon and K77
13 Oct.	Eilat north beach, date palms, K19, K20, Elifaz, Qetura, Lotan and Yotvata
14 Oct.	Yotvata, K20 and K19
15 Oct	Yotvata, Hazeva, Wadi Tamar, Neve Zohar and Mount Amsa
16 Oct.	Nir Oz

Car Hire and Accommodation

Eldan (eldan.co.il/en) provided a small five-door Daihatsu (in Eldan’s car class D) for a daily rate of approximately US$18. This was a good choice for two people in terms of fuel economy and comfort. It was also automatic and very roomy – one of us is 6’6”!

Accommodation in Eilat was in the SPNI Field School. This time, instead of camping, we choose an air-conditioned room. It was a fairly basic en-suite but clean, quiet and comfortable. Recommended.

Detailed Itinerary

Sunday 9 October

After Rod’s overnight flight from Tel Aviv, we checked out the local patch around the kibbutz, enjoying views of the many Hoopoes and Syrian woodpeckers and the nearby sewage pond.

Hoopoe

The sewage pond and its surroundings look quite promising and it will be interesting to see what turns up there. We unearthed the first of many Red-backed Shrikes, Masked shrikes and a few warblers.

Red-backed shrike (juvenile)

Masked shrike (juvenile)

Graceful prinia

It was very hot and overhead a small number of Lesser-spotted Eagles were heading southwest above the teeming Black Kites. We assumed at the time that this was a harbinger of further raptor movements to come but it turned out to the last as well as the first!

Monday 10 October

We made an early start and headed for Ze’elim sewage ponds and Wadi Besor, about 20km away. The sewage ponds held only a couple of Egyptian Geese amongst the common waders and ducks. A juvenile Egyptian Vulture was an easy spot perched on a tree as the sun rose over the wadi, a long river of green reeds and rushes that winds through the desert for about 10 km ending at Park Eshkol.

We followed the lush greenery while listening to Cetti’s Warblers and White-breasted Kingfishers and keeping an eye out for open water amongst the reeds. At the second such pool we spotted a Purple Swamphen clambering around on the stems before it flew off with its bubble-gum red legs trailing. A little further on a dam across the wadi created a shallow pool that covered the width of the valley-bottom. After a short stake-out a Bluethroat, two Spotted Crakes, one Little Crake and a Water Rail emerged from the vegetation to give fabulous views.

Bluethroat

Spotted crake (record shot)

Little crake

Water rail

It was now getting seriously hot and by the time we got back to Nir Oz it was over 42 degrees so birding took a back seat for the rest of the day.

Tuesday 11 October

An even earlier start found us at the Nizzana plain in the dawn light. The scene was rather quiet compared to April, with no birds singing or harriers quartering the plain, but a McQueen’s Bustard soon put in an appearance flying across the road with its owl-like wing beats. While we were checking out the Southern Grey Shrikes, a Bar-tailed Lark called but did not give itself up.

Southern grey shrike

We moved on to the Kehemin sewage ponds which were, in contrast, teaming with ducks, waders and other birdlife. We spotted a Hobby, 5 Whiskered Terns, a Temminck’s Stint and our only Moustached, Great Reed and Olivaceous Warblers of the trip.

Olivaceous warbler

These were pretty standard Israeli birds but the smart Grey Phalarope we found was certainly not and we took some time to get views and photos of the dark-yellow bill-base to be absolutely sure!

Grey phalarope

While we were watching these birds a small number of Spotted and Black-bellied Sandgrouse teased us by calling and flying distantly but they didn’t come in to drink. We resolved to come back earlier the following day.

Late that afternoon we tried the Ze’elim rubbish dump for raptors but saw only hundreds of Black Kites. It does look as though it should be a good site in the winter though.

Wednesday 12 October

Back to Kehemin sewage at dawn, where we were quickly rewarded with superb views of several groups of Crowned Sandgrouse flying in to drink, totalling 43 birds. At least 50 Black-bellied and 100 Spotted Sandgrouse also came in giving great views.

Spotted sandgrouse

We then headed south via Yeroham where we discovered that the reservoir has been drained. This became something of a theme throughout the trip, whereby sites which had previously held water were found to be dry. Fortunately the Yeroham park authorities have created a small recreational lake as a replacement and our spirits lifted when we found two Little Bitterns, a Night Heron and two Wrynecks around its margins.

Next stop was the Officers’ School sewage pool just before Mitzpe Ramon. This held a Glossy Ibis but the nearby woodland, which had been nurtured over the years by the no-longer leaking overflow pipe, has become seriously degraded and over-run by goats. Picking up our only White-crowned Black Wheatear of the trip on the outskirts of Mitzpe Ramon, we then tried the town’s sewage plant but this has now been tidied up and fenced in and offered little apart from a few Red-throated Pipits and lots of Barn Swallows.

The sun was getting low as we continued south and it became clear that we would arrive at Eilat in darkness so we enjoyed the last few minutes of daylight at K77 on Route 90, picking up our first Blackstart but very little else apart from the inevitable Red-backed Shrike.

Thursday 13 October

We decided to cover as much of the southern Arava as we could and started at Eilat North Beach at dawn. A few White-eyed Gulls loafed around offshore but not much else so we headed north starting with the date palms. These contained little apart from the customary flock of Indian Silverbills.

Indian silverbill

Next was the Bird Park which contained only Caspian and White-winged Black Terns. The K19 reservoir held the usual water birds including a Spoonbill and 5 Garganey but the ditch leading up to the K20 salt pans was dry and bird-less and the K20 salt pans were relatively quiet.

Heading further north, the Elifaz dung heap had an Isabelline Wheatear and the nearby sewage pond a Squacco Heron. Qetura sewage was quiet but we saw our first Little Green Bee-eaters of the trip.

Little green bee-eater

The kibbutz at Lotan was also very quiet so we tried a bit of raptor watching from the heights overlooking the Arava next to Route 40 where it climbs up to Neot Smadar. In the course of nearly an hour this yielded one Pallid Harrier and one Marsh Harrier hurtling south at enormous height on a mixture of powerful thermals and the northerly wind. It was obvious why we weren’t seeing any raptor movement whatsoever from the valley below!

Next we went to Yotvata sewage plant where we found a new lake next to the plant. It contained no birds of particular interest but it made a pleasant change to find a new water body rather than a succession of drained ones.

The day ended at the Yotvata circular fields where we found a Lesser Grey Shrike perched on recently harvested alfalfa bales in the northern field. It was refreshing also to see large numbers of passerines in the stubble, including Red-throated Pipits, Tawny Pipits, Short-toed Larks, Whinchats, wagtails and wheatears. The sun was setting so we couldn’t work the stubble as we would have liked and would clearly have to return.

Lesser grey shrike

Friday 14 October

A bizarre day! We started by heading into the Eilat Mountains before dawn to try a stake-out of the Ein Netafim spring, in the faint hope of seeing Hooded Wheatear. Unfortunately we were turned back by the IDF and after a beautiful but birdless walk towards Mount Shlomo we went straight to the Yotvata circular fields. Here we found a superb Hoopoe Lark followed by, guess what, a fine male Hooded Wheatear. Clearly their distribution changes somewhat in autumn! Also present nearby was a mourning wheatear providing a lovely comparison of bill size and weight and amount of black on breast.

Hooded wheatear

Mourning wheatear

After a fruitless search for a Pied Wheatear that had been reported the previous day we turned our attention to the alfalfa stubble we had seen the previous day. The Desert Wheatears were aggressively defending territories, at least until the Lesser Grey Shrike came along and chased them for minutes at a time. We also could see a number of Richard’s Pipits in flight but couldn’t connect with them on the ground.

We wanted to finish the day at the K19 reservoir so headed south via the still-quiet K20 salt pans. As the sun sank lower we waited on the reservoir bank and enjoyed great views of a male Barbary Falcon on the border fence. A Purple Heron also flew in as at least 6 Night Herons emerged from the waterside vegetation to begin their nocturnal vigil. Finally, several small groups of Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse, totalling 11 birds, flew in and gave us rather dark but still satisfying views.

Saturday 15 October

Our long drive back north started with yet another visit to the Yotvata circular fields. We quickly nailed some great scope views of at least one Richard’s Pipit in the stubble. The other decent bird was an Oriental Skylark seen and heard in flight, which then vanished when it settled never to be seen again. We also spotted the only Spanish Sparrow of the trip – a distant male perched at the edge of the field.

Continuing north we dropped in at Hazeva only to find that the reservoir was still dry and the kibbutz largely bird-free. Next to Wadi Tamar, where we watched two adult and two juvenile Sooty Falcons in the canyon as it climbs up from the Dead Sea plain. Then to Neve Zohar, where the reservoir was also dry (surprise, surprise) but a few Desert Larks entertained us.

Finally, as the sun set, we dropped off at Mount Amsa. The Finsch’s Wheatears were already in their winter quarters accompanied by Spectacled Warbler and Little Owl.

Sunday 16 October

A final walk round the Nir Oz sewage ponds turned up our only Sardinian Warblers, a fitting ending to a great trip.

Systematic list

No	Name	Comments
1	Egyptian Goose	2 Ze'elim sewage 11/10
2	Mallard	Common on fresh water
3	Wigeon	Pair Mitzpe Ramon sewage 12/10
4	Garganey	5 K19 reservoir 13/10
5	Teal	Common on fresh water
6	Shoveler	Common on fresh water
7	Sand Partridge	A few in desert areas
8	Chukar	Common in desert areas
9	Quail	Singles Yotvata 13/10 and 14/10
10	Little Grebe	Common on fresh water
11	Black-necked Grebe	1 wp Kehemin sewage 12/10
12	Greater Flamingo	Usual flock K20 salt pans
13	White Stork	7 K19 13/10
14	Grey Heron	Very common in flocks up to 20
15	Night Heron	4 Azuz 11/10; 6 K19 reservoir 14/10
16	Purple Heron	1 K19 reservoir 14/10
17	Little Egret	Common on fresh water
18	Cattle Egret	Widespread in N. Negev
19	Great White Egret	A few on most fresh water bodies
20	Squacco Heron	Singles at Elifaz and Qetura sewage 13/10
21	Little Bittern	Ad and juv Yeroham reservoir 12/10
22	Glossy Ibis	1 Mitzpe Ramon Officers School sewage 12/10
23	Spoonbill	1 K19 reservoir 13/10
24	Egyptian Vulture	Juv Wadi Besor 10/10
25	Lesser Spotted Eagle	c 5 SW over Nir Oz 9/10
26	Short-toed Eagle	1 Kehemin sewage 12/10
27	Booted Eagle	1 Kehemin sewage 11/10 and 12/10
28	Black Kite	Abundant, especially in N. Negev
29	Marsh Harrier	M. S over R40 near Neot Smadar 13/10; f. K19 13/10 and 14/10
30	Pallid Harrier	Ringtail S viewed from R25 near Neot Smadar 13/10
31	Steppe Buzzard	Only 3 individuals during the trip
32	Sparrowhawk	10 throughout the trip
33	Kestrel	Common and widespread
34	Hobby	1 Kehemin sewage 11/10 and 12/10
35	Barbary Falcon	M. K19 14/10; f. Yotvata 15/10
36	Sooty Falcon	Pair and 2 juvs Wadi Tamar 15/10
37	Spotted Crake	2 juvs Wadi Besor 10/10
38	Little Crake	1 juv Wadi Besor 10/10
39	Water Rail	1 ad Wadi Besor 10/10

40	Moorhen		widespread on fresh water
41	Coot		2 Wadi Besor 10/10
42	Purple Swamphen		1 ad Wadi Besor 10/10
43	McQueen's Bustard		1 in flight Nizzana plain 11/10
44	Avocet		6 K20 salt pans 13/10 and 14/10
45	Black-winged Stilt		Common on all water bodies
46	Stone Curlew		Abundant in N. Negev
47	Spur-Winged Plover		Common by water and habitation
48	Ringed Plover		Widespread by water bodies
49	Little Ringed Plover		Juv K20 salt pans 13/10
50	Kentish Plover		Up to 3 K20 salt pans 13/10 and 14/10
51	Dunlin		Up to 4 K20 salt pans 13/10 and 14/10
52	Temminck’s Stint		1 wp Kehemin sewage 11/10
53	Little Stint		Abundant at K20 salt pans and Eilat Bird Park
54	Wood Sandpiper		Common on all water bodies
55	Green Sandpiper		Common on all fresh water bodies
56	Common Sandpiper		Common on all fresh water bodies
57	Redshank		Common on all fresh water bodies
58	Spotted Redshank		4 wp Kehemin sewage 11/10
59	Greenshank		1 Eilat Bird Park 13/10
60	Marsh Sandpiper		2 wp Kehemin sewage 11/10
61	Snipe		Common on all fresh water bodies
62	Grey Phalarope		Ad wp Kehemin sewage 11/10 and 12/10
63	Ruff		Common on all fresh water bodies
64	Lesser Black-backed Gull		A few around Eilat North Beach and K19 reservoir
65	Slender-Billed Gull		A few around Eilat North Beach, K19 reservoir and K20 salt pans
66	White-Eyed Gull		15 Eilat North Beach 13/10
67	Caspian Tern		Up to 17 K20 salt pans and Eilat Bird Park
68	White-Winged Black Tern		1 juv K20 salt pans and Eilat Bird Park 13/10
69	Whiskered Tern		5 Kehemin sewage 11/10 and 12/10
70	Black-Bellied Sandgrouse		50 plus Kehemin sewage 12/10
71	Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse		11 K19 reservoir 14/10
72	Spotted Sandgrouse		100 plus Kehemin sewage 12/10
73	Crowned Sandgrouse		43 Kehemin sewage 12/10
74	Feral Pigeon		Abundant
75	Namaqua Dove		Common at Yotvata
76	Collared Dove		Abundant
77	Turtle Dove		2 in N. Negev
78	Laughing Dove		Abundant
79	Long-eared Owl		1 Nir Oz 10/10
80	Little Owl		1 Mount Amsa 15/10
81	Kingfisher		Singles Kehemin sewage 11/10 and Yeroham reservoir 12/10

82		White-Breasted Kingfisher		3 in N. Negev
83		Hoopoe		Common
84		Little Green Bee-eater		Common in desert areas
85		Syrian Woodpecker		Widespread in N. Negev
86		Wryneck		2 Yeroham reservoir 12/10
87		Oriental Skylark		1 Yotvata 15/10
88		Crested Lark		Abundant
89		Short-toed Lark		Common
90		Desert Lark		10 Neve Zohar 15/10
91		Bar-tailed Lark		1 hd Nizzana Plain 11/10
92		Hoopoe Lark		1 or 2 Yotvata 14/10 and 15/10
93		Barn Swallow		Common
94		Red-rumped Swallow		1 Kehelim sewage 11/10
95		House Martin		A few
96		Sand Martin		Common
97		Pale Crag Martin		Widespread in small numbers
98		Richard's Pipit		Up to 3 Yotvata 14/10 and 15/10
99		Red-Throated Pipit		200+ Yotvata
100		Tawny Pipit		20+ Yotvata
101		White Wagtail		Common
102		Yellow Wagtail		50+ Yotvata
103		Blackbird		A few in N. Negev
104		Bluethroat		Widespread; up to 10 daily
105		Redstart		Widespread; up to 5 daily
106		Blackstart		Widespread in desert areas
107		Northern Wheatear		Up to 10 daily
108		Black-eared Wheatear		Up to 2 most days
109		Isabelline Wheatear		Up to 2 most days
110		Desert Wheatear		20+ at Yotvata
111		White-Crowned Wheatear		Ad Mitzpe Ramon 12/10
112		Finsch's Wheatear		4 ad males Mount Amsa 15/10
113		Mourning Wheatear		Up to 2 daily in S. Negev
114		Hooded Wheatear		Ad Yotvata 14/10 and 15/10
115		Whinchat		Up to 3 Yotvata
116		Sardinian Warbler		2 Nir Oz sewage 16/10
117		Spectacled Warbler		1 Mount Amsa 15/10
118		Blackcap		3 in all
119		Whitethroat		1 Nir Oz 10/10
120		Lesser Whitethroat		1 Nir Oz 10/10
121		Reed Warbler		Widespread in suitable cover
122		Sedge Warbler		1 Wadi Besor 10/11
123		Moustached Warbler		1 Kehemin sewage 11/11


124	Scrub Warbler	1 Nizzana plain 11/11
125	Graceful Prinia	Common
126	Cetti’s Warbler	Singing Wadi Besor 10/10
127	Reed Warbler	Up to 3 daily in reeds
128	Great Reed Warbler	1 Kehemin sewage 11/10
129	Olivaceous Warbler	1 Kehemin sewage 11/10
130	Willow Warbler	Abundant
131	Chiffchaff	4 Mitzpe Ramon sewage 12/10
132	Spotted Flycatcher	Up to 5 at most locations
133	Arabian Babbler	Small numbers in desert areas
134	Great Tit	Common in N. Negev
135	Masked Shrike	Widespread in small numbers
136	Red-backed Shrike	Up to 3 at all locations
137	Southern Grey Shrike	Common in N. Negev
138	Lesser Grey Shrike	Juv Yotvata from 13/10 to 15/10
139	Jay	Common in N. Negev
140	Jackdaw	3 near Tel Aviv on way to airport
141	House Crow	Common in Eilat
142	Hooded Crow	Abundant
143	Raven	Widespread in small numbers
144	Brown-necked Raven	2 near Neot Smadar 13/10
145	Mynah Bird	2 near airport, common in Kibbutz Nir Oz
146	Tristram’s Grackle	2 Wadi Tamar 15/10
147	Yellow-Vented Bulbul	Abundant
148	Palestine Sunbird	Common
149	House Sparrow	Abundant
150	Spanish Sparrow	1 m. Yotvata 15/10
151	Goldfinch	Heard over Nir Oz 9/10
152	Ring-Necked Parakeet	Small numbers in Eilat
153	Indian Silverbill	50+ Eilat Date Palms 13/10; 1 Elifaz sewage 13/10; 3 Yotvata 14/10

Birding trip Israel 30 March - 7 April 2010

2010-04-12T18:11:00.006+01:00

Israel 30 March-7 April 2010

Introduction

Last year my brother and I birded Israel in early April together for the first time (see this blog and http://www.travellingbirder.com/ ) and this year’s return match was keenly anticipated. In the event, the species count was lower than last year because we only visited the south of the country and we spent time targeting certain desert species. We still saw a good array of birds including Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse, Pharaoh Eagle Owl, Nubian Nightjar, Thick-billed Lark, Bimaculated Lark, Citrine Wagtail, Pied Wheatear and Dead Sea Sparrow plus some of the most amazing scenery that Israel has to offer. We hope that our account of this year’s sightings is helpful to other birders planning trips to Israel and inspires others to make the pilgrimage.

Where useful we have added Google Maps coordinates (for example: 30.035811,34.981413) – you can paste these into the Search Maps field to see exactly where we saw certain birds, though please bear in mind that the images in Google Maps may no longer exactly match what is to be found on the ground.

Summary of Itinerary

Date Locations Visited
30 March Arad area
31 March Km77, Yotvata
1 April Holland Park, the ‘Ovda Road’, Yotvata, Km20, Km19
2 April Meishar Plateau, Mitzpe Ramon area
3 April Birdwatching Park, Eilat Mountains, the ‘Ovda Road’, Km19
4 April Km19, Eilat Mountains, southern Arava, undisclosed location
5 April Neot Smadar area, Route 40 Km30, Nizzana-Azzuz Road
6 April Nizzana-Azzuz Road, Yeroham Reservoir, Neve Zohar, Dead Sea marshes
7 April Drive from Arad to Ben Gurion Airport

Detailed Itinerary

Tuesday 30 March

Arriving at Arad (our base for the first and last nights) at about 10:00 from the airport after an overnight flight, we breakfasted and set out to renew our acquaintance with Israel’s avifauna by exploring the minor road from Arad to Massada. Birds of prey led the way, with three Griffon Vultures and one or two Egyptian Vultures giving good views along with fly-over Steppe, Bonnelli’s and Short-toed Eagles and a Long-legged Buzzard among the commoner raptors.

Egyptian vulture

We also saw Brown-necked raven and two Mourning Wheatears by the road as well as Crag Martin, Rock Sparrow, Orphean Warbler and Wryneck on the outskirts of Arad.

Brown necked raven

Wednesday 31 March

We started the first full day of our trip at dawn at Route 90 Km77, covering the plains east of the road. The best bird was a calling Bar-tailed Lark passing overhead (30.101605,35.151293) and small numbers of common migrants were present including Quail, Hoopoe, Red-Throated Pipit, Bluethroat, Nightingale, Eastern Bonnelli’s Warbler, Woodchat Shrike and Ortolan Bunting. We also saw our first Cretzschmar’s Bunting. Numerous White Storks were heading north, accompanied by 4 Black Storks. We also worked the adjoining date palm plantation (30.083949,35.147688) but found nothing of note.

Continuing further south down Route 90 to Yotvata we performed the customary circumnavigation of the southern circular field (29.892206,35.074797) and adjoining areas and found the only Hen Harrier of the trip, our first Booted Eagle, two Namaqua Doves, a Turtle Dove, a male Siberian Stonechat, three Whinchats and an Olivaceous Warbler.

Thursday 1 April

We were now to be based in Eilat for the next four days and this coincided with a period of strong northerly winds and a reduced passage of migrants. We therefore decided to spend less time at traditional hotspots such as Eilat North Beach and focus more on some of the species to be found in the southern Negev Desert, which was exceptionally green in parts due to heavy rain earlier in the spring.

The wisdom of this was proven by our dawn visit to Holland Park (29.572589,34.960674) on 1 April which yielded neither the Black Bush Robin which had been reported nor much else apart from our first Arabian Babblers of the trip. We therefore headed up to the southern Negev plateau, to the wadi which approaches close to the west of Route 12 (the ‘Ovda Road’) approximately 4 km south of Shizzafon Junction (where Route 12 meets Route 40). During our visit it was so verdant following the rains that it resembled a green river flowing through the desert.

It didn’t take us long to find at least five Thick-Billed Larks at approximately 30.035811,34.981413.

Thick billed larks

Thick billed lark

We watched these wonderful birds for some time with their supporting cast of Desert and Short-toed Larks and a Blue Rock Thrush. The Hill Sparrows that were reported by others at this site did not show themselves.

Short toed lark

Next back to the Arava Valley and another visit to Yotvata during the heat of the day, where we sky-watched from the shade of a tree and observed a Steppe Eagle, another Black Stork and two Cream-coloured Coursers heading north amongst the more abundant species.

Steppe eagle

On the way out we spotted two Stone Curlews also sheltering from the sun in the shade of two acacia bushes by the road (29.890123,35.065548).

Stone curlew

Thence to the Elifaz dung heaps (29.781457,35.020005), which contained good numbers of several races of Yellow Wagtails, and further south to the salt pans at Route 90 Km20 via the desert track (vehicles can no longer turn left when heading south along the stretch of Route 90 that passes Km20 due to dualing of the road).

Black headed wagtail

We saw gazelles but no desert birds, although our only Osprey of the trip heading northwards was a bonus.

Dorcas gazelle

The salt pans contained the usual collection of waders, Greater flamingos and Slender-billed Gulls, Little ringed plovers, Kentish plovers plus our first flock of Bee-eaters flying overhead.

Little ringed plover

Kentish plover

Our final stop of the day was the adjacent pool at Route 90 Km19, which has become famous as the most reliable place for Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse. To get there we drove south from the southernmost salt pan along a dirt track until we reached the south-eastern corner of the cow sheds (not shown on Google Maps), where we parked and climbed over the fence at 29.60945,34.992743 to gain access to the bank around the pool. We took up our positions at 29.60904,34.990897 so that we could scope the northern edge. The conventional wisdom is that you have to be in place before sunset as the birds only come to drink when it is almost dark. On this occasion we did not see the sandgrouse but an adult Barbary Falcon flying close past in the gathering dusk plus a Bluethroat were some compensation. (Note: this pool and the cow sheds are plagued by biting flies – it is best to wear long sleeves and trousers and/or insect repellent if you are waiting for sandgrouse here!)

Friday 2 April

We continued our quest for larks by starting at the Meishar Plateau, a vast plain in the southern Negev Desert (centre approx 30.436834,34.939957). Searching the green sward west of the road yielded hundreds of Short-toed Larks accompanied by two fine Bimaculated Larks. Two male Desert Wheatears and a male Pallid Harrier were also seen. Earlier we had seen eight Spotted Sandgrouse en route by Route 40 (at 30.117216,35.012741) and we also heard the species at the Meishar.

We then continued north along Route 40, notching up two Steppe Eagles on the way, and had lunch at Mitzpe Ramon. After lunch we visited the town sewage pools at 30.632853,34.818807 and the Officers School sewage pool at 30.659031,34.796405. Both had clearly seen recent changes. The former is currently undergoing massive reconstruction and time will tell what value it holds for birds in the future. The latter appears to have recently been rebuilt and the leaking overflow pipe mended so the future of the small wood and associated grassland nearby appears uncertain. However, both were still clearly attractive to migrants at the time of our visit and good numbers of Green Sandpipers, Hoopoes, Tree Pipits and Nightingales were seen, along with our first Night and Squacco Herons, a purring Turtle Dove and our only Masked Shrike of the trip.

Masked shrike

Our reason for heading this far north was to try to see Hill Sparrows in Nahal Lotz (30.659031,34.796405 and surrounding area) but when we got there we were confronted by an endless succession of four-wheel drive vehicles thundering along the tracks giving access to the area generating considerable noise and vast clouds of dust. Since access to this area is limited to the tracks, we abandoned this plan in favour of driving slowly back along the very scenic Route 171 stopping at any points of interest.

We quickly encountered a black and white wheatear which flew up from the roadside. It required some effort to pin down and identify, partly because we were distracted by a pair of Onager (or Wild Asian Ass, there is a population of approximately 60 in the Southern Negev) which appeared at the same moment. After a short exchange which culminated in ‘F*** the donkey, I’m on the wheatear!’, we obtained diagnostic views of the tail in flight and were able to confirm a male Pied Wheatear.

Continuing back towards Mitzpe Ramon, we decide to explore a particularly green plain bordering Route 171 (centre approx 30.643007,34.77911), and close to the road found a male Lesser Kestrel sitting in a tree.

Lesser kestrel (record shot)

Searching the plain yielded only several hundred Short-toed Larks and another Steppe Eagle overhead but it is clearly a promising site for larks and other plain-dwellers.

Saturday 3 April

For a change (and slightly more sleep) we decided to start at the Birdwatching Park on the outskirts of Eilat (centred approximately on 29.572561,34.971564). Three Red-necked Phalaropes bobbed on the main pool and our first Purple Herons lurked in the trees, but the most notable bird was the Little Stint, of which there were many hundreds present.

Red-necked phalaropes

Next we went to the raptor watching point in the Eilat Mountains (on the right of Route 12 at about the highest point – Google Maps location not recorded). There was still a good passage of Steppe Buzzards passing northeast accompanied by five Steppe Eagles and one poorly seen Imperial Eagle.

When movement dried up, we carried on north along Route 12 to visit the spring at Ein Netafim. This can be reached by parking at 29.572561,34.971564 at a sign pointing east of the road to ‘Ein Netafim’ and following the track for 15 minutes down to the spring. The last portion consists of a steep descent through a rock crevice aided by steel footrests set into the stone. Needless to say, immediately upon our arrival a family appeared in a four-wheel drive and all chances of seeing birds vanished. (Note: it really is worth checking the dates of public holidays and avoiding them and Saturdays when planning access to remote areas with four wheel drive tracks.)

We then continued north along Route 12 through the southern Negev plateau initially skirting the Egyptian border. This is a very little used road and there is clearly a mass of excellent habitat here suitable for many of the species of interest and it would undoubtedly reward further exploration. We contented ourselves with another visit to the green wadi (30.035811,34.981413) that we first explored two days before, still in search of Hill Sparrows, this time seeing just three Thick-billed Larks and a Quail.

As the afternoon wore on we decided to brave the biting flies of the Km19 pool again. This time there were more birds around generally, including a huge flock of Spanish sparrows, Glossy Ibis, six more Night Herons and three Garganey.

Spanish sparrow flock

Glossy ibis

Finally at 7.25 we heard the diagnostic call and through scopes found the originators sitting on the northern bank of the pool – two Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse (or rather their silhouettes!). After a few minutes they flew off but we felt that patience had been rewarded.

Sunday 4 April

Since passage appeared to be picking up we decided to start at the Km19 freshwater pools. These stretch from behind the cowsheds at 29.611428,34.994438 almost to the Km20 pools at 29.617472,34.997656. Our hunch was right, for amongst the hundreds of Yellow Wagtails and Red-throated Pipits were both male and female Citrine Wagtails, a fitting coda to last year’s search for the species.

We then found a small flock of Indian Silverbills in the North Date Palms (29.570807,34.976048) on our way up to the Eilat Mountains, where raptor movement was in full swing. Among the Steppe Buzzards and Black Kites we picked out a Sparrowhawk, three Steppe Eagles, one male Pallid Harrier, one female Montagu’s Harrier and a Short-toed Eagle. In a curious turn of events, given our success the evening before, we also heard a Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse calling close to the raptor watch point. An Ibex sunning itself on the slopes above also proved an interesting diversion.

Ibex

Working our way back up the Arava we dropped in at a number of locations: the North Date Palms (another Whinchat), Birdwatching Park (our first Pied Kingfisher and Pochard) and Km19 (our first Little Green Bee-eater).

Little green bee-eater

The salt pans held a wider variety of species than before and we easily identified a Red-necked Phalarope, a male Greater Sand Plover and nine Gull-billed Terns, but two Collared Pratincoles resting on the central bank required a long stake-out before they finally raised their wings.

Greater sand plover

The day ended with close views of both male and female Pharaoh Eagle Owls, the birds of the trip for us. Given the sensitivity of the species and the location we cannot say where they were. Those wishing to see this species are advised to make arrangements with one of the bird guides working in Israel, such as Barak Granit (barak.granit@gmail.com).

Monday 5 April

Our task for the day was to get to Nizzana by nightfall and we stopped off at a number of sites on the way. Neot Smadar (30.047848,35.027418) was quiet with just a couple of Quail and our first Whitethroat of the trip being of note. We then stopped at the ‘Crowned Sandgrouse’ sewage pools 6km north of Neot Smadar (30.105559,35.012827) and although we saw 12 Spotted Sandgrouse it was evident that our presence was distracting to the birds. It is clear that at this site it is important to watch for sandgrouse using your car as a hide.

We then explored the plains to the south-west of Route 40 at 30.202077,35.00905 (approximately Km30). In a very enjoyable couple of hours we turned up a very impressive Egyptian mastigure sunning itself outside its burrow, another Thick-billed Lark, two Cream-coloured Coursers, a Quail, a Black Stork, a dark Booted Eagle, three Hoopoes and a Nightingale. As we proceeded further north-west along Route 40 we also found another Mourning Wheatear.

Egyptian mastigure

When we got to Nizzana we decided to check out the Nizzana-Ezuz road (from 30.873351,34.435444 to 30.799506,34.470978) before nightfall and found three more Cream-coloured Coursers, a Southern Grey Shrike, the first of a constant stream of Bee-eater flocks weaving over the Nizzana-Ezuz plain and the ‘Desert’ Little Owl which seems to be a fixture on the blocks to the west of the road just before Ezuz.

Southern grey shrike

‘Desert’ little owl

Tuesday 6 April

Our final day dawned cloudy and cool: excellent conditions because it delayed the onset of heat haze and enabled us to scope both directions from the road. As with last year the two or three hours after sunrise give us some of the best birding of the trip, with as many as nine Cream-coloured Coursers, three displaying McQueen’s Bustards, five Spotted Sandgrouse, ten Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, male Pallid and Montagu’s Harriers, Hobby, two singing Bar-tailed Larks, Scrub Warbler and four Spectacled Warblers. The best area was the southern third of the road and all these birds were seen from within a few metres of the road. Observers should not go more than a small distance from the road in order to avoid disturbance to the McQueen’s Bustards.

Cream coloured courser

Chukar

The very best was yet to come however at the southern end of the Dead Sea. On our way there, as last year, we dropped in at Yeroham Reservoir (30.988389,34.895883) which, as last year, held two Ferruginous Duck plus huge numbers of Reed Warblers. There were lots of people present on the north side so we focused on the south side which can be reached by turning left immediately upon entering the reservoir site.

We then took the spectacular Route 227 (the old Roman road to Eilat) through the northern Negev to get down to Hazeva in the Arava valley. We saw Mourning and Desert Wheatears by the road, but the best part was the view from the top of the Akrabbim Ascent (30.910169,35.132346) as the road commences a series of hairpin bends as it drops to the valley floor. Apart from the stunning view, this looks as though it might be a good site for seeing migrating raptors – a Sparrowhawk powered over the summit as we passed by.

Unfortunately Hazeva Reservoir (30.785497,35.301647) had been cleared of vegetation and largely drained and its bird value was nil, so we decided to head up to the pools at Neve Zohar (31.14539,35.376749). A few minutes after our arrival, we spotted a small bird leaving one of the globular nests above the water and then obtained fantastic views of a male Dead Sea Sparrow as it chirped in the waterside vegetation and fed on the adjacent reservoir bank. A Clamorous Reed Warbler also provided excellent views in the reeds.

Our real reason for being there though was to meet Barak Granit and hunt for nightjars and owls. We met at the Neot Hakkikar junction with Route 90 (30.995103,35.341151) at dusk and within half an hour had obtained stunning views of several Nubian Nightjars. Our attempts to see Hume’s Tawny Owl were not successful (they had started breeding unexpectedly early) but the sight of a White Stork picked out in Barak’s torch beam as it circled low over our heads on the darkened mountainside was perhaps equally memorable. (Note: you will be attacked by mosquitoes in the Dead Sea marshes so long sleeves and trousers and/or insect repellent are advised for this trip.)

Wednesday 7 April

We notched up a few species on the way back to the airport but time constraints precluded any stops. A Glossy ibis gliding over the Departures drop off proved to be a final, pleasant surprise.

Systematic list

Species count, name and comments

1 Mallard Small numbers on fresh water

2 Pintail 5 at Km20 Salt Pans 1 April

3 Shoveler Large numbers on fresh water

4 Gadwall Pair at Neve Zohar 6 April

5 Teal Small numbers on fresh water

6 Garganey 3 at Km19 pool 3 April

7 Pochard 1 at Birdwatching Park 4 April

8 Ferruginous Duck Pair at Yeroham Reservoir 6 April

9 Little Grebe Small numbers on fresh water

10 Chukar 1 at Nizzana 6 April, heard at Arad

11 Quail Small numbers in all suitable habitat

12 Cormorant Small numbers at Km19 pool

13 Grey Heron Widespread in small numbers

14 Purple Heron Widespread in small numbers

15 Night Heron Widespread in small numbers

16 Little Egret Widespread in small numbers

17 Cattle Egret Widespread in small numbers

18 Squacco Heron Widespread in small numbers

19 White Stork Abundant

20 Black Stork Widespread in small numbers

21 Glossy Ibis 1 at Km19 pool 3 April

22 Greater Flamingo Usual flock at Km20 Salt Pans

23 Osprey 1 north of Km20 Salt Pans 1 April

24 Griffon Vulture 3 near Arad 30 March

25 Egyptian Vulture 1 to 2 near Arad 30 March

26 Imperial Eagle 1 at Eilat Mountains 3 April

27 Steppe Eagle Seen in small numbers most days

28 Booted Eagle Seen in small numbers most days

29 Bonnelli’s Eagle 1 near Arad 30 March

30 Short-toed Eagle Seen in small numbers most days

31 Black Kite Common

32 Steppe Buzzard Abundant

33 Long-legged Buzzard 1 near Arad 30 March

34 Sparrowhawk Common

35 Kestrel Common

36 Lesser Kestrel 1 near Mitzpe Ramon 2 April

37 Hobby 1 near Azzuz 6 March

38 Barbary Falcon 1 at Km19 pool 1 April

39 Marsh Harrier Common

40 Hen Harrier 1 ringtail at Yotvata 31 March

41 Pallid Harrier 3 males seen (Meishar, Eilat Mountains, near Azzuz)

42 Montagu’s Harrier 1 male near Azzuz 6 March

43 Coot 2 at Birdwatching Park

44 Moorhen Small numbers on fresh water

45 McQueen's Bustard 3 near Azzuz 6 March

46 Black-winged Stilt Common on fresh and saline water bodies

47 Stone Curlew 2 at Yotvata 1 April

48 Collared Pratincole 2 at Km20 Salt Pans 4 April

49 Cream-coloured Courser Up to 9 near Azzuz on 6 April; 4 others elsewhere

50 Spur-Winged Plover Common near fresh and saline water bodies

51 Ringed Plover Numerous at Km20 Salt Pans

52 Little Ringed Plover Numerous at Km20 Salt Pans

53 Kentish Plover A few at Km20 Salt Pans

54 Greater Sand Plover 1 at Km20 Salt Pans 4 April

55 Grey Plover 1 at Km20 Salt Pans 31 March

56 Dunlin Small numbers by fresh and saline water bodies

57 Curlew Sandpiper 2 at Birdwatching Park 4 April

58 Little Stint Abundant by water bodies in southern Arava

59 Ruff Common by fresh water

60 Redshank Small numbers by fresh and saline water bodies

61 Greenshank Small numbers by fresh and saline water bodies

62 Spotted Redshank Small numbers by fresh and saline water bodies

63 Marsh Sandpiper Widespread by fresh water

64 Green Sandpiper Common by fresh water

65 Wood Sandpiper Widespread by fresh water

66 Common Sandpiper Widespread by fresh water

67 Snipe Widespread by fresh water

68 Red-Necked Phalarope 1 to 3 at the Birdwatching Park and the Km20 Salt Pans

69 Black-Headed Gull Common at Km20 Salt Pans

70 Slender-Billed Gull Common at Km20 Salt Pans

71 Lesser Black-backed Gull Small numbers flying north up southern Arava

72 Gull-billed Tern 9 at Km20 Salt Pans 4 April

73 Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse 2 at Km19 pool 3 April

74 Spotted Sandgrouse Widespread in small numbers on desert plains

75 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse 10 near Azzuz 6 April

76 Feral Pigeon Abundant

77 Collared Dove Abundant

78 Turtle Dove Widespread in small numbers

79 Laughing Dove Abundant

80 Namaqua Dove Small numbers at Yotvata and Km19 cow sheds

81 Ring-necked Parakeet At Eilat

82 Little Owl 1 near Azzuz 5 March

83 Pharaoh Eagle Owl Pair at undisclosed location 4 April - see text

84 Nubian Nightjar Several at Dead Sea marshes 6 April – see text

85 Common Swift Abundant

86 Pallid Swift Common

87 Pied Kingfisher 1 at Birdwatching Park 4 April

88 European Bee-eater Common

89 Little Green Bee-eater Small numbers

90 Hoopoe Common

91 Wryneck 1 at Arad 30 March

92 Crested Lark Abundant

93 Thick-billed Lark 6 in total - see text for details

94 Short-toed Lark Abundant

95 Bimaculated Lark 2 at Meishar Plateau 2 April

96 Desert Lark Abundant in suitable habitat

97 Bar-tailed Lark 1 at Km77 on 31 March; 2 near Azzuz 6 April

98 Barn Swallow Abundant

99 Red-rumped Swallow Common

100 House Martin Common

101 Sand Martin Common

102 Crag Martin I near Arad 30 March

103 Pale Crag Martin Common

104 Red-Throated Pipit Abundant in Arava at end of visit

105 Tawny Pipit Abundant in suitable habitat

106 Tree Pipit Common

107 Yellow Wagtail Abundant in Arava at end of visit

108 White Wagtail Common

109 Citrine Wagtail 2 at Km19 fresh water pools 4 April

110 Yellow-Vented Bulbul Abundant

111 Blackbird Singing at Sde Boker

112 Bluethroat Widespread in small numbers

113 Nightingale Common

114 Blackstart Widespread in deserts and mountains

115 Siberian Stonechat 1 at Yotvata 31 March

116 Whinchat Widespread in small numbers

117 Blue Rock Thrush 1 near the ‘Ovda Road’ 1 April

118 Rufous Bush Robin 1 at Km77 on 31 March

119 Northern Wheatear Abundant

120 Black-eared Wheatear Widespread in small numbers

121 Pied Wheatear 1 near Mitzpe Ramon 2 April

122 Mourning Wheatear Widespread in mountains in very small numbers

123 Isabelline Wheatear Widespread in small numbers

124 Desert Wheatear Widespread in small numbers

125 Graceful Prinia Common in suitable habitat

126 Scrub Warbler Widespread in small numbers in deserts

127 Reed Warbler Large numbers at Yeroham Reservoir on 6 April

128 Clamorous Reed Warbler 1 at Neve Zohar 6 April

129 Olivaceous Warbler 1 at Yotvata 31 March

130 Spectacled Warbler 4 near Azzuz 6 April

131 Whitethroat Very small numbers

132 Lesser Whitethroat Abundant

133 Blackcap Common

134 Orphean Warbler 1 at Arad 30 March

135 Bonnelli’s Warbler Small numbers

136 Chiffchaff Small numbers

137 Willow Warbler Very small numbers

138 Arabian Babbler Widespread in small numbers in deserts

139 Palestine Sunbird Widespread in small numbers

140 Southern Grey Shrike 1 near Azzuz 6 March

141 Woodchat Shrike Small numbers

142 Masked Shrike 1 at Mitzpe Ramon on 2 April

143 Tristram’s Grackle Widespread in small numbers in mountains

144 Mynah Bird 2 near Ben Gurion airport on 7 April

145 Jay 1 from car on way from Tel Aviv on 29 March

146 Jackdaw Common by motorway from Tel Aviv on 29 March

147 Brown-necked Raven Common in south

148 Fan-tailed Raven Common near Dead Sea

149 House Crow A few in Eilat

150 Hooded Crow Common in north

151 House Sparrow Abundant

152 Spanish Sparrow Abundant

153 Rock Sparrow 1 at Arad 30 March

154 Dead Sea Sparrow 1 at Neve Zohar 6 April

155 Greenfinch 2 at Yeroham Reservoir 6 April

156 Linnet 2 at Neot Smadar 5 April

157 Goldfinch 1 at Arad 30 March

158 Corn Bunting Singing near Azzuz 6 April

159 Ortolan Bunting Abundant in Arava at end of visit

160 Cretzschmar’s Bunting Widespread in very small numbers

161 Indian Silverbill Small flock at North Date Palms 4 April

Sunrise from the southern Negev plateau