WHY ISRAEL?

NORTHERN ISRAEL | SOUTHERN ISRAEL

Few countries can simultaneously boast skies filled with raptors, storks and pelicans, wetlands heaving with egrets, herons, wildfowl and shorebirds, hillsides alive with the songs of warblers, wheatears and buntings. Israel has all of these, and more, to be enjoyed amidst spectacular scenery. Quite simply, it is one of the most exciting and accessible regions for birdwatching in the whole of the Western Palaearctic. More than 500 species have been recorded in Israel, many of which are Middle Eastern specialties such as, Black Francolin, Spur-winged Plover, White-breasted and Pied Kingfishers, Clamorous Reed Warbler. Many raptor species can be seen with ease year-round, and unforgettable concentrations of White Pelican, Raptors, Crane, and Great Black-headed Gull occur.

NORTHERN ISRAEL

The Carmel coast at Ma'agen Mikhael has long been associated with the huge and highly attractive Great Black-headed Gull, but few birders are prepared for the overwhelming abundance of storks, herons, shorebirds and gulls that concentrate around these fish ponds and along the Mediterranean shore. A little further north, an excellent sea watching site at Tel Shiqmona could give close views of Cory's and Yelkouan Shearwaters over an azure Mediterranean Sea.

Moving east into the heart of the Jezreel Valley, a particularly well-hidden reservoir regularly supports hundreds of wintering White-headed Duck. Since the early 1990s, this valley (along with the Bet She'an Valley) has been home to the annual autumn survey of migrating soaring birds, organised by the Israel Ornithological Centre. Over the years, the survey has collected internationally important data on many threatened soaring bird species.

Approximately 10,000 Cranes spend the winter in the Hula Valley, their numbers being swollen by migrants in late November, when up to 21,000 of these magical birds fill fields and wetlands. Globally threatened raptors such as Spotted and Imperial Eagles are present throughout the winter and early spring. The Hula Valley also hosts highly localised species such as Black Francolin and Clamorous Reed Warbler, and provides a fine base for exploring the adjacent Mount Hermon and Golan Heights region. Here, a range of bird species that breed nowhere else in Israel can be found, including Shore Lark, Sombre Tit, Crimson-winged Finch and Syrian Serin.

Leaving the 2000 m-high and often snow-capped peak of Mount Hermon and heading south along the volcanic plateau of the Golan, spectacular views of the Sea of Galilee provide a stunning backdrop to search for Black Vulture. Also known as Lake Tiberias, the Sea of Galilee is a vast freshwater lake harbouring impressive numbers of wintering grebes, Pygmy Cormorant, breeding Squacco Heron and a spectacular winter concentration of Whiskered Tern. The surrounding hillsides are full of birds, including Eagle Owl, Little Swift and Long-billed Pipit throughout the year. Patient scanning of the steep-sided wadis in winter may well produce a major prize in the form of a Wallcreeper.
Late spring is an ideal time to visit breeding sites for Orphean and Olive-tree Warbler in the upper reaches of the Galilee region. The glorious atmosphere of a Mediterranean spring has wider appeal to all, with a breathtaking display of wild flowers in these hills.

Less than an hour south-east of Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) in the Rift Valley basin, the essentially semi-arid steppe climate of the Bet She'an Valley is of major interest to birders. The fields, fish ponds and plantations around Kfar Ruppin offer a lush, magnetic attraction for hundreds of thousands of birds, and produce some of Israel's most exciting records of rare and scarce birds. Sometimes referred to as the Eilat of the north, Kfar Ruppin operates a ringing station which birders are welcome to visit.

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SOUTHERN ISRAEL

Some Near Eastern specialities are to be found in this region including Laughing Dove,Yellow-vented Bulbul, Graceful Prinia, Palestine Sunbird and Tristram's Starling, along with House Crow which is now well established in Eilat. The surroundings of Eilat give plenty of scope for encountering classic desert bird species, while a trip to the mountains at the edge of the town will bring Little Green Bee-eater, Desert Lark, Pale Crag Martin, Blackstart, White-crowned Black Wheatear, Scrub Warbler, Arabian Babbler, and Brown-necked Raven. Birds such as Barbary Falcon, Hooded Wheatear, Sinai Rosefinch, and House Bunting are also found in the mountains but usually require more extensive searching. The daily appearance of up to 80 Liechtenstein's Sandgrouse at a local pumping station at dusk is a treat not to be missed.

Eilat north beach, at the head of the Red Sea, offers the opportunity for a range of species rarely encountered elsewhere in the West Palearctic region, such as Brown Booby, Green-backed and Western Reef Herons and White-eyed Gull. It is also an excellent place to see rare tubenoses and terns, which penetrate north along the Red Sea from the Indian Ocean and beyond. Inland, the southern Arava Valley possesses a rich mosaic of salt pans, fields and plantations that not only support highly localised species such as Namaqua Dove, but also attract millions of migrants each year. Further north, the now famous lark site at km 33, will hopefully provide you with views of such sought-after species as Hoopoe Lark, Bar-tailed Desert Lark, and Desert Warbler.

Further north still there are reliable places to see species such as Barbary Falcon, Crowned Sandgrouse, Long-eared Owl, Mourning Wheatear and Desert Finch. The vast expanse of the Negev plateau covers more than half of Israel's land surface area. Mizpe Ramon and its famous geological crater, virtually in the centre of the Negev, provides a convenient place to explore locations for Golden Eagle, Chukar, Cream-coloured Courser, several sandgrouse species, Trumpeter Finch and House Bunting. Further north-west similar species can be expected in the area of the Zin Valley and Sede Boqer, which is a rather more reliable place to see Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, and Bonelli's Eagle.

The northern Arava supports fewer sandgrouse than formerly, but is still worthy of a visit for its breeding raptors and Eagle Owl. The Acacia scrub at Hazeva is now the most important stronghold for the declining Arabian Warbler in Israel.

The Dead Sea region is magnificent in many respects, especially historically and geologically. World renowned for being the lowest place on earth (400 m below sea-level) and the site of the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls, it is rich in birdlife, supporting several internationally important habitats, including an area of Suaeda / tamarisk saltmarsh that supports a tiny relict population of Nubian Nightjar.

Another highly sought-after species, the Houbara Bustard, can still be found in small numbers at Nizzana, in the extreme western Negev. Here, the steppe-like plains also harbour large flocks of sandgrouse and larks, and serve as an important migration route for several species of raptor rarely recorded further east, such as Lesser Spotted Eagle.