Ma'agan Michael

On Wednesday I had a day at Ma'agan Michael with meetings and stuff. I had little time for birding before and between and after the meetings. I'm still hoping to get Great Shearwater this winter - my IL bogey bird (nine records...) therefore I spend any time I can scanning the sea. That early morning at MM the wind was blowing from the wrong direction and there was lots of rain, so seawatching conditions weren't good. But the sea and the skies and the rainbow were dramatic and beautiful.

Because I had nothing better to do I spent my time checking gull legs. All I could find were two Slender-bills ringed by Yosef in Atlit. This one was ringed in April 2020.

With Sandwich Terns:

Pallas's Gulls are developing their black hood and are looking damn sexy:

Later my team joined me and me met up with a TV crew. We dragged them seawatching with us which was fun in the masochistic way:

The sea didn't improve much birdwise, still we had a couple of Med Gulls, a Parasitic Jaeger and an Arctic Skua.

Mediterranean Gull

Parasarctic Jaekua

Over the sand dunes flew around many swallows hawking for insects. One bird almost gave us a heart attack until we figured out it is a partially-leucistic Barn Swallow:

In one of the fishponds four Little Gulls were hanging out. They are such adorable birds, these wee gulls, with their little bills. The adult plumage is very attractive with that dark underwing:

Those snowy wingtips 💗

I find the first plumage very beautiful too

Fluttering over the water like a Wilson's Storm-Petrel

Birds and butterflies

This morning I worked at Ma'agan Michael. In short, we are developing there a restoration project, in which we have reached an agreement with the kibbutz to manage a large section of their fish farm for biodiversity rather than fish production. The project is funded partially by Israel Ministry of Tourism. We are now in the 'Before' stage. Through monitoring, we hope to show what are best-practices for wetland restoration. Anyway, today was my monthly visit there. En route to my first point-count location, I drove past the same pond where Little Gulls put on a show last time - today the show was even better, with 19 (!) birds, in perfect, soft morning light - quite enjoyable. I just love them. This seems to be a good winter for them, yet 19 is an exceptional count.

Several more images in today's eBird checklist.

One White-winged Tern was showing the wee gulls how it's done

Birding was quite good, though migration wasn't pronounced yet, only few true migrants - Isabelline Wheatear and some hirundines. On the beach I found this Czech-ringed Black Stork (no details yet):

When editing the photo, I accidentally clicked the 'Black-and-White' button - came out quite nice, don't you think?

On the beach there was a nice gull gathering. I kept my distance not to disturb them - they suffer enough disturbance on this busy beach. Good numbers of Pallas's Gulls, quite a few Caspians (sorry for the poor footage):

On the rocks at the mouth of Taninim stream, a shy Bar-tailed Godwit was sheltering from the wind, Eurasian Curlew did its thing and there were a few Greater Sand-Plovers already getting into summer plumage:

Butterfly season has started here. After I was done at Ma'agan Michael, I had just enough time for a quick look for a special butterfly on a hill nearby. The hill is home for Levantine Vernal Copper, one of 14 protected butterflies in Israel. It is specific to Milk-vetch Astragalus macrocarpus, a rare and threatened plant in Israel too. The wind bas blowing quite hard, which kept them low. Still they are wonderful butterflies.

Not many other butterflies on the wing, because of the wind. This Green-striped White was perched on the Milk-vetch:

The beauty and the beast

This morning I worked at Ma'agan Michael. The weather was rougher than I had expected, seawatching weather in fact. Yet it was a productive morning (see eBird checklist here). The strong winds must have blown some gulls inland, as there were many many gulls in the fishponds. 

Armenian Gull

One pond had six Little Gulls fluttering over the water a-la-marsh terns, three adults and three young, presumably picking up water invertebrates from the surface. They are such lovely birds, so delicate and pretty. Their upperwing and underwing patterns are perfect. Adults and young. And they're sort of scarce in Israel. Sadly, the pond was covered by anti-pelican cables. I sat low, under the cables, but in some photos the cables are inevitable.

Pallas's Gulls were present in decent numbers. They are such beasts. The adults are already in (almost) full summer plumage with their black hood.

These two are from Atlit, where the Hypocolius is still present, but wouldn't pose in the crazy wind:

Speaking of seawatching, yesterday morning I spent some time in Ashdod doing just that. Not too many birds but a Black-legged Kittiwake made the effort worth while. A flock of Slender-billed Gulls contained a ringed bird, by Yosef, Atlit April 2019, c. 100 km north.

Just because it's a nice photo

Little gullfest

Since the start of the year, a series of storms have been hitting our shores, bringing some good seawatching opportunities. Only today I managed to free some time for seawatching, and went over to Palmakhim, south of Rishon Letzion,  where I joined several others. The wind was blowing hard, but the direction was not ideal - too much southerly element to it. There were few true pelagic species - six Yelkouan Shearwaters and an Arctic Skua. Main interest was in gulls, specifically small ones: There was a lovely concentration of Little Gulls, fishing in the sheltered bay with Sandwich Terns. They are rather scarce in Israel, so their numbers were pleasing: At most we had 13 together, in total about 17. Beautifully-patterned, elegant - I love Little Gulls, especially when they're young (there was only one adult).

M or W?

There was also varied large gull action:

Proper cachinnans, near adult- very pale mantle, lots of white, little black

heuglini - adult

armenicus - 1st cycle

armenicus - adult

I think this is barabensis - tricky gull

Dark underwing secondaries indicate this is a fuscus-thingy

eBird checklist here.

A day in the Broads

Had an enjoyable day today birding in the Broads. Started off very early with James to check Breydon Water. Embarrassed to admit it was the first time I have properly birded this hotspot. We spent two hours there between 05:00 and 07:00 until we both had to return to our respective awaking families. As it always is at Breydon birds were very distant but there were lots of birds and stuff was coming and going all the time. Highlights (in UK standards) were 2 Spotted Redshanks, 1 White Stork from Thrigbey Wildlife Park, about 30 Med Gulls including one with a green ring that was too distant to read, and 15 Whimbrel. Good to meet up with the legendary Pete Allard.

In the afternoon I went with my family to Hickling Broad. It was very windy so no chance for Bittern of Reedling. We took the short boat trip which was great. I enjoyed views of Rush Hills Scrape from the hide on better side. We had 2 Little Gulls, 4 Spoonbills and about 10 Ruff there. Good conditions for shorebirds there but nothing out of the ordinary. 

Wasted brownie points

After a few very busy weeks managed to get out this morning. As always, I had only one bird on my mind (Greenish Warbler). Met up with Quentin and we headed out to Blakeney Point. It was one of those day that either you see nothing at all or find a mega. Today (again) we say nothing at all. The Point was as empty as it gets. The plantation was completely empty. The only proper migrant passerine we saw was a Wheatear. At least there were some shorebirds around - Whimbrels and Curlews, Turnstones, Knots etc. Out in the bay there was one Black Tern, some Common Scoters and along the beach a couple of Little Gulls were flying back and forth.

Northern Wheatear

Little Gull 2cy

We had just enough time for a quick look at Cley. There was an increase in shorebird numbers. As e walked in I got onto a group of Dunlins, among them I think I had a smaller peep, first look recalled a white-rump but then everything flew off and we couldn't relocate it. Shit. There was one Curlew Sand and two Wood Sands. I can't believe that I get even slightly excited by these birds, in a way that i digiscoped them. pathetic. I am becoming an average UK birder. And for a UK birder a day with Black Tern, Little Gull, Curlew Sand and Wood Sand isn't a bad day. So I guess it wasn't a total waste of brownie points.

Wood Sandpipers - digiscoped from a long distance 

Good seawatch

After two long weeks of busy work and lousy weather, took half a morning off and went birding today. Left home very early - it was fine and very cold - 6.5° at 05:00 - welcome to British Summer! Started with a pretty good seawatch at Cley. I know there are better spots but I like the conditions there. There was quite good activity for the two and a half hours I was there, at least good for this time of year and (no) wind conditions. Highlight was a Cory's Shearwater, but there was plenty of other stuff: 1 Pom, 2 Arctic and 1 Great Skuas, 3 Manx Shearwaters, 1 Fulmar, about 40 Common Scoters, 1 Med Gull and 3-4 Little Gulls that flew back and forth in front of the hide all morning - the only birds of (some) interest close enough for photography.

2cy Little Gull

I then continued to check some wetlands for shorebirds but sadly water levels were very high because of all the rain in recent weeks. So at Cley and Stiffkey Fen only few long-legged shorebirds were seen. At Cley there were 20 odd Ruff, Greenshank and 1 Common Sand. At Stiffkey 9 Spoonbills and that's it more or less. On the mudflats increasing numbers of Knot and some Grey Plovers.