Decade summary #2 - Best of 2011

2011 was quite an extreme year. I did not travel outside of Israel, but high-speed local birding never ended. Some highlights included an amazing post-breeding invasion of Thick-billed Larks, and a succession of national megas: 1st Firecrest, 2nd Bean Goose, 3rd Masked Wagtail, 5th Whooper Swans and 6th Green Warbler! But my favourite rarity of the year was a wee Red-flanked Bluetail in the Eilat cemetery, the second for Israel, found by James P. Smith and his Birdfinders goup, which I twitched against all odds with my 4 year-old son Uri:

Decade summary #1 - Best of 2010

With the decade drawing to a close, and ten years of bloggage to sum up, it's time to start the countdown to my annual special summary. Ahead of the special occasion, I will display my personal favourite bird of each year of the decade.
First - 2010. It was a fantastic year, with a crazy spring of breeding orgasm in the desert,  mouthwatering rarities and a mindblowing trip to Kenya. Soaring above all the great birds seen was one specific Siberian gem, only the second for Israel, not recorded since - Black-throated Accentor. Admittedly, twitching it involved some borderline ethical issues...

Fieldfare reflection

Yesterday while spending some time at the Jerusalem Bird Observatory, I enjoyed great views of a pretty Fieldfare that came in for a drink at the pond. At the far end of the pond, it was just too distant for proper photography. With a cluttered background, the only pleasing option for photography was to utilize the reflection from the pond.

With a local friend

Fieldfare is quite scarce in Israel, and not often such showy individuals allow quality time.

Wheatear-fest

This morning I birded with Meidad in the far south. We started birding the purple patch of Upper Wadi Hayun, which is practically the northern end of Ovda Valley. This section of the valley is lush and green after some rain a few weeks ago.

This productivity attracts caterpillar-eating birds, and indeed wheatear densities were exceptionally high. White-crowned, Mourning and Black-tailed (AKA Blackstart) Wheatears were present in unusually big numbers. Among the rare wheatears, first up was the Kurdish Wheatear found a few days ago, a fine 1cy male. Very nice plumage, but he didn't want to play ball. When we first found him, he flew towards us, as if checking whether we had mealworms on offer. We didn't, so he kept his distance and was usually in a bad angle. Yet, a great bird to watch.

Only a short way up the wadi we had a Basalt Wheatear, one of three currently present in Ovda Valley. Like Mr. Kurdish, he was disappointed that we did not provide any free protein, and punished us with relatively distant views and very skittish behaviour. Unlike some previous Basalt Wheatear fashion-show experiences (see here for example), this guy (he was singing) did not allow me proper photography. 

Note the diagnostic pale tips to primary coverts:

I got some semi-decent flight shots though, demonstrating the white wing flashes (especially prominent on underwing) and full terminal tail band. Quality bird, rubbish photographer.

Not too many birds besides the wheatear bonanza. Asian Desert Warbler, Fieldfare and Merlin worth noting. eBird checklist here.

We then continued to check the central Ovda valley, near the 'black hills' Somewhat quieter, but some Temminck's and Bar-tailed Larks were nice. On the way home checked the lower section of Wadi Hayun, where it meets the Arava valley. It was pretty damn quiet there (eBird checklist here), with another Asian Desert Warbler being one of the few birds seen.

Thanks to Meidad for a great day.

Pipit-fest

I had an enjoyable morning birding with Tuvia in the alfalfa fields west of Kfar Ruppin. The fields were packed with pipits and larks: very big numbers of Meadow, Red-throated and Caucasian Water Pipits, with Richard's Pipit, Oriental Skylark and Calandra Lark thrown in for good measure. A muddy puddle at the edge of the field attracted many common pipits:

Red-throated Pipit

Caucasian Water Pipit

Meadow Pipits

Western Yellow Wagtail - probably thunbergi

Two Siberian Buff-bellied Pipits joined the party. Great views of this one at the far end of the puddle, a bit too distant for proper photos.

Check the brown legs

 

Hardly streaked mantle

Adios! 

eBird checklist here. Thanks Tuvia.

Nostalgia

Those who have been following my blog for some years might remember that I used to spend a considerable amount of birding time in Ashdod. Ashdod is Israel's fifth largest city. Despite its rapid growth and development, it still hosts several excellent wildlife sites. For a few years I ran a city project to enhance conservation within the city boundaries, focusing mainly on Lakhish Park and Yavne 4 ponds. I had some good birding years there, but times and fortunes shifted in the city, the project ended and I relocated to the UK. Since my return to Israel and never really had the chance to revisit those sites properly. During the brief visits I had, I was depressed by the amount of recent development, causing loss and degradation of so much habitat.
This morning I had a meeting in Lakhish Park, so decided to invest  bit more time in my old stomping grounds. I started off at Yavne 4 ponds, and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of birding there. Gulls, shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors, passerines - the place was whopping with birds (eBird checklist here). Highlight was a Siberian Buff-belied Pipit that showed well through the scope. Gulls were present in decent numbers, though I am concerned by the low numbers of Baltic Gull, probably reflecting the dire state of this taxon on its breeding grounds. Siberian Gulls were present in nice numbers, and there was also a lovely Pallas's Gull. I couldn't find any rings at all.

Three Siberian Gulls and a Baltic Gull

Pallas's Gull and three young Armenian Gulls (and teal and stilt)

My meeting in Lakhish Park was outdoors, so I casually birded the park, and quite enjoyed it (eBird checklist here). The native White Acacia trees were in flower, attracting Chiffchaffs, Sylvias and many sunbirds:

A dramatic change that happened during my years of absence is the colonisation of Striated Heron along the Mediterranean coast. They are now breeding at several sites along the coast, including Lakhish Park. I had three individuals:

And a late Squacco: