The annual Birdfinders spring tour to Southern Israel got off to an amazing start. Quite literally on arrival at Ovda airport, David Morrison and Daniel Mirecki found a Black Bush-robin as the luggage was being loaded onto to the coach ready for the departure to Eilat. This was an exceptional record in several respects, being the earliest spring arrival in Israel and also the first to be recorded on the Southern Negev plateau. Reports usually come exclusively from the Arava Valley between Eilat and Yahel. As the group traveled down from Ovda airport by coach, I was busy seawatching on the north beach and only saw one bird of any real note, but it was a good one - an adult Red-billed Tropicbird! Although my views were way too distant for images to be taken, subsequent multi-observer sightings on 21st March and 3rd April suggested that the same bird was hanging around in the Gulf of Aqaba. Per Lif captured this great record shot on the latter date.

After such as exciting start, the momentum for finding quality birds never wavered during the entire tour, and our sharp-eyed group continued to make some exciting discoveries culminating in a new bird for Israel - Lesser Flamingo. Israel has always been a very well birded country with 525 species recorded, so finding an addition to the national bird list is no small achievement.

In terms of diversity, it was also the best southern tour that I’ve experienced. The former Birdfinders one week record of 197 was surpassed quite easily, as we recorded a whopping 205 species. Even with our sharp-eyed group firing on all cylinders, we had a fair share of frustrating misses, due mainly to habitat changes.

On the plus side, we enjoyed a really good passage of sylvia warblers which included Spectacled, Subalpine, Sardinian, Cyprus, Ruppell’s, Asian Desert, Garden and Eastern Orphean Warblers. Arguably the best sylvia of the region, a rare desert resident rather than migrant is Arabian Warbler which put on a great show for us in the Upper Arava valley. Personally, I couldn’t remember a better spring for Subapline Warbler migration and we found this ‘easy to miss’ skulker on four out of seven field days. Not only that, but they were discovered in many areas from the harsh desert at Km33 to the lush wadis of the far Western Negev.

It was a slowish period for shrikes. Woodchats were in short supply, and we only just found Masked Shrike on the very last morning of the tour. This is unusual, and both species are normally present in good numbers during mid-March. Southern Grey Shrikes were most easily seen in the Western Negev, and there was an adult Steppe Grey Shrike in the Hamieshar Plains on March 16th. The latter area also held two Temminck’s Horned Larks on the 16th as well as several Bar-tailed Larks, with a Bimalculated Lark seen at Eliphaz the previous day.

Our two days in the Negev were quite superb, producing the best views that I can remember of Macqueen’s Bustard, with excellent looks at Pallid Harrier, Spotted Sandgrouse, Syrian Serin and a flock of 12 Cream-coloured Coursers. This year, we also included a diversion to see several pairs of Long-billed Pipits. We were fortunate indeed to see the ultra-rare Dead Sea resident Nubian Nightjar, thanks to a superb evening spent with a top-notch local guide. With a national population estimated at less than 15 pairs, this has to be the rarest breeding bird in the southern half of the country.

There’s lots more to be be said about this year’s tour and Vaughan Ashby has also written a summary of the week for the Birdfinders website. Here's a small gallery of additional highlights from the trip.

Next year’s tours will take place during March 19th - 26th, 2007 and I know that bookings are already being taken. Why not join us next year!