Never mind the bollocks, here’s the spring!

Never mind the bollocks, here’s the spring!

It’s been two tense weeks; there are great pressures in the leading-up into the season, getting all gear into shape and many other small preparations. But putting anything aside I made an effort to do some ringing this week. So yesterday I tried to catch some House Martins in a roost (just like we do with barn swallows), about 80 birds gathered, but they all disappeared just minutes before dusk, it was frustrating but to compensate when I went to close the nets an angry little Pale Scops Owl was waiting in the net! Cool bird indeed.

The dizzy Scops Owl’s look:

More highlight from yesterday (mourning) were two Rock Martins, Complex birds we rarely ring, I had no time to take good photos because I was already late to another ringing demo so out of 4 pictures this is the best.

This mouring ringing started just great with many Chiffchaffs and some Lesser and Common Whitethroats, some new Bluethroats and Sardinian Warblers, the heligolands provided the real treat of today: a 2^nd year Cyprus Warbler! With nice moult and the first real “rarity” to me this spring (expected in this time of year but we don’t catch them often).

After that we had a sight slowdown with only more chiffchaffs trickling in when some passage of Steppe Eagles began slow and low at start because it was pretty cold but nice circling flocks of some dozes kept passing for few hours totaling few hundreds !(I was busy ringing and guiding so had no time to count).

  

Just as we were furling up the nets a handsome adult male Rüppell's Warbler was caught! 2^ndfor this spring so far. Total for today was 62 birds most (c.50%) being chiffchaffs, the first great migration day.

In the park during the last days 400-600 House Martin pass daily, many Quails are jumping from underneath my feet scaring me time after time. In the salt ponds many Black-headed andSlender-billed Gulls feed and roost every evening together with increasing numbers ofRedshanks and Ruffs. Yesterday 15 Palla’s Gulls also passed over the park.

Our first volunteers for the spring are arriving in the weekend (alone no more!!!), combined with northern Israeli ringers (Yael, Ron, Ela and Aviad) coming down to ring you better stay tuned!

Yotam