Following last years extremely successful and hugely enjoyable trip to Israel I had to return as soon as possible so for the first time I returned to the same overseas destination in consecutive years. I was joined by Lee for this years bout of migration which wasn't anything like last year in terms of shear volume however it made up for this in some real quality birds such as White-tailed Lapwing, Black-bush Robin, Menetries Warbler and Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. I managed four lifers this time around, Hume's Owl, Black Bush Robin, Rufous Bush Robin and the Menetries Warbler.
Despite the lack of migrants in general we still managed around 216 species though in some instances only one of a species was seen, such as Ruppell's Warbler. The lack of migrants was attributed to a very wet winter across the desert regions allowing birds to move on a broader front without having the needed stop overs in the isolated green spots, this years many areas were green.
From a photography perspective sometimes it was hard, light not always being optimum, as you will see in some of my shots, but in other cases the birds were so close that I couldn't fail but get great shots
Great Black-headed Gull : adult, Neve Etan Fish Ponds, Beit She'an Valley
Black Francolin : Kfar Ruppin, Beit She'an Valley
Black-headed Wagtail : Neve Etan Fish Ponds, Beit She'an Valley
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater : KM20 Salt Pans, Eilat
Clamerous Reed Warbler : Tirat Zvi Fish Ponds, Beit She'an Valley
Collared Prartincole : KM19 Canal, Eilat
Dead Sea Sparrow : Kfar RUppin, Beit She'an Valley
Ein Avdat National Park
Great Black-headed Gull, adult : Neve Etan Fish Ponds, Beit She'an Valley
Griffon Vulture : Sde Boker
Nubian Nightjar : Neot Hakkikar, Dead Sea
Pied Kingfisher : Kfar Ruppin Fish Ponds, Beit She'an Valley
Pint-ailed Sandgrouse : Nizanna Sewage Ponds, The Negev
Purple Heron : KM19 Sewage Pond, Eilat
Rufous Scrub Robin : Yotvata
White-throated Kingfisher : Neve Etan Fish Ponds, Beit She'an Valley
Steppe Buzzard : Nahal Dragot, Dead Sea
Steppe Eagle : Nahal Dragot, Dead Sea
The Moon : as viewed from Beit She'an Valley
Turkestan Shrike : Yotvata Fields
White-crowned Black Wheatear : Ovda Valley
Whote-tailed Lapwing : KM20 Salt Pans, Israel
Woodchat Shrike : Mt. Gilboa
Pale Crag Martin : Yotvata Sewage Ponds
No comments:
Post a Comment