30^th October

Cold, grey and raining. Quite a start to a day of desert birding! I was somewhat put off the by the weather but decided to carry out my original plan of checking out the fields of Shizzafon. I was very pleased that I did!

After a slow start I found both Eurasian and Oriental Skylarks, and lots of Red-throated Pipits in the alfalfa fields. The weather had also improved and I headed off the check the orchard groves. My attention was drawn to a strange 'sylvia' warbler-like call coming from some low, dry scrub next to the track. I found the bird quite quickly, and was really surprised to see that it was a very grey-looking acrocephalus warbler. The calls immediately struck me as odd, and I decided to give the bird some thorough attention. Three hours later and many looks at this 'ultra-skulker', I was totally convinced that I had Blyth's Reed Warbler. I tried very hard to get some good photos, but it was so skulking that I couldn't get a sharp shot of the whole bird. This is a very rare species in Israel with less than ten records to date. This particular report will have to be submitted to the Israel Rarities & Distribution Committee before becoming fully acceptable. However, I have seen this species in India where it's a common winterer in dry scrub in much the same habitat type where this bird was found. Close by, in a shallow alfalfa covered ditch, there were no less than 3 Purple Herons, all juveniles. These were pretty much my last good birds of the morning, outside of more views of the Blyth's Reed Warbler.

Driving south I noted a Black Stork flying over the road at Grofit, and Yotvata sewage pools at noon were surprisingly full of bird life considering the time of day. At least 30 Little Green Bee-eaters were working the area and a late juvenile Masked Shrike perched on some dead snags while catching insects. Some of the best birds here included a Glossy Ibis, a juvenile Little Crake, a male Namaqua Dove and a Citrine Wagtail.

One hour later I found myself back at Eilat's north sewage pools looking at bedraggled birds in the rain! I couldn't recall such a wet spell in late October in all my years of birding the southern Arava.
and access to the pools on the muddy tracks became a real problem. After some time I duly found the 'probable' Hume's Short-toed Lark. As in previous visits, a Greater Short-toed Lark fed close by but not with his rarer cousin. Two Oriental Skylarks were still present, along with a juvenile Turtle Dove and a Squacco Heron.