9 April 14 - Bonus Caspian Plover

It was another early start after being out for the Pharaoh Eagle Owl the previous evening. The plan was to get to the start of the Ovda Airport road, near to the Ne'ot Smadar kibbutz, for just after first light, to look for the previous afternoon's Caspian Plover. Soon after turning off the main road, we surprised a couple of Nubian Ibex crossing the road where the road cut through a hillside. Unfortunately, they were back up the hill & out of sight before I could get any photos.

Nubian Ibex: They are great looking animals as this roundabout in Eilat indicates (but not as large as this in real life)

The Caspian Plover had been found in an narrow green area around a dried up water course in a wider area of desert. But this area extended for 2 or 3 miles. We started exploring the area & were really impressed when Nigel announced he had relocated the female Caspian Plover soon after we arrived. We all had chance for good scope views, but without any reason the bird suddenly flew up & flew towards Ovda airport, before finally appearing to drop again after about 2 miles. Whilst disappointed I hadn't had the chance to get any photos, I was pleased to have seen this rare Western P species.

Caspian Plover: The illustration on the right gives you an idea what it looked like. The Pharaoh Eagle Owl was a tick for Edge & Simon

Crowned Sandgrouse: A party flew over, before finally landing. The short tail & black flight feathers on both upperwing & underwing rules out all the other Sandgrouse. This is the vastitas subspecies of the Israel, Jordon & the
Sinai deserts

The Caspian Plover area: The bird disappeared into the distance to the left

Another view of the Caspian Plover area

A more typical view of the area overlooking the Eilat - Yotvata valley: Which shows why the Caspian Plover area was a migrant trap

There was chance for a quick look at the Ne'ot Smadar kibbutz sewerage works, before heading back to Eilat for a late hotel breakfast.

Yellow Wagtail: Male of the feldegg subspecies also known as Black-headed Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail:  Yesterday's 'superciliaris' was a Black-headed Wagtail hybrid with another Yellow Wagtail subspecies. I really find it hard to see why the Dutch split the Yellow Wagtail complex into a number of species

Having had a filling breakfast, it was back to explore the saline water tanks at km 20 (North of Eilat). There is another fresh water tank at km 19 with a set of bush & scrub surrounded small pools between them. This whole area is great birding. It's possible to drive around the km 20 water tanks which is the best way to cover them & avoid disturbing the good numbers of Flamingos, Waders & Gulls. It's worth walking down to the km 19 water tank (from the km 20 water tanks) as there are a good selection of birds in the bushes, although the Dead Sea Sparrows & Indian Silverbills managed to elude us despite several visits. Migrants also funnel through this area, with Raptors on the move North overhead. The km 19 water tanks can also be reached from the main road. These are best watched by sitting on the bank & scanning with a telescope. We eventually found there was a small dirt/metalled road heading back towards the Eilat ringing area. This avoids the long detour North on the Yotvata dual carriageway to turn the car around & head back to Eilat. Wish we had spotted that local road sooner as we ended up going the long way back on the several visits.

The saline water tanks at km 20

The surrounding track was wide enough to allow you to drive around the tanks

Birding the saline tanks: Nigel, Simon & Edge

Bird Hide overlooking the saline tanks: Israeli Army design (large)

Squacco Heron

Glossy Ibis: The diagnostic shape with the mountains of Jordon behind

Greater Flamingo

Greater Flamingo

Egyptian Goose: These 3 individuals were considered to be introduced birds, rather than genuine vagrants from Egypt's Nile Valley or Sub-Saharan Africa

Osprey: Adult. The dark tail band & dark central band on the underwing indicates this is an adult bird

Osprey: Adult. The uniform upperwing also indicates this is an adult. This is the nominate haliaetus subspecies of the Palearctic, which winters to Africa, India & the Philippines

Osprey: Adult. Two minutes after the first photos, the Osprey was leaving again with lunch. Osprey or Swallow is probably the species I've seen in more countries than any other species

Imperial Eagle: Unfortunately, this North bound Imperial Eagle didn't pass close to us to allow a decent photo

Coot: There was a reasonably large flock on the km 19 water tank of the nominate atra subspecies

Black-winged Stilt: This was no consolation for missing 2 BW Stilts in Poole Harbour whilst I was in Israel (the first PH record since an unsubmitted Brownsea record in 1978)

Collared Pratincole: This is the nominate pratincola subspecies which is occurs from South Europe to Pakistan & winters South to Northern Sub-Saharan Africa 

Collared Pratincole: Collared Pratincoles aren't easy to separate from Black-winged Pratincoles or Oriental Pratincoles when seen on the ground, but in flight the reddish underwing & white trailing edge to the secondaries are diagnostic

Spur-winged Plover: This was a very common bird where ever there was a little bit of water

Ringed Plover: This is the tundrae subspecies (which are slightly smaller & darker) than the typical UK breeding subspecies (which is the nominate histicula)

Little Ringed Plover: This is the curonicus subspecies of the Norther Palearctic, which winters to Africa, Arabia, East China & Indonesia. Seems surprising that the nominate subspecies occurs in the Philippines, New Guinea & Bismarck Archipelago. I would have expected the type specimen to have been described somewhere in Europe

Kentish Plover: Male of the nominate alexandrinus subspecies which occurs from the Western Palearctic to Eastern China & Southern Japan, with 2 other subspecies in SE India to Sri Lanka and SE Asia, respectively

Kentish Plover: Female. It was fitting that my first KP was seen at Cliffe Lagoons in Kent

Kentish Plover: Chick. We think this was a KP, but there was no adult with it, although a KP was fairly close & was the nearest bird

Black-tailed Godwit: This is the nominate limosa subspecies. The birds I see in Dorset are the islandica birds which are part of the Iceland breeding population: which have the red of the breast extending further onto the lower breast & flanks compared to limosa individuals

Green Sandpiper

Little Stint: A fairly common migrant with up to 100 birds present at km 20 on our visits

Little Stint: Flight shot of a different individual

Ruff: It was good to see flocks of 20 to 40 Ruffs. In Poole Harbour, a couple of flocks of 4 last winter were the biggest I've seen in the harbour in 17 years of living there

Slender-billed Gull: Adult

Pied Kingfisher: This is the nominate rudis subspecies of Sub-Saharan Africa, Egypt, Israel, Turkey to Iran

Red-throated Pipit

Graceful Prinia: This is the palaestinae subspecies of East Sinai, South Israel, Lebanon, South Syria, North & West Jordon & NW Saudi Arabia. The deltae subspecies occurs further North in West & Central Israel

Spanish Sparrow: Male. The breeding birds are the transcaspicus subspecies of Israel to Turkey, Central & Eastern Asia to NW India. The nominate hispaniolensis subspecies of Southern Europe, North Africa & the islands off North Africa of Cape Verde, Canaries & Madeira is a less common winter visitor & migrant

Finally, by early afternoon, we decided to get out of the heat & retreated to the hotel to recharge the batteries in more than one way. Firstly, a chance to catch up on lost sleep as all these early starts and late nights were taking their toll. Secondly, it also gave me the opportunity to find a camera shop to recharge one of the camera batteries (as I had foolishly decided I could manage on my 2 batteries and had taken so many photos that the battery power was looking decidedly low & the charger was at home). After a lot of looking I tracked down a decent camera opposite Eilat airport, where the owner kindly recharged the battery for me. Late afternoon saw us heading to the beach, not for swimming, but because there were 2 or 3 White-cheeked Terns hanging around Aqaba on the Jordanian side of the border, but which sometimes came closer & fed off Eilat's North beach. This is a World Tick that I didn't think we had a chance of seeing, as they generally don't appear until much later in the Spring: but these sub adult birds had been around for a while.

Eilat's North Beach: The border is just behind these trees with Aqaba, Jordon in the background

Eilat's North Beach: Looking South with the Jordon - Saudi Arabia border somewhere in the picture

Caspian Tern: No mistaking this bill

White-cheeked Tern: My one chance when a bird came into Eilat waters & I blew it. Still it does show the fine bill & contrast between the inner & outer primaries

Finally, it was on to Eilat's Dolphin Reef where 2 Little Green Herons had been hanging around. The light was starting to go now, but we were all happy when I picked up a bird flying from the pontoon surrounding the Dolphin enclosure. A great end to a day with a World Tick & 2 additional Western P ticks: none of which were on my expected trip list.

Bottle-nosed Dolphin: Dolphin Reef - not a place I would be prepared to pay to see Dolphins. They should be in the sea & swimming free, not in a sea cage as these Dolphins are (note, we were looking from a public car park, not the Dolphin Reef attraction)

25 Jan 14 - More Birds At Tal Chappar

Rather than head straight to the Tal Chappar sanctuary, we spent the first couple of hours birding to the North of Chappar village. There are scattered groups of trees here which are home to the enigmatic Indian Spotted Creeper. I was luck enough to have seen one at Bharatpur in 91, but was keen to see another & it was still an Indian tick for Bill. Unfortunately, after a couple of hours we had drawn a blank, not helped by some fairly imprecise directions (again) for the best area.

Wryneck: Always happy to see this strange Woodpecker

Indian Red-winged Busklark

Indian Red-winged Busklark

White-eared Bulbul: Me & my shadow

Desert Lesser Whitethroat

Eastern Pied Wheatear: This is also known as Variable Wheatear as there are 3 distinct colour forms across its range. All the other Eastern Pied Wheatears seen were the picata form which have a white belly. However, this looks like the opistholeuca form which is essentially black with a white vent & it should be wintering in Northern Pakistan 

Large Grey Babbler: The dark bill, black lores & intense yellow eye separate it from Jungle Babbler

Finally, we abandoned the Indian Spotted Creeper site & headed of to the pakora stall for a filling breakfast. Next stop was the Tal Chappar sanctuary where the main quest was Stoliczka's Bushchat. This looks an obvious species in it's male Summer plumage, but given it was still January it was going to be a lot harder to pick out from the female Siberian Stonechats in the park. This wasn't helped by Stoliczka's Bushchat being far more of a ground feeder than the Siberian Stonechats are & hence much easier to overlook in the knee high grass.

Red-naped Ibis: The white shoulder patch immediately separates this species from Glossy Ibis

Red-naped Ibis: They are much broader winged than Glossy Ibis (see the The Grey & Brown Of Gujarat post for a Glossy Ibis in flight)

Red-naped Ibis: I think this is a better name than it's alternative name of Indian Black Ibis

Pallid Harrier: Male. The black is limited to a narrow wedge in the wing, compared to the male Montagu's & Hen Harriers, where the black continues to the leading edge. Note, the clean grey underwing, which separates it from a male Montagu's Harrier

Montagu's Harrier: Male. Note the black on the leading edge of the upperwing primaries. This photo also shows the 2 dark bars on the underwing secondaries & fine rufous barring on the underwing coverts. Montagu's Harriers also have a black bar on the upperwing secondaries (the far end of which is just visible on this photo)

Tawny Eagle: Worn adult. This Eagle has a shorter, narrower hand (end of wing) & doesn't have the bulging secondaries of Steppe Eagle

Tawny Eagle: Immature. The underwing coverts are paler than the flight feathers & it has a pale inner primary flash & a narrow white trailing edge to the secondaries

Tawny Eagle: Immature. A second individual

Tawny Eagle: Dark phase adult

Imperial Eagle: Juvenile with broad white tips to secondaries & greater coverts & pale streaking on the rest of the wing & mantle. Note, the fairly long yellow gape

Demoiselle Crane: Showing how difficult it will be to find a ground feeding Bushchat in a small clearing in the grass

Demoiselle Crane: The track we were on went close to where they were feeding

Demoiselle Crane: Unfortunately, there weren't any other tracks we could have taken to avoid flushing them

Indian Roller: I needed to brighten up this post

Paddyfield Pipit: Quickly back to dull coloured birds again

Siberian Stonechat: Female

Isabelline Wheatear: Note, the black tail, uniform pale upperparts, heavy bill & head and black alula

Wild Boar: We saw several parties of Wild Boar in the sanctuary which had some domestic or inbred genes in them as well as the normal grey looking Wild Boar