They're back!

Yesterday I spent the morning on Mt. Hermon, working there with INPA and Nadav to better protect the precious ecosystem of the mountain, threatened by further development by the military and the ski resort. It's incredible that one of Israel's most unique and precious ecosystems is only partially protected. Anyway, the gate leading up to the mountain opens up only at 07:30. What to do during the two hours of light before 07:30? I spent them along the Petroleum Road, in search of Yellow-throated Sparrows that had returned for another breeding season. When I arrived on site, I was happily surprised to find there Yosef Kiat, doing what he normally does... Perfect timing for me. We quickly saw a male sparrow singing high up on wires, and in no time it was in the hand, allowing close examination of its subtle but wonderful plumage.

Those long wings take the sparrows all the way to winter in India and back

Apart for this male, I saw his female, in fact a returning bird which had been ringed by Yosef last year, and another singing male. Yosef even sound recorded him or another nearby - subtle song too:

It's great to see that the Yellow-throated Sparrows returned to breed. This is an exciting discovery, that last year's appearance wasn't a fleeting, temporary and sporadic event. Rather, this is apparently a new species added to Israel's breeding avifauna. Time to update those breeding range maps!

Yellow-throated Sparrow distribution map from Birds of the World

Then it was up to Mt. Hermon. It felt very wintery up on the mountain -  cold and overcast with slight drizzle. The lower, forested reaches of the mountains were packed with cool breeding birds, including Western Rock Nutjatch, Sombre Tit, Upcher's Warbler and Syrian Serin. 

Upcher's Warbler

Family party of Sombre tits

Male Eastern Orphean Warbler

By the time we made our way to the upper level of the mountain, the weather had cleared up and it became a glorious day. 

Birds were very active, and in the short time we were up there we saw almost all distinctive breeding species - White-throated Robin at three spots, Asian Crimson-winged Finches, Pale Rockfinch, Black-necklaced Horned Larks and even a pale-morph Eleonora's Falcon. Quite a productive birding session. I was busy so little time for photography, and the light was very harsh.

Horned Lark feeding on a small patch of dirty snow

Wood Larks were hyperactive

Life and death on the sand dunes

Yesterday Meidad and I ventured out deep into the desert for fieldwork. We are completing a large-scale project mapping breeding birds for our atlas. We both worked in the Agur Sands NR, which is in fact the very extralimital extension of the Sahara sand belt that stretches across Africa into Sinai and the western Negev.

The habitat includes mobile sand dunes dotted with some bushes, and the valley floors are coated with a layer of Loess soil where there's a bit more plant productivity. Admittedly, sand dunes aren't the richest desert habitat for breeding birds in Israel. However, it is an important habitat for some threatened breeding species (more in these below), especially after good winter rains, as we had this past winter. Sandy habitats are certainly a biodiversity hotspot for psammophile organisms such as rodents and reptiles. Walking across the pure sand dunes in the early morning, it is always impressive to see how much nocturnal activity there was - every afternoon the wind swipes the sand dunes clean. Don't know what happened to my phone camera, however I quite like this monochromatic effect... In this photo there are tracks of Crowned Leafnose Snake (Lytorhynchus diadema), several gerbiles, jerboa and many beetles.

Nidua Fringe-fingered Lizard (Acanthodactylus scutellatus) - must be a pregnant female:

Any guesses what this is?

The most dominant breeding bird was Mediterranean Short-toed Lark. These sandy habitats are very important for this threatened species in Israel, especially when plant productivity is relatively high following good winter rainfall. Indeed, I had them in very good density, and their amazing song filled the sky - they are fantastic mimics. Here this male includes Crested Lark in his song, while another flies by calling:

They were busy breeding, including feeding recently-fledged young:

These are three youngsters:

I was alerted by a local Brown-necked Raven about the presence of a raptor - the raven was harassing a migrant Montagu's Harrier that had just caught prey, most likely a recently-fledged Mediterranean Short-toed Lark - life for one, death for another.

Another montys, a female, cruising over the sand dunes hoping to snatch some breakfast before another day of migration:

This certainly isn't prime habitat for terrestrial migrants, but migration here never stops and migrants can be found sheltering even in unhospitable habitats. Migration was in full swing and very evident both up in the air and on the ground. I flushed a Corn Crake off a random sand dune, my first for the season - good to see one alive and well...

There was really good movement of aerial insectivores - swifts, swallows and bee-eaters.

Pallid Swifts

Barn Swallow

Oh, those beautiful European Bee-eaters. Which version do you prefer - the first with all individuals aligned?

Or the second version with one individuals preening and facing the opposite direction?

Buntings, pipits, chats, warblers - so very good. I also had six Pale Rockfinches flying through. 

Eastern Orphean Warbler

Ortolan Bunting

On the way out I surprised a large Desert Monitor sunning itself on my track - male by the contrating colouration:

eBird checklist here.

Unfortunately, the way out was longer than expected as I got stuck trying to climb a track climbing up an extremely tall sand dune. After a couple of hours of failed attempts to free ourselves from the sand, we received help from a passing convoy of friendly ATV'ers. Thank you Yossi et al!

JBO ringing

This morning I operated the ringing at the Jerusalem Bird Observatory. I ring there once a month, to keep my fingers practiced... It was a great morning with lovely weather (a little cold at start, then warmed up) before more winter weather coming up - it's the coldest March on record in Israel! JBO looked fine this morning, with birds, flowers and people (three school groups).

Quality birds came in nicely - there were so many species this morning. Most unexpected was a Moustached Warbler - one of the very few ever in Jerusalem:

This male Rueppell's Warbler was a first for the season at JBO:

Among the hordes of Lesser Whitethroats there was a nice wave of Eastern Orphean Warbler - nine ringed:

Two Common Redstarts - both sammamisicus, soon the nominate subspecies will arrive:

Two Wrynecks - always amazing to handle. Check the stunning fine tail pattern:

Grey Wagtail is another species not often caught at JBO - this male is developing the black summer bib:

eBird checklist here.

Thanks to all the team who helped me this morning - Hanna, Dror, Adam, Avihu, Reva and Gerda.

Morning glory

This morning, before a meeting, I had tome for some Atlas fieldwork, not far from home. I surveyed Tzor'a Ridge, which is a low rise (320 m asl) 'towering' over the Tzor'a/Soreq Valley (120 m asl). It's a small remnant patch of Batha habitat, dominated by Thorny Burnet (Sarcopoterium spinosum) with scattered bushes, mainly Spiny Hawthorn. Sadly, in this region most Batha-covered hills were either built over or planted with non-native conifers.

I didn't develop much expectations from this short morning session. My main target was Long-billed Pipit (it's not a known site for them, Batha patch too small) but one was photographed there in autumn; I was also hoping to see some other returning summer visitors like Woodchat Shrike or Cretzschmar's Bunting. Eventually I saw none, but it was a most enjoyable morning, with lovely warm weather, beautiful flowers and lots of migrants. 

Perhaps under-rated among the hordes of uber-sexy sylvias passing through now, I find Eastern Orphean Warbler very attractive. Not the most colourful of all, but certainly a quality bird, especially when this male showed so well:

Other sylvias were 6 Rüppell's Warblers, some of them showed very well. No matter how many I see, and how cheesy they are, it's always good fun to enjoy a good macho.

A female Blue Rock Thrush was sweet:

Me and this Short-toed Eagle were surprised by each other as I climbed over the crest of the hill:

I am quite certain (but not 100% sure) that this kestrel is a lesser - claws not black (though not milky yellow), long wings, tiny bill, faint moustache, finely spotted breast, V-shaped scapulars and mantle feathers, faded barring on coverts and tertials. But I maybe off and it's just a Common Kestrel.

eBird checklist here.

Many orchids were flowering, most common species (Pink Butterfly-Orchid, Carmel Bee-Orchid); this Early Spider-Orchid was almost as good as a bird:

Carmel Bee-Orchid

Pink Butterfly-Orchid