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.

2006 TOUR - Sunday 12th November- Tuesday 21st November 2006

2007 TOUR – Sunday 11th November – Tuesday 20th November 2007

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

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

NORTHERN ISRAEL: NOVEMBER

November. Cranes in the Hula Valley become a real spectacle, building up to over 20,000. Hundreds of wintering raptors arrive in the Hula and Bet She'an Valleys including Black Kite (over 1000), Spotted Eagle, Imperial Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Pallid Harrier and the occasional Steppe Eagle, Black Vulture and Lanner Falcon. High concentrations of Kentish Plover and Temminck's Stint can be seen in the Bet She'an Valley. This is an excellent month for rarity finding, with Demoiselle Crane, Purple Gallinule, Pintail Snipe, Grey Phalarope, Rufous Turtle Dove, Little and Rustic Bunting having occurred within the Rift Valley in recent years. Namaqua Doves have also recently been found among flocks of Collared Dove in the Hula and Bet She'an Valleys.

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 North to our first hotel at Nir Etzion, which is situated on the hills overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Once booked in, the leader will give us an explanation about the tour in general and give us the time table for the next day.

 

 

DAY TWO

Today will be spent birding on the coast. We will take the short drive down to the fish ponds at Ma'agan Michael. This place is a magnet for many bird species. It is possible to see all three kingfishers of the region here, White-throated, Pied, and Kingfisher. The ponds are packed with Waders, Herons, Passerines, and Hirundines.

To say that the area is teeming with birds would be an understatement.

From there we will be driving to Atlit further North up the coast to do some sea watching and look for flocks of Flamingo which tend to congregate in the area.

We will then travel back to our hotel at Nir Etzion, and have 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:

Kingfisher
White-throated Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
Night Heron
Cattle Egret
Spoonbill
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Terek Sandpiper
Purple Heron
White Stork
Black Stork
Great Black-headed Gull
Egret spp.,
Black Kite
White Pelican
Temminck's Stint
Marsh Sandpiper
Many other Wader species

DAY FOUR

We will be spending today in an area of the Hula Valley called Agamon. This area is a nature reserve which, apart from the beautiful surroundings, is full of birds including Eagles, Harriers, and Buzzards, many waders and huge amounts of Cranes.

During the day we will be taken to have a close up view of the Cranes feeding in the fields in a "moving hide". An amazing experience!

At the end of the day we will return to our hotel to have dinner. After dinner and when the sun goes down we will be going on a night safari to search for owls and mammals

DAY FIVE

Today we will be visiting the Hula Lake reserve, which is a short drive from the hotel. The birding around the lake is excellent and we shall see many interesting species. The lake has an unusual feature, a covered walkway hide that traverses the lake. Ideal for watching the Ducks and Hirundines.

In the evening the raptor roost from the tower hide within the reserve is not to be missed.

We then return to our hotel to have dinner, followed by a meeting with the leader to discuss the day and talk about tomorrow's itinerary.

DAY SIX

We leave Kfar Blum today to drive South.

Our first port of call is the Gamla Nature Reserve. On this reserve there is a spectacular viewing hide overlooking the valley from which stunning views of soaring and gliding Vultures can be seen. An amazing sight!

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

Griffon Vulture
Black Vulture
Little Swift
Long-billed Pipit
Calandra Lark
Bimaculated Lark
Finsch's Wheatear
Dotterel
Blue Rock Thrush
Crag Martin

On leaving Gamla we will travel South to the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret). We will be birding around the shore of the lake and also taking a boat trip to get closer to the birds.

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

Pygmy Cormorant
Little Swift
Black-necked Grebe
Armenian Gull
Slender-billed Gull
Slavoian Grebe
Whiskered Tern
Alpine Swift
Blue Rock Thrush

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

Trumpeter Finch
Palestine Sunbird
Blackstart
Tristrams Starling
Arabian Babbler
Brown-necked Raven
Fan-tailed Raven

 

DAY NINE

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 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 where it is possible to see the rare Houbara Bustard amongst the desert vegetation. We will also be looking for many other species including Larks, Shrikes, and Raptors.

We then return to our hotel to have dinner, followed by 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:

White Stork
Houbara Bustard
Saker Falcon
Lanner Falcon
Pallid Harrier
Cream-coloured Courser
Bar-Tailed Desert Lark
Southern Grey Shrike
Spectacled Warbler
Temminck's Horned Lark
Stone Curlew
Chukar

DAY 10

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