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Birding report May 2008

After two years, when passerines arrival in May was reduced significantly compared to recent years, this May was like a burst of tens of millions of birds who flooded Eilat and southern Arava.

During the first half of the month up to 3 Oriental Honey Buzzards were seen almost daily in the mountains, among the hundreds of thousands of Honey Buzzard who passed in a discontinuous flow above Arava.

Passerines were plenty with a huge wave of Blackcaps on the 09/06. Thousands of Olivavious, Garden  and Willow Warblers, hundreds of unusually late, Masked Shrikes, Bared Warblers and many tens of Olive–tree Warblers, Lesser grey Shrikes, Blue-cheeked Bee–eaters and a lot more- up to 10 Rose colored Starlings, up to 10 Upchers Warblers a day, some Black–headed Buntings etc…

An Arctic Warbler was found on the 04/06 by Marcus Craig and Micolaj Kos on the border fence near Km 20 – if accepted (should be) that would the first for the country.

The next day Marcus Craig called me to check out a Diluta subspecies Sand Martin in the southern salt pans.

A Pectoral Sandpiper was found, again by Marcus, on the 03/06 in Yotvata sewage; Great findings indeed.

At sea, a Mediterranean Gull and a White–cheeked Tern were seen by Rami Mizrachi on the 09/05.

 A second summer Audouin's Gull was reported by the same observer on the 12/05. Sooty Shearwaters kept a constant presence with up to 15 birds.

On the evening of the 14/05, Jonathan Meirav saw a Streaked Shearwater, a mega rarity for our region.

 During the second half of the month passerines kept passing in good numbers. European Bee–eaters in thousands raided the bee hives in the fields, panicking the poor farmers. The IBRCE Team came to the rescue, trapping the pests, and relocating them towards their migration direction. More than 2500 Bee-Eaters were caught, ringed, and moved on. One had a Bulgarian ring on it!

 Waders came in smaller numbers than expected. Among them were up to 35 Curlew Sandpipers, 20 Broad-billed Sandpipers, 15 Red–necked Phalaropes, hundreds of Ringed Plovers, and up to 1500 Little Stints. On the 18/05, Amir Ben Dov found a Pacific Golden Plover at Km 20 salt pans and a Great Snipe in Neot Smadar.

Noam Weiss and the IBRCE staff