ISRAEL 15TH - 22ND MARCH 2009

Our first visit to Southern Israel for nine years proved to be one of our most successful ever tours with 172 species recorded during the week. The undoubted highlights were a trio of rare waders in the form of a superb male Caspian Plover, a breeding plumaged male Kittlitz's Plover and a self found Sociable Plover that proved a big hit with other birders during its stay. A male Black Bush Robin was another big rarity seen, while other uncommon or localized species seen included at least three spectacular Nubian Nightjars, a Cyprus Warbler, an adult White-eyed Gull, two Siberian Stonechats, a pair of Hoopoe Larks, three Sinai Rosefinch, ten Cream-coloured Courser, two displaying McQueens Bustards, a Little Crake and three Namaqua Doves. Raptor and soaring bird migration was just getting under way with approximate totals for the week of three thousand Steppe Buzzard, three hundred Black Kite, twenty Short-toed Eagle, ten Booted Eagle, twenty Steppe Eagle, five male Pallid Harrier, ten Marsh Harrier, three hundred White and ten Black Stork and two hundred Common Crane, while two Barbary Falcons, three Peregrine, a Griffon Vulture and eight Egyptian Vultures were also noted. Exciting residents such as Blackstart, Little Green Bee-eater, Palestine Sunbird, Western Reef Heron, Arabian and Scrub Warblers and Clamorous Reed Warbler were all noted. Male Hooded and Mourning Wheatears gave excellent views, as did several male Ruppell's Warblers, Creztchmar's Buntings, Common Quails, Bar-tailed and Desert Larks, Trumpeter Finch, Slender-billed Gulls, Desert Finches, Caspian Gulls, White-winged Black Tern, Black-bellied, Crowned and Spotted Sandgrouse, Dead Sea Sparrows, White-throated Kingfisher, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Masked, Woodchat and Southern Grey Shrikes, Bimaculated Lark, Eastern Bonelli's, Olivaceous and Orphean Warblers and Arabian Babblers. Common migrants included thousands of Lesser Whitethroats, Common Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Yellow and White Wagtails, Greater Short-toed Lark, Pallid Swift, Red-rumped Swallow, Black-eared and Isabelline Wheatears, as well as lesser numbers of Little Stint, Kentish Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Ruff, Little Gull and Greater Flamingo. Phew!! We will be returning 15th -22nd March 2010 and if this tour interests you, we would strongly recommend early booking as places are certain to sell out quickly.