ISRAEL - Christmas and New Year in the Holy Land (1 Viewer)

[FXM]

1st January 2014 - New Years Day – The Southern Golan Plateau, it’s Reservoirs and it

B HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE:t:

After wild celebrations last night it was time to head south. Said goodbye and thanked Daniel for all his assistance in El Rom and said goodbye to Vango of course. The weather was fantastic. The Golan was bathed in sunshine with little or no wind.

I chose to take the eastern route to Ramat Magshimim – it follows the border with Syria and is a particularly nice road. – scanning the rocky fields for bustards especially but any form of wildlife in reality. I also checked Ramtania Reservoir for a stray duck or similar.

I had a good wander around Heital Res and bumped into a honking flock of 12 Ruddy Shelduck. Then it was back north along a parallel route doing similar.

Plenty of gazelles noted, several jackals and a slightly strange looking creature that disappeared all too quickly into a rocky mound before I could make out what it was. Not fox or jackal but similar colouration. It also scared off a nice male Finsch’s Wheatear I was admiring. Came across a few of the latter along the way.

Common Crane
Black Kite
Common Buzzard
Common Kestrel
Long-legged Buzzard
Hen Harrier
Grey Heron
Cattle Egret
Little Egret
Great Egret
Great Cormorant
Hooded Crow
Finsch’s Wheatear
Skylark
Crested Lark
Woodlark
Linnet
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Corn Bunting
Blackbird
Starling
Lapwing
Golden Plover
Great Tit
Little Stint
Marsh Sandpiper
Ringed Plover
Common Sandpiper
Redshank
Little Grebe
Coot
Mallard
Teal
Gadwall
Stonechat
Black Redstart
Jay
Meadow Pipit

I headed down to Ramot where I teamed up with my friend Lior Kislev for an afternoons birding. After a cuppa at his place we hit the ‘slopes’.

Long-legged Buzzard
Common Buzzard
Kestrel
Hen Harrier
Chukar
Rock Thrush
Meadow Pipit
Stonechat
Long-billed Pipit
Finsch’s Wheatear
… and several species noted earlier.

Still listening for accentors I watched the sun go down over the Sea of Galilee. Then it was back to Lior’s for another cuppa and a chat. Away to the Beit She’an and Kfar Ruppin for the last leg of my trip.

A really enjoyable days birding. For me it was a privilege to bird in such spectacular places. And with all the history attached it only added to the experience.

Short drive to Kfar Ruppin stopping for food on the way and then checked in to my smart room in the kibbutz.

One photo showing the typical landscape of the Golan Plateau and another showing the Samak Valley flowing towards Tiberias which you can just about make out in the distance.

One of a nice early Great Spotted Cuckoo and lastly an obliging Long-billed Pipit albeit at last light.

More tomorrow.

Frank

 

[FXM]

2 January Kfar Ruppin and the Beit She’an Valley

Hi Folks,

Straight out to check the kibbutz fish ponds. I wont list all the species present as I’ve done it many times before (refer to previous threads) but there was a very good selection of waders and wildfowl present. Raptors were everywhere especially Black Kites, Marsh Harriers plus the occasional Hen Harrier, lots of Kestrels, a single Peregrine, single Eurasian Sparrowhawk and at least a couple of Ospreys. We had four Greater Spotted Eagles including one sub-adult and three first year birds.

Then I dashed west to collect my good friend Tuvia Khan and it was back to the Beit She’an fields adjacent to the Kibbutz to search for the lone Little Bustard that’s been around for a week or so but that can be tricky to locate. It also just happens to be a new bird for me so it was fingers crossed.

First to the southern fields but no sign and then to the north. We used a dirt track to reach the centre of the field and began scoping again. It wasn’t looking good then up popped a head, then another and another… 16 LITTLE BUSTARDS in total. Wow! And we’d driven straight passed them. They must have been resting up. Superb, prolonged views.

Back to the fish ponds to look for Buff-bellied Pipit (japonicus). Loads of Water Pipits. Then another goodie. A cracking Isabelline Shrike.

c.120 Pallas’s Gulls
2+ Baltic Gulls
Hundreds of Armenian and Black-headed Gulls.
White Pelican
Black Stork
White Stork
Smyrna, Pied and European Kingfisher
Pygmy Cormorant

… and loads more. Get yourselves here. Good weather, good food, friendly people and great birding.

Thanks to my friend Tuvia for yet another great day with him. He told me we had 93 species for the day. Magic. Celebrated with a falafel.

Just a few shots: sub-adult Greater Spotted Eagle, some of the Little Bustards and an Isabelline Shrike.

More tomorrow.

Frank

 

[FXM]

2nd January 2014

Just before dusk in one of the valleys close to Ramot myself and Lior had a mixed flock of 4 - 5 LITTLE SWIFTS and a few more Crag Martins head north low over our heads. Sorry I forgot to mention this in the earlier post. I was tired. Lame excuse.

Cheers

Frank

P.S. Just got back from two long days so I'll update tomorrow. Thanks

 

[FXM]

3rd & 4th January 2014 - Beit She'an & Harrod Valley areas.

Spent most of the time checking the fish ponds and adjacent areas of the Beit Shean. Little Bustards had increased to 17 before Eran Banker and his group had 18. Still good numbers of Dead Sea Sparrows around. A nice Citrine Wagtail and stunning Caspian Stonechat were at Neve Eitan. I'd now seen 3 of the 5-6 Isabelline Shrikes in the general area and discussion was in full flow regarding the sub-species involved.

A 180 degree sweep of the fields near kfar Ruppin brought c1500 Black Kites and c.500 Black Storks were alongside. Bluethroats were common. Another Southern Grey Shrike.

The Harrod Valley produced a spectacular immature White-tailed Eagle. Three White Pelicans remained in one of the ponds.

Just a very few of the highlights but the place is packed with birds.

Cheers

Frank

 

[FXM]

5th January - Back to the Golan.

Lior kindly put myself and Shachar up at his place for the night so we were in position to hit the Golan next day. We'd tried a few places on the Jordan River for Otter last night without success and we'd noticed the wind was getting up.

Tried a sheltered valley near Lior's to start with and had Finsch's Wheatear. There were at least 3 territories. Then it was up onto a windy Golan plateau.

First thing we had was an incredibly obliging Golan Wild Cat. Fantastic.

A bit firther on we'd noticed several Griffon Vutures so we wandered out onto the plateau not far from Gamla. Superb views got even better when they were joined by a Black Vulture - an Israel tick for me.

We were hoping to find more bustards but didn't manage it but we did see good numbers of typical birds of the plateau. Unfortunately the wind was so strong the reservoirs were almost unbirdbable and in any case everything was tucked away. I did note a Smew was found not long after my return (one of my target birds).

Gazelles were numerous and were very interested in each other so we saw lots of early breeding behaviour.

Shachar's x4WD meant I got to several spectacular places which was great. but we couldn't fing anything 'new'. Still more Finsch's Wheatears and loads of Stonechats, Skylarks etc.

We finished off down at Lake Tiberias where we had Whiskered Tern, Tufted Ducks, Pygmy Cormorants and a few other bits and pieces. Shachar dropped me back at Kfar Ruppin and then headed back to Tel Aviv.

Cheers

Frank

 

[FXM]

6th January - Beit She'an Valley

My last morning. Started at the Little Bustards where I could see a few heads popping up every now and again. I'd arranged to meet Liron who was going to video them. I left him to it and did a bit of birding in the general area. Had two very good 'flighty' candidates for Buff-bellied Pipit but couldn't quite pin them down for long enough to clinch the id to my satisfaction. Next time.

Nothing new to add but great birding all the same. Finished off back at the bustards. Liron was very happy and had finished his work so I went closer. Couldn't believe it when I counted - very carefully, several times - 21 LITTLE BUSTARDS. This was getting close to the beit She'an record of 26.

Back for a breakfast, shower, pack and away on the short drive to Ben Gurion for my evening flight to Manchester with EasyJet.

A fantastic end to a brilliant trip - one of my best.

Cheers

Frank