news

Birding report, June 2008

 The end of the spring migration gives us a rest from the spring madness. Even so, a few late spring visitors are still around. Blackcaps and Garden Warblers were passing until the end of the month, some European Bee–eaters decided to over summer due to the Pygmy Bee's, an invasive species that flooded town in great numbers. Some Rose- colored Starlings stayed in the vineyards until the middle of the month and a single Black Bush Robin was seen by Jonathan Meirav on the 22/6 in Km 25 orchard, but not found on the next days.  

The north beach started to produced numbers of Terns from a variety of species (Bridled, White - cheeked, Little, Common and more…). Maximum of 6 Bridled Terns were seen on 28/Jun (Y. Perlman, A. Meir, M. Goren). This year the sea birds numbers are low because of the evacuation of the fish cages but those wonderful birds can still be seen almost daily including the Caspian Terns, White-eyed Gulls, Sooty Shearwaters, Mangrove and Western Reef Herons.

In the mountains, birds are feeding their young. The White-crowned and Hooded Wheatears can be seen in specific places, and so are the Scrub Warblers and the Barbary Falcons. The numbers of the Lichtenstein's Sandgrouses are rising to the maximum of 22 in Km 19 plus smaller numbers in other minor drinking spots (between Eilat and Neot Smadar).

The night birds, as usual, give good views. The Hume's Owls call in the deep wadis and Pharaoh Eagle Owls looks for prey in the fields. We lost two of our Eagle Owls to road kill this month.

Sooty falcons seems hard to find this year. Only one falcon was seen in the southern slopes of mt. Amir.

As the spring migration is mostly over, and the numbers of visiting birders had dropped significantly, we had the time to continue some of our research activity and visit some sites outside Eilat area. The Dead Sea area produced the usual species in good numbers, with ten House Buntings and some Sinai Rosefinches in known and new locations and the usual Fan–tailed Ravens and Tristrams Gracales. In Nizana good numbers of 4 kinds of Sandgrouses (Spotted, Black – bellied, Pin – tailed and Crowned) and many Cream colored Corsurs, Desert Little Owls and Macween's Bustards.

We also had the opportunity to join the Hula ringing team (Nadav Israeli and Francis argyle) in a fantastic ringing day up Mount Hermon. 350 birds got rings, between them many Syrian Serins, Linnets, Goldfinches, Rock Sparrows, Pale Rock Sparrow, Crimson–winged Finch, Sombre Tit, Rock Nuthach, Rock and Black–headed Buntings, Upcher's Warbler and a lot more.

 It is hot down here alright, but birding is still great.

Noam Weiss and the IBRCE staff