Birding in Southern Israel - Early March 2005

Spring is in the air, the weather is unstable and the birds are pouring in by the day.

The first days of March were pleasantly warm and provided a good variety of species in the southern Arava.

Early migrants feed alongside wintering species and the resident birds are active and vocal with the desert breeding season at the door.

The morning hours are filled with birdsong and growing numbers of Swallows and Swifts pass daily, pausing briefly for a mouthful of insects on their rapid migration.

We ran 2-day tours in early march with hours of pleasant weather and steady birding. Here is a short update on migrants and other interesting observations from the first few days of March:

The wintering Red-breasted Flycatcher was last seen on the 1 st of March. The agricultural areas in the Arava hold good numbers of Water and Red-throated Pipits, White Wagtails and Linnets. The first Black-Eared Wheatears have made their appearance and the first wave of beautiful males of both the pale-throated and dark throated forms has arrived. Short-toed Larks pass in small groups over the open areas and up to 45 have been seen feeding together in the Lotan dairy barn area.

The residential areas and parks still hold large numbers of Bluethroats and the males can be seen warming up their vocal cords and singing from conspicuous perches.

The first Woodchat Shrikes were seen from the 3rd of March and several Quails were seen feeding shyly in the fields. A large wave of Chiffchaffs was noted on the 2-3 of March with some green areas holding hundreds of birds. Lesser Whitethroats have been growing in numbers daily. Several Cyprus Warblers and single Ruppel's and Desert Warblers were seen at the Lotan bird reserve and Acacia wadis in the area.

Careful scanning of the Water and Red-throated Pipits at Yotvata has turned up a Buff-bellied Pipit ( seen on the 3 rd and 4 th of March ) and a single Richard's Pipit on the 4 th.

A visit to Eilat's North beach produced good views of up to 20 White-eyed Gulls, several Pallass's Gulls and a Gull-billed Tern. Several hundred Pintail, Shoveler, Garganey and Wigeons gather on the sea before their night departure over the rift valley northwards.

The k20 pools are checked daily and the numbers of waders and ducks are growing daily. Little Stints, Ruffs and common Redshanks are the most common waders but small numbers of Grey Plovers, Greenshank, Dunlin and Marsh Sandpipers have been noted.

Raptor migration is picking up pace as well. Several tens of Steppe Eagles and Steppe Buzzards are seen daily with smaller numbers of Marsh Harriers, Black Kites and Short-toed Eagles. The first 2 migrating Lesser Kestrels were seen on the 3 rd of March.

A visit to Lotan bird reserve on the evening of March 5 th produced a nice selection of birds with a Great-spotted Cuckoo, Woodchat shrikes, Isabelline and Black-eared Wheatears, Black Redstart, Cretzschmar's Buntings, numerous Chiffchaffs and Lesser Whitethroats and a Barbary Falcon, all of which were seen from the same hide !!. Indeed spring is upon us and great birding days are just around the corner in southern Israel .

We will be bringing you regular updates, fresh from the field, stay posted.

Good birding.

Jonathan Meyrav and the Birding Israel team.

Contact info

Daphna Abell
Program Coordinator
lotan-programs@lotan.ardom.co.il
Tel: +972 8 6356935;
Toll Free: 1800 2000 75 (when in Israel)