..better late than never! A trip by four "CHOGgers" to a once-popular destination which seems to have dropped off the radar due to problems in the north-west, somewhat unnecessarily judging by our experiences. Thought I'd post this in advance of a return visit in March 2007 (which will be far less intense, as it will be just me and the missus).
20 March
On arrival at the airport in the early hours (just after dawn) Yellow-vented Bulbul were the first new
birds seen, noted in the airport confines whilst collecting the hire car.
On the drive down the R40 to Be'er Sheva sewage works, a White-Breasted kingfisher was seen
by the roadside. Spur-winged Plover, Crested Lark and Laughing (Palm) Dove were also seen for
the first time but were to be commonly encountered over the next few days.
At Be'er Sheva itself, hundreds of White Stork were scattered around the area, with Cattle Egret,
Olivaceous and Eastern Bonelli's Warblers around the works, and a small passage of raptors
overhead, including the only Saker of the trip, plus 8 L S Eagle, a Steppe Buzzard, a small Harrier
species and 3 Short-toed Eagle. A Great Spotted Cuckoo gave superb views in poolside vegetation,
and other new species for the trip included a Long-legged Buzzard, 50+ Black Kite, Sunbird, Quail,
Graceful Warbler, Black-winged Stilt, over 50 Ruff, Woodchat and various other species.
The journey to Gvulot and the Kibbutz involved crossing part of the Negev Desert, where more new
birds were seen during several random stops, including 6 Isabelline Wheatear, a Barbary Falcon,
Cretzschmar's Bunting, 2 Quail, 2 Masked Shrike, 5+ Red-throated Pipit, Southern Grey Shrike,
1200 Crane, 30+ Spanish Sparrow, a male Black-eared Wheatear, 2 Stone Curlew, a ringtail
Hen Harrier and 5 Marsh Harrier. On arrival at the Kibbutz, a couple of Syrian Woodpecker were
seen in the trees in the grounds near our accommodation.
21 March
An early start produced a Long-eared Owl on a roadside sign near the Kibbutz, seen in the car
headlights.
Our approach to the Egyptian border was interesting, with an armed teenage border guard allowing
us to progress but commenting on our lack of body armour! Needless to say, our drive along the
border road, pockmarked with craters, did not include many stops.
The desert area around Nizzana was very productive, despite being hard to work with such a large,
mostly featureless expanse to cover. A Long-legged Buzzard was seen very well perched on a
pylon, and excellent views were obtained of several desert specialities, including 2 Brown-necked
Raven, 14 Cream-coloured Courser, 4 Desert Wheatear, a Hobby, 6+ Tawny Pipit,
10+ Cretzschmar's Bunting, 5 Southern Grey Shrike, 9 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, male Desert Finch,
2 Black-bellied Sandgrouse, 6 Spotted Sandgrouse, 20 Short-toed Lark, 25+ Isabelline Wheatear,
a male Black-headed Wagtail, 8 Arabian Babbler, Black-eared Wheatear, Lillith Little Owl and
other odds and ends.
A pool complex provided good views of a couple of Bluethroat, including a singing male, as well as
Pied Kingfisher, Kentish Plover, 4 Lesser Kestrel and a fleeting glimpse of the only Jack Snipe of
the trip, whilst nearby a Desert Warbler flew in front of the car and eventually gave good, if brief,
views, as did a Scrub Warbler. Redstart and 6 Hoopoe were also seen. Much searching finally
produced MacQueen's Bustard near the Egyptian border, but the views were rather distant and
hampered by the heat haze. Our presence also alerted the border guards, who dispatched a
flat-bed Hummer to check us out!
Returning to Gvulot, a Squacco Heron, 2 Little Crake, 10 Cretzschmar's Bunting (some giving great
views), 3 Short-toed Eagle and a Great Spotted Eagle with over 100 L S Eagle were noted, also
200 Black Kite and a 2 of Masked Shrike. A couple of White-breasted Kingfisher showed
particularly well near a precarious rope suspension bridge. Common Crane totalled around 2500
for the day.
22 March
Arrived at Sede Boquer before its "official" opening time - incredibly, after a short walk up the
deserted path (ducking under the small single-bar gate at the entrance) a van appeared at the top
of the approach road, drove towards us, and we were ordered out!
The area provided a number of good new species for the trip - 5+ Blackstart, 4 Desert Lark, 15+
Desert Finch, 4 Masked Shrike, 5+ Trumpeter Finch, a flyover Tristram's Grackle, a superb male
Rupell's Warbler by the first main track, a Bee-eater was heard only, over 20 Griffon Vulture, with
some perched on the cliff-face, 4 Sand Partridge and 4 Little Green Bee-eater, superb birds seen
well on the sandy cliffs, 5 Mourning Wheatear, a Nightingale, male Blue Rock Thrush, 10 Redstart,
10 Blackcap, 5 Pale Crag Martin, and flyover interest provided by 1200 White Stork, a Lanner,
2 Egyptian Vulture, 3 Short-toed Eagle, a Steppe Eagle and a Booted Eagle. Mammals seen
included a Fox - pretty much like the UK version, but very lanky and long-eared - and 10 Nubian
Ibex.
Driving down to Kibbutz Lotan, our base for the rest of the week, a brief stop provided a male
Hooded Wheatear seen well on wasteland, and at Ketura were 20 Short-toed Lark and a couple of
Bimaculated Lark (there had been a huge arrival of this species, more later!). At K40 there was a
palm plantation, where a White-tailed Plover was a bit of a surprise, though evidently discovered a
few days prior to our arrival, and the adjacent pools held 2 Bluethroat, Wood Sandpiper and a
couple of Flava Wagtail.
After dropping off a few belongings at the Kibbutz, we headed for Eilat North Beach, where the last
hour or so of daylight produced 2 Slender-billed Gull, 30+ White-eyed Gull, 2 Western Reef Heron,
20 Night Heron, a single Squacco Heron, 19 Black Stork, Pied and Common Kingfisher, a fly-by
Caspian Tern and 2 House Crow. Over the day, it was estimated that at least 12,000 White Stork
had passed overhead. The caspian race of Herring Gull was also noted.
23 March
A pre-dawn drive to Lotan to arrive at the Eilat Bird Park at dawn. The pools and surrounds could
be viewed from the car, with causeways around all the lagoons, and a variety of birds were seen;
65 Slender-billed Gull, 5 Marsh Sandpiper, 12 Greater Flamingo, 8 Gull-billed Tern passing over in
a single flock, 5+ Kentish Plover, Water Pipit, Black-winged Stilt, Bluethroat, Bonellis Warbler,
Squacco Heron, a briefly-settled flock of 20 Dead Sea Sparrow, Marsh Harrier, 250 Garganey,
a Tree Pipit, Olivaceous Warbler, a Barbary Falcon settled on a close pylon, photographed, a
first-winter Citrine Wagtail creeping around the reed fringes, and a Siberian Stonechat were
amongst the highlights.
The Eilat Mountains, to the west of the city, were next - there are several viewpoints for raptor
migration, and choosing the best one seemed to be a matter of trial and error. Steppe Buzzard
were the predominant species, with over 1000 seen; 800 White and 150 Black Stork were counted,
and 2 Steppe Eagle, 2 Booted Eagle and an Egyptian Vulture were also seen. 3 Blackstart and an
eastern Willow Warbler, a very pale bird with a noticeable wing panel, were on the deck.
Back to Eilat, and the cemetery held 4 Blue Rock Thrush, a pair of Ruppell's Warbler, and single
Black-eared Wheatear and Red-rumped Swallow.
The main road through the area is the 90, and the various birding sites are identified by their KM
distance from Eilat. At the K19/K20 pools we found 250 Flamingo, 10 Kentish Plover, 70 Little Stint,
a Red-necked Phalarope, Little Gull, 80+ Black-winged Stilt, a White Pelican, 2 Marsh Sandpiper,
a superb summer-plumaged Greater Sand Plover, an adult and 2 winter-plumage Whiskered Tern,
with all providing good views from the car "hide", as again it is possible to drive around the whole
complex. A dungheap at K37 held 2 Black- and 2 Blue-headed Wagtail, a Bluethroat, 2 Woodchat,
5 Red-throated Pipit, 20 Short-toed Lark, 100 White Wagtail and 2 Black-eared Wheatear, with a
final wander around the Kibbutz producing the first (male) Namaqua Dove, a male Quail wandering
around the barns in full view, 25 Short-toed Lark and a male Black-eared Wheatear.
24 March
Another early start found us walking around the Kibbutz at 05.30 looking for grounded migrants.
A couple of Subalpine Warbler included one bird with a yellow-buff throat; many Lesser Whitethroat
and Blackcap were around the buildings, also Masked Shrike and a brief view of a male Flycatcher,
unfortunately not assigned to species. We then headed north to Shizafon, encountering three
Wolf en route, first seen on the mountainside, but after stopping the car they wandered across the
road right in front of us! At the first pool we stopped at, Spotted Sandgrouse were heard only, with
Little Stint, LR Plover and the usual suspects seen. On the second pool/sewage complex, we found
15 Crowned Sandgrouse calling and giving good views. A pit-stop for coffee gave an opportunity to
wander round the grounds, and one of the best birds of the trip, a male Menetries Warbler, was
the reward, giving good but fleeting views as it worked its way around the dense undergrowth.
Several Olivaceous Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap and Pale Crag Martin were in the area.
Returning to the second pool complex, Sardinian Warbler, 3 Great White Egret overhead, Citrine
Wagtail (3, including a superb male), Bluethroat, Little Green Bee-eater, Black-winged Stilt, Hoopoe
and Water Pipit were seen.
Travelling back to Lotan, several stops were made. The dung heaps at Quetura produced a couple
of Bimaculated Lark and several Short-toed Lark, whilst at K40 were around 70 Bimaculated Lark,
2 Indian Silverbill in the palm plantation, 250 Short-toed Lark, Bluethroat, 2 Cretzschmar's Bunting,
Whitethroat and Quail. K37 held several Red-throated Pipit (with an immaculate adult bird), Black
Redstart, ST Lark, Quail, and a Temmincks Horned Lark (photographed), with the pools at Yotvata
holding Broad-billed, Common, Green and Wood Sandpiper, Osprey, Booted Eagle (dark phase),
Woodchat and Masked Shrike. The circular field at Yotvata was birded to dusk, with 3 Marsh
Harrier and a Golden Jackal being the highlights.
25 March
Dawn found us at Netafim border area, in the Eilat Mountains, in a very steep wadi involving a climb
down between narrow rocks! Typical fare was seen, including Tristram's Grackle, Desert Lark,
Trumpeter Finch, Blackstart, Marsh Harrier, Steppe Buzzard and Alpine Swift. We then moved on
to Middle Mountain raptor watchpoint, where 2000+ Steppe Buzzard, 3 Steppe Eagle (with good
views of a bird passing below us), 50 Black Stork and a Sparrowhawk. Moving back down towards
Eilat, it was obvious that large numbers of raptors were on the move, and a random stop provided
8+ Steppe Eagle, 3+ Long-legged Buzzard, Egyptian Vulture, Great Spotted Eagle, a dark Booted
Eagle, Short-toed Eagle and 13 Black Stork, also male Sardinian Warbler and 2 White-crowned
Black Wheatear. The cemetery held 3 Blue Rock Thrush, female Ruppells Warbler and 2 Sand
Partridge, with Osprey, Booted Eagle and 2 Short-toed Eagle overhead (a return visit later added
Subalpine Warbler, Desert Lark and Egyptian Vulture).
Eilat Bird Park was the next port of call, where a good range of birds awaited us. Osprey, Booted
Eagle, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Gull-billed Tern (particularly good views), 2 imm Little Gull, a rather
grotty male Citrine Wagtail, Cuckoo, Little Grebe, Little Stint, 35 Marsh Sandpiper, Marsh Harrier,
Wood and Green Sandpiper, Little Ringed and Kentish Plover were all seen, with the highlight being
a male Rock Thrush, newly-ringed, seen in the hand and following its release, in a tree near the
ringing centre.
North Beach was very quiet, just a Pied Kingfisher and 30+ Cretzschmar's Bunting seen, so we
decamped to K19, where the White Pelican was still present, along with 7 Tufted Duck, LR Plover,
a male Citrine Wagtail, 7 Purple Heron in one flock, 3 Tawny Pipit, Black-eared Wheatear,
Shoveler and Pintail, with a Whiskered Tern nearby, seen on the way to K20. At the K20 pools, a
surprise awaited in the shape of 7 Great Black-headed Gulls on the central causeway - superb
birds! 3 adults, a 2nd-winter and 3 3rd-winter birds were present. Also seen were Flamingo,
100+ Little Stint and Marsh Sandpiper. A return visit to K19 at dusk was well rewarded, with a
Purple Heron seen well, and best of all, 7 Liechtenstein's Sandgrouse (3 male and 4 female),
skimming low over our heads as we crouched in a bunker, then seen well as they nervously
approached the pool to drink.
26 March
Our last full day started with a concerted effort around Kibbutz Lotan. A good variety of passerines
were present, and raptor migration was constant overhead - both Masked and Woodchat Shrike
were seen, plus 2 Bimaculated Lark, 2 Red-throated Pipit, a couple of Osprey, Blue Rock Thrush,
100+ Black Kite, 2500+ Steppe Buzzard, 80 Black Stork, White Stork, Olivaceous Warbler,
Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Bluethroat, 2 male Namaqua Dove, Short-toed Lark, Quail,
Sparrowhawk, 4 Redstart, Citrine Wagtail, male Orphean and Sardinian Warbler, and a cracking
Rufous Bushchat, sitting in the middle of the path as I turned a corner! This bird led us a merry
dance around the allotments in a quest for all to see it well. Earlier, I had managed to miss a
warning sign and had sunk alarmingly into a muddy puddle, thinking it was a dried-out patch, and
struggled to extract myself from what seemed like quicksand! Overhead, 10 Steppe Eagle, a single
dark-phase Booted Eagle and a heavy passage of Black Kite and Lesser Spotted Eagle passed
southwards, with Griffon Vulture and 2 Bee-eater also seen.
A visit to K20 pools was next, with 3 Whiskered Tern, Flamingo, 200 Little Stint, 10 Marsh
Sandpiper, 5 Great Black-headed Gull, a female Red-necked Phalarope (near adult) and a Cuckoo
seen, and the K37 dungheap held 2 Quail with the usual mix. K40 produced Linnet, Cattle Egret,
3 Squacco Heron, Black-eared Wheatear, 3 Marsh Sandpiper, 2 Shoveler, 10 Redstart and a
ringtail Hen Harrier. The old Turkish police station area was frustrating, with an Arabian Warbler
seen by some (not me), but the only Wryneck of the trip was seen, plus a Blackcap. The day
ended at the circular field, with male Pallid Harrier the highlight, and 20 Bee-eater, 2 Quail, 50+
Yellow Wagtail, 200 Short-toed Lark, 6 Marsh Harrier, Osprey and many Black Kite seen.
27 March
We departed the kibbutz at 4am for a finale at the Dead Sea. Time was rather limited, so we
headed for a dawn arrival at Neot Hakikar, at the southern tip. On arrival we saw the large woven
nests of Dead Sea Sparrow, with 10 birds in close attendance, and Squacco Heron, Little Crake
(at least 8 birds seen), Black-winged Stilt, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Green and Wood Sandpiper,
Pale Rock Martin, Pallid Swift, Garganey and Olivaceous Warbler amongst the man-made pools;
the hoped-for Clamorous Reed Warbler were also in good voice, with at least 8 birds heard, some
seen reasonably well.
Our final target lay in wait along the shores of the Dead Sea, where the mountains bordered the
valley, and a short drive was rewarded with 2 Fan-tailed Raven seen well after causing initial
consternation by disappearing! Also seen in the same area were 3 Short-toed Eagle, Raven,
White-crowned Black Wheatear, Marsh Harrier, Long-legged Buzzard and 2 Tristram's Grackle
coming to bread!
Heading towards the airport, we found ourselves slightly ahead of schedule, so we stopped briefly
in a mixed conifer and broadleaf wood, where Great Tit, Jay and Crossbill made their way on to the
trip list, and White Stork and Short-toed Eagle were also seen.
Edit - trip list (done on Excel on a daily basis) did not transfer properly so I've deleted it, but I'll send a copy to anyone who's interested. Personal total was 204 species, with combined group total for the week 213 species.
Hi,
sounds like a great trip, i was in israel at pretty much the same time and our list was very similar- its a great place and i'd love to go back again at some point
regards
Mat
Nice one, MSA. Have you booked your 07 trip and did you get a good deal?
John.