I received this from Michael Price, a former tweeter.

> > >> > > The Israeli ornithologist Yossi Leshem is no ordinary
>> >> > > twitcher. An expert in bird migration patterns across
>> >> > > the Middle East, he has turned his passion into a
>> >> > > small industry responsible for saving the Israeli air
>> >> > > force more than half a billion dollars in hardware -
>> >> > > and, no doubt, the lives of several pilots. Fred
>> >> > > Pearce hears how he has even turned migrating birds
>> >> > > into unlikely emissaries for peace.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > Were you always a birdman?
>> >> > >
>> >> > > When I was a child, my mother often took me hiking on
>> >> > > Mount Carmel. She always said she couldn't tell a bird
>> >> > > from a donkey, but the walks made me a nature-lover.
>> >> > > Since I was very young, I have dreamed of flying like
>> >> > > the birds I saw soaring over that mountain. I wanted
>> >> > > to become a pilot in the Israeli air force. But I had
>> >> > > bad eyesight and needed glasses, so I had to join the
>> >> > > army instead. When I left military service, I took up
>> >> > > birding.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > Why is Israel so special for birds?
>> >> > >
>> >> > > It is positioned at the junction of three continents.
>> >> > > For politics that is a disaster, but for bird watching
>> >> > > it is a Garden of Eden. We are a bottleneck for bird
>> >> > > migrations, one of the top places in the world. You
>> >> > > can see about 540 species here, including 35 different
>> >> > > raptors. A billion individual migrating birds come
>> >> > > through every year. You can see white storks, lesser
>> >> > > spotted eagles, honey buzzards and white pelicans.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > They all use this land bridge between Africa, Asia and
>> >> > > Europe. Many heavy birds have to travel overland
>> >> > > because they need the thermal currents created by the
>> >> > > sun heating the land. The thermals lift them to
>> >> > > heights from which they can glide and conserve energy.
>> >> > > These soaring birds fly only during the day and avoid
>> >> > > crossing large bodies of water like the Mediterranean.
>> >> > > They prefer narrow valleys and mountain chains, where
>> >> > > the uplift is strongest. The rift valley is perfect
>> >> > > for this, and it makes Israel an international
>> >> > > crossroads for birds.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > But the birds are not alone up there...
>> >> > >
>> >> > > No. Israel has a higher density of fighter aircraft in
>> >> > > its airspace than anywhere else in the world. So there
>> >> > > is a huge conflict between flying machines and flying
>> >> > > birds. Collisions are a big danger, for the birds of
>> >> > > course, but also for our aircraft. Many more Israeli
>> >> > > aircraft have been downed by birds than by enemy air
>> >> > > battles in the last three decades.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > How did you get involved with this problem?
>> >> > >
>> >> > > I was studying ornithology and looking for a topic for
>> >> > > my PhD. I was involved in a study of the almost
>> >> > > extinct lappet-faced vulture at Eilat on the Red Sea,
>> >> > > where Danish raptor experts had counted hundreds of
>> >> > > thousands of raptors using just telescopes and
>> >> > > binoculars. In 1980, we started an annual study of the
>> >> > > autumn migration of raptors across Israel. A pilot
>> >> > > suggested we should try and get a plane to go up on a
>> >> > > busy day for bird migration and see if there were more
>> >> > > birds aloft than we could see from the ground.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > I thought this might make a good research project, and
>> >> > > I went to the air force to try to get a plane. While I
> > >> > > was there, they showed me the data on 10 years of
>> >> > > collisions between aircraft and birds over Israel. I
>> >> > > could not believe it. It was all secret data, so
>> >> > > nobody knew about it publicly. But they had lost five
>> >> > > aircraft, and there were more than three collisions
>> >> > > causing major damage every year. They felt really
> > >> > > helpless against this enemy.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > It sounds unlikely that a bird could down a fighter
>> >> > > plane.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > Yes. But when a white pelican weighing 10 kilograms
>> >> > > hits a plane going at 800 kilometers an hour, at the
>> >> > > point of impact there will be a force exerted on the
>> >> > > plane equivalent to about 100 tons. It's devastating.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > And you told them you could help?
>> >> > >
>> >> > > I told them I thought I could map the soaring birds'
>> >> > > migration patterns and give the military forecasts,
>> >> > > and real-time information, so they could avoid flying
>> >> > > among the birds. To underline the point, I told them
>> >> > > that during two weeks in May a million honey buzzards
>> >> > > would be coming over the country.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > Not long afterwards, I got home late one night and
>> >> > > there was a message from a colonel asking me to be in
>> >> > > his office at 8 am the next morning. At that meeting,
>> >> > > he told me that a honey buzzard had just destroyed a
>> >> > > $5 million Skyhawk flying near Hebron. The pilot
>> >> > > survived because the bird came right through the
>> >> > > windscreen and hit his ejector handle. It literally
>> >> > > ejected him. He broke his neck, but he recovered.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > I have since joked to that pilot that the timing of
>> >> > > his accident was perfect. It made my career. I started
>> >> > > work on my PhD at Tel Aviv University with the air
>> >> > > force. And around the same time the problem became
>> >> > > worse. Before 1983 Israeli planes did their training
>> >> > > mostly over Sinai, but that year we gave Sinai back to
>> >> > > Egypt. Suddenly we had much more limited air space,
>> >> > > and the planes were concentrated in the middle of the
>> >> > > birds' flight paths.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > How did you go about mapping the birds?
>> >> > >
>> >> > > To start with, we used information from bird-watchers'
>> >> > > surveys. For more than 20 years, we have had hundreds
>> >> > > of foreign ornithologists coming here to do a complete
>> >> > > bird migration transect across the country. We pay for
>> >> > > their lodgings. They love it. They get a free
>> >> > > bird-watching holiday and we get fantastic
>> >> > > information.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > Since 1983, we have also used radar at Ben-Gurion
>> >> > > international airport near Tel Aviv. At first, the
>> >> > > experts told me that you could not see birds using
>> >> > > radar. In fact, most air traffic people tune the radar
>> >> > > so that it doesn't pick out birds, which confuse their
>> >> > > tracking of aircraft. We discovered that if we retuned
>> >> > > the radar, we could spot the birds quite well.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > In 1984 I produced the first map of what we call
>> >> > > bird-plague zones, areas where the soaring birds are
>> >> > > flying. Pilots are told to keep out of these areas.
>> >> > > The only exception is during times of war. The maps
>> >> > > are hung in the briefing rooms of every squadron
>> >> > > during bird-migration seasons. It wasn't perfect to
>> >> > > start with, but it was a start and the pilots
>> >> > > appreciated it.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > What were the shortcomings?
>> >> > >
>> >> > > The one thing neither the radar nor the people on the
>> >> > > ground were good at was calculating the height of the
>> >> > > bird flocks accurately. For that, I needed to go
>> >> > > aloft. We tried a Cessna aircraft, but it was too fast
>> >> > > and noisy for tracking birds. And normal aircraft
>> >> > > cannot stay aloft for long enough to follow birds for
>> >> > > a whole day. So I used a motorized glider. We could
>> >> > > fly that for up to 11 hours at a stretch. It was
>> >> > > perfect. I could literally fly with the birds,
> > >> > > climbing with them on the thermals and then gliding.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > The birds generally follow one of three known routes.
>> >> > > But the height at which they fly varies, depending on
>> >> > > conditions. Usually soaring birds keep to around 3000
>> >> > > feet. But when the thermals are strong they can go up
>> >> > > to 10,000 feet. And during temperature inversions when
> > >> > > the air is stable they may not go above 300 feet. So
>> >> > > it is critical that the pilots get detailed forecasts
>> >> > > and real-time information.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > It sounds like a perfect marriage of your enthusiasms.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > My childhood dream became a reality. I have flown 1400
>> >> > > hours on 230 bird-tracking sorties.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > Have you saved aircraft too?
>> >> > >
>> >> > > Since we produced the first maps, the rate of bird
>> >> > > collisions with Israeli military aircraft has fallen
>> >> > > by three-quarters. In the past 20 years, only two
>> >> > > aircraft have been lost to bird collisions. The air
>> >> > > force estimates we have saved it $660 million in lost
>> >> > > aircraft, as well as the lives of several pilots, of
>> >> > > course.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > We now have radar stations monitoring the birds in the
>> >> > > Negev desert as well as at our International Center
>> >> > > for the Study of Bird Migration, which I set up at
>> >> > > Latrun at the foot of the Jerusalem hills
>> >> > > (www.birds.org.il). The monitoring system there
>> >> > > operates 24 hours a day, seven months a year,
>> >> > > providing daily bird forecasts and real-time warnings.
>> >> > > It is as routine as the weather forecast.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > What do Israel's neighbours think of all this?
>> >> > >
>> >> > > The military people are quite interested, because they
>> >> > > have similar problems with bird collisions. During
>> >> > > joint maneuvers over Turkey five years ago, Israel
>> >> > > almost lost an F-16 when it collided with a buzzard.
>> >> > > Our next step is to try to set up a regional warning
>> >> > > system, linking the Israeli, Turkish and Jordanian air
>> >> > > forces. There have been meetings with both Jordan and
>> >> > > Turkey, but nothing is operational yet. I see
>> >> > > cooperation over this problem as a catalyst for peace
>> >> > > in the region.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > How does it work for peace?
>> >> > >
>> >> > > The centre at Latrun has been one of the pioneers in
>> >> > > tracking migrating birds using tiny satellite
>> >> > > transmitters attached to the birds. We have been
>> >> > > following the migrations of white storks, griffon
>> >> > > vultures and other birds that nest in summer across
>> >> > > central Europe. As well as allowing us to study and
>> >> > > protect their stopover sites, this project has been a
>> >> > > big educational tool, illustrating our slogan that
>> >> > > migrating birds know no boundaries. We hope the birds
>> >> > > can be a symbol of peace. We give the ones we track
>> >> > > Christian, Muslim and Jewish names, like Fatimah,
>> >> > > Ahmed, Leah and Anna-Marie, and people can track them
>> >> > > on our website.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > For example, we have been tracking a white stork we
>> >> > > call Princess for 10 years. She nests each summer 50
>> >> > > kilometers west of Berlin. She originally had a mate
>> >> > > who migrated with her to Africa, going to Sudan and on
>> >> > > to Cape Town. But she lost him and got another mate,
>> >> > > Jonas, in 2001. They are unusual because they go their
>> >> > > separate ways in winter. He goes to Spain while she
>> >> > > still goes to Africa. But each spring he comes back to
>> >> > >
>> >> > > Germany and prepares the nest before she arrives. It's
>> >> > > a nice story, though exceptional.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > Tell me about your work with Palestinian
>> >> > > ornithologists?
>> >> > >
>> >> > > We have a joint venture with the Palestinian Wildlife
>> >> > > Society to track the storks and a griffon vulture
>> >> > > called Salaam, which means peace in Arabic. Each year
>> >> > > he goes from Mount Carmel down through Jordan and the
>> >> > > Negev desert over Mecca and on to the nesting grounds
> > >> > > in Yemen.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > Since 1997, we have had links with 250 Israeli,
>> >> > > Palestinian and Jordanian schools where the children
>> >> > > go online each morning to check the progress of the
>> >> > > birds we are tracking. The US government gave us $1.5
>> >> > > million to develop this project with Palestinian and
>> >> > > Jordanian schools. In 1998 we had 5000 schoolchildren
> > >> > > - Jews, Palestinians and Arabs - gathered at Latrun to
>> >> > > learn about the birds that migrate across our
>> >> > > countries. But since the intifada started in 2000, we
>> >> > > haven't been able to bring the kids together.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > When peace comes, we plan to extend this educational
>> >> > > work and run joint operations to invite tourists to
>> >> > > bird centres: three in Jordan, three in Palestine and
>> >> > > 10 in Israel. Already we have 200,000 Israeli tourists
>> >> > > a year who come to see the cranes that winter in the
>> >> > > Hula valley in northern Israel. That is ten tourists
>> >> > > for every bird.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > How do you pacify Israeli farmers - don't they hate
>> >> > > the birds?
>> >> > >
>> >> > > Yes, there can be a problem when birds eat crops, but
>> >> > > not always. Another project of mine is to use birds to
>> >> > > control rodent pests on farms, as an alternative to
>> >> > > chemicals. Farmers in the Middle East have big
>> >> > > problems with rodents and voles. Barn owls worked
>> >> > > best: we discovered in tests on a kibbutz that if we
>> >> > > put up nesting boxes we could attract hundreds of
>> >> > > owls. A single pair with their chicks will eat 2000
>> >> > > rodents a year. So putting up 40 boxes will kill
>> >> > > 80,000 animals. We published booklets in Arabic on how
>> >> > > to do this, and now Palestinian and Jordanian farms
>> >> > > are putting up nesting boxes too.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > What's your next big idea?
>> >> > >
>> >> > > I want to help try to establish the Great Rift Valley
>> >> > > as a world heritage site through UNESCO. It runs from
>> >> > > Turkey all the way to Mozambique, a distance of 7000
>> >> > > kilometers, and all the way it is a major bird
>> >> > > migration corridor. Along with Ethiopia and Germany,
>> >> > > we plan to set up a crane bird centre, as the
>> >> > > Ethiopians also have a lot of problems with bird
>> >> > > collisions. So that is another avenue for cooperation.
>> >> > > I firmly believe that birds can bring peace between
>> >> > > nations.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > This interview was first published in New Scientist,
> > >> > > October 2004

--
Dennis Paulson, Director Emeritus phone 253-879-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 253-879-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
1500 N. Warner, #1088
Tacoma, WA 98416-1088
http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html