Levants fallout

April 20th

Surprisingly, despite the heavy wave of heat we enjoyed a slight wave of migration as well. It was not the high number of ringed birds but the interesting variation: 

First Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia זמיר מנומר (some also heard around),

many Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus קנית קטנה, 

Common Redstarts Phoenicurus phoenicurus חכלילית עצים, 

Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa Striata חטפית אפורה. 

Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa Striata חטפית אפורה

Namaqua Dove Oena capensis תורית זנבנית

In addition to the migrants, we had some nice local birds, one every day for four days in a raw! Namaqua Dove Oena capensis תורית זנבנית. Sometimes it's not about the rarities but about the nice/interesting/hard to get/local/combo! all together!! :)

April 21st

Like a Swiss clock, every year, the Levant Sparrowhawks Accipiter brevipes נץ קצר אצבעות arrive on the very same dates. It is normal to see some random early ones (like the one that was seen during the Bird Festival in March) but from 20-21 to 25-26 there is always a good steady stream of Sparrowhawks overhead. On the 21st it started but didn't end till few days later!

Migrating female Levant Sparrowhawks Accipiter brevipes
נץ קצר אצבעות נקבה בנדידה
צולם ע"י רוני וייסנן By Roni Vaisanen

Male Levant Sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes
זכר נץ קצר אצבעות
By Marten Svensson צולם ע"י מורטן סוונסון

Female Levant Sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes 
נקבת נץ קצר אצבעות
By Marten Svensson צולם ע"י מורטן סוונסון

 The ones who came in crazy delay are the Blue cheeked bee eaters Merops persicus שרקרק ירוק. Maybe they should ask the Levants when to leave Africa since they came in exact one month too late. They are regularly seen on the last week of March, just before first European Bee eaters Merops apiaster שרקרק מצוי but not this year. On the 21st we saw a flock of 7 during most of the day, few more were seen on the next days.

Another colourful species we saw around is the Roller Coracias garrulus כחל. Two were seen along the morning flying around and perhaps same two were observed at K20 in the afternoon.  

Roller Coracias garrulus כחל

צולם ע"י רוני וייסנן By Roni Vaisanen

Other migrants at K20 included flocks of Sand Martins Riparia riparia כוכית גדות fighting the strong winds and Yellow Wagtails Motacila flava נחליאלי צהוב among them.

April 22

Another good day of Sparrowhawk migration. During the morning over 550 passed in low flight over the IBRCE Park, we noted about twice this amount in the afternoon over the city. We just couldn't blink! 

In addition we had 450 Honey Buzzards Pernis apivorous איית צרעים

and 150 Steppe Buzzards Buteo buteo vulpinus עקב מזרחי

Levant Sparrowhawks Accipiter brevipes
upper one is an adult while the lower is a 2CY=code 5
נץ קצר אצבעות- עליון בוגר תחתון צעיר ובלוי

Levant Sparrowhawks Accipiter brevipes
Right one is an adult while the left is a 2CY=code 5
נץ קצר אצבעות- ימני בוגר שמאלי צעיר ודהוי

April 23rd

It was a cool morning! In one round we ringed 

Levant Sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes נץ קצר אצבעות

Scops Owl Otus scopus שעיר מצוי (late! time to be already in breeding grounds)

And a Hoopoe Upupa epops דוכיפת (our national bird)

During the day we had "only" 850 Levant Sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes נץ קצר אצבעות with Honey Buzzards Pernis apivorous איית צרעים and Steppe Buzzards Buteo buteo vulpinus. 

We shouldn't forget mentioning the strong migration of White Winged Black Terns Chlidonia leucopterus מרומית לבנת כנף during this week. Mostly seen by the Northern Beach of Eilat (few thousands so far) but also at K20 Salt ponds and over the IBRCE Park. On the 23rd we noted 180 of them flying over.

April 24th

During the morning we had great fun with about 30 visitors- the Monitoring course of the SPNI, sponsored by the EU. Great essential move if you ask me in person. 

We did our best to indulge them with the best IBRCE had to offer and they sure did enjoy it! I wish you many more great experiences. 

  

In the afternoon we went to watch some birds by the northern beach of Eilat. A great site when looking for a perfect place to enjoy birding right before sunset and the 20 min after.

We enjoyed all usual goodies (as detailed in last post) and added a "needed" species for Roni's list- an Israeli rarity: Red breasted Merganser Mergus serrator מרגון בינוני. It is most likely the same bird that was seen several times during winter and spring, including one observation at same place last week.  

Left to right: Marten Svensson and Christopher Magnusson
מימין לשמאל: כריסטופר מגנוסון ומורטן סוונסון

Yael Lehnardt

Head Ringer & Guide, IBRCE

Second Half of Spring started right with a Black Diamond

Spoiler ספוילר

Second half of April always brings a big change in species, always shows how soon it will all end. Now we still get some Lesser Whitethroats Sylvia curruca סבכי טוחנים and Blackaps Sylvia atricapilla סבכי שחור כיפה but no more Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita עלוית חורף or Bluethroats Luscinia svecica כחול חזה.

We do get some Rufous Bush Robins Cercotrichas galactotes חמריה חלודת זנב and Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos זמיר ירדן in growing numbers, together with some Flycatchers and other "later spring migrants".

Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca חטפית שחורת עורף
By Christopher Magnusson צולם ע"י כריסטופר מגנוסון

We wish we had more but they seen to decrease rapidly:

Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana גבתון גנים

On Saturday we went to search for a Black Bush Robin Cercotrichas podobe חמריה שחורה. It was found by a local  birder, Ophir Lotan, at Evrona Salt Flat. The place was absolutely empty but after we watched few Collared Doves and Bulbuls we found it! Lifer for our Swedish part of the team.  

New species (for some of us): Black Bush Robin
At Evrona Salt Flat
מין חדש (לחלקנו): חמריה שחורה
במלחת עברונה

Northern Beach of Eilat- providing lots of nice birding hours:

Sea Watching improved a lot recently; Liri Bas & Roni are having funתצפיות הים השתפרו באופן משמעותי לאחרונה. רוני, באס ולירי נהנים מכל רגע

These are more or less the species we've seen in some evenings at the northern beach, 11-19th of April

Eurasian Wigeon	Anas penelope	ברווז צהוב מצח	19
Northern Shoveler	Anas clypeata	מרית	tens
Garganey	Anas querquedula	קרקיר	tens
Sooty Shearwater	Puffinus griseus	יסעור כהה	3+
Gray Heron	Ardea cinerea	אנפה אפורה	1
Little Egret	Egretta garzetta	לבנית קטנה	1
Western Reef-Heron	Egretta gularis	לבנית ים-סוף	1
European Honey-buzzard	Pernis apivorus	איית צרעים	few tens
Steppe Buzzard	Buteo buteo vulpinus	עקב חורף מזרחי	few thousands
Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres	ארנריה	1
Ruff	Calidris pugnax	לוחם	40
Parasitic Skua	Stercorarius parasiticus	חמסן טפיל	1
Slender-billed Gull	Chroicocephalus genei	שחף צר-מקור	tens
Black-headed Gull	Chroicocephalus ridibundus	שחף אגמים	few
White-eyed Gull	Ichthyaetus leucophthalmus	שחף לבן-עין	15
Armenian Gull	Larus armenicus	שחף ארמני	few
Lesser Black-backed Gull	Larus fuscus	שחף שחור	few hundreds
Little Tern	Sternula albifrons	שחפית גמדית	6+
Gull-billed Tern	Gelochelidon nilotica	שחפית עבת מקור	few
Black Tern	Chlidonias niger	מרומית שחורה	1
White-winged Tern	Chlidonias leucopterus	מרומית לבנת כנף	200
Whiskered Tern	Chlidonias hybrida	מרומית לבנת לחי	1
Common Tern	Sterna hirundo	שחפית ים	few hundreds
White-cheeked Tern	Sterna repressa	שחפית שוניות	2
Sandwich Tern	Thalasseus sandvicensis	שחפית שחורת מקור	10+
Rock Pigeon	Columba livia	יונת סלעים	hundreds
Common Kingfisher	Alcedo atthis	שלדג גמדי	1
Pied Kingfisher	Ceryle rudis	פרפור עקד	1

Also visible migration is not what it used to be in March or early April.. Species are pretty different, not too many raptors are seen (the usual gap between Steppe Buzzards Buteo buteo vulpinus עקב מזרחי to Honey Buzzards Pernis apivorus איית צרעיםׁׁ) and the most prominent migrants around are more or less:

Eurasian Wigeon	Anas penelope	ברווז צהוב מצח
Garganey	Anas querquedula	קרקיר
Green-winged Teal	Anas crecca	שרשיר
Black Stork	Ciconia nigra	חסידה שחורה
White Stork	Ciconia ciconia	חסידה לבנה
Gray Heron	Ardea cinerea	אנפה אפורה
Purple Heron	Ardea purpurea	אנפה ארגמנית
Little Egret	Egretta garzetta	לבנית קטנה
Squacco Heron	Ardeola ralloides	אנפית סוף
Black-crowned Night-Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	אנפת לילה
Glossy Ibis	Plegadis falcinellus	מגלן חום
Eurasian Spoonbill	Platalea leucorodia	כפן
Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	שלך
European Honey-buzzard	Pernis apivorus	איית צרעים
Booted Eagle	Hieraaetus pennatus	עיט גמדי
Levant Sparrowhawk	Accipiter brevipes	נץ קצר- אצבעות
Eurasian Sparrowhawk	Accipiter nisus	נץ מצוי
Steppe Buzzard	Buteo buteo vulpinus	עקב חורף מזרחי
Common Sandpiper	Actitis hypoleucos	ביצנית לבנת בטן
Green Sandpiper	Tringa ochropus	ביצנית שחורת כנף
Common Greenshank	Tringa nebularia	ביצנית ירוקת רגל
Wood Sandpiper	Tringa glareola	ביצנית מנומרת
Ruff	Calidris pugnax	לוחם
Red-necked Phalarope	Phalaropus lobatus	שחיינית צרת-מקור
Collared Pratincole	Glareola pratincola	שדמית מצוייה
White-winged Tern	Chlidonias leucopterus	מרומית לבנת כנף

White Storks Ciconia ciconia חסידה לבנה

April 17th
The best. During a three days long "families birding Festival of Passover", just before all the mess starts, two smiling guys came back from the western nets, They had only two birds so it couldn't be the number of trapped birds that made them so happy... It wasn't. It was the Black diamond, The Black beauty, The queen of all black birds- Black Bush Robin..!
We were waiting for it very long, blamed to keep one in secret, it jumped into the nets before we had the chance to locate it while birding around.
After that, guiding hundreds of people in 38C seemed to be as easy and fun as eating a piece of cake! 

Black Bush Robin Cercotrichas podobe חמריה שחורה
2cy (code 5) שנה קלנדרית שנייה

Black Bush Robin Cercotrichas podobe חמריה שחורה
2cy (code 5) שנה קלנדרית שנייה

Yael Lehnardt

Head Ringer & Guide, IBRCE

Not only feathers

A little more of the local atmosphere

Sedder Pessach סדר פסח

What every volunteer is afraid of is the week of Passover- No fresh bread, no Pita bread, no Beers are alowed to be sold. Yet, we tried to enjoy the holiday by following the Jewish tradition of "Sedder Pessach". We read some of the "Hagada" and ate lots of wierd things; Matza bread, Hazeret, Haroset, Kneidalah soup and clearly didn't skip the tradition of drinking four cups of wine! 
At the end we also searched for the "Afikomen"- Roni was the happy finder. 

Bas Kok with a friend באס קוק וחבר

Bas Kok, our Duch volunteer, left the IBRCE on his way to ring few more birds in Israel by Lotan and the Jerusalem Bird Observatory.. Good luck and thanks for your time with us!