Israel – A Winter Odyssey
2 – 13 December 2009
- Price per person: £1090
- Deposit per person: £250
- Suggested Flights: Both British Airways and El Al run daily direct flights from London Heathrow to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport.
Israel, The Holy Land. A tiny country sat on a migration crossroads that has rightly earned itself the reputation of being one of the Western Palearctics true birding hotspots.
For many years visitors have been making the pilgrimage for the spectacular spring migration that the country enjoys (please see our spring tours for details!) but it also has a great deal to offer during the mild winter months.
This tour is for those who wish to connect with the riches that the country has to offer with its winter specialities and superb array of resident species. It takes us the length and breadth of these biblical lands.
We begin in Tel Aviv where we will visit 2 local sites where the curious naturalised species of Vinous-breasted Starling and Black-hooded Parakeet mirror the situation we have in the UK with Ring-necked Parakeet. Having then explored some coastal lagoons and fishponds for much sought after wintering species such as Great Black-headed and Armenian Gulls, all 3 species of kingfisher and numerous herons, waders and storks we will travel inland to our base in the green Jordan Valley for an extended stay. From our convenient base we will explore the remarkable fishponds, flooded valleys, spectacular cliffs and hillsides for large numbers of wintering waterbirds including Great Black-headed Gulls, White Pelicans, Common Cranes, Pygmy Cormorants, concentrations of Greater Spotted and Eastern Imperial Eagles, the elusive Long-billed Pipit and maybe Wallcreeper, Alpine Accentor and Pine Bunting.
Eventually we will strike south to the cliffs overlooking the shimmering Dead Sea for Fan-tailed Raven, Tristram’s Starling, Mountain Bunting and with luck a Barbary Falcon or Bonelli’s Eagle.
Our next stop will be for a 3 night residence at the coastal resort of Eilat on the Gulf of Aqaba, a northern extension of the Red Sea. Here we’ll explore a rich variety of habitats from coastal beaches to deep wadis, freshwater lagoons and arid mountains for gems such as Little Green Bee-eater, Western Reef Heron, Striated Heron, White-eye Gull, Sand Partridge, Cyprus Warbler and that beauty of the arid mountains Sinai Rosefinch.
In the mountains, canyons and vast plains of the NW Negev we will search for some truly enigmatic species such as the endangered MacQueen’s Bustard, Lanner, Pin-tailed, Black-bellied, Crowned and Spotted Sandgrouse, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Pallid Harrier, Finsch’s Wheatear and with luck the much sought after Saker and Sociable Lapwing.
We will then reluctantly return to Tel Aviv where the tour concludes.
Accommodation will be in a mixture of small hotels and kibbutzim.
Day 1
We will meet at Ben Gurion airport, Tel Aviv and make our way straight to the northern outskirts of the city for our first taste of Israeli birding. Our destination will be a large leafy park which has been likened to Central Park in New York. Luckily its nowhere near as big so our search for the introduced Vinous-breasted Starling shouldn’t been too difficult. The general birding here can be excellent too and we’ll linger awhile looking for our first views of Palestine Sunbird, Common Myna, Yellow-vented Bulbul and anything else that pops into bins view.
Proceeding a little further north to the town of Hanna Karkur we’ll continue our ‘category c’ theme with a search for Black-hooded Parakeet amongst the much more numerous and familiar Ring-necked Parakeets.
Without further ado we’ll then head for our final location of the day – the expanse of coastal lagoons and fishponds at Ma’agan Mikhael. These pools are a wintering site for the impressive Great Black-headed Gull together with the educational Armenian Gull as well as a host of other gulls, herons, egrets and waders. White Pelican is also very possible and a seawatch can be productive in the right conditioins. That humbug of the kingfisher family the Pied Kingfisher is numerous here and its larger cousin the White-breasted Kingfisher also occurs.
When we have finished birding Ma’agan Mikhael we will drive cross country to Kfar Ruppin in the Jordan Valley which will be our home for the next 4 nights.
Night in Kfar Ruppin
Days 2/3/4
From our convenient base at Kfar Ruppin we will travel out to the north and west to cover all that this fantastic area has to offer. On our doorstep is a large complex of extremely bird rich fishponds, lakes and marshes which harbour numerous waterbirds during the winter months. These should include Pygmy Cormorant, Glossy Ibis, White and Black Storks and Spoonbills. The noisy Black Francolin also has its home here.
Further affield to the north of the Sea of Galilee the lush Hula Valley with its extensive marshes and floods will be one of our major destinations. The big draws here are the large concentrations of wintering raptors and we can expect Greater Spotted Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Black Kite, Common Buzzard and the dashing Merlin to cause panic amongst the wildfowl (and possibly some of us!). Here too are thousands of wintering Common Cranes, many White Pelicans and Marbled Ducks whilst the reedbeds harbour skulking Moustached Warblers, Clamorous Reed Warblers and Penduline Tits. Other attractions should include Namaqua Dove, Yellow-vented Bulbul, all 3 kingfishers, Night Heron, Spur-winged Plover, Syrian Woodpecker, Laughing Dove, Bluethroat, Zitting Cisticola, Graceful Warbler, Red-throated Pipit and Dead Sea Sparrow.
Rocky ravines and canyons will be explored for Griffon Vultures, Wallcreeper, Alpine Accentor, the elusive Long-billed Pipit, Little Swift, Crag Martin, Blue Rock Thrush and Black Redstart.
In the far north of the country lies the imposing Mount Hermon and the once troubled region of the Golan Heights. We’ll climb high into these areas for resident Sombre Tits, Western Rock Nuthatch, Rock Bunting and with luck Crimson-winged Finch or even Pine Bunting which sometimes winter here with their close relation the Yellowhammer.
Nights in Kfar Ruppin
Day 5
Today will see us head the short distance south to the extremely low-lying Dead Sea depression. This area and in particular the mountains and steep sided wadis to the west have a number of specialities. Fan-tailed Ravens and Tristram’s Starlings are an ever present source of entertainment whilst Arabian Babbler, Blackstart and Little Green Bee-eater should present us with few problems. More tricky will be locating Sand Partridge and the rare Striated (Mountain) Bunting which may require a steep walk. Cyprus Warblers also winter here in some years so we will be ever watchful for these too.
There will also be the opportunity for a customary float in the Dead Sea for those who wish to.
Night near the Dead Sea
Days 6/7/8
The southern leg of our tour will see us head down the wide Arava Valley to the resort of Eilat for a 3 night sojourn. The town is ideally situated at the very northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, itself an extension of the Red Sea. It is therefore ideally positioned for seabirds and we’ll look for White-eyed Gull, Great Black-headed Gull, Armenian Gull and Caspian Gull as well as Striated Heron and Western Reef Heron which habitually frequent the beach and offshore fishing booms. Ship-assisted Indian House Crows have become well-established in and around the town.
To the northwest are the barren but nonetheless dramatic Eilat Mountains. Deep within these mountains and their steep wadis lurk Sinai Rosefinches, Hooded Wheatears, Sand Partridges, Desert Larks and Trumpeter Finches and we’ll do our best to find them all.
There are also numerous sites we will explore along the highway to the north of the town. These consist of saltpans, lagoons and desert areas where we’ll hope for Desert Finch, Hoopoe Lark, Bar-tailed Lark, Spectacled Warbler, Asian Desert Warbler and any wintering Cyprus Warblers.
The Eilat area often harbours a rarity or two and we’ll obviously take in anything interesting during our rounds.
A highlight of our short stay in Eilat will be a dusk vigil at a famous site for the enigmatic Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse. As we wait patiently for them to fly in to drink at their favoured spot we’ll be able to reflect on just how good an area this is while the sun sets turning the mountains in Jordan a warm orange.
Nights in Eilat
Day 9
The final leg of our winter odyssey will take us northwest and ultimately to the northern Negev Desert. En-route today we’ll take in the massive canyon at Sede Boqer and also Wadi Zin, also rather romantically know as the Wilderness of Zin. Here we should see Blackstart, Eastern Mourning Wheatear, White-crowned Black Wheatear, the perky Scrub Warbler, Arabian Babbler, Rock Martin, Sand Partridge and Brown-necked Raven.
Upon arrival at our destination we should have time to make an initial exploration of the desert (see day 10 for details) before finding our accommodation at nearby Gvulot.
Night at Gvulot
Day 10
Today will be a desert day. Rising early we’ll head straight to the arid desert around Nizzana and begin our search for such enigmatic species as MacQueens Bustard (thankfully protected here), Chukar, Cream-coloured Courser, Desert Wheatear, Finsch’s Wheatear, Isabelline Wheatear, Desert Lark, Bar-tailed Lark and Lesser Short-toed Lark.
In contrast the afternoon will be spent at the delightful Ein Avdat national park. The main attraction here is the spectacular gorge which we’ll explore fully for species such as Bonelli’s Eagle, Egyptian Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Eastern Mourning Wheatear, Scrub Warbler, Little Green Bee-eater, Rock Martin and Alpine Swift. This will be a site at which you’ll most certainly want your camera in order to capture the impossibly deep and narrow ravine!
Night at Gvulot
Day 11
Making another necessarily early start we’ll head again to Nizzana. Today though our angle of attack will be different. A small complex of pools and settling tanks nearby are the only areas of open water for miles around and therefore a vital water supply for desert species.
In the early mornings sandgrouse habitually travel large distances to come here to drink. We could encounter Black-bellied, Pin-tailed, Crowned or Spotted (or maybe even all 4 species!). Any waders and wildfowl in the area are likely to be located here too whilst Bluethroat, Water Pipit, Sardinian Warbler and Southern Grey Shrike will also be on our agenda.
Having exhausted the possibilities at Nizzana we’ll move to another area of desert/steppe at Urim. This exciting site should turn up a good selection of raptors with Eastern Imperial Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, Peregrine, Lanner, Pallid Harrier, Hen Harrier and Black Kite all very likely. The dashing and much wanted Saker also frequents this general area and we’ll hope to see one worrying the local Rock Doves and Skylarks. This is also one of the most reliable spots for the critically endangered Sociable Lapwing whilst Dotterel and Stone Curlew also winter hereabouts.
Night near Tel Aviv
Day 12
Transport will be provided back to Ben Gurion airport for flights home.
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