We left Belfast at 2:00pm on the 21 March and arrived in Tel Aviv next morning at 6:00am, via London. We collected our car and headed south to our Hotel in Eilat, making two stops on the way. First stop was at Ben Gurion's desert home and the second at Kibbutz Yotvata.
Day 1: Saturday 22 March / Weather hot and sunny : Temp 38 degrees C
Travelling south we immediately picked up several MARSH HARRIERS, LAUGHING DOVES and BLACK KITES and SPUR WINGED PLOVERS. A flock of GLOSSY IBIS was a surprise 15 km south of Tel Aviv.
Our first stop Ben Gurion's Homestead was very productive, the highlights being PALESTINE SUNBIRD, TRISTRAM'S GRACKLE, BLUETHROAT ssp cyanecula, YELLOW VENTED BULBUL, LESSER SPOTTED EAGLE, GRACEFUL PRINIA, ORPHEAN WARBLER, STEPPE BUZZARD, EGYPTIAN VULTURE, SPANISH SPARROW, CHIFFCHAFF ssp tristris, LESSER WHITETHROAT and PALLID SWIFT, LITTLE GREEN BEE-EATER and several BLACK-EARED WHEATEARS.
Just south of Mitze Rapon we encountered PALE ROCK MARTIN, BROWN NECKED RAVEN, and CHUKAR . At KM 59-60 we stopped at a 'green' area in the middle of dry arid desert and this site proved to be a little gem. Here we saw TRUMPETER FINCH, BIMACULATED LARK, DESERT WHEATEAR, SHORT-TOED LARK, ISABELLINE WHEATEAR, MOURNING WHEATEAR and HOOPOE.
We then headed quickly south to Yotvata Kibbutz, where we saw numerous STEPPE BUZZARDS, BLACK KITES, CRESTED LARKS and an immature PALLID HARRIER. Also we saw our one and only ARABIAN WARBLER.
After checking into our hotel [Nova] we went to North Beach. Already a large group of birders were watching a PIED KINGFISHER 20 m offshore. The supporting cast included WHITE-EYED GULL, WESTERN REEF EGRET, CASPIAN TERN, SLENDER BILLED GULL, STRIATED HERON, INDIAN HOUSE CROW as well as a huge flock of GARGANEY / SHOVELER.
Day 2: Sunday 23 March / Weather hot and sunny : Temp 38 degrees C
Arrived at North Beach at 05:40, the second ' team ' there, and birded until 06:50, BLACK WINGED STILT, CATTLE EGRET, LITTLE EGRET, SANDWICH TERN, EGYPTIAN VULTURE, 100+ GREY HERON, STRIATED HERON, WESTERN REEF HERON, HEUGLIN'S GULL, GREEN SANDPIPER, CASPIAN GULL. We then headed back for a much needed breakfast.
At Eilat Bird Ringing Park we saw several ssp's of YELLOW WAGTAIL, flava, feldegg, being by far the commonest .An unexpected bird was the PENDULINE TIT, some winter here. MASKED SHRIKE was a welcome find, GRACEFUL PRINIA were present as well.
Heading up route 40 we stopped at KM 20 Salt Pans we found KENTISH PLOVER, LITTLE RINGED PLOVER, TEMMINCK'S STINT, GREEN SANDPIPER, RUFF and numerous ssp's of YELLOW WAGTAIL.
Our next stop was Yotvata Kibbutz unaware that a flock of five CASPIAN PLOVERS had just been found. We noticed a small group of birders 'skulking' along the edge of a field and were informed of the birds at the edge of a cultivated field.
Within 20 minutes birders began arriving from around the area, since the Eilat 2008 Bird Conference was taking place at the same time a large group of foreign birders were in the Eilat area all week. The value of so many birder became evident when we were informed of another ' mega ' at Neot Smadar.
Kibbutz Neot Smadar alias Shizzafon is on route 40 and after a long search and vital information from two Dutch birders we eventually found our goal an ISABELLINE SHRIKE ssp daurian. Also seen were TREE PIPIT, STONECHAT ssp maura, BI-MAC LARKS, YELLOW WAGTAILS. We then returned to Yotvata and found birders observing the long staying immature PALLID HARRIER, also present were MARSH HARRIER and HEN HARRIER. The birding network proved itself again when Danish birders informed us of another 'mega' at KM 40 pools.
KM 40 pools proved a worthwhile site as not only did we find WHITE -TAILED PLOVER the target bird that the Danes had told us about, but in conjunction with Swedish birders we also found our only NAMAQUA DOVES for the trip as well as a flock of DESERT FINCHES.
The Swedes and ourselves then headed quickly back to KM 20 pools for the finale of the day. It is important to be 'in position' before dusk and on time as predicted we saw three LEICHTENSTEIN'S SANDGROUSE. A wonderful finish to an unforgettable day.
Day 3: Monday 24 March / Weather hot and sunny : Temp 37 degrees C
Eilat Bird Ringing Park had INDIAN SILVERBILLS, SAVI'S WARBLER, YELLOW WAGTAILS, WOODCHAT SHRIKE before breakfast.
Our first stop today was Wadi Shelomo in the Eilat Mountains and here we had excellent views of BLACKSTART. A few kilometers further on was the well at Netafim and after a trek over the mountain to the well we were rewarded with close views of DESERT LARK, SAND PARTRIDGE and TRISTRAM'S GRACKLE. There was little sign of raptor migration at the watch point so we decided to move on.
At KM 20 pools we saw an OPSPREY at very close quarters, obviously just arrived in and exhausted. Other birds there were COLLARED PRATINCOLES, BLACK KITES, STEPPE BUZZARDS, STEPPE EAGLES, LONG-LEGGED BUZZARD all in small numbers. We stayed in the area most of the day waiting on the main migration, but it never materialised. Strange as the weather seemed perfect.
We returned to Eilat and the North Beach area and as usual a crowd of birders had already gathered to swap information and look for late stragglers in the evening light. Observed were BOOTED EAGLE, MONTAGU'S HARRIER, ARCTIC SKUA and RING-NECKED PARAKEET.
Day 4: Tuesday 25 March / Weather hot and sunny : Temp 38 degrees C
Started again before breakfast at North Beach and added SABINE'S GULL, ARMENIAN GULL to our list.
After breakfast we had a two hour drive back up route 40 to KM 59-60 area we saw when we first came on day 1. The drive was certainly worth it. We stopped at Wadi Paran briefly to observe a ' kettle ' forming of mainly STEPPE BUZZARDS but also located ARABIAN BABBLERS in bushes at the side of the road.
Eventually we arrived at KM 59/60 on route 40. Two hours walking back and forwards in the baking heat produced WATER PIPIT ssp coutelli,REDSTART ssp samamisicus, BLUETHROAT ssp sveccia, SPOTTED SAND GROUSE, the only ones seen on the trip. Also present were WHITE STORKS, BI-MAC LARKS and a flock of SHORT-TOED LARKS.
In the small bushes along the roadside WOODCHAT SHRIKE, SEDGE WARBLER, REED WARBLER GREAT REED WARBLER, EASTERN BONELLI'S WARBLER and numerous YELLOW WAGTAILS of the various sub-species and more TRUMPETER FINCHES.
We then returned to Eilat for a pre-arranged trip led by Yoav Perlman to the NUBIAN NIGHTJAR site. Our first stop on the way up was at KM 76 on route 60 , here Yoav located a SOUTHERN GREY SHRIKE ssp aucheri, we then continued north to another good birding area and found SCRUB WARBLER, LITTLE GREEN BEE-EATER and ARABIAN BABBLERS plus several raptors including SPARROWHAWK, as time was getting on we hastened to Neot Hakkikar and en route picked up BLACK STORK, PALLID SWIFTS and WRYNECK . After two hours driving around the Neot Hakkikar poly tunnels, we did not improve on our original brief views of the NUBIAN NIGHTJARS.
Day 5: Wednesday 26 March / Weather warm and sunny : Temp 28 degrees C
As usually up early to North Beach, birds seen were a flock of GLOSSY IBIS, several NIGHT HERONS, an OSPREY, GREY PLOVER, SOOTY SHEARWATER and an ARCTIC SKUA. At Offrir Park in Eilat town center we found ORTOLAN BUNTING and TREE PIPIT in good numbers probably having arrived overnight and taking advantage of the green areas to refuel for the next stage of their migration.
We headed north once more along route 40 and stopped at Amrams Pillars but saw little at this spot. KM 20 pools produced MARSH SANDPIPER and a large passage overhead of WHITE STORKS.
At Yotvata we drove around the agricultural fields and noted SHORT-TOED EAGLE on the ground drinking at a pool in the middle of a field. A male PALLID HARRIER was seen along with five MARSH HARRIERS and a WOODCHAT SHRIKE but the highlight of the day was finding a male ROCK THRUSH along the fence at the Jordanian border.
Back to Eilat Bird Ringing Station and after an exhaustive search led by Noam Weiss, we found a female DEAD SEA SPARROW plus various warblers, including WILLOW WARBLER.
We ended the day once more at North Beach with the other birders and found a second SOOTY SHEARWATER.
Day 6: Thursday 27 March / Weather warm and sunny : Temp 28 degrees C
The Longest day! Today we set off at 02:30 and drove across the desert to Nizanna some three hours drive from Eilat, arriving at 05:30 at the pools where the sandgrouse come to drink. However after two hours the only birds we saw were a small flock of BLACK-BELLIED SANDGROUSE. We then drove along the road to Ezuz and this proved to be a stroke of luck for in a period of fifteen minutes we saw BARBARY FALCON, CREAM COLOURED COURSER, SAND PARTRIDGE, CHUKAR, CROWNED SANDGROUSE, PIN-TAILED GROUSE and HOBBY. At KM 8 signpost along this road was a displaying male McQUEEN'S BUSTARD. A fantastic morning's birding with all five target sandgrouse now complete along with the courser and bustard.
We returned south and stopped at En Avedat Gorge, where we saw BONELLI'S EAGLE and ALPINE SWIFT. Continuing on along route 40 we stopped again at KM 59-60 and found OLIVE BACKED PIPIT and TEMMINCK'S LARK feeding in the green area at the roadside. We couldn't stay long as we had to be back in Eilat for our second pre-arranged trip led by Noam Weiss. The group set off at 18:00 to look for Pharaoh Eagle Owl, but after two hours driving around the fields at Yotvata we failed to see any. Our other target Egyptian Nightjar also eluded us. Noam then decided to go for our final target and after forty minutes of rough driving we eventually came to the ' secret canyon ' where the birds nested. We were joined by a second group of Dutch birders and after 30 minutes waiting in the canyon we eventually got some fantastic views of HUMES'S TAWNY OWL.
We arrived back at our Hotel at 23:00 hours.
Day 7: Friday 28 March / Weather warm and sunny : Temp 28 degrees C
At last Eilat lived up to it's reputation as a migration hotspot !
As usual we started off at North Beach, and were rewarded with PALLAS'S GULL in full adult plumage, SOOTY SHEARWATER, STRIATED HERON, WESTERN REEF HERON, PIED KINGFISHER, CASPIAN TERN. We heard from Finnish birders of a RICHARDS PIPIT nearby and after a short search found the bird. After breakfast we picked up QUAIL, ORTOLAN BUNTING, CRETZCHMAR'S BUNTING, hundreds of TREE PIPITS in Central Park and Offrir Park in Eilat town center. From the parks we observed hundreds of raptors in the air over the Eilat Mountains and proceeded forthwith to the raptor watch point. On the way up we found a HOODED WHEATER. Many birders had already gathered at the watch point as apparently the news had got out that the weather conditions today were perfect for migration and indeed it was. Once set up we saw over 1500 STEPPE BUZZARDS, 5 STEPPE EAGLES, 3 BOOTED EAGLES, 2 OSPREYS, 300 BLACK KITES, 200+ BLACK STORKS 100 WHITE STORKS in a two hour watch. Incredible, and it continued all day.
We left the watch point early with all the other birders as news had got out of a 'mega ' at Eilat Bird Ringing Station. When we arrived we were led by Noam to the BLACK BUSH ROBIN on the reserve.
News of a possible BLACK WINGED PRATINCOLE sent all the birders to KM 20 pools, however only COLLARED PRATINCOLES were seen. We moved on to Yotvata where we found the entire valley southwards filled with raptors including 3 STEPPE EAGLES , 1000 BLACK KITE, 1000+ STEPPE BUZZARDS, 3 OSPREY, 5 BOOTED EAGLES and a flock of BLUE CHEEKED BEE-EATERS . We met three Spanish birders who told us to go to the Eilot Date Plantation, where we would find the CRESTED HONEY BUZZARD and in unison with a group of English birders we located the bird and got excellent views of this long stayer.
Day 8: Saturday 29 March / Weather warm and sunny : Temp 28 degrees C
Left early morning to go back to Tel Aviv and the flight home. The last lifer of the trip was a bird that was supposed to be common but this was the only WHITE CROWNED BLACK WHEATEAR we saw during the entire trip at Mizpe Ramon.
As we approached the agricultural areas near Tel Aviv we again spotted large numbers of Harriers and several 'spotted ' eagles'. Israel during migration is a fantastic place for a BWP lister and we would recommend it for the numbers and variety of species.