Foggy dust, dusty fog

March 20th,

It was already noticable in the morning: this is going to be a day full of dust! While opening the nets the dust sprung of the nets, like dew drops in the early morning. We were totally alone yesterday as we couldn't see Jordan nor Eilat nor Eilat Mountains, just the IBCRE park!

Birds were grounded by the dust which meant quite a few retraps but still new arrival of birds. In the first round Yotam came back with this lovely adult male Siberian Stonechat ssp. variegatus:

One hell of a bird!~

Other nice birds included some Swifts and a Wryneck. The days total was 177 new and about 40 recaptures. 

Swift (Apus apus)

Balkan Warbler 1 -

Barn Swallow 8 – 1

Blackcap 15 -

Bluethroat 2 -

Chiffchaff 11 – 5

Collared Dove 2 -

Common Whitethroat 5 – 1

Cretzchsmar’s Bunting 2 – 1

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler 1 -

Eastern Orphean Warbler 5 – 3

House Martin 50 – 1

House Sparrow 1 -

Laughing Dove 1 -

Lesser Whitethroat 56 – 8

Red-rumped Swallow 4 -

Redstart 1 -

Reed Warbler 4 -

Sardinian Warbler – 1

Savi’s Warbler 1 -

Siberian Stonechat 1 -

Spanish Sparrow 1 -

Swift 4 -

Tree Pipit 1 -

White-spectacled Bulbul – 1

Wryneck 1 – TOTAL 177 - 22

We finished the wader traps in the afternoon and had to go to the city to pick up an exhausted Swift, found by someone. We also needed some plastic bottles to finish our heron trap. 

 Homeless guy searching for plastic bottles

 The salt pans of Eilat, barely visible

 Dust in Eilat Mountains aswell.

The Moustached Cat

In the evening we made a round in the dark seeing Scops Owl, Stone Curlews, some Isabelline Wheatears.

Stone Curlew