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Eilat - BirdForum Opus


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Eilat Mountains (digital painting)
Artwork by A. Meir

Israel

Overview

While Eliat is a large Red Sea port in Israel, its location renders the area as a major overland bridge, and bottleneck, for migratory birds between Europe, Asia and Africa. This bottle neck is said to serve hundreds of millions of migratory birds and is a place where they prepare themselves to cross the austere Sahara desert on their trip. [1]

Birds

Notable Species

Seasons of the year have a large influence on what you might be more likely to encounter here. [2]

In the Spring, around March, the potential is high to see species of warblers, bee-eaters, Lesser Kestrel, In the mountains during that time look for Steppe Eagle, Black Kite, and Black Stork to name a few. Moving into April the potential increases for large numbers of passerines and birds of prey. Then May offers the potential for a very large number of species of Honey-buzzards.

Then as it evolves into Summer, be prepared for some good sightings of sea species along with the common breeding species. Significant numbers of Common Tern and Little Tern have historically been seen. Even rarer species such as the Lesser Crested Tern, White-cheeked Tern, and Bridled Tern have been seen in double figures. Venturing into the desert habitat can afford the possibility of sightings of breeding species such as the Trumpeter Finch, and Hoopoe Larks, and Wheatears.

As the weather begins its Autumn cooling, expect to see large numbers of species heading south from their breeding grounds. These can include many Blackcaps, Lesser Whitethroat , Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Willow Warbler, and species of shrikes, pipits, and larks. Later on as the season moves into November, the Steppe Eagle begins to be a possibility as well as rarities like the Oriental Skylark begin to show up as well as notable numbers of waders migrating.

When Winter becomes apparent, expect wintering species such as bluethroats, Dead Sea Sparrow, Sinai Rosefinch, and others.


Rarities

Lesser Crested Tern
Photo © by A. Meir
Eilat Israel July, 2007

Again depending on the season, species regarded as rare here[2] [3]can include: Lesser Crested Tern, White-cheeked Tern, Bridled Tern, Oriental Skylark, Arctic Warbler, Green Warbler, Dusky Warbler, Pallas's Leaf Warbler, Asian House Martin, Common Grasshopper-Warbler, Red-tailed Shrike, Broad-billed Roller, to name a few.

Check-list

Birds you can see here include:

Lesser Kestrel, Steppe Eagle, Black Kite, Black Stork, Common Tern, Little Tern, Lesser Whitethroat , Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Willow Warbler, Oriental Skylark, Dead Sea Sparrow, Sinai Rosefinch, Common Buzzard, European Honey Buzzard, White Stork, Levant Sparrowhawk, Common Swift, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Garganey, Red-rumped Swallow, Greater Flamingo

Other Wildlife

Saw-scaled Viper
Photo by A. Meir
Eilat, Israel, October 2008

One of the more poisonous snakes in the Eilat area is the Saw-scaled Viper. [4]

Other potential species of wildlife can include hedgehogs, foxes, bats, porcupines, and turtles. [5]

Site Information

History and Use

To do

Areas of Interest

To do

Access and Facilities

Ramon International Airport (ETM) serves Eliat, Israel.

Consult a trusted travel professional for specific, up-to-date information.

Contact Details

To do

References

  1. Eilat Birding Center - https://eilatbirds.com/en/
  2. BirdLife Israel - IBRCE – Eliat Birdwatching Center - https://www.birds.org.il/en/birding-center/id/70
  3. eBird - https://ebird.org/region/IL?yr=all&m=&rank=hc&hs_sortBy=count&hs_o=desc
  4. JSTOR - https://www.jstor.org/stable/23327192
  5. Nature Israel - https://www.natureisrael.com/wildlife

Recommended Citation


External Links

Maps

  1. Eilat on Google Maps



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