Chukars are one of my favourite local birds, though sadly I've had fewer sightings of them
in this area in recent years. They are common in most of Israel, but usually very shy and their
dusty coloured plummage affords them good camoflage. Over the years
I've become more adept at spotting them, though coming across them is still often the highlight
of a walk in one of the nearby nature areas. I usually spot the black and white stripes first,
then the rest of the bird. They are most common on rocky slopes or terraces, usually in groups of at least four or five, sometimes more.
If disturbed their first response is usually to run for cover at tremendous speed, or to fly away
with a loud 'chukaaaar' call. I'm always amazed at how agile such a squat bird
can be. Sometimes I've spotted chukars on slopes or atop cliffs along the roadside when I take the
bus into Jerusalem. They are fairly common all around Modi'in, in nearby nature areas, on rocky cliffs
or terraced slopes on the edge of town and in the nearby forests.
This medium sized partridge is in some parts of the country also a popular game bird and
numbers have declined so much that there is now a moratorium on hunting them.
Cattle egrets,are a familiar site in the fields, grass verges and sometimes also gardens in and
around the Modi'in area, and indeed in most of Israel. They are of course common near cattle, such as in the fields of neighbouring
kibbutz Sha'alvaim, but they're certainly not limited to agricultural areas. They are social birds, which often roost together at night in trees, making the most unbearable racket.
We often see them towards evening, flying in threes and fives towards their roosts.
When I say roost together, I mean together. One summer we
were visiting friends in a village not far from here. That evening we heard the most
terrible din, clucking, sqwawking and the like. We followed the noise and came across a copse of
tall trees covered from top to bottom in cattle egrets perched on every available part of the tree,
packed closely together and conducting what looked like an egret convention. I couldn't really see
what type of trees they were, they looked more like cattle egret trees, shimmering white
Little Owl
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in the moonlight. Each tree must have been covered in scores of birds, and together there must have
been several hundred birds roosting in that copse. Sometimes I've seen their cousin, the
little egret, roosting with cattle egrets, or in fields or grass verges in
the Modi'in area as well.
There is a pair of little owls which used to live in Wadi Anaba,
before they started "development work" on that area to turn it into a landscaped recreation
park. When the work is finished maybe it will once again be a nice birding site, but for now
it is a mess and the little owls which nested there several years in a row have moved elsewhere
though I haven't located their new home. I certainly hear them in my own neighbourhood now, but
I don't know whether it's the same pair.
I often see them perched on a lookout point of some sort, a lamp post, tree stump or
seedlings. I've often seen little owls by day, usually towards the
late afternoon or sometimes just around dusk. Their flight is eerily soundless, sometimes
Bulbul in snow
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it just seems like a pale shadow is gliding along. They have an seagull like mewing cry, which
is often how I locate them on dark nights.
Barn owls are not as visible as little owls, but I've certainly heard their
bloodcurdling screeches coming
from the Tetora on several occasions, though I've never actually seen one in Modi'in itself, only
in neighbouring villages such as Matityahu and Giva't Ehud, or on the Latrun-Modi'in road. Actually the
clearest sightings that I've had of a barn owl have been of all places, a tree in the grounds of
the Israel Museum in Jerusalem when the
owl obligingly sat still in a tree so that I could get a good close look. Mostly
I've just seen barn owls as ghostly pale shadows flitting across an open area between trees or
buildings.
I think that there is at least one other type of owl in the area, because I've heard a distinct
hooting at night, but I've never managed to track down the sound. I'm guessing that it was an eagle
owl, but have yet to confirm this with an actual sighting.
Just south of Modi'in is the Latrun reservoir. I've seen substantial flocks of
shovelers, mallards, and a couple
of ferruginous ducks. There may have been other ducks as well, but the last couple of
tiems I visited a marsh harrier arrived on the scene, sending the ducks over to the
far side of the reservoir. I also saw many coots and the usual spur winged plovers which are common in this
region, either near water or agricultural areas. In the reeds I noticed a water pipit,
and further along the water's edge a grey wagtail. The site is deceptively large, I've
never really had enough time to spend there to thoroughly study it.
Seasonal Visitors
Year-round residents are joined throughout the year by seasonal visitors, some of
whom spend the winter or summer in Israel and others who stop to rest on their long seasonal
migrations. There is something thrilling about seeing the first birds of the new season,
such as the black-eared wheatear, a summer resident whose arrival is a sure sign of
spring, or the pied wagtail, whose arrival indicates that winter is on the way.
Pied wagtail
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In summer, certain visiting birds nest in the drainage pipes in the retaining walls of the
buildings
across the road from us, directly opposite the kitchen window in my old flat. Never was washing
up such fun!Last year I enjoyed watching a pair of black-eared wheatears dart in
and out of the pipes. The strikingly coloured black and white male liked to sit on the wall or
a rock near its nest. Now I've seen them in the park across from my new home.
Other summer visitors to the area include masked and woodchat shrike.
On the outskirts of Modi'in, where there are convenient embankments, European bee-eaters nest
during the summer. They are the most colourful birds around, respendent in yellow, blues and
browns, dashing around on their hunt for flying insects. A real treat to watch.
In recent winters I've noticed a lot more raptors in the area, buzzards, long-legged
buzzards, hen harriers and black kites, species which previously I've seen occasionally around
Modi'in but which I've been seeing more of.
The most exciting winter visitor for me is the imperial eagle I saw a few winters ago
over the Tetora. I'd never seen such a large raptor right up close before and it was thrilling.
I had stopped to photograph wild flowers when suddenly it rose up from behind a ridge only a few
dozen metres from where I was standing and flew right overhead before disappearing over the other
side of the hill. I was so awed by my proximity to the eagle that I forgot to photograph it even
though for once I was actually close enough to get a clear shot, rather than some fuzzy picture
of one soaring high overhead. I've since seen them a couple of times from a distance in the
Modi'in area.
One of the most common overwintering birds in the area is the stonechat, which I've
seen in pairs and in larger groups in open areas all around Modi'in, especially on the Tetora
and in Wadi Anaba. I've also seen occasional hawfinches, Israel's largest seed eater,
around Modi'in in winter. Other winter visitors include robins, black redstarts,
chaffinches and chiffchaffs.
Many migrant birds pass though this area during the spring and autumn. Some of the
most dramatic are the huge flocks of white storks which we often see
during their spring migration. Two years ago hundreds of them rested in a field on the edge of
the nearby Ben Shemen forest for a few days before continuing on their journey, and this
year we saw an impressive 'flypast' over central Modi'in by scores of storks in the middle
of the day. Once we also saw a large flock of white pelicans flying over one of Modi'in's
main boulevards on their way north.
There is a good selection of raptors passing through the area at migration time too, but
unless you're out really early in the morning they are usually at such high altitudes that it's
impossible to make out much detail. Easiest to spot and identify are the large groups of
black kites we've often seen milling over fields in the area during the spring and autumn.
I think that I may have also seen some honey buzzards this spring, but I couldn't see
them clearly enough to be sure.
Short-toed eagles are one of the most common large raptors around here in summer, I've
seen them over fields and by roadsides all over the area. These eagles are famous
snake eaters, as their detonated by their Hebrew name, hivyay, derived from the
Aramaic word for snake. Imagine my surprise then when I read
an article in the paper about one just south of here which was constricted and killed
by a large snake that it was trying to catch! The whole incident was caught on film and a still
photo appeared in the paper. Quite a story. I haven't seen anything that dramatic, but it's still
thrilling to watch one of these eagles catch a snake.
Balcony visitors and garden birds
Male Sunbird
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Our balcony overlooks the gardens of the ground floor flats below, which attract many birds,
including orange-turfted sunbirds, great-tits and various finches. The garden directly below us
is wild and unkempt, but we
don't really mind, because all the wildflowers, bushes, vines and weeds attract a large variety
of birds, especially various types of warblers who like perching on bushes in dense undergrowth.
Most of the warblers we see are graceful and Sardinian warblers, but we've noticed
others too. During the spring and autumn I've also seen blackcaps there, and somtimes in
winter chiffchaffs too, usually perched on the one large tree in the garden. The most
commonly heard and seen birds in the 'jungle' below are the graceful warblers. Now the
weeds are so high downstairs some of them are almost at the same level as our windows, so I've
been seeing more of the warblers of late. Some of them also sometimes perch in the tall trees
growing in other neighbouring gardens, so that also makes spotting them much easier, as some of
these neighbouring trees are branching out in our direction.
Great Tit
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Another typical garden bird which also frequents out balcony is the Tzufit - Hebrew
for 'nectar bird' - or sunbird in
English. It looks very much like a large hummingbird, with a long thin curved beak for drinking nectar
with, though unlike the hummingbirds, it can't fly backwards. The male is dark, but iridescent,
with flashes of metallic blues, greens and purple, and a
tiny patch of orange and yellow, while the female is dull a olive-grey. I often see them darting
around the gardens, and occasionally
visiting balcony flowers too.
They seem to be most attracted to our blue sage flowers, and to a lesser extent our morning
glories, and they also like the passionfuit vine growing in one of the neighbouring gardens.
Palm dove
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Palm doves often frequent the local gardens, roof tops and sidewalks. This elegant
looking dove is common throughout the region and often nest on balconies, roofs and
on window shades. The main downside of having a palm dove (or any other dove) nesting on your shutters or
balcony is that they tend to leave pigeon lice behind. Not pleasant. If you have a palm dove nesting outside your bedroom
window they make pretty good alarm clocks, I can remember a pair waking me up regularly every
morning between 5:30am and 6am with a gentle but persistant cooing. We've also seen the occasional
collared dove in the area.
Kestrel
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The cliff-like rectangular buildings of Modi'in are home to kestrels, which I often see
soaring over our area or perching on a nearby roof ledge. I see kestrels all over Modi'in, and in
most other parts of Israel, but the roofs of neaby buildings are the best places to see these
birds up close. This roof ledge is at just the right angle for me to sit by my balcony or window
and watch the kestrel, though of course, as with the other birds (and foxes)the kestrels have
a rule that they only sit still in the same position when they
know that I don't have a camera on hand or that it's the Sabbath or a festival when photography
is forbidden. The above photo of a kestrel on a lamp post near my home is the best I have so
far, though the kestrel moved to a closer perch as soon as it realised that I was out of
film...
Hooded Crow
|
Hooded crows are very common in most non-desert parts of Israel so it's no surprise
to see them around Modi'in too, especially in the open areas and fields around the edge of town.
I usually see them near Wadi Anaba or by the last row of buildings before the wadi, sometimes
mobbing a kestrel, and once a buzzard.
Another bird which is incredibly common in Modi'in, and in most parts of Israel, is the
yellow vented bulbul, a distinctly Middle Eastern bird.
Many Israeli birders would say that this bird is too common, popping up in all kinds of places
- just when you think you've spotted sommething interesting it turns out to be yet another
bulbul!
I often see them perching in nearby trees
or on buildings; sometimes they visit balconies too. They are very social birds,
usually found in pairs, rarely alone, and they either sing beautifully or make a loud
chattering noise that sounds as though all the neighbourhood gossips are having a
convention.
Bulbuls are generally fruit eaters and now that one of our neighbours has a fig tree
in their garden they are spending more time in easy view of our bedroom window, not to mention in
easy earshot of our bedroom, allowing them to give us a chattering wake up call around 5am. I
was concerned that the bulbuls would attack our balcony tomato plants, but after one dug its beak
into an unripe cherry tomato and found it not to its liking they have steered well clear of our
plants. I haven't actually located the nest, but our local pair raise a brood at least
twice a year, though I only notice that they have chicks when the young have learnt to fly and
I see the parents feeding them. Typically they have one to three fledglings.
House sparrows on our balcony
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The easiest everyday way to watch birds is from our balcony. We sometimes leave out
seeds or fruit for the birds, usually in a seed dispensing bird feeder.
Sunbirds, graceful warblers, bulbuls, a few times also goldfinches, black redstarts and a jay,
even occasional escaped budgerigars visit our balcony, but the most frequent visitors are
house sparrows, which seem to be even more ubiquitous here than in Europe or anywhere else
I've been.
Watching them
daily on the balcony I confess that I've gained a new appreciation for these drab, extremely
common birds. They are inquisitive about anything new on the balcony, and fast learners. I guess
that explains why they are so good at adapting to living with people wherever they may be.
The sparrows are also great at controlling the insect population,
they spend a lot of time picking bugs off our plants, without actually damaging the plants, even
the most delicate flowers remain unharmed, even when the male decides that sitting on them is the
ideal spot for catching some tasty insects.
Every laundry service porch in Modi'in is covered with some kind of latice work grate. I think
of these as 'sparrow apartments' because every other grate seems to have a resident sparrow family.
Our former apartment backs on to the back of another apartment building, with only a few
metres between the two buildings. There is a pair of sparrows which nest in an airconditioning
exhaust pipe in the grate immediately opposite our old balcony, and another pair which nest in
a grate at the other end of the building. We often observed competition between these two
sparrow families over who gets to feed at the balcony. I guess we're just naive romantics, but there is something very
special about watching the adult birds (yes, even if they are only house sparrows!) feed their
offspring, and Jason and I spend ages watching them.
House sparrows on our balcony
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This is the only time when our plants are threatened
by the sparrows, as the young birds are curious about everything. They taste every plant on our
balcony, biting and tearing at leaves and flowers.
Birding intro |
Biblical birds |
Birdwatching links
Golan and Galilee |
Dead Sea and Ein Gedi |
Eilat and Negev
Jerusalem area |
Mediterranean coast |
Modiin area
Copyright 2004 by Leiah Elbaum.
Text and illustrations on this page are by Leiah Elbaum.
Last updated 9 June 2004.
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