Saturday, March 23, 2019

Eilat Day 2 - local quality

Today I led for the Eilat Bird Festival. We stayed local on both morning and afternoon tours, and enjoyed some excellent birding. In the morning we headed down to IBRCE. Quality birds at the ringing table included Savi's and Balkan Warblers, and Nightingale, and had a sentimental moment when a Turtle Dove was ringed - what a fabulous bird and conservation tragedy. We walked around the park which was brilliant. Little Crake showed stupidly well from one of the hides, Red-necked Phalaropes in the lake, Namaqua Dove, big raptor migration overhead with a few Steppe Eagles - great fun.

Little Crake


Little Ringed Plover

Purple Heron

Steppe Eagle

As always, the IBRCE staff made us feel most welcome and made our visit a success. Thanks! IBRCE eBird checklist here.

In the afternoon we started off at KM20 saltpans. Lots of shorebirds, gulls, herons and ducks. Highlight was this White-tailed Lapwing - we kept our distance from it to allow other birders to see it too. Cool bird.



KM20 saltpans checklist here.  

We ended the day at North Beach. M personal highlight was a huge flock of Garganey. Weather was unstable, and there was heavy passage of Black Kites at water-level over the gulf; then there were White-eyed Gulls and several other large gull taxa. eBird checklist here

In the evening we heldp the Champions of the Flyway opening event, Future of the Flyway, sponsored by Leica. Inspiring talks and great to meet the assembled teams.

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