Israel - recent pics

Back in Eilat with a new group hoping for a good week. We had three excellent days in the Negev with highlights including McQueen's Bustard, Cream-colored Courser, Asian Desert Warbler, Syrian Serin and several male Pallid Harriers. Here's a few images from the Negev, plus a few from the Dead Sea last week with our first group.

Woodchat Shrike - Nizzana, Western Negev.

Hooded Wheatear - Ein Netaphim, Eilat Mountains.

Bonelli's Eagle - adult, Wadi Mishmar, Dead Sea region.

Desert Finch - male, Mizpe Ramon, Central Negev. 

 

 

Asian Desert Warbler - (rear) with out-of-focus Isabelline Wheatear in foreground.

Nizzana, Western Negev, March 18th, 2013.

Desert Little Owl - Ze'elim, Western Negev.

Striolated Bunting - Ein Gedi, Dead Sea region. 

Syrian Serin - Mizpe Ramon, Central Negev. 

Chuckar and Nubian Ibex - Mizpe Ramon, Central Negev. 

Wolf - Wadi Mishmar, Dead Sea region.

Eilat - Black Magic

At last a break in the weather with much cooler conditions and noticeable upswing in the tempo of migration beginning with a beautiful young Pallid Harrier at Km19. Yotvata dunes had a flock of 15 wheatears containing three species - Isabelline, Northern and Black-eared. Once again we heard, but did not see, a singing Hoopoe Lark! Whilst at Yotvata we got news of a Black Bush Robin at Neot Smadar sewage pools and found oursleves there just after lunch. The bird, found by a visiting Finnish couple, put on an extra-ordinary show and was in view as soon as we arrived.







After we'd had our fill of the bush robin we headed north to meet up our guide for a night excursion for Nubian Nightjar. Along the way we checked a remote Acacia wadi in the Hiyyon Plains finding a range of desert species and a surprising number of migrants including several Orphean Warblers and Black-eared Wheatears. Totally unexpected here was a male Arabian Warbler, my first in ten years of visits to this particular wadi and not a place where I'd even suspected the species might occur - a nice surprise to the say the least!

Arabian Warbler - Hiyyon Plains, Eilot Region, March 16th, 2013.



We finished off a brilliant day with stunning flight views of Nubian Nightjar at Neot Hakkikar courtesy of our guide Barak Granit.

 

Trumpeter Finch - Neot Smadar, Eilot Region, March 16th, 2013.



Eilat - Day Three - 03/14

Another hot day, especially in the early part of the afternoon. We began the day in Holland Park on the north side of Eilat finding a few sylvia warblers including about 5 Orphean and 3 Ruppell's Warblers. But it was really the local desert species that provided most excitement for our group with Sand Partridge, Blackstart and Arabian Babbler all giving excellent views. Afterwards we moved onto the salt pools at Km20 where we found 2 of the previously reported Greater Sandplovers straight away. The salt pools seemed to have received good numbers of new birds, including Marsh Sandpipers (15) and two exceptionally smart Gull-billed Terns. We also found Black-tailed Godwit and Red-necked Phalarope.

Thanks to a tip from Itai Shanni we found ourselves in Yotvata by early afternoon where we spent the hottest hours of the tour so far watching larks on the fringe of the Yotvata dunes. It didn't take us too long find the reported Bimaculated Larks (3) amongst some 150 Greater Short-toed Larks. Unfortunately for our group, I was the only person to hear a Hoopoe Lark singing.

The rest of the afternoon fizzled a little as we tried for desert species at the oft-productive Ovda Valley, only to find the place virtually deviod of birds. Even so, despite yet another day of extreme heat, we felt pleased with our results for the day.

Sand Partridge - Holland Park, Eilat.

 

Greater Sandplover - Km20, Eilat.

 





Gull-billed Terns - Km20, Eilat.

 

 

 Bimaculated and Greater Short-toed Larks - Yotvata dunes.

 

 

 



Eilat - second day - 03/13

Birding in the southern Arava was tougher than expected today. Heat and wind again featured throughout the day and migrants between Eilat and Yotvata appeared to be in very short supply indeed. We fared better in the afternoon when we tried an area of 'green desert' just to the north of Kibbutz Yahel, about an hour north of Eilat. On arrival, a dozen Spotted Sandgrouse flew over heading north. Initially, wheatears appeared to be the most obvious migrants with Isabelline, Northern and Desert Wheatears being found within a few minutes. Further exploration of the plains produced numerous Tawny Pipits, Greater Short-toed Larks, Lesser Whitethroats and a dozen Cretschmar's Buntings. The highlight would have to be the Pale Rock Sparrow picked out by group participant Neil Maxwell, a bird which we all saw extremely well. Towards the end of the day we also found a nice range of migrants including Common Whitethroat, Ruppell's and Orphean Warblers plus a Wryneck, wrapping up an extremely productive afternoon.

 Cretschmar's Bunting - Km77, Eilot region, Israel. March 13th, 2013.

Panasonic Lumix FZ7.

Pale Rock Sparrow - Km77, Eilot region, Israel. March 13th, 2013.

Panasonic Lumix FZ7.

Tawny Pipit - Km77, Eilot region, Israel. March 13th, 2013.

Panasonic Lumix FZ7.

 Desert Locust - Km77, Eilot region, Israel. March 13th, 2013.

Panasonic Lumix FZ7.



Eilat, Israel - great first day!

The opening day of Birdfinders first week in Eilat got off to a terrific start today (March 12th). The day was hot from start to finish, accompanied by a strong southern wind at times. Although migrants were in very short supply, we did well on quality with highlights including a close White-tailed Lapwing at Km20 where we also found two male Citrine Wagtails and a nest-building Dead Sea Sparrow, Desert Finches in Eilot's fields, Armenian, Steppe, Siberian and Baltic Gulls together on the southern Salt Pans, White-eyed Gulls, Pied Kingfishers and a staggeringly close Striated Heron at Eilat's north beach and four Egyptian Geese at Km19. The most obvious migrants were Sand Martins, Barn and Red-rumped Swallows, Black-headed Yellow Wagtails, Lesser Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs, and there was a lone Masked Shrike in Central Park behind our hotel.

Raptors were few as might be expected in Eilat in strong southern winds, but we had great views of Spotted and Steppe Eagles today, plus multiple Steppe Buzzards and Marsh Harriers. 

Here a few pics from the day with everything to play for in the forthcoming days;

 White-tailed Lapwing - Eilat, Km20, Eilot region, Israel. March 12th, 2013. 

Panasonic Lumix FZ7.

Striated Heron - Eilat north beach, Eilot region, Israel. March 12th, 2013. 

Panasonic Lumix FZ7.

 Desert Finches- Eilot fields, Eilot region, Israel. March 12th, 2013. 

Egyptian Geese - Km19, Eilot region, Israel. March 12th, 2013. 

Panasonic Lumix FZ7.

Steppe Eagle - Km19, Eilot region, Israel. March 12th, 2013. 

Panasonic Lumix FZ7.

Greater Short-toed Lark - Yotvata south fields, Eilot region, Israel. March 12th, 2013. 

A slowish day for migrants this being the only migrant lark of the day.

Panasonic Lumix FZ7.

MA - random notes from Gill - 03/10

My last post before departing to Israel for two spring migration tours. The last few days in Gill have been distinctly balmy and spring-like. On the 8th, I noted a Pied-billed Grebe at Turner's Falls, the first I've seen there since the Christmas bird count in late December. Remarkably, this bird looked and behaved much like the same lingering individual present at that time. It's hard to imagine it spent the winter in our area but that's certainly what the bird's presence suggests. 

Other notes included at least three Kumlien's (Iceland) Gulls in a swirl of gulls flushed by a Bald Eagle at Barton Cove on the 8th. There was also Cackling Goose at the end of a stream of 200 Canada Geese over our house on Main Road in late afternoon on the 9th. At least 700 Canada Geese moved NE over our house that evening. 

 Pied-billed Grebe - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. March 8th, 2013. 

Panasonic Lumix FZ7.

 Hooded Merganser - male, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 8th, 2013. 

Panasonic Lumix FZ7.

Ring-necked Duck - male, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 8th, 2013. 

Panasonic Lumix FZ7.

MA - another Barred Owl - 03/03

I'm not getting tired of these yet! Another day-time sighting of Barred Owl, this time on my way home from watching the gulls at Barton Cove. This Barred Owl was hunting in the meadow about a quarter mile NE of Gill Fire Station on Main Road. I don't think I've seen a Barred Owl foraging quite so openly as this bird and its behavior reminded me more of a Great Gray Owl than a Barred.



Barred Owl - from Main Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 3rd, 2013.

Panasonic Lumix FZ7.

MA - Five Kumlien's Gulls - 03/03

There was a nice compact gathering of gulls on the ice at Barton Cove on Sunday afternoon. Total numbers remain small with less than 400 birds present, but the quality is still evident. I was impressed by the number of Kumlien's Gulls within this relatively small flock and wondered if some of these birds could be filtering through on spring migration? All of them were first-cycle birds, and all of them relatively pale. Despite much effort, the only other unusual gull I could find was one of the continuing adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls. 

Featured below are images of all five Kumlien's Gulls taken at Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA on March 3rd, 2013;

 Bird #1

Bird #2

Bird #3

Bird #4

Bird #5

Lesser Black-backed Gull - continuing adult.

MA - First Red-wing - 02/28

 

 

 

Red-winged Blackbird - Gill yard, Franklin Co., MA. February 28th, 2013. Panasonic Lumix FZ7 (taken through living room window). First of the year and a true harbinger of spring. This bird has already started singing and is periodically coming to the feeders.

CA - Red-necked Grebe - 01/18/13

 

 

Red-necked Grebe - Off Broadway Pier, San Diego Harbor, CA. January 18th, 2013. Panasonix Lumix FZ7. A nice surprise as we boarded a whale watching boat for the morning, this bird was just swimming and preening off the stern. Not only a tour first, but interest gathered momentum as we realized that the species doesn't appear in the main bar graph appendix of "A Birders Guide to Southern California" by Brad Schram. We subsequently found it referenced in the "Birds Seldom Seen But Possible" section.