Images of Israel

An ibex under a tree in the Negev Desert.

A bluethroat. Appropriately named! At the bird research center, Eilat.

Last night was the end of our birdwatching tour in Israel, and we're about to spend some more relaxed time with a cousin in Tel Aviv. I've made a very haphazard selection of some photos from our trip so far, just as kind of a wrap-up of what we saw and did as we traveled from Tel Aviv down into the Negev, spending 2 nights on a kibbutz in the desert. Then, in Eilat, we spent 4 days exploring birds in the surrounding area (including our visit to the mountain watch-site for migrating raptors). We traveled up the Rift Valley to the Dead Sea where we spent 2 nights, and finally back to the same hotel in Tel Aviv last night. These photos are in no particular order, because they're chosen just because I like them.

View from Isrotel Hotel, Tel Aviv.

Just after the release of a banded bird at the Jerusalem bird refuge.
Several children were watching, learning, and releasing the birds.
Banding of course was done by an expert.

One of many wheatears on a tree in the desert.

View of Aqaba, Jordan, from the beach of Eilat, Israel. The palace in the photo belongs to the king of Jordan.
We were watching for sea birds as the sun was setting.

Sunset near Eilat. Many birds were flying around, especially some bitterns. Along with around 100 other birdwatchers,
we watched at this pond for a special type of sand grouse that often come to drink here just after dark.

Unfortunately, the sand grouse were no-shows. Like many very good places for birds to drink in this desert area, these are the ponds of a sewage treatment plant. Around 80% of wastewater in Israel is treated adequately to be reused for agriculture, so the treatment ponds are often pretty clean -- though the smell is often noticeable. As we watched, a rep of the SPNI (Society for Protection of Nature in Israel) told us that the owners of the area and the conservationists have created a plan to better protect and encourage the wildlife in this area.

Random people looking out over Makhtesh Ramon, the huge erosion crater in the Negev Desert.

All photos and text copyright 2018 by Mae E. Sander. Published at maefood dot blogspot dot com. If you read this elsewhere, it has been stolen.