Autumn kick-start?!

Eilat and the southern Arava are such a unique place that there is almost a constant flow of migrants throughout the year and not always it is easy to understand on which directions are they heading?!


While Spring migrants such as Red-necked Phalaropes & Ringed Plover were still visible two weeks ago, last weekend at K 20, I had (together with Paul Redish and John ????) a lone Terek Sandpiper. I can't really say whether it was on its way north or south...

other than these, the first Sooty Falcons were present around their breeding territories this week and the local Striated Heron is hunting at north beach almost daily.
Cory's & Sooty Shearwaters are still present and so is the Brown Booby and a pair of each White-cheeked & Caspian Terns.

Yesterday, I had some time to look for Odonata, I found a small pool with 6 species: Oasis Blutail, Blue & Lesser Emperors, Broad Scarlet, Violet & Red-veined Dropwings.  


Today I was surprised to find no less than 6 new Redshanks, 12 Wood Sandpipers and a lone Eurasian Spoonbill at the IBRCE salt pond. Since I check this pond daily, I'm sure that these are all migrants and presume that they are already on their way south.
One of the Redshanks was bearing a ring on its leg, but unfortunately I could not read any details on it. I wonder if this is one of the birds which were ringed the IBRCE ringing station in the past...

As I said earlier, Eilat and the southern Arava are probably the most interesting migration hotspot in the WP, there is always something around and if is not a migrant than it would be one of the local breeding species like this Egyptian Mastigure...