Eilat workshop and a bonus

On Monday I joined an international workshop taking place now in Eilat, Guradians of the Flyway. Expertly organised by Noam and his team from Eilat Birding center, and Alen, with the support of Eilat municipality, funded by The Ministry of Regional Cooperation, this workshop includes almost 20 conservationists from different countries along the East Mediterranean - Central Asian flyway. Any international visitor in Israel nowadays is not taken lightly, so such an excellent team that assembled here to promote regional collaboration for birds and people is a real celebration. My contribution to the workshop was minimal, I gave a couple of talks, but mostly it was exciting to meet new and old friends from the region.

Early morning birding at IBRCE

The group - photo courtesy of Eilat Municipality

Noam with a Rüppell's Warbler

I always look for good excuses to head down to Eilat. This workshop was perfectly timed in regard to migration. Already on the way down I saw lots of cool birds, including Arabian Warbler near Hazeva and fantastic raptor migration. North Beach wasn't bouncing with birds but two Brown Boobies were cool, albeit distant. My photo is rubbish, but it's still a Brown Booby. The second bird was even farther away.

I am not sure which Brown Boobies make it to Eilat. Logically it should be the Pacific/Indian Oceans form plotus (Forster's Brown Booby). However, at least one of the two birds that have been hanging around Eilat for the last few months could be leucogaster (Atlantic Brown booby), based on the darker head and chest, and a dark spot in front of the eye. Check the series of stunning photos by Zvi Schwarzfuks. I am no expert on sexing and ageing Brown Boobies, and subspecific identification, so any insights would be very welcome.

Just before I had to head back north, Moshe Neeman, a young star birder who's a high school student in Eilat, found a Menetries's Warbler on the edge of the city, not far from his school. It would have been rude not to say hello to it before leaving. Menetries's Warbler is a good rarity in Israel with only a handful of records annually. It showed very well, and was vocal - lovely bird. Thanks Moshe! This is a 2cy male (hatched 2024) - note the obvious moult contrast best visible in the third photo (the retained feathers are browner, while the moulted feathers are grey). 

Check those diffuse tertial fringes, and that magnificent black tail

Enjoying the tasty fruit of Ochradenus baccatus

Sorry for the background noise - it was by a busy road:

I headed north along the Arava road. South of Tsofar, about 120km north of Eilat, I spotted a huge flock of White Storks at very high altitude. I pulled over and snapped a few photos. In the field I estimated 1500. It wasn't an accurate estimate because they were thermaling and constantly moving in different directions, blown by strong winds. 

It is always challenging to count birds in the field like that. Back home, I asked ChatGPT to count the birds in this image. ChatGPT came up with an estimate of 1633. I estimated that the photo I took included about 90% of the birds. So eventually, I think that in that flock there were around 1800 birds.

Hula Painted Frog!

 A few months ago I was fortunate to see, for the first time in my life, one of the rarest amphibians on earth, Hula Painted Frog. It was thought to be extinct after the Hula lake was drained in the 1950's. Amazingly, it was rediscovered in the Hula Nature Reserve in 2011 by INPA ranger Yoram Malka. Since then, it was found only in a handful of sites in the Hula Valley, with an estimated global population of not more than 400 individuals! I visited one of these sites on a fine evening, well it wasn't really fine because the war with Hezbollah was still raging in northern Israel, explosions and sirens all around me... It took a little bit of searching but eventually I found several large, fantastic males. They are very large and heavy with an awkward head shape, maybe not the prettiest amphibians in the world but certainly so very special.

Hula Painted Frogs are believed to be silent or non-vocal in frequencies that are audible to our ears. I heard a vocalisation that I believe *could* be the first sound recording of this species - listen to it here. Please note that date and location are deliberately inaccurate, to protect the animals. The vocalistion I recorded came from the exact direction where I saw a Hula Painted Frog. As soon as I switched on the torch it became silent, and resumed calling when I switched it off. Therefore I can't be sure 100% it's a Hula Painted Frog. A few amphibian experts listened to my recording - some agreed and some disagreed, saying it's a funny call of Levante Water Frog. I don't know.

Eastern Red-rumped Swallow!

Yesterday (January 30th, 2025) news broke of an Eastern red-rumped Swallow at IBRCE Eilat, found by the excellent young IBRCE team members, Zvi Schwarzfuchs and Noah Konopny. If accepted, this will become the 4th record in Israel. It's a great record but certainly expected - surely more to come, now that they had been split and more attention is paid to late-autumn and overwintering red-rumped swallows, their numbers increasing in recent years. 

This morning (January 31st) I left with Rony Livne early. We arrived at IBRCE at dawn, joined a few other birders who made the long way down to Eilat, and immediately sunk our teeth into the huge hirundine flock up in the air. There were hundreds of Western House-Martins flying over the park, close and far, low and high up. They were joined by quite a few Barn Swallows and Pale Crag-Martins. With the low light, every pale rump looked promising, but after almost two hours of intensive searching we failed to relocate it. Our motivation levels deflated as we started to accept the painful dip. 

Finally, around 08:30 Micha Mandel suspected he saw it briefly, then I spotted it hawking over one of the lakes - bingo! Bimbo! We quickly called all the others and everyone had great views of this smart little vagrant. It hawked for insects around us for a long time, sometimes at arms length, so close we could almost touch it. With all the other hirundines flying around with it, it was actually quite spectacular. The heavy streaking on the breast and also on the belly were very prominent in the field. The rump seemed very deep rufous, and the connection between the dark cap and the dark mantle was obvious - no pale collar visible. Also the face was dark and streaked. Compared to the fantastic field views, photographing it was a very different story. We didn't spend too much time trying - I'm sure that with more time I'd get better results. Luckily it landed on a tree briefly which allowed some decent shots to be taken. 

I failed to get any proper flight shots - most of my photos depicted blurred blobs. Still, I got record shots, and great views, and an Israeli tick - my first in 2025. 

Bloody branch got in the way but you get the point

Fun in the Golan

Since the northern ceasefire went into effect a few weeks ago, birders returned to northern Israel and started finding lots of great birds. It was tormenting for me to see all these wonderful reports come in, without being able to travel north. Yesterday I had to get away, after weeks of intense personal stuff and work overload. I left early with Jonathan and Rony. Climbing up the Golan heights from the Hula Valley after dawn was breathtaking. I missed this region so much.

It was very cold up Mt. Bental, and at first bird activity was low. At least it was very beautiful up there.

Slowly the sun climbed out of the cloud, temperatures rose and birds became more active. We met up there with Barak and Uri. We first found a couple of sweet Red-fronted Serins, then we had several more, total of about eight. That's a good number for Israel. Sadly all the serins I saw were very mobile and I didn't manage to get any decent photos of them.  The stars of the morning were two Radde's Accentors that have been hanging around there for a couple of weeks. Great to see this rare birds - I haven't seen one in Israel since 2011. They were not easy to see, but eventually I managed a half-decent photo.

I also enjoyed the nice numbers of Rock Buntings there, I find them pretty in the pastel-toned winter plumage.

We left Mt. Bental satisfied (eBird checklist here), and headed south. A stop at Mt. Bnei Rasan wasn't very productive and the wind picked up, so we continued further south towards Meitzar Reservoir, where a Red-wattled Lapwing had taken residnce in the last few months. We found it quickly, hanging out with Spur-wings on some rough ground. These are my first photos of this rarity in Israel. I did see one briefly in early 2024 in the Hula valley but all I managed that morning was a sound recording as it flew past me in thick fog.

We descended from the Golan Heights via Susita, where we had four Crag Martins, and a Blackstart - this is a northern range extension for this desert species in Israel. Every northern Big Day we do we visit Susita for Blackstart and a few other species.

Special summary: Best of 2024

As 2024 comes to a close, I look back and think of all that I have been through during this year. It has been a horrible year nationally, with the ongoing war bringing unimaginable suffering, sorrow and grief to everyone in the region. However, during this awful year, nature was my personal remedy, my own method to handle all the horrors of war, a beacon of hope. If in any other year I am very religious about going out and birding, this year I felt even more dedicated to spend time outdoors as much as possible, for my mental health. With that heavy mental burden, 2024 still was a year in which I experienced amazing nature, in Israel and overseas, and hugely appreciated every bird, animal and plant I encountered.

In this annual review I will look back at the most significant birding and wildlife experiences, for me. 

Birding in Israel

This has been another excellent year of birding in Israel for me. This year I added three species to my Israel list, that in eBird stands on 490: European Storm-Petrel, African Desert Warbler and Senegal Thick-knee. It was another year of non-stop birding, with my eBird birding streak now extending more than six years. I birded intensively but without going crazy, certainly without doing a Big Year. I twitched but not every bird, only those that were significant to me and had time to go for. I also did a lot of fieldwork, mainly during spring and summer.

The year started well with great views of the lingering Gray-headed Swamphen at HaMa'apil:

An early January morning in Uvda valley provided a stunning encounter with Arabian Wolf and a rare overwintering Pied Wheatear:

Seawatching in January and February was good, with several westerly storms pushing quality seabirds to our shores. As mentioned above, on January 27th we had a good seawatch south of Tel Aviv that produced a European Storm-Petrel. No photos of this one because we tried to obtain identifiable scope views rather than grab the camera and risk losing the bird. I wish it showed well like this Parasitic Jaeger chasing a Sandwich Tern:

Spring migration was wonderful, and I enjoyed every moment of it. I was pleased with this photo of Cinereous Bunting - my best so far:

Typical March scenes on Mt. Amasa - Eastern Black-eared Wheatear and Blue Rock Thrush (wait for it).

Israel's second African Desert Warbler was found south of Haifa on March 23rd. I arrived late in fading light, others got much better photos than me, but who cares - another Israel tick for me.

Champions of the Flyway happened on April 1st, and was as fun and thrilling as always despite missing our international friends. Birding was awesome.

Semicollared Flycatcher

I love the variety and colours of spring migrants, like these Western Yellow Wagtails I had one morning at Maagan Michael

Camouflage brilliance at the JBO - Eurasian Nightjar

May Global Big Day was a blast (pun intended) while birding up in northern Israel with Jonathan and Re'a

Spring and summer fieldwork took me mainly to the desert, where our long-term collaborative projects on Asian Houbara (AKA McQueen's Bustard) and sandgrouse continue. Always a privilege to spend time in the remotest parts of the country in pristine habitat with its most threatened birds and animals, working for better conservation.

Spotted Sandgrouse

Asian Wild Ass

Summer is prime time for monitoring night birds, including 'my' Nubian Nightjars and Pallid Scops-Owl with Yosef.

Made in 2024

Not exactly a bird but in summer I had a very unique nocturnal experience, wading in shallow water with one of the world's rarest amphibians, the Hula Painted Frog.

Mid-summer is also the time to brave the heat and head down to Eilat for scuba diving and birding combo. I managed to connect with the rather mobile Yellow-billed Stork that roamed between Eilat and Aqaba:

Red Sea Clownfish - GoPro photo taken by my son Uri while we were scuba diving together

The IBRCE hosts several Painted Saw-scaled Vipers that are somewhat less mobile:

When autumn arrived, many migrants used our restored sites at Kfar Ruppin and Ma'agan Michael for refueling and resting. These White Storks were resting from their arduous journey in a newly-restored wetland - how wonderful.

Clamorous Reed Warblers breed in the reeds indeed

Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters enjoyed foraging over our restored wetland too:

Wait for it + volume up
Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters with little transitiva friends (how red they are!) this morning in Kfar Ruppin at our restoration site. Lots of flying insects for food. Digiscoped through @SwarovskiOptik ATX85 pic.twitter.com/9TD3CNNgc7

— Yoav Perlman (@yoavperlman) September 12, 2024

Lots of shorebirds and marsh terns in another restored wetland in Kfar Ruppin

Autumn migration was much welcome after the long, hot summer. The autumn rarity season started well with a trio (!) of petite Tibetan Sand-plovers at Hama'apil on August 24th:

Followed by my second Israel tick of the year, Senegal Thick-Knee found by Yonatan Gordon and Shachar Yogev at Maayan Zvi on September 6th. Rubbish photo but a great bird - third record for Israel:

Also at HaMaapil, the male Greater Painted-Snipe returned for its fourth year:

Where over a nearby pond, scarce in Israel Black Terns were performing well:

I love that season when Caspian Stonechats show up in Israel:

The Tel Aviv Pacific Golden-Plover returned for another winter and was well appreciated on October 26th with Piki:

I was away for much of October and November (see below), during which I missed quite a few good birds including Eyebrowed Thrush and Pallas's Leaf Warbler. When I walked through the door returning from Tanzania on November 16th, I placed down my suitcase and literally at that exact moment the rare bird alert went off on my phone - Bearded Reedling in Be'er Sheva! I haven't seen one in Israel since December 1995, but I was too exhausted and needed rest after the long journey. Luckily the bird stayed another day:

Unintentionally, this image of Black Kites in DNA formation near Kfar Ruppin went almost viral

One or two Black Kites in the Bet Shean Valley a few days ago pic.twitter.com/n86iHQ8pzx

— Yoav Perlman (@yoavperlman) November 29, 2024

December was extremely busy at work and I had little time for birding away from my very local sites near home. I did manage a quick twitch to see Israel's 11th Eurasian Tree Sparrows at Poleg marsh on December 21st (my second in Israel, after one I ringed in 1998):

The final good bird of the year was this stonking male Pied Bushchat near Hazore'a on December 22nd:

I ended the year with 371 species, not too shabby for a year of constant, good effort without going crazy.

I didn't come near the top three Big Year effort lads - Igal Siman Tov, Avner Rinot and Ran Nathan who ended up with 393, 391 and 382 respectively and respectably. Well done guys, maybe next year ;-) In the meanwhile, I am satisfied with all the birds I saw, the beautiful places I visited and the good time I spent outdoors.

Global birding

In 2024 I travelled overseas three times. The first trip was in June, when Amir and I were hosted by our colleagues at OTOP - BirdLife Poland. The main attraction was of course Aquatic Warbler that showed beautifully at their restored site:

There were lots of other cool birds to see of course, including this young male (I guess) Common Rosefinch, digiscoped through my trusted Swarovski Optik ATX85:

In late September to early October I visited the UK with my family. I didn't have much time for proper birding. Mark and I had a sweet morning on Flamborough Head. 

Wonderful morning birding Old Fall, #Flamborough with brother @yoavperlman. Waves of migrants moving through in warm sunshine, inc Richard's Pipit, two Little Buntings, RB Fly, Firecrest, Pied Fly, 5 Yellow-brows, Bramblings, thrushes, lots of Goldcrests. A privilege and a joy. pic.twitter.com/1O0aJaTSv7

— Mark James Pearson (@Markthebirder) October 4, 2024

When I stayed in Norwich I was determined to find a local Yellow-browed Warbler, why - I cannot explain. I failed every day until the final morning, when I found one in RSPB Strumpshaw Fen.

In early November I flew to Tanzania where I led an 11-day tour for Rockjumper across this incredible country. The spectacular wildlife experiences and encounters were innumerable. Some avian highlights included:

Beesley's Lark - one of an estimated global population of 60

Maasai Apalis - this photo even made it to the front cover of African Bird Club bulletin

Golden-winged Sunbird - what a stunner

Black-headed Gonolek

Gray-capped Warbler

We also saw a mammal or two

Elephants in Tarangire NP

Lions on a Zebra kill in the Serengeti

*******

And that's a wrap. Time for thanks and credits. As always, the love and support of my family - my wife Adva, and our three kids Uri, Noam and Libby, allows me to keep this lifestyle of mine. Thank you. My dog Lola, that joined our family in late 2023, proved to be a wonderful birding companion.

My birding friends and colleagues at BirdLife Israel made all of these birding experiences even more enjoyable. Thanks to Piki, Micha, Nadav, Meidad, Noam, Rony, Alen, Yotam, Amir, Jonathan, Re'a, Arad and so many more - you are all awesome. Thanks to Swarovski Optik for providing me with the best birding optics in the world. Thanks to all of my supporters and followers here on the blog and on my social media channels - your support means so much to me.

A new year begins in a few hours, with hope that it will be a better year. May this new year bring the immediate release of all 100 hostages that are still held in captivity in Gaza by Hamas, and end the horrible war causing so much pain and misery to Israelis and Palestinians. From a birding point of view, I will keep spending time outdoors as much as I can, and will keep on birding at full capacity - that's the only way.

I wish you all a beautiful, peaceful, quiet 2025.