We did have some slow days but once
again, species variation was incredible!
6/9
79 birds.
Just one morning after posting the blog,
there were too many things to share:
We had one Willow Warbler Phylloscopus
trochilus עלוית אפורה with a unique earring- a huge ant was clinging to the wing,
right by the outer joint.
The ant was dead but kept on grabbing the
wing of the Warbler. We released it after cutting the ant, since it was
impossible to take it out in any other way!
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| Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus עלוית אפורה |
For me, the best bird of that day was a
wonderful Crested Lark Galerida cristata עפרוני מצוייץ.
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| Crested Lark Galerida cristata עפרוני מצוייץ |
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| Crested Lark Galerida cristata עפרוני מצוייץ |
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| Crested Lark Galerida cristata עפרוני מצוייץ |
7/9-8/9
53 birds and 76
birds the next days.
9/9
66 birds, of
which one weird House Sparrow Passer domesticus דרור הבית- who has odd
bill:
Surprisingly,
it is in good physical condition- with some fat and over 23gr.
10/9
67 birds.
The best was
one juvenile Common Rosefinch Carpodacus
erythrinus ורדית
אירופית. They are not rare in
this time of the year but for example last autumn we had ringed a single bird
during season.
11/9
90 birds- numbers
went up a little. Many Shrikes but also some flocks of House+ Spanish
Sparrows Passer domesticus+ hispaniolensis דרור
הבית+ספרדי.
We also enjoyed
some Sand Martins Riparia riparia כוכית
גדות and
House
Martins Delichon
urbica טסית בתים with one first Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica סנונית
מערות
In one round we
had an explosion of goodies:
1 juv. Male Namaqua
Dove Oena capensis תורית זנבנית
1 ad. Female Common
Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus ורדית אירופית (Second!!)
1 ad. Olive-tree
Warbler Hippolais olivetorum שיחנית זית- Great bird for autumn here...
12/9
79 birds.
Started early with some Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica סנונית רפתות
who spent the night by the reed-bed surrounding "Anita Lake
Later on, once
again, growing numbers of Masked Shrikes Lanius nubicus חנקן נובי were
noted (4 ringed but many more around, probably waiting to get ringed tomorrow
morning) together with Spotted Flycatchers Muscicapa striata חטפית אפורה (2
ringed, more around).
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| Masked Shrike Lanius nubicus חנקן נובי |
One of the two Spotted
Flycatchers Muscicapa striata חטפית אפורה was showing an interesting moult pattern -
retaining some old Primary coverts and Secondaries pointing out the fact it is
a Second calendar-year bird (Euring code 5) while most adult birds cannot be
separated due to their winter moult (given Euring code 4).
Yael Lehnardt
Head Ringer & Guide, IBRCE
Not only feathers
On the 7th,
right after a perfect birding afternoon, Aylon Zvik and I found a special bug,
something I could tell I haven't noticed here ever before. I'm definitely not
an entomologist but big bugs always attract some attention. After uploading it
to a special Facebook group we were told that it is the somewhat rare Monocladum aegyptiacum יקרונית מצרית. There were two of them by the ringing station and they weren’t
relocated since, despite some eager entomologists who are likely to twitch them
(could you believe?! Twitching bugs!).
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| Monocladum aegyptiacum יקרונית מצרית |
