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<\/a><\/p>\n\u00a0It was associating with this Whinchat:<\/p>\n
Two Montagu’s Hrrriers hunted low over the fields:<\/p>\n Booted Eagle<\/p>\n Desert Finches<\/p>\n Steppe Buzzard in nice early morning light<\/p>\n The sewage ponds were relatively empty, maybe because there are Egyptian Geese there now:<\/p>\n Black-headed Yellow Wagtails<\/p>\n Marsh Sandpiper – so pretty in summer plumage<\/p>\n Photo-bombed by Black-winged Stilt<\/p>\n With Little Ringed Plover and Green Sandpipers<\/p>\n Several Masked Shrikes there as well<\/p>\n When leaving I stopped to witness the incredible raptor passage overhead. I counted some for fun – I had 2000 Steppe Buzzards and about 400 Black Kites in 15 minutes, also 40 Steppe and two Eastern Imperial Eagles. Ming-blowing.<\/p>\n On the race day itself (March 29th) I was out with the teams. In the early morning I went up to the stunning Seifim Plains.<\/p>\n I spent some time there and had quality birds – Temminck’s, Lesser Short-toed, Bimaculated and Bar-tailed Larks, Cream-coloured Courser, Rock Thrush, Spotted Sandgrouse etc.<\/p>\n Desert Wheatears<\/p>\n Big numbers of Northern Wheatears and Tawny Pipits:<\/p>\n Hen Harrier<\/p>\n Martijn from Dutch Knights with Rock Thrush:<\/p>\n Meidad and his team Sooty Falcons<\/p>\n Checked a few small sites further north that had many migrants – Collared Flycatchers, Ortolans, Wrynecks, Nightingales etc. Neot Smadar held nothing unusual.<\/p>\n Black-eared Wheatear<\/p>\n Namaqua Dove – always pretty<\/p>\n supecilliaris<\/p>\n Yellow Wagtail<\/p>\n Ofira park held a sweet selection of migrants that included:<\/p>\n Cretzschmar’s Buntings<\/p>\n Wryneck<\/p>\n In the afternoon focused more on the busy sites of KM20 saltpans and north beach. Like and outdoor BirdFair almost. So many friends coming and going – tried to help them to collect the important species quickly – Greater Sandplover, Brown Boobies etc.<\/p>\n