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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Desert Owls unguided? (1 Viewer)

andyadcock said:
Do charter flights still land at Ovda rather than Eilat?
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Yeah I believe so. I tend to fly to Tel Aviv and drive to Dead Sea area and then onward to Eilat.

The new Eilat Airport was due to open this year but it’s opening just seems to get pushed back and back.
 
andyadcock said:
Jordan was superb when I was there in c1998, very friendly and no sign whatever of security services.

Wandered up to the border on foot from Eilat.

What have you got to do to see Verreaux's Eagle these days? A very serious bogey bird for me having missed it in half a dozen countries.
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Matopos Hills, Bulawayo, cannae miss them!

David
 
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david kelly said:
Matopos Hils, Bulawayo, cannae miss them!

David
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The last time I looked, Bulaweyo wasn't in Israel or Jordan but thanks for the tip.

Used to be available at Wadi Rum in Jordon and said to be visible occasionally from the Israeli side.
 
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andyadcock said:
The last time I looked, Bulaweyo wasn't in Israel or Jordan but thanks for the tip.
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You did say you had missed them in six or seven countries, so I also assumed you were asking wider than just Jordan or Israel.

One was hanging around in southern Israel last winter I believe, exceptionally rare reports still surface from the area south of Wadi Rum in Jordan. However, agree with the poster, his suggested locality outside of the Middle East is excellent. Seen them in a few countries, but never in Jordan/Israel.
 
I believe people see those in Oman relatively regularly, which is still slithgly closer than Bulawayo (ha ha, I now actually know where that is thanks to my recent trip :)) We have spend a relatively extensive amount of time in Wadi Rum (together five days across two visits, walking alone through the area and wild camping) and while the birding there is definitely the highlight of a Jordan visit, no eagles were ever seen.
 
James Lowther said:
yes, Verreaux's seen quite easily in south Oman (Jebel Samhan escarpment) in 2015 and I believe still pretty straightforward.
James
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Good to know James, especially as I just aquired the bird watching guide to Oman, which is no longer widely available as readers of another recent thread may be aware.

In case anyone else wants one....

https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=370615

Thanks.
 
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After two half-nights (15 hts total) and 25 kms of hiking we heard the owls from a site 20 meters off a tarmac road. Amazing experience even without seeing them.

Wolfbirder's sites are superb: spotted sandgrouse in Ovda valley and Arabian Warbler at km 152. We also got Pallid Scops Owl at the pylon valley in Eilat, Cyprus Warbler in Wadi Schlomo near road 12 and Asian Desert Warbler in Ovda. Black Bush Robin supposedly not present in ZOO (per cashier lady). Wild Ass in Ovda, Porcupine in Jerusalem Bird Observatory.
 
opisska said:
After two half-nights (15 hts total) and 25 kms of hiking we heard the owls from a site 20 meters off a tarmac road. Amazing experience even without seeing them.

Wolfbirder's sites are superb: spotted sandgrouse in Ovda valley and Arabian Warbler at km 152. We also got Pallid Scops Owl at the pylon valley in Eilat, Cyprus Warbler in Wadi Schlomo near road 12 and Asian Desert Warbler in Ovda. Black Bush Robin supposedly not present in ZOO (per cashier lady). Wild Ass in Ovda, Porcupine in Jerusalem Bird Observatory.
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Wow, that must be so satisfying hearing those owls................its what true birding is really about.
Respect to you Jan!

So pleased the sites I passed on were fruitful, there are never any guarantees but that's what makes birding so superb.:t:
 
Went back after 6 days to the owl spot, listened for two hours, nothing. They are not easy! But matbe this is a difficult part of the year, the Black Francolins were dead silent as well.

On an even more offtopic note: does anyone know the status of African Swamphen in Israel? Quite a few are now reported across the deserts, are those wild or escaped? We might go to Nizzana on Monday to try them if it's worth doing.
 
Yeruham Lake, (as I think you already know from Ben MacDonalds excellent report) is the only place I can find, but it is thought they may be extinct.

On Tarsiger.com there is a photo of a Swamphen thought to show some signs of African Swamphen from there from 23 November 2017..

I certainly would'nt go there on an Israeli weekend as it gets very busy with visitors and fishermen.

http://www.tarsiger.com/images/Jniemi/pormad11.jpg
 
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I saw swamphen a couple of years back at the sewage ponds at Nizanna though on my last visit the reedy vegetation around the ponds had all but been cleared, small patches remained. This may recover as it usually does but not sure of the swamphen could have persisted in what remained.

I think Yoav Perlman had a swamphen in the wetland at the south end of the Dead Sea near Neot Hakikkar, I remember reading it on his blog.

I believe they are countable in Israel but their numbers seen to be extremely low and sites such as Lake Yeroham, Nizzana and others will probably need to be visited and some time put in to find one.
 
We saw one immediately upon arrival to Nizzana pools (and then never again). Clearly African with glossy green back. Glad it counts :)
 
wolfbirder said:
4 Oriental Honey Buzzards still near IBRCE.
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We looked for them on Sunday for some time, no luck. The area they can be in is potentially endless. Now we leave finally, but given the lack of Syrian Serins and the silly Vinous-breasted Starlings (seriously, we searched the park for 6 hours today!) we will, sadly, have to come back eventually :)
 
The elusive OH Buzzards are meant to be just north of the border crossing immediately next to the IBRCE, but yep I've potentially dipped these twice on previous trips - just not achieved good enough views in those flippin plantations. Desert Finch is another that continues to elude me.

Anyway, sounds like you've had a great trip Jan, with plenty of wonderful memories. Arabian Warbler one of my personal favourites, not sure why. Syrian Serins are definitely tricky birds, very hard to predict.

Hope to do my 4th trip maybe in February.
 
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