Passing Through




One of the really nice things about Israel this time of year, is the huge number of birds migrating over this small piece of land. Geographically we're just on the way between Europe, Asia and Africa, so we get a wide variety of birds flying over every year.

This post will concentrate on just a small fraction of that large variety. Let's start big, with the Pelicans. They roam the air in huge squadrons, looking majestic as they ride the Thermals.

Pelican flying head on

      

They're not any less impressive in the water, though.

Pelicans lighted by the sunset

 

   


The maestro

Now we go to the tiny birds. This season also brings us the beautiful Common Kingfishers, completing the Kingfisher trifecta. We have White-Throated and Pied Kingfishers all year round, but the Common Kingfishers, which are significantly smaller, are especially beautiful.

Common Kingfisher observing the water below

       


We were in Eilat a few weeks ago, and there we saw another beautiful bird that's migrating through Israel, the Flamingo. They look so flamboyant with their vivid colors and the funny sounds they make!

Flamingo Heart

   


Walking through the fields, we can see other guests during this season. The Common Buzzard is visiting from Europe, where the temperature becomes a little too chilly for his liking.

Common Buzzard in flight

   


And for a while we've been hosting the European Stonechat as well. A tiny bird, with its beautiful orange chest. They come to visit every year during the winter and we're very happy to have them coloring the fields.

European Stonechat



There are many more types of birds visiting us during this season, but I'll save them for the next posts. Let me know what your favorite bird is in the comments - maybe I can catch a good picture of them for you!