norfolkbirding with chris mills
ISRAEL AN OVERVIEW OF TRIPS TO KIBBUTZ LOTAN 1999, 2000 & 2001
Israel holds a magnetic spell over myself and many other birders who return to Israel time and time again.
I first visited Israel in 1987, and in 2001 I made my ninth trip. My bias is shared by many, and my attention to Israel is not limited by a lack of birding trips elsewhere. I have visited Turkey, Spain, France, Goa, India, New Jersey and Texas in recent years, but my anticipation and excitement on returning to the ‘promised land’ is still as fresh as my very first visit.
Israel became an established birding destination in the late 1980’s. Recently, there has been less coverage by birders and the birding press possibly as a result of the internal problems within Israel. I hope this article will refresh experienced birder’s memories, wet the appetites of those who have yet to visit, and reassure the wary.
A well-organised trip over 2 weeks taking in the major sites can result in around 200 species. For some birders their single and main objective when visiting a birding destination is to accumulate a large total and nail all the specialities - a mission accomplished, and then off to another part of the world. This article is not written for those birders, but for those whose adrenaline and blood is pumped by swarms of migrants, for those that want to take a more in-depth look at migration, sub-species, and rare Western Palearctic birds. After a total of eight visits during March and April and a single trip in October I have witnessed many spectacles that you would never witness in a single visit. Whilst most trips have included some rare and new species, it is often the intense migration, and the completely unexpected that remain as vivid memories.
Unfortunately, like many amateur birders all of my trips have been limited to one or two weeks, but each trip has provided something different and exciting.
Highlights
1987: My first visit was a mind-blowing experience, taking in all the sites across the country. An incredible (and never bettered) 28 raptor species were recorded, including 600 Steppe Buzzards passing over Amran’s Pillars in a forty minute spell one morning.
An incredibly tame Hooded Wheatear at Coral beach.
At Nizzana in the Negev, 30 Cream Coloured Courser, 9 Houbaras, 60 Spotted, 20 Black-bellied Sandgrouse and 3 Temminck’s Horned Larks including a singing male. This remains my best ever visit to this site.
1988: Remembered for a piece of shoreline at Eilat that I shared with 2 Greater Sand Plovers and 3 Western Reef Herons. A major find during this trip was a pair of Hume’s Tawny Owls discovered by Dave Beaumont and enjoyed by many at a Wadi near the Raptor watchpoint.
1992: A male Pallid Harrier was virtually our first bird as we walked down the road in Eilat town centre. Hula was at it’s best and produced views of Purple Heron, Night Heron, Glossy Ibis, Montagu’s Harrier, Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle with an awesome backdrop to hundreds of Cattle Egret, White Stork and wildfowl.
1994: An incredible wader passage at Eilat between 16th-17th April culminated in over 100 Marsh Sandpiper, 140 Greenshank, 35 Wood Sandpiper, 5 Greater Sandplover, White-tailed Plover, Broad-billed Sandpiper and several Collared Pratincole. A successful twitch for Dunn’s Lark at KM Post 33 produced 6 unexpected and self-found Thick-billed Larks.
1996: An October trip produced a bewildering and incredible mixed flock of over 100 Wheatears containing Black-eared, Northern, and Isabelline.
1999: A ringing trip to Kibbutz Lotan produced memorable in the hand experiences of 9 species of Warbler, 4 species of Wheatear and a weeks ringing total of 700 birds of 27 species. The final day of the trip finished with at least 2000 Steppe Buzzards, a few Steppe Eagles and an Egyptian Vulture passing overhead in about 1 hour en-route to the airport.
2000/1: Further ringing trips to Lotan produced yet more surprises, not least a Lesser Whitethroat trapped with an English ring, first ringed in Cambridgeshire in August 1999.
Also a memorable passage of 300 Black Storks amongst thousands of Steppe Buzzard and 50 Steppe Eagle passing over on March 14th 2000. I managed to add two new species to my list in the form of Nubian Nightjar (courtesy of an organised trip) and Cyprus Pied Wheatear (courtesy of the Kibbutz grapevine!). An April trip in 2001 produced a self-found Black-Bush Robin, the 2nd ever record for Lotan.
Kibbutz Lotan
In 1999, 2000 and 2001 my visits were more focussed than previous trips and I combined ringing and birding at Kibbutz Lotan. I highly recommend this site as an excellent area for birding, especially if you are into finding your own birds. The location of the site also makes for an excellent base to explore many other birding sites in the southern half of the country.
Although I was aware of its existence I had not visited the site prior to 1999, and I was keen to compare the birding/ringing opportunities and accommodation with Eilat; where most of my previous visits had been centred. Whilst Eilat undoubtedly offers a larger variety of habitats, the Kibbutz is a much birder friendly place to stay. The birding is excellent and if you hire a car the benefits of Lotan far outweigh the limitations of a Hotel in Eilat. Also by staying at Lotan you are helping to encourage the long-term sustainability of an important area, and discouraging the continuing sprawl of concrete in Eilat.
Location
The site is just 20 minutes drive from Ovda airport, the Kibbutz accommodation is well sign posted off the main road 10KM north of Yotvata (road number 90). The birding staff will collect and transport you from the airport to the Kibbutz, enabling your arrival and departure to be completely hassle-free.
Accommodation
There are many other benefits provided by stopping at Kibbutz Lotan. The accommodation is simple and clean, with chalets appointed with toilet, shower, kitchenette, fridge and beds. The food is simple and healthy with some of the fruit and vegetables being grown organically at the site. A chalet (2 people sharing) with breakfast, lunch (packed lunches are available) and evening meal, costs £33 per person per day. The kibbutz also hosts a clean outdoor swimming pool, and the surrounding lawns were excellent for birding. The pool may also offer an alternative for people not wishing to be birding dawn till dusk. The Kibbutz also offers guided walks and talks on other topics, these offer a useful alternative for non-birding partners.
A birders bar available with bottled beer, videos, and a small library provide the ideal setting in the evening to write up your notes, and chew over the days birding.
Self led or organised trips
The other benefits of being based at Lotan are the freedom to dictate the pace and activity of your birding, you can hire a car and remain completely self-led, but this can be combined with one of several organised trips run by the birding team at Lotan. In March and early April there are usually trips
available for Hume’s Tawny Owl, Nubian Nightjar and Negev specialities.
Alternatively, if you prefer completely organised birding, Lotan runs complete itineraries for 1-2 weeks visiting many of the major birding localities and ensuring you see all the target species.
At Lotan a birding notice board is updated daily, and keeps you abreast of all the birds at Lotan and any other noteworthy birds in the surrounding areas. The Kibbutz birding team are always on hand to offer advice on any aspect of birding, ringing or identification.
The kibbutz offers one of the best opportunities to study the fascination of migration, and now offers daily ringing sessions for volunteer ringers. The birding and migration starts the second you walk out of the chalet.
Birding around Kibbutz Lotan
The Kibbutz habitat consists of a man-made green oasis in the Arava Valley situated approximately 40 miles north of Eilat surrounded by desert. During the spring it has been estimated that over 1 million migrants pass through Southern Israel, these birds heading North and eventually either turning right to Asia or left for Europe are drawn from the sky by the vegetation at Lotan and nearby Yotvata.
The grassy areas around the chalets are kept well watered and during mid-late
March, Bluethroats, Isabelline and Black-eared Wheatear, Red-throated Pipit, Black-headed Wagtail, Hoopoe and Quail are present in good numbers and can often be seen without moving from your doorstep! The flowering bushes are heaving with Lesser Whitethroat, and amongst these can be found Sardinian Warbler, Ruppell’s Warbler and Orphean Warbler. In March 1999 a 1st summer Menetries Warbler was present showing down to a few feet, and in March 2000 we located a roosting Scops Owl a few yards from our chalet.
Organic garden
After marvelling at the birds around the chalets, the next area to explore is just 5 minutes walk away. This area is highly attractive to migrants. In mid-March 1999 up to 30 Quail, 70 Bluethroat, 20 Common Redstart, 5 Stonechat, 5 Isabelline Wheatear, 10 Black-eared Wheatear, 35 Red-throated Pipit, 20 Sardinian Warbler, 2 Cyprus Warbler, 1 Southern Great Grey Shrike, 10 Cretzchmars Bunting and many other common migrants were present for most of the week. You can also see some of the Israeli specialities such as Blackstart, Palestine Sunbird, Arabian Babbler & Barbary Falcon in this area.
Date palms
Approximately 1 mile north of the main accommodation is the Kibbutz date palms, another area excellent for migrants. On our visits we found many of the previously mentioned species, but also added Tawny Pipit, Olivaceous Warbler, Spectacled Warbler, Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, Woodchat Shrike, Arabian Babbler, Palestine Sunbird and Little Green Bee-eater. This was also where we found a Black-Bush Robin in April 2001, the 2nd ever record for the Kibbutz.
Bird Reserve
The Kibbutz has worked hard at creating an oasis area about 1.5 miles south of the main accommodation. The oasis has been created by feeding water into the natural acacia wadis. This has resulted in several small standing pools and some concentrated lush vegetation. This area attracts migrants, but also has the benefit of attracting some of the more specialised desert species and we observed a small flock of Desert Finches, Sand Partridge and Short-toed Lark. This area proved particularly attractive to Shrikes with up to 2 Woodchats, 1 Southern Grey and 1 Masked all in close vicinity.
Northern Fields
Another area within the Kibbutz worth checking are the cultivated fields. These fields hosted 4 Cream-Coloured Coursers and a Caspian Plover on 23rd March 1999. They can also be good for Short-toed Lark, Tawny Pipit and Wheatears.
Visible Migration-Quetera radio mast
A careful eye should always be cast towards the skies above. There is a constant ebb and flow of aerial migration. During the morning before the midday heat has elevated these migrants beyond the sight of the human eye, there is regularly an endless stream of birds. The species depends very much on the date, but during March, Common Swift, Pallid Swift, Sand Martin, House Martin, Rock Martin, Crag Martin and Barn Swallow all pass in fluctuating numbers daily. During April expect large numbers of European Bee-Eaters overhead. Raptor and Stork days
are hard to predict. There are always small numbers, but on a ‘big’ day expect to sit down for several hours as a few thousand birds pass overhead.
I have found that visible passage is usually noticeable at Lotan by 0930am, once this is evident I recommend driving up to Quetera radio mast.
This site is 5 minutes drive from the Kibbutz on the Ovda road. There is a car park and viewing area next to a radio mast, and from this location many of the migrants can be viewed at much closer range. This site is especially effective during raptor passage, and when the wind is west to north-west. On such occasions my notebook’s have recorded:-
‘26th March 1999, in 3 hours 500 Steppe Buzzard, 2 Short-toed Eagle, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Steppe Eagle and 1500 White Stork passed overhead’.
‘17th March 2000, 300+ Black Stork only 150m above us, 9 Common Crane, 3000 Steppe Buzzard, 100 Black Kite, 2 Marsh Harrier, 1 Short-toed Eagle, and 50 Steppe Eagle. Passage started at 0930 until 1030, and then a second wave of birds passed over between 1200-1500.
10th April 2001 42 European Bee-eater, 1200 Steppe Buzzard, 3 Steppe Eagle, 1 Booted Eagle, 1 Short-toed eagle, 50 Black Kite, 2 Marsh Harrier 12 Levant Sparrowhawk, 1 Egyptian Vulture and 1 Osprey.
Whilst the numbers are unlikely to rival the main raptor watch points, this site is close by, and the birds will be all your own!!
Sewage Farms
No self-respecting birder needs telling about the worth of a sewage farm! In a desert habitat, they become a magnet for migrants. Fortunately, there are two sewage farms close by at Lotan, and both are well worth checking regularly. The closest is Quetera and within walking distance, being situated approximately 1 mile south of the Kibbutz buildings.
The other site is about 15 minutes drive along the Ovda road at Shizzafon. It is just to the south of the town, and the mesh fences are fairly obvious to the north of the main road.
Both sites are fenced, but the majority of the birds can be seen easily without entering the areas.
These sites were visited regularly by us in 2001 and produced Squacco, a variety of waders (often 30-40 birds at a site), Red-throated and Tree Pipit, mixture of ‘flava’ wags, Isabelline, Black-eared and Northern Wheatear, Great Reed Warbler, Wryneck, Roller, Bluethroat, Southern Grey and Woodchat Shrike, Ortolan Bunting and a variety of other common migrants.
Ringing at Lotan
The first ringing at Lotan was in 1999, organised by James Burgess in conjunction with James Smith at Lotan. A group of six English ringers, took out their own nets and poles and undertook 6 days of fairly intensive ringing between the 22nd - 29th March. The results were impressive and well beyond their expectations.
Following the group’s success a second trip was arranged for the following year, and a permanent ringer William Velmala is now based at the site throughout the Spring period.
March 12th -19th 2000
This first table shows the number of birds trapped and ringed during a fairly intensive weeks ringing. This generally involved 15-20 mist nets and 6 to 7 ringers, starting at around 05:30am through until 1130 am, followed by a second session from around 15:00 to 1730PM. All the birds except the White-Crowned Wheatear were trapped in the boundaries of the Kibbutz.
Ringing Totals for Kibbutz Lotan March 12th -19th 2000
Common Quail27
White-crowned Wheatear2
Collared Dove1
Song Thrush1
Laughing Dove9
Graceful Prinia8
Eurasian Hoopoe2
Savi's Warbler3
Short-toed Lark1
Sedge Warbler3
Crested Lark5
Olivaceous Warbler8
Rock Martin2
Spectacled Warbler2
Barn Swallow4
Rüppell's Warbler2
Red-rumped Swallow1
Cyprus Warbler12
Common House Martin7
Sardinian Warbler41
Tawny Pipit1
Orphean Warbler7
Red-throated Pipit9
Lesser Whitethroat137
White Wagtail14
Common Whitethroat12
White-spectacled Bulbul
6Blackcap3
Bluethroat11
E. Bonelli's Warbler1
Common Redstart28
Common Chiffchaff100
Blackstart5Woodchat Shrike2
Common Stonechat1House Sparrow30
Isabelline Wheatear11Spanish Sparrow37
Black-eared Wheatear18Desert Finch2
Cretzschmar's Bunting19
This second table shows the total number of birds trapped and ringed during the spring period from Mid February until mid May in 2000, this table include the totals from above. During the rest of the period ringing was generally during the mornings only with approximately 10 mist nets and 2-3 ringers.
Ringing totals for Kibbutz Lotan Spring 2000
Levant Sparrowhawk1
Savi's Warbler4
Red-backed Shrike7
Quail60
Sedge Warbler15
Southern Grey Shrike3
Corncrake1
Reed Warbler19
Woodchat Shrike11
Spur-winged Plover1
Great Reed Warbler2
Masked Shrike54
Collared Dove5
Olivaceous Warbler481
House Sparrow162
Laughing Dove42
Olive-tree Warbler6
Spanish Sparrow307
Namaqua Dove1
Icterine Warbler1
Dead Sea Sparrow1
Cuckoo2
Spectacled Warbler2
Chaffinch1
Bee-eater1
Subalpine Warbler1
Syrian Serin2
Little Green Bee-eater2
Menetries's Warbler1
Goldfinch1
Hoopoe7
Sardinian Warbler85
Linnet1
Wryneck5
Cyprus Warbler13
Desert Finch3
Bar-tailed Desert Lark1
Ruppell's Warbler5
Trumpeter Finch3
Short-toed Lark19
Orphean Warbler49
Ortolan Bunting15
Crested Lark16
Barred Warbler3
Cretzschmar's Bunting46
Rock Martin6
Lesser Whitethroat873
Black-headed Bunting1
Crag Martin2
Whitethroat93
Sand Martin24
Garden Warbler
House Martin11
Blackcap343
Barn Swallow102
Eastern Bonelli's Warbler8
Red-rumped Swallow3
Wood Warbler2
Tawny Pipit6
Chiffchaff326
Tree Pipit7
Willow Warbler33
Meadow Pipit1
Spotted Flycatcher11
Red-throated Pipit31
Palestine Sunbird1
Sub-species
In the current birding climate, sub-species (tomorrows armchair ticks!) have become a highly topical subject. Ringing at Lotan offers one of the best opportunities of studying many of the most relevant species to British birders and their clinal variations. Some of the more recently split species and sub-species I have encountered include:-
Common Whitethroat (icterops)
Common Stonechat
Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler (orientalis)
Eastern Orphean Warbler (crassirostris)
Common Chiffchaff (abietinus)
Common Redstart (samamisicus)
Lesser Whitethroat (blythi)
For more information on birding and ringing at Lotan in Spring 2002, contact Chris Mills. Lilac Cottage, Foxley Road,
Themelthorpe, Norfolk NR20 5PU or alternatively visit www.birdisrael.com
Israel holds a magnetic spell over myself and many other birders who return to Israel time and time again.
I first visited Israel in 1987, and in 2001 I made my ninth trip. My bias is shared by many, and my attention to Israel is not limited by a lack of birding trips elsewhere. I have visited Turkey, Spain, France, Goa, India, New Jersey and Texas in recent years, but my anticipation and excitement on returning to the ‘promised land’ is still as fresh as my very first visit.
Israel became an established birding destination in the late 1980’s. Recently, there has been less coverage by birders and the birding press possibly as a result of the internal problems within Israel. I hope this article will refresh experienced birder’s memories, wet the appetites of those who have yet to visit, and reassure the wary.
A well-organised trip over 2 weeks taking in the major sites can result in around 200 species. For some birders their single and main objective when visiting a birding destination is to accumulate a large total and nail all the specialities - a mission accomplished, and then off to another part of the world. This article is not written for those birders, but for those whose adrenaline and blood is pumped by swarms of migrants, for those that want to take a more in-depth look at migration, sub-species, and rare Western Palearctic birds. After a total of eight visits during March and April and a single trip in October I have witnessed many spectacles that you would never witness in a single visit. Whilst most trips have included some rare and new species, it is often the intense migration, and the completely unexpected that remain as vivid memories.
Unfortunately, like many amateur birders all of my trips have been limited to one or two weeks, but each trip has provided something different and exciting.
Highlights
1987: My first visit was a mind-blowing experience, taking in all the sites across the country. An incredible (and never bettered) 28 raptor species were recorded, including 600 Steppe Buzzards passing over Amran’s Pillars in a forty minute spell one morning.
An incredibly tame Hooded Wheatear at Coral beach.
At Nizzana in the Negev, 30 Cream Coloured Courser, 9 Houbaras, 60 Spotted, 20 Black-bellied Sandgrouse and 3 Temminck’s Horned Larks including a singing male. This remains my best ever visit to this site.
1988: Remembered for a piece of shoreline at Eilat that I shared with 2 Greater Sand Plovers and 3 Western Reef Herons. A major find during this trip was a pair of Hume’s Tawny Owls discovered by Dave Beaumont and enjoyed by many at a Wadi near the Raptor watchpoint.
1992: A male Pallid Harrier was virtually our first bird as we walked down the road in Eilat town centre. Hula was at it’s best and produced views of Purple Heron, Night Heron, Glossy Ibis, Montagu’s Harrier, Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle with an awesome backdrop to hundreds of Cattle Egret, White Stork and wildfowl.
1994: An incredible wader passage at Eilat between 16th-17th April culminated in over 100 Marsh Sandpiper, 140 Greenshank, 35 Wood Sandpiper, 5 Greater Sandplover, White-tailed Plover, Broad-billed Sandpiper and several Collared Pratincole. A successful twitch for Dunn’s Lark at KM Post 33 produced 6 unexpected and self-found Thick-billed Larks.
1996: An October trip produced a bewildering and incredible mixed flock of over 100 Wheatears containing Black-eared, Northern, and Isabelline.
1999: A ringing trip to Kibbutz Lotan produced memorable in the hand experiences of 9 species of Warbler, 4 species of Wheatear and a weeks ringing total of 700 birds of 27 species. The final day of the trip finished with at least 2000 Steppe Buzzards, a few Steppe Eagles and an Egyptian Vulture passing overhead in about 1 hour en-route to the airport.
2000/1: Further ringing trips to Lotan produced yet more surprises, not least a Lesser Whitethroat trapped with an English ring, first ringed in Cambridgeshire in August 1999.
Also a memorable passage of 300 Black Storks amongst thousands of Steppe Buzzard and 50 Steppe Eagle passing over on March 14th 2000. I managed to add two new species to my list in the form of Nubian Nightjar (courtesy of an organised trip) and Cyprus Pied Wheatear (courtesy of the Kibbutz grapevine!). An April trip in 2001 produced a self-found Black-Bush Robin, the 2nd ever record for Lotan.
Kibbutz Lotan
In 1999, 2000 and 2001 my visits were more focussed than previous trips and I combined ringing and birding at Kibbutz Lotan. I highly recommend this site as an excellent area for birding, especially if you are into finding your own birds. The location of the site also makes for an excellent base to explore many other birding sites in the southern half of the country.
Although I was aware of its existence I had not visited the site prior to 1999, and I was keen to compare the birding/ringing opportunities and accommodation with Eilat; where most of my previous visits had been centred. Whilst Eilat undoubtedly offers a larger variety of habitats, the Kibbutz is a much birder friendly place to stay. The birding is excellent and if you hire a car the benefits of Lotan far outweigh the limitations of a Hotel in Eilat. Also by staying at Lotan you are helping to encourage the long-term sustainability of an important area, and discouraging the continuing sprawl of concrete in Eilat.
Location
The site is just 20 minutes drive from Ovda airport, the Kibbutz accommodation is well sign posted off the main road 10KM north of Yotvata (road number 90). The birding staff will collect and transport you from the airport to the Kibbutz, enabling your arrival and departure to be completely hassle-free.
Accommodation
There are many other benefits provided by stopping at Kibbutz Lotan. The accommodation is simple and clean, with chalets appointed with toilet, shower, kitchenette, fridge and beds. The food is simple and healthy with some of the fruit and vegetables being grown organically at the site. A chalet (2 people sharing) with breakfast, lunch (packed lunches are available) and evening meal, costs £33 per person per day. The kibbutz also hosts a clean outdoor swimming pool, and the surrounding lawns were excellent for birding. The pool may also offer an alternative for people not wishing to be birding dawn till dusk. The Kibbutz also offers guided walks and talks on other topics, these offer a useful alternative for non-birding partners.
A birders bar available with bottled beer, videos, and a small library provide the ideal setting in the evening to write up your notes, and chew over the days birding.
Self led or organised trips
The other benefits of being based at Lotan are the freedom to dictate the pace and activity of your birding, you can hire a car and remain completely self-led, but this can be combined with one of several organised trips run by the birding team at Lotan. In March and early April there are usually trips
available for Hume’s Tawny Owl, Nubian Nightjar and Negev specialities.
Alternatively, if you prefer completely organised birding, Lotan runs complete itineraries for 1-2 weeks visiting many of the major birding localities and ensuring you see all the target species.
At Lotan a birding notice board is updated daily, and keeps you abreast of all the birds at Lotan and any other noteworthy birds in the surrounding areas. The Kibbutz birding team are always on hand to offer advice on any aspect of birding, ringing or identification.
The kibbutz offers one of the best opportunities to study the fascination of migration, and now offers daily ringing sessions for volunteer ringers. The birding and migration starts the second you walk out of the chalet.
Birding around Kibbutz Lotan
The Kibbutz habitat consists of a man-made green oasis in the Arava Valley situated approximately 40 miles north of Eilat surrounded by desert. During the spring it has been estimated that over 1 million migrants pass through Southern Israel, these birds heading North and eventually either turning right to Asia or left for Europe are drawn from the sky by the vegetation at Lotan and nearby Yotvata.
The grassy areas around the chalets are kept well watered and during mid-late
March, Bluethroats, Isabelline and Black-eared Wheatear, Red-throated Pipit, Black-headed Wagtail, Hoopoe and Quail are present in good numbers and can often be seen without moving from your doorstep! The flowering bushes are heaving with Lesser Whitethroat, and amongst these can be found Sardinian Warbler, Ruppell’s Warbler and Orphean Warbler. In March 1999 a 1st summer Menetries Warbler was present showing down to a few feet, and in March 2000 we located a roosting Scops Owl a few yards from our chalet.
Organic garden
After marvelling at the birds around the chalets, the next area to explore is just 5 minutes walk away. This area is highly attractive to migrants. In mid-March 1999 up to 30 Quail, 70 Bluethroat, 20 Common Redstart, 5 Stonechat, 5 Isabelline Wheatear, 10 Black-eared Wheatear, 35 Red-throated Pipit, 20 Sardinian Warbler, 2 Cyprus Warbler, 1 Southern Great Grey Shrike, 10 Cretzchmars Bunting and many other common migrants were present for most of the week. You can also see some of the Israeli specialities such as Blackstart, Palestine Sunbird, Arabian Babbler & Barbary Falcon in this area.
Date palms
Approximately 1 mile north of the main accommodation is the Kibbutz date palms, another area excellent for migrants. On our visits we found many of the previously mentioned species, but also added Tawny Pipit, Olivaceous Warbler, Spectacled Warbler, Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, Woodchat Shrike, Arabian Babbler, Palestine Sunbird and Little Green Bee-eater. This was also where we found a Black-Bush Robin in April 2001, the 2nd ever record for the Kibbutz.
Bird Reserve
The Kibbutz has worked hard at creating an oasis area about 1.5 miles south of the main accommodation. The oasis has been created by feeding water into the natural acacia wadis. This has resulted in several small standing pools and some concentrated lush vegetation. This area attracts migrants, but also has the benefit of attracting some of the more specialised desert species and we observed a small flock of Desert Finches, Sand Partridge and Short-toed Lark. This area proved particularly attractive to Shrikes with up to 2 Woodchats, 1 Southern Grey and 1 Masked all in close vicinity.
Northern Fields
Another area within the Kibbutz worth checking are the cultivated fields. These fields hosted 4 Cream-Coloured Coursers and a Caspian Plover on 23rd March 1999. They can also be good for Short-toed Lark, Tawny Pipit and Wheatears.
Visible Migration-Quetera radio mast
A careful eye should always be cast towards the skies above. There is a constant ebb and flow of aerial migration. During the morning before the midday heat has elevated these migrants beyond the sight of the human eye, there is regularly an endless stream of birds. The species depends very much on the date, but during March, Common Swift, Pallid Swift, Sand Martin, House Martin, Rock Martin, Crag Martin and Barn Swallow all pass in fluctuating numbers daily. During April expect large numbers of European Bee-Eaters overhead. Raptor and Stork days
are hard to predict. There are always small numbers, but on a ‘big’ day expect to sit down for several hours as a few thousand birds pass overhead.
I have found that visible passage is usually noticeable at Lotan by 0930am, once this is evident I recommend driving up to Quetera radio mast.
This site is 5 minutes drive from the Kibbutz on the Ovda road. There is a car park and viewing area next to a radio mast, and from this location many of the migrants can be viewed at much closer range. This site is especially effective during raptor passage, and when the wind is west to north-west. On such occasions my notebook’s have recorded:-
‘26th March 1999, in 3 hours 500 Steppe Buzzard, 2 Short-toed Eagle, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Steppe Eagle and 1500 White Stork passed overhead’.
‘17th March 2000, 300+ Black Stork only 150m above us, 9 Common Crane, 3000 Steppe Buzzard, 100 Black Kite, 2 Marsh Harrier, 1 Short-toed Eagle, and 50 Steppe Eagle. Passage started at 0930 until 1030, and then a second wave of birds passed over between 1200-1500.
10th April 2001 42 European Bee-eater, 1200 Steppe Buzzard, 3 Steppe Eagle, 1 Booted Eagle, 1 Short-toed eagle, 50 Black Kite, 2 Marsh Harrier 12 Levant Sparrowhawk, 1 Egyptian Vulture and 1 Osprey.
Whilst the numbers are unlikely to rival the main raptor watch points, this site is close by, and the birds will be all your own!!
Sewage Farms
No self-respecting birder needs telling about the worth of a sewage farm! In a desert habitat, they become a magnet for migrants. Fortunately, there are two sewage farms close by at Lotan, and both are well worth checking regularly. The closest is Quetera and within walking distance, being situated approximately 1 mile south of the Kibbutz buildings.
The other site is about 15 minutes drive along the Ovda road at Shizzafon. It is just to the south of the town, and the mesh fences are fairly obvious to the north of the main road.
Both sites are fenced, but the majority of the birds can be seen easily without entering the areas.
These sites were visited regularly by us in 2001 and produced Squacco, a variety of waders (often 30-40 birds at a site), Red-throated and Tree Pipit, mixture of ‘flava’ wags, Isabelline, Black-eared and Northern Wheatear, Great Reed Warbler, Wryneck, Roller, Bluethroat, Southern Grey and Woodchat Shrike, Ortolan Bunting and a variety of other common migrants.
Ringing at Lotan
The first ringing at Lotan was in 1999, organised by James Burgess in conjunction with James Smith at Lotan. A group of six English ringers, took out their own nets and poles and undertook 6 days of fairly intensive ringing between the 22nd - 29th March. The results were impressive and well beyond their expectations.
Following the group’s success a second trip was arranged for the following year, and a permanent ringer William Velmala is now based at the site throughout the Spring period.
March 12th -19th 2000
This first table shows the number of birds trapped and ringed during a fairly intensive weeks ringing. This generally involved 15-20 mist nets and 6 to 7 ringers, starting at around 05:30am through until 1130 am, followed by a second session from around 15:00 to 1730PM. All the birds except the White-Crowned Wheatear were trapped in the boundaries of the Kibbutz.
Ringing Totals for Kibbutz Lotan March 12th -19th 2000
Common Quail27
White-crowned Wheatear2
Collared Dove1
Song Thrush1
Laughing Dove9
Graceful Prinia8
Eurasian Hoopoe2
Savi's Warbler3
Short-toed Lark1
Sedge Warbler3
Crested Lark5
Olivaceous Warbler8
Rock Martin2
Spectacled Warbler2
Barn Swallow4
Rüppell's Warbler2
Red-rumped Swallow1
Cyprus Warbler12
Common House Martin7
Sardinian Warbler41
Tawny Pipit1
Orphean Warbler7
Red-throated Pipit9
Lesser Whitethroat137
White Wagtail14
Common Whitethroat12
White-spectacled Bulbul
6Blackcap3
Bluethroat11
E. Bonelli's Warbler1
Common Redstart28
Common Chiffchaff100
Blackstart5Woodchat Shrike2
Common Stonechat1House Sparrow30
Isabelline Wheatear11Spanish Sparrow37
Black-eared Wheatear18Desert Finch2
Cretzschmar's Bunting19
This second table shows the total number of birds trapped and ringed during the spring period from Mid February until mid May in 2000, this table include the totals from above. During the rest of the period ringing was generally during the mornings only with approximately 10 mist nets and 2-3 ringers.
Ringing totals for Kibbutz Lotan Spring 2000
Levant Sparrowhawk1
Savi's Warbler4
Red-backed Shrike7
Quail60
Sedge Warbler15
Southern Grey Shrike3
Corncrake1
Reed Warbler19
Woodchat Shrike11
Spur-winged Plover1
Great Reed Warbler2
Masked Shrike54
Collared Dove5
Olivaceous Warbler481
House Sparrow162
Laughing Dove42
Olive-tree Warbler6
Spanish Sparrow307
Namaqua Dove1
Icterine Warbler1
Dead Sea Sparrow1
Cuckoo2
Spectacled Warbler2
Chaffinch1
Bee-eater1
Subalpine Warbler1
Syrian Serin2
Little Green Bee-eater2
Menetries's Warbler1
Goldfinch1
Hoopoe7
Sardinian Warbler85
Linnet1
Wryneck5
Cyprus Warbler13
Desert Finch3
Bar-tailed Desert Lark1
Ruppell's Warbler5
Trumpeter Finch3
Short-toed Lark19
Orphean Warbler49
Ortolan Bunting15
Crested Lark16
Barred Warbler3
Cretzschmar's Bunting46
Rock Martin6
Lesser Whitethroat873
Black-headed Bunting1
Crag Martin2
Whitethroat93
Sand Martin24
Garden Warbler
House Martin11
Blackcap343
Barn Swallow102
Eastern Bonelli's Warbler8
Red-rumped Swallow3
Wood Warbler2
Tawny Pipit6
Chiffchaff326
Tree Pipit7
Willow Warbler33
Meadow Pipit1
Spotted Flycatcher11
Red-throated Pipit31
Palestine Sunbird1
Sub-species
In the current birding climate, sub-species (tomorrows armchair ticks!) have become a highly topical subject. Ringing at Lotan offers one of the best opportunities of studying many of the most relevant species to British birders and their clinal variations. Some of the more recently split species and sub-species I have encountered include:-
Common Whitethroat (icterops)
Common Stonechat
Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler (orientalis)
Eastern Orphean Warbler (crassirostris)
Common Chiffchaff (abietinus)
Common Redstart (samamisicus)
Lesser Whitethroat (blythi)
For more information on birding and ringing at Lotan in Spring 2002, contact Chris Mills. Lilac Cottage, Foxley Road,
Themelthorpe, Norfolk NR20 5PU or alternatively visit www.birdisrael.com
