Description: Lying at the crossroads of one of the main migration routes from Africa to the Palearctic, Israel attracts many species of migrant birds, often in large numbers. In both spring and autumn, storks and raptors pass over Israel in hundreds of thousands and can easily be seen at strategic observation points along their traditional flight paths. Other species which migrate on a broader front, such as passerines, can also be seen en masse, attracted to the green oases of the new Israeli kibbutz cultivations scattered throughout the desert landscapes of the southern part of the country. In addition to the migrant birds, Israel also holds a fascinating resident avifauna, including many of the Middle East's desert species - bustards, sandgrouse and a profusion of larks and wheatears. In the northern coastal maquis habitats most of the typical Mediterranean species can be found, while the mountains and valleys of the northeast hold birds of a more easterly origin - Black Francolin, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Pale Rock Sparrow, Syrian Serin and the like. It is therefore no surprise that in the last twenty years Israel has become increasingly popular with European birdwatchers, who now flock there as regularly as the avian migrants. Hadoram Shirihai is well known and respected both for his skills in the field and for his knowledge of Israel's avifauna. Following general chapters describing the country, its habitats and its birdlife, he presents detailed texts on each species, with maps and bar-charts showing regional and seasonal patterns of occurrence. Taxonomic aspects are well covered throughout the species accounts, with full subspecific field and museum data for all Israel and the Levantpresented in detail (to a level of specific identification). The text is illustrated with over 200 line drawings by Alan Harris, and by an extraordinary collection of over 500 colour photographs of some of the most exciting species.

Please Wait