Ashdod ringing

Yesterday I had a productive ringing session at Ashdod, with big numbers, good diversity and excellent weather. Best birds were several Barred Warblers, Nightingales and Sprossers.

Barred Warbler - adult male

Male Prinias are very attractive during breeding with their black bills:

Tsor'a sunny morning

Yesterday (25/12/09) had a couple of free hours in the morning, so went to have a quick look at Tsor'a. The weather was beautiful - sunny and warm, and the birds evidently responded to that. There were hundreds of swallows hawking above the alfalfa field, among them a single House Martin. Prinias and cisticolas were singing in full blast, even though I think this isn't the real business yet but more of a practice for spring. Note that this male Prinia hasn't developed the black bill and gape yet, so I suppose it isn't involved in any relationship now:


This Hen Harrier flew over the field and spooked the hundreds of pipits and skylarks:


I paid Yosef's ringing course a visit. They had quite many birds, including this stonking male cyanecula Bluethroat: