During late Winter and early Spring, the preserves were bustling with activity. The warblers and other migratory birds had arrived. The wading birds and other Florida natives were busy courting, nesting, and caring for their noisy chicks. And, the boardwalks were filled with nature-lovers of all kinds, enjoying our spectacular weather and scenery – families […]
Did you ever play Animal Lotto as a kid, the Memory game of matching picture pairs? That’s where I first learned about the Ostrich, the Platypus, and many other unique curiosities of the animal world. Many years later, I saw Ostriches for the first time in the wild at the Hai Bar, a large preserve established in the 1970’s […]
We started in Jerusalem, and travelled south through the Judean Desert, the Negev, and on to the Arava. More to come soon about the southern views. While in Jerusalem I made a quick stop at the Jerusalem Bird Observatory, with its new Visitor Center. Its wonderful schedule of events, exhibits, bird banding, and tours included […]
It was such an amazing feeling to stand so close to this beautiful Little Bittern featured above, as our host and his team member measured and discussed its size and general condition. I had an even greater thrill when the IBRCE (see last week’s post about the International Birding & Research Center Eilat) director Noam Weiss let […]
There is a real gem of a sanctuary for birds in the south of Israel. The International Birding and Research Center Eilat (IBRCE) is a vital haven for literally millions of migratory birds crossing twice annually between Africa and Europe/Asia. How can I convey what an amazing visit I had there? Where to begin. […]
Unlike other herons and egrets, who often move slowly and stealthily, the Tri-colored Herons are almost always in constant motion. They fly quickly from one place to another, seemingly in a hurry to do some something important, or they dart about in the ponds, flitting from one spot to another, jumping up and spinning about when […]
They have always one of my favorite birds . . . The stunning Purple Gallinules shimmered in the light of my flash on a recent early evening, but my presence didn’t seem to bother them one bit. There were no people anywhere around, just the Purple Gallinules and me. I spent many special moments alone with […]
My husband and I were recently inspired to take a long drive to Central Florida, several hours north of us, to hear two wonderful experts from the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) speak about ‘birding and habitat restoration along Israel’s Rift Valley, a major flyway of the world.’ Dan Alon, Director of […]
The Roseate Spoonbills appear just about every morning and evening nowadays, individually and in groups. They are so stunning!Birders and photographers often wait endlessly for them to take off (or at least flap their wings for effect) so we can ‘capture’ a great shot of them in flight. But I think sometimes that they just […]
The Red-winged Blackbird nesting season has been in full swing these past few weeks, and LOTS of chicks, like the one above, are beginning to pop their heads up and peek out among the reeds and leaves. Many baby birds are fledging now, venturing out on their own, away from the nest, on the rocky road […]
Birder's Journey 