DAY1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4 | DAY 5 | DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8 |DAY 9 | DAY 10

Maximum of 14 clients

Tour includes all flights, meals, accommodation, transport, entry fees, services of the leaders, airport taxes, and tips.

Wednesday 21st March – Friday 30th March 2007

UK Cost £1690, single supplement £200 (including flights)

USA clients please contact info@israel-ecotours.com, see Contact Us page for more details

SOUTHERN ISRAEL: MARCH / APRIL

Little Crake, White-tailed Plover, Bimaculated Lark, Wryneck, Citrine Wagtail, Blue Rock Thrush, Olivaceous, Orphean, Rüppell's and Eastern Bonelli's Warblers, Masked and Woodchat Shrikes, Pale Rock Sparrow and Cretzchmar's Bunting appear this month. Also passage Scops Owl is quite common through the month.

Raptor and stork migrations increase dramatically. A visit to the Eilat mountains should give chances of seeing Black Kite, Short-toed Eagle, Steppe Buzzard, Steppe and Booted Eagles, and Black Stork.

The last two weeks of March sees a mind-boggling diversity and number of species passing through, many of the salt pans, local fields and oases are used by literally 100s of Bee-eater, Yellow Wagtail, Red-throated Pipit and Ortolan Bunting. This is probably the best time for finding Caspian Plover (sometimes with Cream-coloured Courser flocks), Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Semi-collared Flycatcher and Cinereous Bunting. Passage Night, Purple and Squacco Herons, Cattle and Little Egrets become much more frequent in the last few days.

Passages of shorebirds and terns through Eilat's salt pools can be viewed, and Collared and Black-winged Pratincoles, Greater Sand, Caspian and White-tailed Plovers, Broad-billed, Marsh and Terek Sandpipers, Red-necked Phalarope, Whiskered and Gull-billed Terns among the hordes of commoner species. Passerines can be even more thrilling than in March. Rock Thrush, Rufous Bush Robin, Great Reed, Barred and Wood Warblers, Collared Flycatcher (spectacular falls of 200-300 in some years), Golden Oriole, Red-backed and Lesser Grey Shrikes and Black-headed Bunting really add a splash of colour to the parched desert scrub. In some years, small numbers of Icterine Warbler and White-throated Robin also appear in the Arava Valley at oases such as Yotvata and Lotan.

DAY ONE

Upon arriving at Ben Gurion airport, Tel Aviv, we will be met by our leader, he will welcome us and take us to our minibus.

We will then drive to our first hotel located on the Judean Hills overlooking Jerusalem, the Ramat Rachel Hotel.Once booked in, the leader will give us an explanation of our tour in general and also give us the time table for the next day.

DAY TWO

After breakfast we will drive the short distance to the Jerusalem Bird Observatory (JBO). Here we will be able to watch bird ringers in action. A perfect opportunity to see and take pictures of wild birds close up.We will also be visiting the Lesser Kestrel roost today. These smart Falcons are sadly endangered. As this is the only time available during the tour to see Jerusalem, we will therefore have some free time to explore the city.

 

DAY THREE

Today we will be visiting an area called Metzukei Dragot in the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. Amidst this stunning desert landscape we will be at a place which is one of the very best migration watchpoints. On a good day it is possible to witness the passage of 20-30,000 raptors, along with Storks and Cranes.

We will then be driving along the coastal road of the Dead Sea to an oasis called Ein Gedi, where, due to the fresh water, the vegetation is alive with birds.

We will then be travelling back to our hotel in Jerusalem for dinner.

There will then be a meeting with the leader to discuss the day and talk about tomorrow's itinerary.

Here are some of the species that can be seen in this habitat:

Griffon Vulture, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Pallid Swift, Lesser spotted Eagle, Steppe Buzzard, White Stork, Black StorkTristram's Starling, Fan-tailed Raven, Dead Sea Sparrow, Scrub Warbler, Trumpeter Finch, House Bunting, Palestine Sunbird, Blackstart, Arabian Babbler, Egyptian Vulture any many songbirds including Pipits, Warblers, Wagtails, Flycatchers, Buntings, and Wheatears.

DAY FOUR

After an early breakfast we will be driving to the western Negev where we will be looking for Eagles and Falcons. The Imperial Eagle and Saker and Lanner Falcons are present in the area, and if we are lucky enough to see them, the views should be spectacular. We will also be looking to find various species of Wheatears, Larks and many other species that abound the area.

We will then travel to Nizzana. This is a place were it is possible to see the rare Houbara Bustard amongst the desert vegetation, and at this time of year we may be lucky to see the males displaying. Many other species occur here including, Cream-coloured Courser, Larks, Shrikes, and Raptors.

Here are some of the species that can be seen in this habitat:

White Stork, Lesser Stopped Eagle, Houbara Bustard, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Saker Falcon, Lanner Falcon, Pallid Harrier, Cream-coloured Courser, Bar-Tailed Desert Lark, Southern Grey Shrike, Spectacled Warbler, Temminck's Horned Lark, Stone Curlew, and Chukar.

DAY FIVE

Today we leave our Jerusalem hotel and start traveling South through the Negev Desert. Our drive takes us through some stunning desert scenery. Along the way we will be stopping at various locations to do some general birding. At this time of year the desert is full of birds moving North. So we expect to have a very good day.

We will finally arrive at our overnight hotel at the small Negev town of Mitzpe Ramon.

We shall book in, have dinner, and have a meeting with our leader to discuss the day and tomorrow's itinerary.

Here are some of the species that can be seen in this habitat:

Desert Lark
Scrub Warbler
Blackstart
Brown-necked Raven
House Bunting
Golden Eagle
Barbary Falcon
Lanner Falcon
Masked Shrike

DAY SIX

Today we leave Mitzpe Ramon to continue our journey South through the Negev Desert. Along the way we will be visiting various locations and continue to do some general birding. Our final stop of the day is at Ne'ot Smadar, a desert kibbutz with an amazing man-made lake which supports many species including Rails, Herons, Warblers and anything else that might drop in during their migration North.

We will finally arrive at our hotel in Eilat on the northern tip of the Red Sea. After checking in and having dinner we will meet with the leader to discuss the day and tomorrow's itinerary.

Little Green Bee-eater
Hoopoe
Wryneck
Red-throated Pipit
Thrush Nightingale
Black-eared Wheatear
Golden Oriole
Spanish Sparrow
Ortolan Bunting
Little Crake
Black Bush Robin
and many others

DAY SEVEN

Today we will be visiting The International Bird Watching Centre in Eilat, a haven for birds. This 57 hectare reserve has been planted with native trees and desert shrubs, and attracts 1000s of passerines and waders. We will visit the various hides on the site and also watch bird ringers in action. Another great opportunity to see wild birds close up.

We then drive to an area North of Eilat to visit the fields and salt pans that are stopping off points for large numbers of migrating species.

We then return to our hotel for dinner, and meet with the leader to discuss the day and tomorrow's itinerary.

DAY EIGHT

After breakfast we will be driving into the Negev mountains for a raptor watch. The mountains above Eilat are a highway for birds of prey on their migration. A beautiful sight!

We will then be driving down to the North Beach of Eilat look for Gulls, Herons and Terns and much more, and also take a boat trip on the Red Sea, off the Eilat coast, to visit the fish cages. This will give us the opportunity to get closer to sea birds, and is a wonderful experience.

We then return to our hotel for dinner and meet with the leader to discuss the day and tomorrow's itinerary.

Here are some of the species that can be seen in this habitat:

Great Black-backed Gull
Slender-billed Gull
White-eyed Gull
Arctic Skua
Pomarine Skua
Long-tailed Skua
White-winged Black Tern

 

Common Tern
Little Tern
Caspian Tern
Brown Booby
Western Reef Heron
Green-backed Heron
Greater Flamingo
Glossy Ibis
Greater Sand Plover
Little Bittern

DAY NINE

Today we will be going to visit sites in the Jordan Valley north of Eilat. At this time of year the area is full of birds.

We will be stopping along the way to check salt pans, fields and the skies.

We will also be visiting Kibbutz Lotan, the main bird watching centre of the Negev. It is also an excellent place to watch birds and we will be visiting their hides.

We then return to our hotel for dinner and meet with the leader to discuss the day and tomorrow's itinerary.

Here are some of the species that can be seen in this habitat:

Caspian Tern
Greater Flamingo
Little Stint
Greenshank
Black-winged Stilt
Spur-winged Plover
Squacco Heron
Green Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Bee-eater

Desert Finch
Black Redstart
Bluethroat
Yellow Wagtail
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Greater
Sand Plover
Curlew Sandpiper
African Collared Dove
Herons
Egrets
Gulls
Terns
and Hirundine species abound.

DAY 10

Take a morning flight from Eilat to Ben Gurion Airport for our connection home.

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