Winter in the southern Arava – Early January 2008  

Winter in the southern Arava is characterized by  very cold nights and early mornings, but warm clear days, that add up to  ideal birding conditions.

Although I had a full day of birding ahead of me, I had a lot of ground to cover and the days are short.

I started the day at the Samar turf fields. As I was in driving in I flushed a 1st winter Cream-colored Courser, a rare bird in winter. Amongst the many Water and Red-throated Pipits I found at least 1 Asian Buff-bellied Pipit. Also in the fields were a few male Desert Wheatears. From here

I headed to the Elifaz sewage where I was surprised by a Eurasian Curlew of the form orientalis, probably an early returning migrant. At the Samar sand dunes reserve I found a distant Asian Desert Warbler close to the Jordanian Border and heard a distant Hoopoe Lark.  

Then it was back north to the Yotvata area, in the circular fields I had 2 Oriental Skylarks and another BB Pipit. At the Compost heaps the semirufus form Black Redstart was still present and was constantly harassed by a male Hooded Wheatear.

At the Neot Smadar date plantation I heard a Yellow-browed Warbler but despite extensive searching I could not locate the bird.

At Neot Smadar I had 2 Yellow-browed Warblers, a brightly marked bird ad another drab (and very vocal) individual.  

In the afternoon I headed south to Eilat. At the K20 pools the highlights were 8 Pallas's Gull and a single 1st year Common Gull. Amongst the common waders were a single Greater Sandplover, several Kentish Plovers and a couple of Grey Plovers.

  At the Eilat date plantation I quickly located the 2 long staying Olive-backed Pipits. The birds were quite vocal and fed on the ground with 4 Tree Pipits.  

On the way back to Lotan I quickly checked an Acacia strewn Wadi and found 2 Cyprus Warblers, a male and female and the last bird of the day was a juvenile Great Spotted Cuckoo, also an early returning migrant. 

The next day was spent in the Negev as part of a winter survey of bird concentrations, sponsored by the Israeli Air force. The weather was gloomy in the early morning so the Black Kites I was monitoring didn't move much. Along the Urim Power line I logged 7 E.Imperial eagles, 5 Peregrines, 3 Merlins, several Long-legged and Common Buzzards, several Hen Harriers, a single male Pallid Harrier and the loyal Saker.

In the fields were a flock of 40 Golden Plovers and several small Flocks of Calandra Larks amongst the thousands of Eurasian Skylarks.

Stay posted for more interesting observations and images from the field. 

Jonathan Meyrav

  

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