The Inglorious Bustards Champions of the Flyway Awards Ceremony

 The Inglorious Bustards- Me, Niki and Simon

 On the way 

 Race Day

 A few minutes later

 End of the Race looking worse for wear

Next day photo shoot (photo Jonathan Meyrav)

 Then the award ceremony

Then the awards- unfortunately we didn't win any for our Shambolic ways

Event organiser Jonathan, Yoav and Dan- brilliant job! 

We have almost reached our fund raising target- 84% there. Thanks so much to everyone who has supported us so far:

PLEASE DONATE HERE

And our song from THEE BRYANS

Race Day, Champions of the Flyway 2016

 Starting block- Nizzana looking for the MacQueen's Bustards

 Birding at the Kibbutz

 MacQueen's Bustards

 Ortolans

 Long-legged Buzzard

 Tristram's Grackle

 Female Hooded Wheatear

 View from Mitze Ramon

View from Eilat Mountains to Eilat

We started the race at 230am and tried the fields at Yovata and Km20 where we had a Long-eared Owl. We then headed to Nizzana for the MacQueen's Bustards and other desert birds such Crowned, Pin-tail and Black-bellied Sandgrouse. Had a quick look at nearby sewage ponds and had a few waders and duck. Then we headed south to Sde Boker Kibbutz and picked a load of migrants including Collared, Semi-collared and Pied Flycatcher. It was then on to Mitze Ramon where we lucked in with Hooded Wheatear and Striolated Bunting and then onwards to Se'Afflim plains for Bar-tailed Desert Lark, Mourning and Isabelline Wheatear. We ended the day around Eilat and tried for Egyptian Nightjar at Yovata again. We called it a day at about 1030. A modest, relaxed and very enjoyable 130 species.

Please help us reach our target - almost there 83% of the way:

PLEASE DONATE HERE

Here's our song from THEE BRYANS

Champions of the Flyway, Scouting Days 3 and 4

 Black Bush Robin 

 Male Ruppell's Warbler

 Masked Shrike

 Bar-tailed Desert Lark

 Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse

 Steppe Buzzard

 Trumpeter Finch

 Short-toed Lark

 Tawny Pipit

 Mourning Wheatear

 Mourning Wheatear

 Northern Wheatear

 Blue-headed Wagtail

 Scrub Warbler

Eastern Bonelli's Warbler

Simon and Niki 

Been scouting over the last few days, seen a few interesting bits and bobs- race day starts tonight at 1200pm. 

Champions Flyway by Thee Bryans
A song we did with the kids over the half term to let them know whats going on out here 

Champions of the Flyway- Scouting Days One and Two

 Arabian Babbler

 Palestine Sunbird

 Yellow-vented Bulbul

 Spanish Sparrows dancing

 Brown-necked Raven

  Desert Lark

 White-crowned Black Wheatear

 Steppe Buzzards migrating over the Eilat Mountains. At least 6000 this morning, also Black Kites, a Pallid Harrier, a Booted Eagle, Black Storks, Alpine Swifts and Pallid Swifts migrating through the mountains this morning 

 Dark phase Booted Eagle

 Male Pallid Harrier

 Rufous phase Steppe Buzzard

Shoveler, Pintail and Garganey

 Eilat Mountains raptor viewpoint

 Team mates Niki and Simon 

 Evening briefing

Planning for race day

Had a great couple of days, large shambolic to be honest, scouting Southern Israel ahead of the Champions of the Flyway race day on Wednesday this week. We stayed on a Kibbutz the first night and headed to Eilat for the rest of the week. Tonight there is a major storm passing with a year's worth of rain predicted to fall in one night so it should have a significant effect on the migration. There was a big push today with raptors pushing low through the mountains and good numbers of passerine migrants concentrating around the birding centre in Eilat.

 Highlight migrants over the last couple of days included Semi-collared Flycatcher, Red-necked Phalaropes, Bluethroats, Wryneck and large numbers of Red-rumped Swallows.

Please donate to our team to help us raise our £3000 target for funding to tackle the problem of illegal bird killing on the Eastern Flyway:

THE INGLORIOUS BUSTARDS/ CHAMPIONS OF THE FLYWAY