Hi Everyone,
This morning I awake with the sound of Pipits and Larks, Green Sandpipers, and Arabian Babblers, still running through my head. I am leaving a quick note today, and I am too exhausted to write about yesterdays events. We had in total about 85 species for the day. Our guide was Noam from the Bird research Center here in Eilat, Israel. What was so great is, since it is his job to go to these places everyday, and also to focus on banding, he knew all the calls and was able to help me, and having a Swarvoski scope, that was new, we got good looks at these birds. I wanted to focus on the little songbirds, and there were fields full of them. Most of the Raptors have moved on, and they are for another time.
We started at 6 AM, and the communication was spendid, we ended the day at dusk with the Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse, a male, who is the most beautiful of these birds, and his female companions, two of them. In the twilight, his markings were supurb. They only drink at night, for fear of theBarbary Falcon. I was so happy to end the day with these two birds, and I forgot about asking about looking for the Stone Curlew, who is also one that shows up in a certain area at twilight.........I will be posting more on my blog at a later time, I cannot sign on here in Israel, due to the fact that the sign up page is in Hebrew.
Tomorrow morning I will be joining my guide Noam again, not to bird, but to help at the ringing (banding) station. I also hope to take the camcorder and get an interview concerning his work and the needs they have here. Noam's youth and passion again reminded Mark and I of our beloved Patrick Sullivan. How we both miss him.
This would be a great overseas organization to maybe give financial support, even a little, as their funds have dried up.
Vicki Biltz Bonney Lake Wa. vickibiltz at msn.com
Bonney Lake Washington, next three days at Eilat...........going to check out the snorkling today