Eilat, Israel 10-17 April 2001

Edited by Matti J. Koivula

The group: Lauri Hänninen, Matti Koivula & Vesa Oksanen

We spent most of the time in Eilat and nearby areas (within a 50-km radius) and made a one-day trip to Nizzana on 14 April. That trip slightly failed because of sand storm. Otherwise, daily species sums (between 11 and 16 April) varied 89-92 in Eilat, up to 110 (on 14 April). The trip total was 162 species.

Despite some military activities, birding was fine with no problems.

Abbreviations and symbols used in the Table: HAM = Hameishar, JB = (border station to Jordania) nearby areas of the Jordanian border station, K20, K33 = localities by the side of the road towards north from Eilat, MR = Mizpe Ramon, NB = North Beach (Eilat), ponds = the salt ponds in Eilat between North Beach and the pools of Ringing station, RS = ringing station (incl. the station and northern and southern ponds adjacent to it), SB = Sede Boquer, SH = Shizzafon, SP = Sulamit park, WS = Wadi Shelomo, WPS = water pumping station (next to the Eilat Tower), WTS = water treatment station, YOT = Yotwata. a = flock of birds, m = migrating bird(s), 3/3 = 3 males and 3 females observed, ad = adult, ’ = non-adult bird, sp. = not identified to species level.

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SPECIES	SCIENTIFIC	OBSERVATIONS
Little grebe	Tac ruf	12th-16th RS 1
Cormorant	Pha car	NB almost daily 1
Night heron	Nyc nyc	NB almost daily 20-30 (m?), 12th RS 23, 15th SP 6
Cattle egret	Bub ibi	14th SB 1, K20 2, 15th-16th SP 1
Striated heron	But str	13th-14th NB 1
Squacco heron	Ard ral	12th SH 1, RS 1, 13th YOT 1, 14th K16 1, 16th RS 2
Little egret	Egr gar	common
Grey heron	Ard cin	common
Purple heron	Ard pur	10th RS 1, 13th NB 2, 14th K16 1
Spoonbill	Pla leu	11th K20 1
Black stork	Cic nig	13th MTY 20 m, 16th MTY 10 m, 17th MTY 3 m
Greater flamingo	Pho rub	common, e.g. 11th K20 195 local
Teal	Ana cre	13th RS 6
Garganey	Ana que	common
Shoveler	Ana cly	common, e.g. 11th K20 104 local
Tufted duck	Ayt ful	14th & 16th K16 2
Black kite	Mil mig	common (m)
Egyptian vulture	Neo per	13th MTY 1 ad m, 14th MR 1, SB 2, 17th MTY 1 m
Short-toed eagle	Cir gal	11th K20 1, 12th RS 1
Marsh harrier	Cir aer	seen almost daily
Pallid harrier	Cir mac	11th YOT -/1 ad, 15th RS 1 2-cy
Montagu’s harrier	Cir pyg	14th NIZ -/1 ad, 11th K20 1 (cya/mac/pyg), 12th SH 1 & RS 1 (both c/m/p), 16th K20 1 (c/m/p)
Sparrowhawk	Acc nis	common (m)
Levant sparrowhawk	Acc bre	15th NB 2 (+ 4 nis/bre), 16th MTY 2
Common buzzard	But but	common (m)
Long-legged buzzard	But ruf	13th MTY 1, YOT 1, 14th NIZ 1
Honey buzzard	Per api	15th RS 1
Lesser spotted eagle	Aqu pom	13th MTY 1 m, 17th MTY 2 m
Steppe eagle	Aqu nip	relatively common, total 23 m
Imperial eagle	Aqu hel	13th MTY 1’ m, 17th MTY 1’ m
Booted eagle	Hie pen	scarce, but total 6
Osprey	Pan hal	scarce, but total 8
Hobby	Fal sub	17th MTY 1 m
Kestrel	Fal tin	common
Barbary falcon	Fal pel	10th Eilat 1, 11th K20 1, 13th NB 1, 14th K20 1, NB 1, 16th MTY 1
Sand partridge	Amm hey	15th WS 1/-, 16th MTY 1/1
Quail	Cot cot	15th WPS 1
Moorhen	Gal chl	13th YOT 2, 14th K16 1
Houbara bustard	Chl und	14th NIZ 1
Black-winged stilt	Him him	common
Avocet	Rec avo	10th NB 1, 11th K20 1
Stone curlew	Bur oed	14th NIZ 1
Collared pratincole	Gla pra	12th RS 7, 13th RS 1, 14th K20 40, 15th RS 1 (+ 20 Gla sp), 16th K20 2, K16 2
Little ringed plover	Cha dub	scarce, total 7
Ringed plover	Cha hia	common, e.g. 14th K20 40 local
Kentish plover	Cha ale	common, e.g. 11th K20 6 ad 6 pull
Spur-winged plover	Hop spi	common
Little stint	Cal_uta	common
Curlew sandpiper	Cal fer	13th RS 1, 15th ponds 2, 16th K20 3
Dunlin	Cal alp	16th K20 3
Ruff	Phi pug	common
Common snipe	Gal gal	13th YOT 1, 14th K16 1, 16th K16 2
Curlew	Num arq	11th K20 1, 13th RS 1, 15th ponds 1
Whimbrel	Num pha	15th ponds a22
Black-tailed godwit	Lim lim	16th K20 a24
Grey phalarope	Pha ful	12th RS 1
Glossy ibis	Ple fal	10th JB a15 m
Redshank	Tri tot	scarce, but total 12
Greenshank	Tri neb	common
Green sandpiper	Tri och	common
Wood sandpiper	Tri gla	common
Marsh sandpiper	Tri sta	total 21
Common sandpiper	Act hyp	total 7 (e.g. K16, K20, YOT)
Great black-headed gull	Lar ich	NB almost daily 1-2
Black-headed gull	Lar rid	common
Slender-billed gull	Lar gen	common
White-eyed gull	Lar leu	common (NB only)
Lesser black-backed gull	Lar fus	common
Yellow-legged gull	Lar cac	common (incl. possibility for armenicus, cachinnans & michahellis)
Siberian gull	Lar heu	seen daily at NB
Caspian tern	Ste cas	daily a few at NB
Sandwich tern	Ste san	12th NB 1
Gull-billed tern	Gel nil	11th K20 1
Common tern	Ste hir	common
White-cheeked tern	Ste rep	10th and 14th NB 2
Little tern	Ste alb	14th-15th NB 2
White-winged black tern	Chl leu	13th NB 1, 14th K20 2, 15th RS 1, 16th K16 1
Black tern	Chl nig	15th NB 1, 16th NB 2
Lichtenstein’s sandgrouse	Pte lic	15th WPS 4
Black-bellied sandgrouse	Pte ori	14th NIZ a15
Rock dove	Col liv	common
Collared dove	Str dec	common
Laughing dove	Str sen	common
Turtle dove	Str tur	total 13
Namaqua dove	Oen cap	11th SP 1/-, 12th RS 1/-, 14th K20 2, 15th RS 1/1
Ring-necked parakeet	Psi kra	total 25
Common swift	Apu apu	common
Alpine swift	Apu mel	14th NIZ a2
Kingfisher	Alc att	14th ponds 1
Pied kingfisher	Cer rud	NB almost daily 1-2
Little green bee-eater	Mer ori	common
Bee-eater	Mer api	total 91 (migrating flocks)
Roller	Cor gar	14th NIZ 1
Hoopoe	Upu epo	11th Lotan 1, 13th YOT 2, 14th NIZ 1
Wryneck	Jyn tor	total 9
Desert lark	Amm des	scarce, but total 10
Bar-tailed desert lark	Amm cin	13th K33 1
Short-toed lark	Cal bra	total 16
Crested lark	Gal cri	common
Sand martin	Rip rip	common
Rock martin	Pty ful	common
Swallow	Hir rus	common
Red-rumped swallow	Hir dau	common
House martin	Del urb	common
Tawny pipit	Ant cam	16th K20 1
Tree pipit	Ant tri	common
Red-throated pipit	Ant cer	common
Water pipit	Ant spi	14th K16 1, 16th K16 2
Yellow wagtail	Mot fla	common
Pied wagtail	Mot alb	common
Citrine wagtail	Mot cit	14th K16 -/2, 16th K16 -/3
Yellow-vented bulbul	Pyc xan	common
Nightingale	Lus meg	11th SP 1, 12th SH 2, 13th YOT 1 (lus/meg), 16th SP 2 (lus/meg)
Thrush nightingale	Lus lus	12th SH 1
Rufous bush robin	Cer gal	total 10 (YOT, SP etc.)
Black bush robin	Cer pod	11th and 13th YOT 1
Redstart	Pho pho	12th SH 1, WS 1 (Pho sp), 13th-16th RS 1
Blackstart	Cer mel	common
Isabelline wheatear	Oen isa	11th K20 1, 12th SH 1, 14th HAM 2
Northern wheatear	Oen oen	total 9
Black-eared wheatear	Oen his	several, but not common
Desert wheatear	Oen des	14th NIZ 1/-
Hooded wheatear	Oen mon	12th SH 3/-
White-crowned black wheatear	Oen_yga	common
Mourning wheatear	Oen lug	14th Negev 2
Whinchat	Sax rub	12th SH 2, 14th Negev 1
Graceful warbler	Pri gra	common
Sedge warbler	Acr sch	11th SP 1
Reed warbler	Acr sci	11th SP 1, 13th YOT 2 (Acr sp), K33 1 (Acr sp), 15th RS 2, 16th-17th SP 2
Great reed warbler	Acr aru	12th SH 1
Olivaceous warbler	Hip pal	total 27 (SP, YOT, SB etc.)
Orphean warbler	Syl hor	12th SH 1, Shaharut 1 (+ 1 hor/leu), 14th SB 1 (hor/leu)
Lesser whitethroat	Syl cur	common
Whitethroat	Syl com	total 6 (e.g. SP)
Blackcap	Syl atr	common
Arabian warbler	Syl leu	11th YOT 1, 13th YOT 2
Eastern bonelli’s warbler	Phy ori	11th YOT 1, 15th WPS 1
Chiffchaff	Phy col	common
Semi-collared flycatcher	Fic sem	12th RS -/1 (alb/sem)
Collared flycatcher	Fic alb	11th SP 1/- 2-cy, 13th RS 1/- ad, YOT 1/- 2-cy, 14th SB 1/- 2-cy
Pied flycatcher	Fic hyp	15th SP 1, 17th Eilat 1
Arabian babbler	Tur squ	12th SH 5, 14th SB 2, 17th Ovda 1
Palestine sunbird	Nec ose	common
Red-backed shrike	Lan col	12th SH -/1
Woodchat shrike	Lan sen	total 5
Masked shrike	Lan nub	total 10
Golden oriole	Ori ori	14th NIZ 1/-
Blackbird	Tur mer	14th NIZ 1, SB 10
House crow	Cor spl	common (in Eilat only)
Hooded crow	Cor_nix	14th NIZ common
Brown-necked raven	Cor ruf	common (outside Eilat)
Tristram´s crackle	Ony tri	locally common (e.g. MTY, YOT)
House sparrow	Pas dom	common
Spanish sparrow	Pas his	11th Lotan 1/-
Goldfinch	Car car	14th SB 2
Greenfinch	Car chl	14th SB 4
House bunting	Emb str	12th, 15th and 17th WS 1-2
Ortolan bunting	Emb hor	common, e.g. 12th Hameishar 15