More Caspian Stonechats and harriers - boring stuff!

Again had some time for birding this morning instead of standing in traffic. First checked my alfalfa field at Bet Kama - highlights were a funny-calling Oriental Skylark (very soft call; flushed it twice but didn't manage to soundrecord it whatsoever), 2 Hen Harriers, 1 Merlin and a Caspian Stonechat. Nice late wave of Northern Wheatears.

Caspian Stonechat

Northern Wheatear

Merlin

Then another short stop at the Tzor'a alfalfa field - not much there apart for this 1cy Hen Harrier - very close!

In the afternoon new village tick but again just 100 m away from my garden - Red-breasted Flycatcher.

Linger On

Rest in peace, Lou

Local pallid

Quick look at my local patch (Bet Kama alfalfa) before work this morning was productive. The field has been cut down recently - the pipits and larks enjoyed that. Also more wheatears on the field. This field is a real harrier magnet - this morning a cracking 2cy male Pallid Harrier was flushing the pipit flock back and forth:

One Oriental Skylark was bzzing within the large Eurasian Skylark flock, few Bluethroats and some Quail. Again had a male Caspian Stonechat, this time a paler individual than the one I had there about a week ago: 

Hume's Warbler visual & sound

This morning I returned to the garden near my house for the Hume's Warbler, this time I left the kids at home. I relocated the warbler immediately and tried to obtain a presentable image and a sound recording. Wow, this bird is a nightmare! So shy and so extatic, it took me about an hour before I got some crap record shots like this one. But at least you can see some ID features here - very limited pale base to lower mandible, dark legs, and no dark bases to secondaries. This is a 1cy (check the shape and wear of TF), that's why it's relatively bright. 

Of course the most important feature is the call - very distinctive:

Hume's Warbler

This afternoon, while playing soccer with my two sons not far away from our house, I heard the typical 'chew-wit' call of a Hume's Warbler from a large Carrob tree. Before my kids understood what's going on I ran home, grabbed my bins and camera and ran back to the soccer field. I spent the next hour or so trying to get something of it but the bird was very shy and restless - only got some brief views and one awful sound recording. Hope to improve that tomorrow.

My village is a Hume's hotspot - last winter I found (and later ringed) one about 1 km from my house. Today this one was closer - about 200 m from my house. Next one in the garden please.

Female Caspian Stonechat

Returned to ring at Ashdod after a long absence. It was a good morning with large numbers and varied catch, pretty typical for this time of year. As expected, main species was Bluethroat, with 34 birds, including some returning migrants / winter visitors from previous years. Also caught in nice numbers were Reed Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap.

Bluethroat

Star bird of the morning was this female Caspian Stonechat. Its mate, a male, dodged my nets the whole morning. In normal 'field' views, the tail looks solid black:

But when you blow on the tail base, white feather bases are visible:

Other interesting birds were Marsh Warbler, Thrush Nightingale and this very striking melanocephala Sardinian Warbler (European bird), so much darker and colder above and below than our local subspecies momus:

Common Redstart 

Some nice birds in the field that were not caught - Penduline Tit, Moustached Warbler, Wryneck and a probable Striated Heron seen briefly by Arad. Nice early morning migration of pipits and skylarks.

On the way home had a quick look at the ponds - few gulls with about 40 baltics and some heuglin's and yellow-legs, and this immaculate 1cy Greater Spotted Eagle:

Thanks to Arad, Liad, Roei, Oren and Shahar who helped me this morning.