While Waders are coming in big numbers and variety, it is great to see also many new passerines moving through. The most thrilling for me was a bird i found last Friday (probably as a 40th birthday gift for myself) - a beautiful Grasshopper Warbler (only the 10th record for Israel if accepted and my 2nd in Israel). The bird was seen well in a bush next to the main track leading to the centre of Yotveta N. circular field and than jumping and hiding low in the "Wheat like" field on the other side of the road.
The huge groups of Yellow Wagtails have been swapped by many hundreds of Short-toed Larks and Willow Warblers and there are Red-back and Masked Shrikes almost everywhere, likewise Isabeline & Northern Wheatears and some Ortolan & Black-headed Buntings.
From the reports I gather from the Southern Arava and Ovda Valley, there are also very many migrants elsewhere and despite not being on the main season for the area, we seem to enjoy a very fruitful season down south.
On late June I found at K20 Salt ponds a Turkish ringed Greater Flamingo. Precisely one month later I relocated it again but this time with another Turkish ringed bird. Last week, at last I received the ringing details and it is very thrilling to see that both birds were ringed at the exact same location as pullus one in Aug 2004 and one in July 2007. I presume that they didn't follow the Green line but the Blue line...
I run a blog for Smestow Valley LNR. I have started a nature network to protect our patches and coordinate wildlife surveys. Please could you e-mail me at smestowsightings@gmail.com and I shall send you more information. Thank you. Regards, Chris Millward.
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