This Weekend, despite all the late occurrences in the area, we had our family coming to celebrate our son's (Uri) 5th Birthday in our house at Beer-Ora.
This morning, while everybody is digesting a great breakfast, my wife's mom, who has a limited interest in birds, was looking out on the lawn and asked me why do the Sparrows in the south look so small?!
I looked towards the birds she was pointing at and found amongst the House Sparrows my first garden Icterine Warbler. Off course that by the time the camera was around, the bird did not, but still, thank you Savta Ruti...
Later during the afternoon, when everybody went to snorkel in Eilat, I decided to stay back and go check K 20 and the area. Comparing with last week there were much less waders around but still some new arrivals like Ruddy Turnestone a group of some 70 Greater Flamingo that by their very alert behaviour seems to be new arrivals (also there were extra 70-100 on their usual pond).
A group of Gargany's and Shovelers joined the many Slender Billed Gulls and the usual group of 10-14 Caspian Terns. Also around were Gull-billed, Whiskered and White-winged Terns.
Undoubtedly though, the best bird for K 20 was an adult Terek Sandpiper which kept on flying away and i only managed to get this very poor record shot...
As the time went by and it was getting dark i went out of the ponds and found on one of the Acacia's next to the road (which some will badly consider naming it Senegalia or Vachellia http://www.acacia-world.net/html/namechange1.html) a trio of 1 Eastern Orphean Warbler and 2 Lesser Whitethroats.
Driving back home on a small desert road, I was cut by a very fast and powerful flyer that immediately i recognised as a Lichtensein's Sandgrouse . I followed it until it went down on the ground and in the far distance i could count 2 female types and a single male feeding out in the open. Next to them was my first Isabeline Wheathear for the season jumping around, I wish there were more light...
Let's hope that the current escalation will come to an end we will be able to enjoy a nice Autumn migration. We (Re'a, Yotam and I) are planning to start survey the mountains for Sooty Falcons breeding territories and it will be very hard if the situation won't change.
Stay tuned and we will try to update as the season progresses.
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