Surfbirds Birding Trip Report: Israel - 21st

Photos with this report

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler

Trumpeter Finch

Masked Shrike

Caspian Plover

Blackstart

Introduction

Following a trip to Israel by Garry and Ed in the spring of 2008, and the list of excellent birds that they saw, it didn’t take much persuading for the rest of us to join them for a return trip in 2009. Garry organised the travel and drew up a basic itinerary based on the 2008 trip which we were happy to go along with (I must say the whole trip went without a hitch). If anyone is thinking of a trip to Israel, any time from mid-March until the end of April would be great as the spring migration is in full swing, but the last week in March and the first week of April normally give the best chance of seeing the maximum number of species. As we only had a week we had to do a lot of driving to try to cover all the best sites but we could have used more time at many of the places we visited, I feel ten days or even two weeks would be better as you would have more time to really explore some of the best areas and maybe discover a few new sites.

Our trip coincided with the annual bird festival in Eilat so there were plenty of birders around which meant there was more chance of rare birds being found.

Even though we arrived in Israel on the 21st our trip kicked off in Belfast on the 20th with an Aer Lingus flight to Heathrow and then a British Airways flight overnight to Tel Aviv. Transport was arranged through Avis, a nine seat mini-bus, the perfect size for six birders and their gear, but I think it would have struggled to seat nine comfortably.

Literature

A Guide To The Birding Hotspots Of Southern Israel by Shirihai / Smith /Kirwin /Alon covers most of the main sites that we visited but several of the best sites have only recently been discovered and are best found in more recent trip reports on the net. Also, talking to other birders is a great way of finding out about what is around and we found all the birders we spoke to during our trip to be more than willing to share information and we passed on information when ever we could. The Collins Guide by Mullarney et al more or less covers everything you are likely to see but we also used Birds of the Middle East by Porter et al. Dick Forsman’s Raptor book is brilliant but a bit heavy to carry on a trip so do your homework before you go and that will save some weight. Previous trip reports are now widely available on the net. Road maps used were the Survey of Israel Southern Israel Touring map 1:250,000 and also a general map of Israel, Stanfords seems to the best place to get these.

Other Information

The currency in Israel is the Shekel and everyone on the trip exchanged their money at home, arranged through local banks or the Post Office, this seems to be the best bet as, outside Eilat, money changing facilities or ATM machines were thin on the ground and we often stopped at small filling stations and shops were cash was obviously the best method of payment. Food was generally good, we were eating on the move a lot during the day, so it was mostly snacks and soft drinks, for eating at night there is a range of restaurants catering for all budgets in Eilat. We all drank plenty of water as the weather was mostly hot and dry, food prices were similar to home, so Israel isn’t cheap.

Dress-wise we all wore tee-shirts and sandals around Eilat with protective headgear and plenty of sun-block, but we did get caught out at Mount Amsa and, especially, at Nizzana where it was extremely cold and didn’t warm up much even when the sun came up, so do prepare for cooler weather, you have been warned.

The hotel we stayed at was the Nova in Eilat, reasonably cheap and very comfortable and adequate for all the time we actually spent in it, with a very good buffet breakfast served from 7.00a.m.

The roads are generally in good condition and, in the southern half of the country, there was very little traffic, even the tracks to some of the sites were no problem for most types of vehicle.
We contacted Barak Granit via the net at barak.granit@gmail.com to act as guide for our trip to see the Hume’s Owl and the Nubian Nightjar, you have virtually no chance of seeing either bird without the aid of a local guide. The owl is normally only found in remote desert wadi’s and the nightjar is restricted to a secure area within the Neot Hakikkar kibbutz which is right on the Jordanian border, not an area to try to access on your own. We can thoroughly recommend Barak to any visiting birder not only for trying for the owls and nightjar but if you feel you need a guide anywhere in Israel, he really knows his stuff and, as detailed below, gave up his free time to help us get some unexpected and welcome additions to our trip list.

Itinerary:

Saturday 21st March, Weather: Warm & Sunny.

Following our overnight flight from London we picked up our minibus at the airport and were on the road before 7.00a.m. As we headed south from Tel Aviv we started to see some of the common birds of Israel such as Laughing Dove and Spur Winged Plover, we also saw two White-breasted Kingfishers sitting on roadside wires, the only ones that we would see on the trip.
Our first stop was by the roadside on the Beersheba by-pass where a few minutes scanning produced Sardinian Warbler, Woodchat Shrike and a few distant Black Kites and White Storks. Heading further south we stopped at Sede Boquer, a kibbutz on the edge of the Negev desert. As we drove into the kibbutz a large raptor circling close by proved to be a sub-adult Golden Eagle, which was mobbed by several Brown-necked Ravens. A small grove of Olive tree’s by the car park was alive with migrants, mostly Lesser Whitethroats and Blackcaps, but also including Nightingale and Hoopoe. Some of the regular Israel birds such as Tristram’s Starling, Palestine Sunbird and Yellow-vented Bulbul were quite common around the kibbutz buildings while two Long Legged Buzzards soared low overhead. As we walked around the area we got quick looks at first Egyptian Vulture and then Griffon Vulture along with our first Steppe Buzzards. The swimming pool area seemed to be attractive to birds including a Graceful Prinia, several Black Redstarts, Common Redstarts and Yellow Wagtails. Not far south of Sede Boquer our next stop was at En Avdat and as we drove into the car park we saw two Blackstarts flitting around. A short walk around the area produced further views of the Blackstarts plus excellent looks at several Mourning Wheatears, Black-eared Wheatears, Desert Larks and two Scrub Warblers. As we scanned over the En Avdat canyon we spotted several Alpine Swifts and then got a distant view of one of the Bonelli’s Eagles which breed in the area but it quickly disappeared only to re-appear a short time later drifting along the canyon rim towards us and then landing close by.

On the road again we stopped to admire the view at the edge of the Ramon crater, but any stop in southern Israel can produce excellent birds and here we enjoyed superb views of Rock Martins and a stunning White-crowned Black Wheatear. As we moved on we saw large flocks of migrating White Storks and a few Steppe Buzzards. We stopped at Meishar, an area that in 2008 had been superb for larks, but this year was very dry and totally larkless, but we did find Wheatears including Desert, Isabelline, Black-eared and Northern, and following the Wheatears, flitting from bush to bush, a surprise in the form of an Asian Desert Warbler. We moved on, bypassing Neot Smadar (Shizzafon) and Yotvata were we had planned to stop, to get to the Km20 pools. At the pools we quickly found the common birds here, Little Stint, Ruff, Kentish Plover, Black-winged Stilt and Yellow Wagtail, but the bird we wanted was the Kittlitz’s Plover that had been found here over a week previously. Seeing some birders at the northern most pool we joined them and, with their assistance, we soon got excellent views of the Kittlitz’s, a fantastic little bird. As we watched this beautiful little bird we were told that a Sociable Plover had been seen distantly in the area earlier in the day, but there were to be no distant views for us because the Sociable flew in and landed in front of us, it stayed for about ten minutes and then flew off not to be seen again, what a bit of luck. Before we left a male Pallid Harrier flew by and disappeared into the distance. As the light started to fail we stopped at Km19 pools to look for the Lichtensteins Sandgrouse which come in to drink in the evening, but as we were to discover later, we were at the wrong pool and saw nothing but Red-rumped and Barn Swallows.

Sunday 22nd March, Weather: Warm & Sunny

An early start saw us at Ofira Park before 6.00a.m. where good numbers of Lesser Whitethroats and Blackcaps moved through the trees but apart from the resident House Crows and Ring-necked Parakeets no other birds appeared. So on to North Beach and a disappointment, the fish farm that had been there in 2008 had gone and with it most of the birds, all we saw were a few Baltic Lesser Black Back Gulls and Slender-billed Gulls, a Caspian Tern, and an Osprey, although there was a Squacco Heron on the canal behind the beach. After breakfast we headed to Holland Park where a Black Bush Robin had been present for some time, but despite extensive searching, there was no sign of this bird. Even without the Bush Robin Holland Park proved to
be a superb site, walking through the park it was evident that large numbers of migrants were present. Every bush seemed to hold Lesser Whitethroats and as we moved further into the park other warblers started to appear, first a nice male Subalpine Warbler then six Ruppell’s Warblers chasing around a couple of small bushes, the males sitting out and showing really well, quite a few Eastern Bonelli’s Warblers, especially in the northern part of the park, and finally a skulking male Eastern Orphean Warbler that failed to show for several of us. Also in the northern part of the park we found a beautiful male Rock Thrush, a really stunning bird, and several Black-eared and Isabelline Wheatears. As we moved south through the park we found two Trumpeter Finch, a pair of Sand Partridge, a cracking Masked Shrike, a Black Stork drifted over, and finally two Arabian Babblers and a Bluethroat. Heading up the valley from Holland Park we next went to Amram’s Pillars where a stop to talk to two Israeli birdwatchers brought the news that they had just seen a pair of Sinai Rosefinch’s, a bird that can be hard to find in the Eilat area. As we waited for the Rosefinch’s there was a small movement of raptors overhead including several Steppe Eagles among the Steppe Buzzards. After a wait of about fifteen minutes the Rosefinch’s re-appeared giving excellent views as they fed beside the road. Moving on to the Km20 pools we found a Greater Sandplover, three Marsh Sandpipers, three Avocets, with several Greenshanks and Spotted Redshanks among the common waders and Flamingo’s, and a Little Gull and Black Tern dip feeding, while overhead a few Steppe Eagles and an Osprey accompanied the Steppe Buzzards which were drifting over. Our next stop was Yotvata where a drive around the northern fields produced a flock of Short-toed Larks and Crested Larks and a few Northern and Isabelline Wheatears and some Red-throated Pipits, but no sign of the Caspian Plovers which had been present in the area. Driving around the southern fields produced a Hen Harrier and then two Little Green Bee-eaters which showed very well and finally a fantastic male Namaqua Dove near the Jordanian border fence, which allowed a very close approach.

Monday 23rd March, Weather: Warm & Sunny

Another early start at Ofira Park and among the numerous Lesser Whitethroats and Blackcaps were a Marsh Warbler and an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, and a Sparrowhawk joined the local cats hunting tired migrants. After breakfast we returned to Holland Park where there was still no sign of the Black Bush Robin but lots of common migrants including several Ruppell’s Warblers and a Woodchat Shrike. Moving on we visited the Bird Reserve which was quiet but we did find a Red-necked Phalarope and a Bluethroat with a few Steppe Buzzards passing overhead.

Following the canal from the Bird Reserve towards North Beach we first found a flock of migrating European Bee-eaters hawking for insects from overhead wires, and then a Little Green Bee-eater and, as we scanned the canal, a lone Black Crowned Night Heron and a Water Rail, but North Beach itself was very quiet again. Moving on to the Km20 pools there was some raptor migration up the centre of the valley and over the next hour among the Steppe Buzzards there were four Steppe Eagles, two Lesser Spotted Eagles, three Booted Eagles and two Short-Toed Eagles along with an Osprey, a Long Legged Buzzard and good numbers of Black Kites. Moving on to Yotvata a walk around the southern fields produced brief views of both Richards and Tawny Pipits and a Hen and two Pallid Harriers before the rising wind wiped up a sandstorm which forced a retreat back to Eilat. In Eilat we joined up with a group of Swedish birders and headed to the main marina area where we found a Striated Heron standing on a pontoon, unconcerned by the bustle of people going on around it. After this we headed to North Beach where, at last, there were some birds, over the next hour we had up to thirty White Eyed Gulls sitting on buoys, several Caspian Gulls, Sandwich Terns, Common Terns and two Caspian Terns, there was also a large flock of Garganey flying around in the bay. As the day came to an end we checked the pool behind North Beach were we found two Pied Kingfishers sitting on a signpost at the waters edge and fishing in the pool, and two Western Reef Egrets roosting among the Little Egrets in the date palms. With the demise of the fish farm off North Beach Western Reef Egret looks like becoming a difficult bird to find in Eilat. The end of another long and bird filled day, and time for food and a few beers.

Tuesday 24th March, Weather: Cool & Windy

An extra early start today, we left the hotel at 2.30a.m. for the drive to Nizzana. As we headed north we could see flashes of lightning and in several places the road was flooded, evidence of a very heavy thunderstorm that had passed through the northern Negev overnight. We arrived at a rather sodden Nizzana at 5.30a.m. and started our drive down the road to Ezuz, scanning as we went. We saw no sign of the hoped for Macqueen’s Bustard but spotted a distant raptor on the ground at about the 8Km post. As we bailed out of the vehicle we realised it was freezing cold and blowing quite hard, not ideal weather as we were dressed in shorts and sandals. Scoping the distant raptor we eventually agreed that it was just a Steppe Buzzard but while we were doing this Phillip spotted several distant Cream Coloured Coursers. Driving further along the road, at about the 9Km marker we found three more Coursers beside the road but no bustards although further scanning revealed several Pallid Harriers. Heading back towards the main road and Nizzana Castle we found a flock of four Chukars at the side of the road before we followed another side road behind the army camp to another site to look for the bustards. Scanning the surrounding desert we eventually found a Macqueen’s Bustard moving slowly through the scrub, we watched the bird for ten minutes, also seeing a Southern Grey Shrike and several Black-eared Wheatears before the biting cold wind drove us back to the minibus. Driving back towards Ezuz we could locate no Sandgrouse but we did find two Lesser Kestrels and a Little Owl of the desert form Lilith and a stop at a grove of trees near Ezuz produced a large flock of Chukars, a Nightingale, two Masked Shrikes, several Arabian Babblers and two Redstarts of the eastern form Samamisicus, a bird that shows a bright white panel in the wing, just before we left a flock of thirty Cranes flew over. Leaving Nizzana we headed towards Urim and a stop at the entrance to Revivim Kibbutz produced a Stone Curlew running around and across the road. Further north we found Marsh and Pallid Harriers quartering the fields but eventually the cold, windy conditions forced us to retreat southwards. As we headed back towards Eilat we stopped at Mizpe Ramon and after driving around the town looking for any likely birding spots we found the local football field. As soon as we got out of the minibus we found a nice male Mourning Wheatear and scanning the pitch produced several Tree Pipits and then a Wryneck sitting on the goalposts. A song, faintly reminiscent of Serin, eventually lead to a stunningly yellow male Syrian Serin sitting in a small tree behind the pitch, as we watched this beauty, it was joined by a flock of fourteen more, including two further males. The birds flew down to join a flock of Spanish Sparrows feeding on the pitch and as we watched a Black Redstart and several common Redstarts flitted around the edge of the pitch. As we continued further south our final stop of the day was at Neot Smadar where a drive around the perimeter of the Kibbutz produced a Whinchat, a Masked Shrike and good numbers of Northern, Isabelline and Black-eared Wheatears and one Desert Wheatear and finally a nice Cyprus Wheatear which showed for a short while beside the minibus before disappearing as the light began to fade.

Wednesday 25th March, Weather: Hot & Sunny

Our early morning trip to Ofira Park showed large numbers of the species we had already seen plus a Wryneck, a Hoopoe and two Ortolan Buntings. A quick look at North Beach showed very little but eight Alpine Swifts did fly in off the sea. After breakfast we returned to Holland Park where the Arabian Babblers were still showing well along with the usual suspects, Common Bulbuls, Palestine Sunbirds, Laughing Doves, Lesser Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Eastern Bonelli’s Warblers. Moving on, the plan was to get back to Neot Smadar as quickly as possible to spend a good part of the day there, but migration around Eilat tends to mess up the best laid plans. As we headed north the site of several cars parked and birders peering through a fence brought us to halt, we soon found out what they were watching, a stunning Black Bush Robin that was running around a small yard giving tremendous views. On our way again we didn’t travel much further as information from a Belgian birder watching the Bush Robin took us just one kilometre up the road and a stop to search the Acacia trees a few hundred yards from the road were we found the hoped for Arabian Warbler moving around in one small tree giving good views. Moving on again we stopped at Yotvata to look for the Caspian Plovers which had been seen there that morning. There was no sign of the plovers but we did see several Red Throated Pipits, Short-toed Larks, another Ortolan Bunting and a Tawny Pipit and then information from an Israeli birder that another Caspian Plover had turned up at the Km20 pools that morning had us back on the road heading south again. On our arrival at Km20 our luck was in and the stunning male Caspian Plover fed on the mud at the edge of one of the pools right beside us, one of the birds of the trip. Finally we headed back north to Neot Smadar, arriving at the kibbutz sewage ponds in the early afternoon, slightly later than planned. There were already a group of birders at the ponds watching an obliging Savi’s Warbler that occasionally fed in the open at the edge of the reeds, it was joined shortly afterwards by a summer plumaged Water Pipit. There was a flock of Dead Sea Sparrows in the area and as we waited quietly the flock flew into the pools giving excellent views of some very smart male birds. Exploration of the pools produced another Water Pipit, a Wood Sandpiper, two Bluethroats, a common Whitethroat, several Isabelline Wheatears and two stunning male Black-eared Wheatears. Exploring the main kibbutz grounds we found several nice Black Headed Wagtails, three Cretzschmar’s Buntings, a Masked Shrike and a dark phase Booted Eagle. We headed back south, arriving at the Km19 pools just as the light was starting to go, and after initially going to the wrong pool, we eventually spotted other birders going to a pool slightly further south and moved to join them. As we waited for the light to fad we saw several Collared Pratincoles hawking with the Red Rumped and Barn Swallows on an adjacent pool. As darkness started to draw in, three Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse, a male and two females, arrived at the pool to drink, giving good views for five minutes before some late arriving birders flushed them.

Thursday 26th March, Weather: Hot & Sunny

As usual we started our pre-breakfast birding in Ofira Park were, among numerous Lesser Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Eastern Bonelli’s Warblers, we found several Subalpine and an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler. Apart from the numerous warblers we found a nice Cretzschmars Bunting feeding on the grass with two Ortolan Buntings, all three birds giving excellent views. After breakfast we started the long trek north towards the Dead Sea stopping first near the Km76 marker post were a walk through the desert and scrub produced several Black-eared and Northern Wheatears, another Asian Desert Warbler but no sign of the hoped for Bar-tailed Desert Larks. Our next stop was at Neot Hakikkar just south of the Dead Sea, this site gets a very good write up in Shirihai’s Guide To The Birding Hotspots Of Southern Israel but we found it to be disappointing, things have obviously changed since the book was written. We managed to find a Great White Egret, a singing Reed Warbler, a small flock of European Bee-eaters, three Little Green Bee-eaters, a Marsh Harrier, a Bluethroat, two distant Blue Rock-thrushes along with Rock Martins, Desert Larks, Pallid Swifts and our only Little Grebes of the trip but it was hard work. Moving further north a falcon flying along the cliffs at the edge of the Dead Sea was too distant to positively identify although it looked good for Barbary Falcon. Just below En Gedi we turned off the road onto the very rough track leading to Wadi Mishmar and as we drove slowly up the track we flushed two Egyptian Vultures from beside the track and as they circled overhead they were mobbed by a Fan-tailed Raven. After parking at the end of the track we walked up the wadi, there was no sign of the Kurdish Wheatear which had wintered near the mouth of the wadi but we quickly found a flock of Trumpeter Finches soon followed by three Mountain Buntings, a bird which can be difficult to find in southern Israel. Further searching produced a Graceful Prinia, a Wryneck, a family group of Scrub Warblers, a Cretzschmars Bunting with a small flock of Ortolan Buntings, two more Quail, a White Crowned Black Wheatear, three Sand Partridges and a flock of Desert Larks. It was now time to move on to En Gedi to meet up with Barak Granit our guide for the evening. As we waited for Barak at the filling station at En Gedi an Israeli birder watching something on top of a large pylon caught our attention. Going to investigate we found that he was watching a Barbary Falcon which was devouring a Tristram’s Starling that it had caught, we watched the falcon for some time until Barak arrived. After the introductions with Barak were completed we followed his car as we headed to a quite wadi in the desert. As the light started to fade Barak explained that the Hume’s Owl’s that we had come to see would not appear until it was completely dark and that we would have to wait quietly until then, but someone forgot to tell the owls because shortly afterwards, and before it had got really dark, the male owl started to call and appeared on the rim of the wadi, the female flew across the wadi, over our heads, and the pair copulated on the side of the wadi. After this amazing show we waited until it was completely dark and then saw the male in the beam of a spotlight for a short time before retreating and leaving these superb birds in peace. After this we followed Barak again into the grounds of Kibbutz Neot Hakkikar where a short drive around the crop fields produced first a flight view of a Nubian Nightjar and then we found another Nubian sitting on a side track which we were able to watch at close range for several minutes, quite fantastic. After this great success we drove around the territory of a Pharaoh Eagle Owl but the bird was not showing so, after a cup of coffee at an all night café, we took our leave of Barak and started the long drive back to Eilat, all tired but happy. Before leaving Barak he kindly agreed to meet us again on the 28th for some further birding on our last day.

Friday 27th March, Weather: Warm, Sunny & Windy

Our last full day in the field and we started in Central Park for a change. Change of venue but the same mix of Lesser Whitethroats, Blackcaps, and Eastern Bonelli’s Warblers with a sprinkling of Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs moving through the trees accompanied by the occasional Subalpine and Eastern Olivaceous Warbler. A Nightingale and several Tree Pipits hoped around on the grass and a Wryneck fed near the base of a tree. As we left the park a Common Mynah, a bird that is slowly spreading in Israel, fed in a tree. On to Ofira Park were the Cretzschmar’s Bunting was still feeding on the grass with the two Ortolan Buntings. Several Marsh Warblers fed on the grass beside a hedge with a male Ruppell’s Warbler and a small flock of Spanish Sparrows, while in the trees above them three Rose Ringed Parakeets pecked at unopened buds.

After breakfast we drove along the canal behind North Beach seeing several Little Green Bee-eaters and a few steppe Buzzards which had been grounded in the area over-night before the site of a falcon sitting in a tree brought us to a halt. After viewing the bird in our scopes we agreed that we were watching a Lanner Falcon, another great bird for our list. Moving on a couple of hundred yards we picked up a small flock of Desert Finches feeding in a field and after the finches flew up into trees at the side of the field we found a very well marked Siberian Stonechat sitting on a small bush close to the finches. Next we stopped to explore the date plantation beside the Bird Reserve in the hope of finding the Semi-collared Flycatcher that had been there the day before, but, although some of us got brief views of a black & white flycatcher, they were to brief to be certain that it was Semi-coloured, apart from this bird our only other sightings were of a couple of Tree Pipits and a Black-eared Wheatear. Moving on we called at Amram’s Pillars but the area seemed pretty birdless so we didn’t stay long, heading on to the Km20 pools. A drive right round the pools produced all the common waders that we had already seen such as Little Stint, Dunlin, Curlew Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Little Ringed. Ringed and Kentish Plovers and Black Winged Stilts while overhead among the Steppe Buzzards that were passing over were several Steppe Eagles, a Short-toed Eagle, a Booted Eagle and a few Black Kites. Moving on to the Km38 marker post area we searched a crop field for some Bimaculated Larks that had been reported there but in the strengthening wind we failed to find them, but we did find a female Caspian Plover as well as a large flock of Short-toed Larks, Greenfinches and Desert Finches, we also found another Eastern Orphean Warbler in bushes beside the field and flushed four Quail. Heading back to Eilat we stopped again at the date palm plantation but saw nothing new so headed on to North Beach. As the day drew to a close up to fifteen White-eyed Gulls and eight to ten Caspian Gulls loitered offshore and were joined occasionally by Sandwich, Common and Caspian Terns. A Pied Kingfisher flew along the beach and lastly a Heuglin’s Gull flew over, the final bird at North Beach at the end of the day.

Saturday 28th March, Weather: Cool & Breezy

Our final morning started at Central Park were a newly arrived Red Backed Shrike played hide and seek in a very small bush, four Hoopoe’s and three Desert Finches fed on the grass and kept an eye on the lurking cats, and the trees were once again full of the common warblers, all avoiding a Masked Shrike which was hunting from the lower branches of one tree. At Ofira park the Cretzschmar’s and two Ortolan’s Buntings still fed on the grass and an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler was fly-catching from a tree in the morning sunshine, both Woodchat and Masked Shrikes were present, and warblers, including a male Subalpine and a male Ruppell’s, hopped around on a bank on the sunny side of a hedge. After we checked out of the hotel and finished with Eilat we started the long trek north. After a long day our final stop was to meet Barak Granit at Mount Amsa which is between En Gedi and Beersheva. The weather at Mount Amsa was cool and breezy but things soon warmed up when Barak found a Finsch’s Wheatear, one of several wintering birds that were still present in the area, a Rock Sparrow flew over our heads to land in the rocks and then we moved further up the hill. At our next stop, as we watched an eastern race Black Redstart, a pipit started to call and sing and then landed on a rock at the top of the slope, a Long Billed Pipit, a bird that we had not expected to see as we didn’t know of any site for them in southern Israel, well done Barak. Walking up the side of the road and scanning the slope Barak found a pair of Spectacled Warblers which eventually showed well and then another Finsch’s Wheatear which sat up briefly and an Eastern Orphean Warbler skulking in the scrub with two Blue Rock-thrushes among the rocks and, as we returned to the minibus, a pair of Cinereous Buntings flew around, perched for a short time on a large rock and then flew off, a seemingly brilliant finish to the trip. But Barak had one more bird for us, returning to the bottom of the hill we stopped and as two Lesser Spotted Eagles circled overhead Barak explained that a male Pied Wheatear had been present in that area earlier in the day. Searching on both sides of the road David spotted the bird moving around among some stones on the right hand side and we all got good views of this rare bird for Israel. This was the final bird of our trip and after thanking Barak again for all his invaluable help we headed straight to the airport and our late flight home.

Summary

In total we saw exactly 200 species during the week, slightly more than we had expected, and boosted by our unplanned trip to Mount Amsa on Saturday. The highlights were the rare plovers, Kittlitz’s, Sociable and Caspian, the Hume’s Owl and Nubian Nightjar, the Macqueen’s Bustard, the Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse and the Black Bush Robin, although the Syrian Serin’s
and Sinai Rosefinch’s were also stunning birds and the excellent views of some of the warblers, wheatears and raptors over the week made for superb birding. The main targets missed were the other Sandgrouse and a few lark species. The weather at Nizzana, one of the main Sandgrouse sites, ruled out any realistic chance of seeing these species, and lark species such as Thick-billed and Temminck’s just were not present this year. It always give’s a good reason to go back next year.

Before this year’s trip there was some concerns about security following the events in Gaza but thankfully things had settled down before we arrived. We did see many Israeli army units around Revivim during our day in the northern Negev, but they appeared to be on manoeuvres and did not interfere with us in any way. Apart from this we saw no real change in security from 2008, and most of the time we were totally oblivious of any security concerns, although our hotel and Eilat generally was extremely quiet and tourists seemed to be scarce.

Israel must be one of the best migration spots in the Western Palearctic, if not the world and is well worth visiting at this time of the year and I think we all plan to make a return visit at some time.

Israel - 21st – 28th March 2009

Photos with this report