ISRAEL 16–23 March 2009 23–30 March 2009 Leader: James P. Smith

Israel is one of the world's finest migration hotspots, especially for raptors, storks and songbirds. Millions of northbound migrants find the vegetation around Eilat and the Arava Valley an irresistible place to stop and feed on their long journey. Many Middle Eastern specialities reach the edge of their range here overlapping in range with some African species such as Namaqua Dove. Extra-limital vagrants are discovered here with some regularity, and the comfortable conditions and favourable climate all add to Israel's popularity as a top birding destination. With our new itinerary this is a tour not to be missed.

Day 1 Early morning flight from a London airport to Ovda, about 40 minutes from Eilat. We arrive in the late afternoon and check into our ideally situated hotel where we will be based for the next seven nights.

Day 2 An introductory pre-breakfast walk is the norm for the first hours of daylight. We will not be disappointed: one can expect to see Yellow-vented Bulbul, Laughing Dove, House Crow, Rüppell's, Eastern Olivaceous and Eastern Bonelli's Warblers, White and Black-headed Wagtails, Woodchat and Masked Shrikes, Tree Pipit, Bluethroat, Eurasian Wryneck and many other migrants. After breakfast we will explore the variety of habitats within the short driving distance from Eilat. We should see our first Little Green Bee-eaters hawking for insects and Spur-winged Lapwings are common. As the day warms up, Black Kites, Steppe Buzzards and Baltic Gulls will start passing overhead, some of them quite low and, on a good day, we will see literally thousands of them accompanied by Steppe Eagles and an occasional Short-toed, Booted, Eastern Imperial Eagle or Greater Spotted Eagle thrown in for good measure! The Date Palms may hold more migrants which could include Semi-collared Flycatcher, Common Redstarts of the eastern race (samamisicus) and, surprisingly, in the small irrigation puddles, Little Ringed Plover, Wood Sandpiper or Squacco Heron as well as Namaqua Doves close by. On one evening, we will try a very special drinking spot at dusk for Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse before returning to our hotel for dinner.

Day 3 Today we will start early to visit a site in the desert about 20 miles away. At first sight the stony desert looks rather devoid of life, with just a few scattered Acacia trees and bushes. However, the area can be excellent and with patience, we could find Cream-coloured Courser, Bar-tailed, Short-toed and Crested Larks, Desert, Northern, Isabelline and Black-eared Wheatears and possibly Asian Desert Warbler. We may also turn up one of the rarities that have been seen on recent trips such as Cyprus Pied Wheatear. In mid-morning we will move on to a settlement area known as Yotvata, which has an excellent air-conditioned restaurant! This handy location has excellent birding close by and, in the Acacia trees around the complex, we will look for the elusive Arabian Warbler, endemic to the Red Sea basin. Whilst searching we should find Barbary Falcon, Hoopoe, Blackstart, Sardinian and Rüppell's Warblers, Tristram's Grackle and Brown-necked Raven. Previous visits have often come across a surprise bird: Pallid Harrier, Oriental Lark, Rufous Bush Robin, Hume's Warbler and Thrush Nightingale. The Acacia scrub here has the best record in Israel for attracting Black Bush Robin. Returning south towards Eilat, we will stop off at more Date Palm plantations that have a reputation for turning up scarce migrants including Rufous-tailed Rock-thrush, Bimaculated Lark and Cinereous Bunting. The scarce resident Indian Silverbill can also be found here and the Cretzschmar's and Ortolan Buntings are worth searching through as in 2005 we saw a superb male Rustic Bunting with them. Red-throated and Tawny Pipits are often common here. A little further down the road is a series of salt pools that are an absolute magnet for migrants. Greater Flamingo is the most conspicuous bird and there will be plenty to see including Common and possibly Ruddy Shelducks, Kentish Plover and Greater Sandplovers, Little Stint, Ruff and maybe even Broad-billed, Curlew or Marsh Sandpiper. Slender-billed Gulls are numerous and Little and Great Black-headed Gulls can also be found. Some cultivations nearby bring in more migrants and Common Quails can be ridiculously easy to see at this spot. The whole area is a magnet for rarities including Demoiselle Crane and Grey Hypocolius recorded on previous Birdfinders tours. To the west of the salt pools, the scenery changes dramatically as we drive across the desert to reach Amram's pillars. The change in bird species is equally dramatic as suddenly we're in the habitat of Sand Partridge, Hooded Wheatear, Blackstart and Desert Lark. Sinai Rosefinch winter here but are unpredictable by mid-March. Returning to Eilat, our last stop will be at the north beach, where birdwatchers from all over gather to exchange information. We will still be seeing new birds here with Striated Heron, Western Reef-egret, White-eyed Gull and Pied Kingfisher being top of the list. This is also a good place to see Great Black-headed, Siberian, Caspian and Armenian Gulls whilst rarities including Soft-plumaged Petrel, Brown Booby and Bridled Tern have been seen by Birdfinders groups.

Day 4 Today we will make our early morning excursion (with a packed breakfast) into the Negev desert, bound for Nizzana. After a three-hour drive, we will arrive soon after dawn to look for Macqueen's Bustard. Also present in the area are Cream-coloured Coursers and, on one trip, we found a superb male Finsch's Wheatear. Other regular species include Chukar, Spectacled Warbler, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Black-bellied, Spotted and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Desert and Isabelline Wheatears. Raptors often feature here: Golden Eagles are rare residents and Long-legged Buzzard and Lesser Spotted Eagle and all four species of harrier pass through this area. In the middle of the day we will visit a restaurant at our overnight lodgings in a very comfortable kibbutz guesthouse. The birding in the grounds can be excellent with Barn and Long-eared Owls and several pairs of Syrian Woodpeckers present. Graceful Prinia is abundant here. Other breeding species not present in the southern desert include Great Spotted Cuckoo, Eurasian Blackbird, Great Tit and European Goldfinch! The mature wooded grounds can actually host some very good migrants including Blue Rock-thrush, Common and Thrush Nightingales, Eastern Orphean Warbler and Collared Flycatcher. Later in the day we'll explore a nearby riverbed, which can hold Purple Swamphen. We'll also take a look at some vast agricultural fields that act as a staging area for huge numbers of White Storks and Common Cranes, and also support quite a few raptors with an outside chance of Saker Falcon. Dinner and overnight at the kibbutz guesthouse.

Day 5 There may be an opportunity for some pre-breakfast birding in the grounds of the kibbutz and Eurasian Thick-knee is possible as is White-breasted Kingfisher. After a tasty kibbutz breakfast we'll head out across the Negev towards the Dead Sea checking for Eurasian Griffon-vultures and Egyptian Vultures, Bonelli's Eagle and Lanner Falcon along the way. Desert residents worth looking out for include Sand Partridge, Mourning Wheatear, Scrub Warbler, Arabian Babbler and the desert form of Little Owl and there is a possibility of Long-billed Pipit. By midday we will have reached the Dead Sea at Ein Gedi, the surroundings of a very large Kibbutz where we have seen White-breasted Kingfisher and House Bunting. En Gedi is famous for its natural springs, therapeutic minerals and bathing beach as well as the numerous spectacular gorges in the area. We shall have time for those that want to have a dip in the Dead Sea! The distinctive Fan-tailed Raven is common here and one can also find Brown-necked and the much rarer Common Raven. After lunch we will return south to a fish farm at the southern end of the Dead Sea where Spotted, Little and Baillon's Crakes are possible as well as Clamorous Reed-warbler and Dead Sea Sparrow. Later we will go with a local guide to a highly restricted area to look for one of the last pairs of Nubian Nightjars in the Western Palearctic. We will be too late for our evening meal at the hotel but will stop for refreshments on the way back to Eilat.

Day 6 After breakfast today we will keep our agenda open to look for newly arrived migrants or perhaps some raptor migration. How we proceed during the day depends on the latest bird news. We may visit the Eilat Mountains for White-crowned Black Wheatear, Trumpeter Finch and Palestine Sunbird. A late-wintering Cyprus Warbler, or a migrant Pale Rock Sparrow is worth looking for in some of the wadis. Not far out of town are some sewage pools that are often swarming with birds. Great White Pelican, White-tailed Lapwing, Jack Snipe, Citrine Wagtail, Buff-bellied Pipit and Bluethroat have all been seen on previous occasions and the air can be alive with hirundines and swifts including Pallid and Alpine Swifts, Red-rumped Swallow and Rock Martin. In the afternoon we may head north again to check some areas for Greater Hoopoe-lark which has become very difficult to see in Israel in recent years.

Day 7 We will spend the day in a relaxed manner, revisiting sites around Eilat looking for species that may have eluded us. The day will be split into two halves so that those who wish to can visit the Coral Sea Underwater Observatory or the several shopping centres. Every day is different at migration time and we should be ready for virtually anything to show up. Real rarities in previous years have included Egyptian Nightjar, Dunn's, Temminck's and Thick-billed Larks, Basra Reed-warbler, Ménétries's Warbler, Pied Stonechat, Red-tailed Wheatear and Rose-colored Starling whilst more regular species included European Scops-owl and Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. Also, on one of the evenings during the week, we will try for one of the rarest of all desert residents, Hume's Tawny Owl. Such is the rarity and sensitivity to disturbance of this difficult owl that we can't give details of the location here.

Day 8 We will spend our final morning in relaxed birding mode around the Eilat area. We usually visit a local site for the last few hours feeling rather sorry to leave it all behind.

General Information Though afternoons can be hot, as high as 30ºC, early mornings can be chilly. As well as a sun hat you will need a warm layer or two. Rain is also a possibility in March and mornings in the high Negev can be distinctly cold at times. However, this is a desert climate and it's essential to drink plenty, so a water bottle is a good idea. There are no compulsory health requirements and most of the area is pleasantly insect free. Walking is generally easy, although in the heat of the day it can sometimes be tiring. Some walks along the wadis need a little extra effort. Visas are not necessary. The areas we are visiting are entirely safe but do be prepared for extra security measures at the airport which is perfectly normal for travel in and out of Israel. The itinerary is designed to be flexible in order to accommodate changes in weather patterns, bird migration and habitat changes. Expect about 190 species.

Group size Minimum number for tour to go ahead: 8; maximum group size: 7 with 1 leader, 14 with 2 leaders.

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