Spring migration is sneaking in

As we enjoy last week of preparations till the beginning of Spring season 2014, we do lots of maintenance-works. In between, there are groups visiting the IBRCE Park and therefore ringing has to be done! (Don’t worry, we handle this tough situation).

Numbers are still pretty low with no more than 30-40 birds when we do open our nets. Variation, on the other hand, is nice for these earl dates. We already get some migrants, right after crossing Sahara desert, right after escaping from some hunters in Egypt among local species such as House Sparrows Passer domesticus דרור בית, White-spectacled Bulbuls Pycnonotus xanthopygos בולבול צהוב שת, Graceful Prinias Prinia gracilis פשוש and males of Sardinian Warblers Sylvia melanocephala  סבכי שחור ראש that are fighting all the way into the nets.

One of the local species
Arabian Bubbler Turdoides squamiceps זנבן ערבי 

Arabian Bubblers Turdoides squamiceps צמד זנבנים 

The first to come from Africa are the Swallows and Swifts (just as described in our last Blog-post). Usually, during migration we are ringing every morning and also few evenings every week. The evenings are devoted for swallow-roost-ringing mainly. But, on 8/2, even before we had the chance to start with our spring program we had a special catch- Pale Rock Martin Ptyonoprogne obsoleta (wing 119mm) סנונית מדבר.  As they fly high up there is no chance to get these unbelievably fast Martins but this one most likely got into the net since Yoav Perlman and I talked about catching this species only two days before.

Pale Rock Martin Ptyonoprogne obsoleta סנונית מדבר

Pale Rock Martin Ptyonoprogne obsoleta סנונית מדבר

Pale Rock Martin Ptyonoprogne obsoleta סנונית מדבר

Pale Rock Martin Ptyonoprogne obsoleta סנונית מדבר

One round later we were pretty sure we have a big rat at the end of the Heligoland trap (there are usually no rats in the desert so it was weirder than you might think). It wasn't a rat, yet not too different from one: female Little Crake Porzana parva ברודית קטנה.

female Little Crake Porzana parva ברודית קטנה

In addition we had two first Sedge Warblers Acrocephalus schoenabaenus קנית פסים, two Reed Warblers Acrocephalus scirpaceus קנית קטנה and usualties.

Sedge Warblers Acrocephalus schoenabaenus קנית פסים Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus קנית קטנה

Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenabaenus קנית פסים     

On the 12^th we had one last ringing before opening the season officially (on Sunday, Feb 16^th we start ringing daily! Stay tuned!). It was a rather short session but we still had two Common whitethroats Sylvia communis סבכי קוצים.

Sunday it is all starting for real!

I don't know what about you, I'm excited about having one more spring at the IBRCE. Just at the edge of north-east Africa, when millions of birds are crossing, rushing towards breeding grounds making one of the toughest journeys on earth.

Yael,

Head ringer and guide, IBRCE 

The GRAND Opening!

One may ask, what are we opening?! Several things will follow:

It might be too egocentric to introduce at first the opening of the new blog-site of International Birding & Research Center Eilat; so- spring will go first.

Winter sunset at IBRCE
שקיעה חורפית בפארק הבינלאומי לציפורים אילת

Spring had arrived to Eilat. Slowly, not yet with vast quantities of migrants, not yet with amazing variety of species but slowly and surely- migrants are here.

It started already in early January with Steppe Eagles Aquila nipalensis עיט ערבות heading north-east.

First tremendous flocks (hundreds) of Pallid Swifts Apus pallidus סיס חוורוור,

Rock Martins Ptyonoprogne fuligula סנונית מדבר

House Martins Delichon urbicum טסית בתים

and few Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica סנונית רפתות flying all together were observed on January 4^th at Elifaz (approximately 50km north to Eilat).

Winter is always good time to focus Waders and other Water birds. Now we enjoy few Whiskered Terns Chlidonias hybrida   מרומית לבנת לחיover water sources around southern Arava Valley. Magnificent flocks of 4 Swallows species mentioned above are passing daily (in lower numbers, but continuously).

Waders and juvenile Flamingo at IBRCE salt pond
חופמאים ופלמינגו צעיר בבריכת המלח של פארק הציפורים

Other birds around water sources- Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo at K19עוד ציפורי מים באזור אילת- קורמורן גדול בק"מ ה-19 

Other birds around water sources- Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus at K19עוד ציפורי מים באזור אילת- פלמינגו בק"מ ה-19

Western Reef Egret Egretta gularis at Northern Beach, Eilat.
לבנית ים סוף בחוץ הצפוני של אילת

During winter our bird-ringing project slows down a little. Instead, we are focusing on many educational projects, maintaining the Park's vegetation+ foundations, joining the yearly Israeli water-birds count, making other different surveys etc. Not too much spare time is left for ringing our wintering birds, what we obviously do despite the lack of time.

On 11^th of January we ringed the first spring migrant- 2^nd year (5 in Euring code) Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis סבכי קוצים. January 28^th remarked a new step towards "real" spring ringings- two Reed Warblers Acrocephalus scirpaceus קנית קטנה, after winter moult in Africa, were ringed. All three warblers with low, yet valid, score of fat.  

Not only the migrants are celebrating the longer and warmer days. Many locals had started singing- Spectacled Bulbuls Pycnonotus xanthopygos בולבולים are leading, Sardinian Warblers Sylvia melanocephala momus סבכים שחורי ראש  are giving fight, tinny Prinia Warblers Prinia gracilis פשושים invest all their energy so they'll be heard from a distance. (I'll avoid the description of our volunteers in short sleeved T-shirts, singing in the thicket while fixing Heligoland traps). 

We can't welcome the spring without sharing with you some of our favorite wintering species- Pallid Scops Owl Otus brucei שעיר משורטט. This winter at the Arava Valley very few PSO were observed (about 5 in total). One of them was ringed at the IBRCE Park, found asleep early in the morning.

Pallid Scops Owl Otus brucei שעיר משורטט

Pallid Scops Owl Otus brucei שעיר משורטט

Pallid Scops Owl Otus brucei שעיר משורטט

Pallid Scops Owl Otus brucei שעיר משורטט

Desert Warblers Sylvia nana סבכי מדבר are seen regularly along Arava Valley during winter. Many of them are seen in pairs, hopping on the ground or among the low dry vegetation. This year was even better than usual and many Warblers were seen.

Desert Warblers Sylvia nana at Evrona
סבכי מדבר בעברונה

Preperations for spring 2014 included ringing course with the best of our volunteers:

ההכנות לאביב 2014 כללו גם קורס טיבוע עם מיטב מתנדבינו:

Spring is here, spring is awaited...

As we say her- "Yalla!"

Yael Lehnardt

Head ringer and Guide, IBRCE