White-crowned Wheatear, Ramon Crater
Here in the cold, stuttering half-spring of the Yorkshire coast, it may seem like a world away - but in truth, our blissful fortnight in Israel ended just a few days ago, and so before daily life speeds up too much, I'll endeavour to chip away at the memory card. Roughly chronologically, here's a few posts that summarise what was a memorably wonderful trip, on many different levels.
Quite a view (if you don't look down...)
Pale Crag (Rock) Martins, Ramon Crater
So, day one (excluding a long travel day and a comedy car hire episode) began with our dear friends the Perlmans in Mazkeret Batya, a small town about a half hour south-east of Tel Aviv. Actually we spent it in Jaffa, which was a blast (after I'd birded Yoav's local patch in the morning for a little orientation), and day two started similarly, birding the local environs at dawn before Amity and I hit the road, heading southbound towards Eilat.
Mourning Wheatear
A few stops along the way to soak up the landscapes and wildlife included the Ramon Crater (of course) - a dramatic halfway point that never fails to impress, with breathtaking views (and plenty of birds to enjoy). A fine day on the road ended with our first night in Eilat, followed at dawn the next morning by my first guiding commitment of the trip, for the many good people participating in the Eilat Bird Festival.
Desert Lark
Heading a little way back up the 90 to the Ovda Plains, I had the pleasure of co-guiding our assembled clientele of 22 multi-nationals with Yotam and Rotem (young, super-sharp Israeli birders) and after a decent session on the desert plains (sandgrouse, larks, pipits, Little Swift, raptors), we opted to divert to an area of recently nourished optimal habitat not far away, known unromantically as KM76 (after its road marker).....
... and what a session it transpired to be. With migrants everywhere, it was hard to know where to look, let alone where to lead our group, and we had a memorable couple of hours drinking in Israel's spring migration at its best.
Lanner - fantastic views
Collared Pratincole - one of a party heading north
Raptors included Egyptian Vultures, Ospreys, Steppe, Lesser Spotted and Short-Toed Eagles and four figures of both Steppe Buzzards and Black Kites, while a Lanner performed a stunning low flyover for the whole group.....
Male Hen Harrier staging a close fly-by (above), and our lovely group (below)
... while on the ground, Woodchats mingled with Great Grey Shrikes, Black-headed Wagtails and Tawny Pipits mingled with at least 750 Short-toed Larks, Eastern Orphean Warblers popped out of bushes hosting dozens of Black-eared Wheatears.... it's fair to say, we had a fine time, and it was
very hard to leave.
Spotted Sandgrouse, Ovda Plains
An evening session at the Flamingo Pools (aka KM20) was, while pretty quiet bird-wise, a joy as ever, lapping up the myriad waterbirds at point-blank range and soaking up the golden hour as various species came into roost with the sun setting against the Jordanian mountains. Not the worst first day in the south, and there was plenty more to come over the next few days....
Photogenic doesn't do it justice......
The Birding Festival group (and co-guide Yotam) - a lovely bunch!
... while on the ground, Woodchats mingled with Great Grey Shrikes, Black-headed Wagtails and Tawny Pipits mingled with at least 750 Short-toed Larks, Eastern Orphean Warblers popped out of bushes hosting dozens of Black-eared Wheatears.... it's fair to say, we had a fine time, and it was very hard to leave.
An evening session at the Flamingo Pools (aka KM20) was, while pretty quiet bird-wise, a joy as ever, lapping up the myriad waterbirds at point-blank range and soaking up the golden hour as various species came into roost with the sun setting against the Jordanian mountains. Not the worst first day in the south, and there was plenty more to come over the next few days....
Male Hen Harrier staging a close fly-by (above), and our lovely group (below)
Spotted Sandgrouse, Ovda Plains
Photogenic doesn't do it justice......
