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Birding Hot-Spots of Israel, continued.. EilatEilat is undoubtedly the "jewel in the crown" of Israel's birding hot spots. The unique combination of extreme habitats in the form of mountains, deserts, agricultural fields, wadis, salt pans and the Red Sea guarantees every birder a wide range of species at almost all times of the year. Many of the resident species, such as Yellow-vented Bulbul and Laughing Dove, and invading species such as Indian House Crow are common within the town. The date palms regularly hold plenty of migrants such as Wryneck, Masked Shrike, Bluethroat, Collared and Semi-collared Flycatcher, Spanish and Dead Sea Sparrows. Residents such as White-breasted Kingfisher (considered scarce in the south) and the invading Indian Silverbill are best found here. Sea-watching can be very productive and nowadays White-eyed Gull is a common visitor throughout the year with Brown Booby chiefly seen in winter. Strong southerly winds may bring very rare seabirds such as Red-billed Tropic bird close inshore pushed much further north than usual, these rare sea- birds (shearwaters, petrels, skuas etc.) may originate from the southern Red Sea or even the Indian Ocean. Grey-headed Gull and Streaked Shearwater have occurred in the past, while Sooty and Cory's Shearwater are regular visitors to the bay. Checking the sea from the north beach early in the morning for Western Reef Heron and small flocks of Greater Sand Plover is a fine way to start a day's birding. Oft'- shore fish farms offer floating perches for Striated Heron, and in the summer it is not uncommon to see off shore sea- birds such as Bridled, Lesser Crested and White-cheeked Tern. Caspian Tern is present throughout the year. The salt pans, now encompassing wider areas even further north to kilometre post 20 (where the pans are actually at their best) regularly hold waders such as large flocks of Calidris and Tringa sandpipers. The patient birder can find small numbers of Terek, Marsh, Curlew and Broad-billed Sandpipers, and the only two Israeli records of Lesser Sand Plover come from these pans. Over one hundred Greater Flamingos are present for much of the year. In the second half of April the salt pans host hundreds, or even thousands of White-winged Black Terns ( over 80 000 recorded III one day) and tens of Collared Pratincoles on peak days. North of the southernmost salt pans you can witness one of Israel's finest attempts to help the migratory birds by the IBCE, which has recycled the local garbage tip and converted the area into a lush habitat offering migratory species a staging area. After years of development all of Eilat' s dry-salt marsh has eventually been lost and to compensate for this, indigenous species that fruit and flower during spring and autumn are planted. Salt and fresh water ponds have also been created. This is also the location of the IBCE's passerine, wader and raptor ringing operations (the oldest station in the Middle East, operated since 1984). The "Bird Sanctuary" and the adjacent agricultural areas of Kibbutz Eilot (north at KM post 15-20) attract large numbers of migrants. Cretzschmar's, Ortolan and Cinereous Buntings, Richard's, Tawny, Water, Tree, Red-throated and Buff-bellied Pipits (rare), Black-eared and Isabelline (and occasional Pied and Cyprus Pied) Wheatears, Citrine (scarce), White and Yellow Wagtails (particularly the race feldegg) are some of the many species that can be seen. Passage migrant Blue- cheeked and European Bee-eaters, Red-rumped Swallows and European Crag Martins are frequent, mostly during March to May An old bathtub providing drinking water, placed in an open area at the back of Eilat town is well-known (the so-called "Pumping Station") for Lichtenstein's Sand grouse, which arrive in numbers every evening at dusk. During the daytime, many migrants come to drink here and it is also a good place to find Trumpeter Finch and House Bunting, Only four pairs of Hume's Tawny Owl can be found in the cliff-wadis of the Eilat region these days and the best time to see them is in the spring when they become very active prior to breeding. It must be stressed that it is illegal to play tapes to attract them and the consequences of being caught so doing can be severe! However, in season, special trips to see the owl are organised by the IBCE.
The mountain wadis also have their attractions. During spring, Ruppell's and Orphean Warblers are found, along with over-wintering or passage Cyprus Warblers and Sinai Rosefinch. Resident species are also a feature of the wadis - especially Scrub Warbler and Trumpeter Finch. In recent winters, Striated Scops Owl has become a regular visitor, and the occasional Red-tailed Wheatear or two appear. Broadly speaking, the Eilat area is considered to be at its best in the spring. It provides a tremendous spectacle as thousands of birds migrate along the Arava Valley in a visual display of both numbers and variety of bird species. The migration of raptors is unparalleled in the whole Palaearctic region. In addition to this, Eilat offers fantastic potential for finding rarities and over the years, extra-limital vagrants such as Shy Albatross, Didric Cuckoo, and Hume's Short-toed Lark have been found, to mention just a few.
To summarise, birders who wish to see a maximum number of birds, of a wide range of species, will profit by under- taking a short trip encompassing the whole of Israel.
Alon, D. and Shirihai, H. 1991. A Survey of wintering raptors in
Israel 1987!88. Raptors in Israel. Passage and Wintering populations
46-52. IBCE, IRIC. Contact infoDaphna Abell |
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