The ISRAEL TOUR of March 2013

Although migration was slow this year, and weather in the North was cold and inclement, the LGRE tour recorded a high of 226 species - an above average total. I scored two new Israeli birds - Egyptian Goose and Black-winged Kite - whilst overall highlights included the huge White Pelican, White Stork, Black Stork, Common Crane and Black Kite passage, Eastern Imperial Eagle, 4 Greater Spotted Eagles, Bonelli's Eagle, 8 Pallid Harriers, Long-legged Buzzards, 10 Black Francolins, Sand Partridges, lots of Common Quail, 3 Little Crakes, 8 displaying MacQueen's Bustards, 9 Cream-coloured Coursers, Collared Pratincole, a cracking male Caspian Plover, up to 3 White-tailed Plovers, 2 Red-necked Phalaropes, 22 Great Black-headed Gulls, 15 White-eyed Gulls, a White-cheeked Tern, 42 Spotted Sandgrouse, pair of Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse, 70 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Egyptian Nightjars, Little Swifts, 14 Blue-cheeked Bee-Eaters, 5 Bimaculated Larks, Long-billed Pipits, 8 Citrine Wagtails, Eastern Bushchat, 3 Black Bushchats, Caspian Stonechat, pair of Arabian Warblers, male Menetries' Warbler, many Ruppell's Warblers, Asiatic Scrub Warbler, Clamorous Reed Warblers, Great Reed Warbler, Tristram's Grackles, Dead Sea Sparrows, numerous Pale Rock Sparrows, Syrian Serins, 50 Hawfinch and a good passage of Ortolan and Cretzschmar's Buntings

I am now taking bookings for next year's trip - 24th March to 4th April - email me to reserve a space - LGREUK400@aol.com

Here is a selection of images from my lastest trip