It's been a while since my last update here. First, my family and I are safe. So many of my friends worldwide reached out, worried about our situation. I hugely appreciate that. Thankfully, we have a safe room at home. During the 5 to 10 daily missile attack sirens we move quietly to the safe room and wait it out. Those last weeks have been very tough indeed. Sleepless nights, constant explosions, missiles exploding to our left and to our right, alert messages coming it constantly. Not fun. The war disrupts our life - schools are off, many work places are closed. For us at BirdLife Israel the war meant cancellation of many events and activities, including Champions of the Flyway that was supposed to happen tomorrow.
I hope this horrible war ends soon - our endurance is running out. However, not a war nor a pandemic can stop me from birding. The spring and the birds out there lure me, I can't resist. More on this below.
I have a little bit of catching up to do. Since I returned from Uganda in mid December, a succession of family medical cases limited my birding very much. Of course, nothing can stop me completely, but I was much less flexible than normal, missing out on lots of birds. Too many eBird checklists were done en route to a morning shift at the hospital, like this one.
After all, in January and February I did see a few good birds, and take a couple of decent photos, despite all the challenges.
It's Peregrine o'clock, Jaffa, January 14
Greater Scaup at Maayan Zvi, January 19 - my first in Israel since 1998, great find by Uriel Levi
Romanian-ringed Pallas's Gull, Palmachim, January 29
Isabelline Shrike, Dor, 1 February
Tristram's Starlings, Wadi Mishmar, 20 February
I managed to make it down to the Negev for my Asian Houbara point counts, part of a collaborative study with INPA:
Eared/Black-necked Grebe near home, 22 February
In late February I joined an international workshop in Eilat, organised by Noam Weiss, Alen Kacal and the Eilat Birding Center team. This is the fifth year we are holding this workshop, bringing together conservationists and bird people from the Eastern Mediterranean flyway. I really enjoyed my time there, meeting wonderful people, and seeing some good birds in the process. This is what happened when I found an Oriental Honey-Buzzard flying over, and interrupted one of the presentations.
Namaqua Dove
One of the resident Painted Saw-scaled Vipers at Eilat Birding Center
The Negev is in amazing bloom after the generous winter rains.
Astragalus kahiricus
Ovda Valley
Eilat Mts. didn't receive substantial rain, but are stunning nevertheless.
Sinai Rosefinch - female
Loud workshop participants in the background:
A day before the war broke I visited Tel Krayot in the northern Negev to say hello to a fine Kurdish Wheatear:
The morning the war broke, February 28th, I was out birding with Piki not far from home. This was the first time of many that I was caught out by sirens while birding. Trigger warning - sirens in the background.
In the first week of the war I didn't move far away from home. All my birding was done within few minutes distance from our safe room. Even then, I got caught out several times with sirens. As much as I enjoy birding my very local sites, I started to feel somewhat claustrophobic. Slowly slowly, that urge to head out into the great outdoors and explore the beautiful habitats, reunite with the returning migrants, was too powerful. I started travelling to different parts of the country, for work and for birding. Taking unnecessary risks, for sure, but there's nothing I can do about it. Magical March. Birds. Flowers. Desert. Migration. You get it.
AI counted 2000 White Storks in this photo
We adopted recently a new dog, Mocha. She brought much-needed joy and laughter to our household after weeks of tension. On the way to pick her up I heard a familiar call.
On March 14th I travelled down with Arad to the southern Negev to admire the Thick-billed Lark breeding eruption developing. Wonderful habitat.
The weather was actually nasty with crazy winds and rain, but eventually I got some decent photos of the larks. Stunning birds. I like the soft light caused by all the dust in the air.
heading back home we noticed on the Mitzpe Ramon roundabout two leucistic House Sparrows that were mixed in with the 'normal' sparrow flock:
Coastal birding has been good recently, though I missed some peak days and purple patches.
Super smart Desert Wheatear
Typical coastal birding scenes - Rüppell's Warbler, Isabelline and Northern Wheatears
Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush from Tel Krayot - like clockwork
2cy male Citrine Wagtail from today at Maagan Michael - note the moult contrast in GC
I hope that by my next update the war will be over.
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