Clamourous Reed Warbler

A quick morning trip to Besor Resrvoir this morning was productive. Many migrants around although the views were fleeting - due to the paraglider buzzing overhead presumably.

Two Spotted Crakes and a single Little Crake kept very low profiles along the water's edge. Cetti's Warblers were noisy but invisible. A singing Great Spotted Cuckoo refused to show itself. This very loud and very shy Clamorous Reed Warbler took a great deal of patience to spot.

Many White Storks (35+) and Black Kites (40+) riding the morning thermals. While waiting for the CRW to show itself this fine looking Steppe Buzzard wheeled slowly overhead.

Rupell's warblers

Spring migration is picking up. Quite a few sylvias about including a couple of stunning male Rupell's Warblers. I found these during my pre-work birding at Sde Boker.

This was a very cooperative individual. The other bird was much more elusive.

A Wryneck and Woodchat Shrike, also at Sde Boker, were new for me this Spring. 

Wrynecks - very uncooperative.

It makes a real change to be in the central Negev region. Arabian Babblers and Blackstarts are common fare.

Back at Nir Oz I saw this swarm of bees in the middle of the football pitch. Not sure why they swarm or why they chose this particular place.

MacQueen's Bustards

A sweet-bitter day.

Cloudy with rain and a soft, out-of-focus light. I decided to go and see what Nizzana had to offer. Arrived at Kehemim sewage pools nice and early but no sandgrouse - presumably the rain is sweeter than sewage water. There were a few waders around though and this very handsome Kentish Plover was very obliging.

Lovely rufous cap.

A single Black-tailed Godwit with the Ruff.  

And a photo of an adult male Pallid Harrier, included, not because of its artistic merit but because it was taken as I scrambled for a pic. My car with me in it, in neutral with the handbrake off, gently rolled towards the edge of one of the sewage pools . . . . A salutory lesson in concentration. However, few birds are finer than an adult male Pallid Harrier.

On to the Ezuz road to look for MacQueen's Bustard. I stopped at the usual place and immediately spotted two distant displaying/dancing males. Met Kevin, a UK birder over here for solo trip, and a little later a third Bustard appeared, this one close enough to show here. Most of the bustards I've seen have been white and black fluffs obscured by heat haze.

While watching this individual a couple of superb Cream-coloured Coursers appeared, running through the scrub, and a single Desert Wheatear. A couple of Little Owls and a few Brown-necked Raven completed the list for this place.

And now for the bitter part of what was a rather sweet day's birding. A few km down the road from Nizzana to Mashabe Sade I saw a large, rufous road-kill bird on the side of the road. A male MacQueen's Bustard flying across the road and hit by a vehicle. Such a beautiful bird, and part of a declining population. A real shame.

Not much going on birdwise...

...but the countryside is stunning.

Postscrip to the previous post . . .

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

Spring is here

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

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.