Thursday, February 3, 2022

Local rustic

 Yesterday I twitched the Rustic Bunting found by my mate Micha Mandel near his house in Kiryat Anavim on Monday. Great find my Micha! It's only a short drive from home, so it would have been rude not to. No, I am not doing another Big Year. I even saw one recently, albeit briefly, in November 2021. However, I have never managed to photograph this bird in Israel. All the good reasons for a little local twitch. Rustic Bunting is a top-quality rarity in Israel, normally not even annual, though the crazy autumn of 2021 brought an unprecedented four records to Israel. It is possible that this overwintering bird is a leftover from the autumn.

Our bird was quite secretive, it took us some time to relocate the bunting. It was very shy, spending most of the time in thick vegetation, sometimes tzicking quietly (sorry for the poor quality).

Eventually it gave OK views, at some distance and rubbish light conditions, but I can't complain. Happy.




A small flock of Hawfinch was nice too. eBird checklist here.

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