From here we descended to the Arava Valley again and made our way to Yotvata once more, which also makes a good lunch stop at its busy service station. There appeared to have been an influx of Northern Wheatears to the north fields and we added Tree Pipit to everyone’s lists as well as a fin male Lesser Grey Shrike, which was actually a write-in for the tour (which used to operate earlier in the spring previously). Further south in the Arava Valley we called in at the km20 salt pans (km0 is the Egyptian border so this spot is actually much closer to the hotels in Eilat than you might think). These saltpans were very birdy and added something new on every visit. Highlights this time were hundreds of Greater Flamingos, 11 Eurasian Spoonbills, c.100 Marsh Sandpipers (one of the commonest shorebirds today and much commoner than greenshank, which was a novelty!), Gull-billed and White-winged Terns, a swarm of Yellow Wagtails, which included at least four forms — flava, feldegg, thunbergi and dombrowskii (and maybe a fifth superciliaris — the intergrades are a headache!) and finally a couple of unassuming Water Pipits of the Caucasian form coutelli. I had to admit that I had also been looking for the long-staying Lesser Flamingo, without any luck until I
figured out it was white and not pink-bodied. Another round and bam! There it was, a cute little thing surrounded by monstrous Greater Flamingos. At least we can tick this one off our WP lists as well without any concern. Unfortunately we ended a great day’s birding with a dip on Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse at km19, where they seem to have stopped drinking regularly. Although a dip that involved a Caspian Tern and watching a young Pallid Harrier hunting Yellow Wagtails at their roost can’t be such a bad thing. Two Egyptian Geese here as well was something of a surprise. Another classic day in the Eilat area followed. Holland Park, an irrigated desert wadi on the north end of town (that appears to serve as a pet dog toilet unfortunately) started slowly with only Sand Partridge, Arabian Babbler, Common Chiffchaff and Eastern Bonelli’s (or Balkan) Warbler of note. We bumped into some gleeful Israeli birders who asked why we were out so early and said we ought to be having breakfast or drinking coffee (presumably like them). They also showed us some cracking photos from the previous day taken at our next destination, Ofira Park in downtown Eilat. Thankfully it was still there, Corn Crake! Not just any Corn Crake but easily my most obliging ever, walking around on the short turf of
Corn Crake, Ofira Park (Mike Watson).
20 BirdQuest Tour Report: Israel 2018 www.birdquest-tours.com