gryllosblog   Gryllo's (aka Ian Lewis') blog. All things to do with travel, wildlife especially birds, history, architecture and anything else that interests me.

The dunes at Nizzana, near the Egyptian border. This area is famed for several sandgrouse species and MacQueen’s Bustards, but we failed to find any.

The ancient route into Egypt is guarded by the ruins of Nizzana Fort.

A side road in the Negev

A beautiful Masked Shrike, on route to the Balkans, was some compensation.

This Isabelline Wheatear might be heading for the steppes of Kazakhstan or Mongolia.

Flocks of Short-toed Larks were found alongside the road.

A desert resident – Cream-coloured Courser

Spraying locusts with insecticides has put birds like these migrating White Storks at risk and a number have been found dead.

Broad winged birds like storks avoid sea crossing where there are few thermals to enable them to soar. Having crossed the Sinai, so avoiding crossing the Red Sea, they will head north through Israel and Lebanon. From here they will either cross the Bosporus into eastern Europe or the Caucasus into western Asia.

Our only Desert Finch of the trip was found in this area.

Many Black Kites were seen in the field to the north of Nizzana.

The air was full of migrating Black Kites. Over 300 were seen along one stretch of road.

Crested Lark a common breeder in arid areas of Israel, but not in true desert.