The mournful, plaintive and flute like notes of the Hoopoe Lark were once a common sound across Israel's southern deserts. This is the largest of our larks and widely distributed across North Africa and the Middle East. Perhaps the most evocative, not only for its beautiful song but also for its dramatic 'plunge dive' display flight visible at a range of up to two kilometres across the desert plains.

Sadly, the Hoopoe Lark is now critically endangered in Israel due to a combination of extensive agricultural and recreational use in former breeding areas, as well as the use of large tracts of desert for military training purposes. This species requires large areas of undisturbed desert flats with soft, shallow sandy wadis and scant vegetation. However, an unusual twist of fate has led to the discovery of a small, formerly unknown population of Hoopoe Larks deep inside a military training zone in the Hiyyon Plain. In this quiet apparently undisturbed corner, the larks seem to be doing well and retain a fragile foothold after the steady decline in numbers that we've witnessed over the last ten years.

This gallery of thumbnails was taken on the 7th of March in the Hiyyon Plains where the haunting sounds of Hoopoe Larks filled the crystal clear desert air for much of the morning. Long may they continue to do so.

James Smith & The Birdingisrael Team