I went out yesterday to see whether there had been any change in migration patterns at two main locations, Qa es- Sa'eddin (Km 76) and Yotvata.
At Qa es- Sa'eddin I had a Blackstart, a Black Redstart (female), a group of about 40 Spanish Sparrows practicing synchronized flying, one Marsh Harrier, three Bar-tailed Larks and over 90 Trumpeter Finches. There were also three Bar-tailed Larks and two Sardinian Warblers. We still have Stonechats around, a total of seven. The Southern Grey Shrike that usually is there I saw again for the first time in a long time. I photographed it while it was surveying the area from inside Jordanian territory, close to the border. Here is a picture:
Going to Yotvata, tried for the Little Bunting, but was unsuccessful. There were less than the usual number of Red-throated Pipits about, maybe it is a sign that it is no longer there, but we need to come back several times more to be sure. Yotvata is at the moment Swift heaven, with a majority of Common Swifts (about 150), but also sizable numbers of Pallid Swifts about (maybe 40). In addition, there were House Martins, a few Barn Swallows and Rock Martins galore. One of the three Imperial Eagles that are wintering here could be seen well, but the interesting bird was the Oriental Skylark. There is a small flock of Skylarks that I see regularly flying about, and was looking for the Oriental Skylarks that we had seen a few weeks ago. I did see one individual. I bring you the picture I shot yesterday, and one from four weeks ago.
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| Oriental Skylark |
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| Oriental Skylark |
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| Imperial Eagle |
David
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