Flying creatures: Israel

In march 2000 my brother and I visited Israel. It was Bert's second time, my first. In Eilat we met with Eric Koops and Rudy Offereins. With them we birded around Eilat for a week. Bert flew back to the Netherlands with Rudy. Eric and I stayed for another week.

Israel, and Eilat in particular, are quite renowned among birders.

The pictures below are not high quality. They are slide scans, made using a not very good scanner from slides that were taken over 10 years earlier.

Tristram's Grackle. Trying to take a drink form a leaking water 'pipe'.

Temminck's Horned Lark. The year we were in Israle was a good year for the species, especially after my brother left the area. But that has nothing to do with it.

Pied Wheatear, Oenanthe pleschanka. Migration times in Israel are good for some species of wheatear.

Spring migration brings some types of Yellow Wagtail to Israel. Different (sub)species that can be studied at quite close range. Identificating these is quite a complex task, though. This one might be Motacilla (flava) beema?

A femal Bluethroat, Luscinia svecica. No way to tell wich subspecies. It was attracted to the same small pool in the desert as was the crake shown below.

Spotted Crake, Porzana porzana. This rail was showing fairly close in a small pool in the 'middle of the desert'. The pool attracted some other species of birds as well.

Laughing Dove, Streptopelia senegalensis. This species is quite abundant in the area and many other parts of the Middle East.

Calandra Lark, Melanocorypha calandra.

Broad-billed Sandpiper, Limicola falcinellus. One a few seen at some salt pans. The bird with the cut off head is a female Ruff, Philomachus pugnax.

A female Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush. The bird flew 'in to' our car close to Eilat. It was the only we saw in the area.

Male and female Trumpeter Finch. Just before taking a sip out of the pool where the Spotted Crake was present.

Crested Lark, Galerida cristata.

Ortolan Bunting, Emberiza hortulana.

Spanish Sparrow, Passer hispaniolensis.

Black-headed Wagtail, Motacilla

Another yellow wagtail. The rather dark cheeks, hardly any 'cheek smudge', striking supercilium and rather dark blueish greay 'head' make me not identify the (sub)species.