Cold Northern Winds

Last night I did a trap round around 8, this resulted in two reaaaally cute Desert Hedgehogs and 1 Orphean Warbler in a trap.

Awhh cute hedgies!

What a difference in temperature suddenly.. I'm sitting outside now with my sweater on, unlike the previous days. It is also snowing and raining again in the north!

The temperatures today very much reminded me of Holland in summer. Maybe I should be happy that it isn't that warm yet here, since warm temperatures are on their way for sure. Still, I would appreciate a few degrees higher. So from 18 degrees to 23 degrees orso.

Also now, we had a very clear view on everything. I decided to take some photos of the surroundings, since I haven't posted that many pictures yet of what Eilat and it surroundings look like. So here they come!

 The lake of the IBRCE with the Hasakee in front!

A view from the IBRCE park on the saltpans and the hotels along the beach of Eilat.

This is one of the large Heligoland traps we catch birds with. This is trap number 8.

This morning we had many swallows in the pond nets, 80 House Martins and some Red-rumped and Barn Swallows!

The trend of many birds continued, only slightly fewer birds than the past few days. The quality was, as always, good again, with Little Bittern, recapture Little Crake, Subalpine Warbler, Rock Martin, Eastern Black-eared Wheatears, Tawny Pipit and Cretzchsmar's Buntings.

Migration improved today with more Steppe Buzzards passing by, most of them going really low over the park. We had 8 Black Storks (one group of 7) and some Steppe Eagles.

 Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus), adult male

  Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus), adult male

Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala), adult male; these common but beautiful species may not be absent in photos ofcourse.

In the afternoon I slept for a very long time and had dreams, about catching Collared Doves in large Heligoland traps (including a nice song along) and in my dream I was also on the beach, with the IBRCE team... haha. 

At 16.00 we went to do a bit of birdwatching. Roni, Christian, Yael and I first went to Shahamon Park in the SW-part of Eilat and then left for the North Beach. At the park we did not see many birds, just a Woodchat Shrike. At the North Beach we did not only see one Brown Booby, but also found the second individual! One of the birds had fish wire around his leg, we noticed this while it was flying around above the Gulf of Aquaba. Furthermore some of the usual birds; Sandwich Terns and some White-eyed Gulls.

Gulf of Aquaba, with the hotels of Eilat on the left, and Aquaba on the right. As you can see: a clear view!

And last but not least today's ringing totals:

Balkan Warbler 4 - 2

Barn Swallow 26 - 1

Blackcap 41 -

Bluethroat - 1

Chiffchaff 2 - 6

Common Whitethroat 10 - 2

Cretchsmar's Bunting 7 - 1

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear 2 -

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler 4 -

Eastern Orphean Warbler 21 - 6

House Martin 80 -

House Sparrow 2 - 1

Laughing Dove 1 - 1

Lesser Whitethroat 78 - 26

Little Bittern 1 -

Little Crake - 1

Penduline Tit 1 -

Red-rumped Swallow 26 - 4

Redstart 5 - 2

Reed Warbler 1 -

Rock Martin 1 -

Rueppel's Warbler 2 -

Sand Martin 3 -

Sardinian Warbler 1 - 4

Savi's Warbler 2 -

Sedge Warbler 2 - 1

Spanish Sparrow 3 -

Subalpine Warbler 1 -

Tawny Pipit 1 -

White Wagtail 1 -

White-spectacled Bulbul 1 - 4 TOTAL 331- 60