A Brief Dip in the Drizzle in Israel - 6th to 10th February 2020 (1 Viewer)

[Steve Arlow]

Yoav had a count of 22 Cyprus Warblers in Wadi Mishmar, Southern Dead Sea Region, a couple of days ago if you've not seen any

 

[Paul Chapman]

Yoav had a count of 22 Cyprus Warblers in Wadi Mishmar, Southern Dead Sea Region, a couple of days ago if you've not seen any

Indeed, with the Cyprus-shaped hole in my life list I noticed that. We'd have been better off heading up the Dead Sea route on the penultimate day but you can't win them all.

Also Long-billed Pipit at Lahav which is the first ebird record for there for a while I think if I am searching correctly:-

http://www.yoavperlman.com/2020/02/cyprus-pilgrimage.html?m=1

All the best

 

[wolfbirder]

Wadi Mishmar looks really good but I think the access track looks really rough unless you have a 4 by 4. Perhaps a normal car could do it, but its rough looking. Not far how far up the wadi off route 90 you would need to go to get to the best spot though.

 

[opisska]

Wadi Mishmar looks really good but I think the access track looks really rough unless you have a 4 by 4. Perhaps a normal car could do it, but its rough looking. Not far how far up the wadi off route 90 you would need to go to get to the best spot though.

Last year everyone and their grandmother were driving up to the parking in normal cars - it's not even very far, just a few kms, the road doesn't go all the the way to the rocks. Obviously I am not trying to convince you to destroy a car though

 

[wolfbirder]

Last year everyone and their grandmother were driving up to the parking in normal cars - it's not even very far, just a few kms, the road doesn't go all the the way to the rocks. Obviously I am not trying to convince you to destroy a car though

I do get paranoid, the car rental company stressed to me that no off road driving was permitted. How the feck do you get to various cultural sites without using some of the rough approach tracks?

I did go up most of them but I thought Wadi Mishmar looked worse than most.

 

[opisska]

I do get paranoid, the car rental company stressed to me that no off road driving was permitted. How the feck do you get to various cultural sites without using some of the rough approach tracks?

I did go up most of them but I thought Wadi Mishmar looked worse than most.

Yeah, this is the hypocrisy of the rental industry. I vaguely remember Mishmar not being that great, that's true. What are you after, anyway? If Cyprus Warbler, that I have not seen there, but they are supposedly below the parking, so not that far walking from route 90 ... EDIT: I measured it on google, the best area is almost exactly 1 km from road 90.

 

[wolfbirder]

Yeah, this is the hypocrisy of the rental industry. I vaguely remember Mishmar not being that great, that's true. What are you after, anyway? If Cyprus Warbler, that I have not seen there, but they are supposedly below the parking, so not that far walking from route 90 ... EDIT: I measured it on google, the best area is almost exactly 1 km from road 90.

Fortunatley I don't need Cyprus Warbler, but I am basically a car-based birder and you would find me hateful honestly Jan.

I did try that thing called walking - ............at Hameishar Plain where I walked approximately 7 miles but failed to see Thick-Billed Larks but in the process obtained quite severe blisters on my heel which seriously curtailed my ability to put any pressure on my feet for my remaining 4 days.:smoke:

I found a great spot for Egyptian Nightjars though, and managed to see a Pallid Scops Owl fly off - debating whether view was tickable.

Anyway, my general uselessness and anxiety was reflected several times which I will endeavour to explain in my report which I will do next week sometime. I like self-depreciation, the best form of light-hearted humour.

 

[opisska]

Looking forward to the report, especially the owls! I am still curious what were you looking for at Mishmar though

 

[Paul Chapman]

Nick

Well done on the Pallid Scops Owl and the Egyptian Nightjars. I do not believe that the Nightjar population has been written up yet. Of course, it is a species whose records are not available for public scrutiny on ebird because of sensitivity

All the best

 

[wolfbirder]

Thanks Jan, Paul - much appreciated.

Regards Wadi Mishmar, I thought it would be worth calling into it on my last full day, on my way up to Kalia Plantation in the Rift Valley in the Palestinian West Bank, as the day previous according to e-Bird it was dripping with warblers (which thanks to Paul I now find a superb source of info), though none would have been lifers. I turned back after the first 100 yards of the Wadi Mishmar entrance off 90, the car was simply bouncing about.

Due to my fear of having car hiccups off track, my anxiety really kicked in & I decided against progressing up it.

Anyway, Kalia was superb, with 9 Egyptian Nightjars seen at the same time, and I now discover that Kalia Fields seem pretty good too in the day, again as per reports today on E-Bird with several Desert Finches and Namaqua Doves.

 

[Paul Longland]

Love it.

17 lifers for me on that list!

More like 40 for me.8-P But then again my foreign birding has been somewhat limited. off to Andalusia in a few weeks time so hopefully the list will grow.

Sounds like a great trip Paul. That was a lot of birding crammed into just a few short days. Commiserations on the dips but some great birds all the same.

 

[rosbifs]

Brilliant! My type of birding - mixture of planning, experience, luck and improvisation. Really inspiring....

You and the Wolfman!

 

[foresttwitcher]

Only just caught up with this - good stuff as usual Paul.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Paul/Rosbifs/Pete

Many thanks all.