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

We had a stroke of luck this morning, Israel put its clock’s forwards so we could have a breakfast and still get out soon after dawn. we left Beer Sheva and drove about 30 minutes to Yerovan Lake. This site proved to be a haven for migrants and resident species alike.

This Blackstart is a close relative of the wheatears and is a resident species in parts of the Middle East.

It lacks the white rump (the ‘white-arse’ that is the origin of the word wheatear) of the other species but as the name suggests has a solid black tail.

We stopped near Sde Boker at a site that overlooks the Wilderness of Zin. This area is where David Ben Gurion is buried and as it was the Passover holiday many Israeli tourists were visiting the area.

The scenic Ein Avdat canyon was full of day trippers and noisy kids. It wasn’t the best conditions to search for wildlife ……

… however before long a stunning Bonelli’s Eagle flew over the canyon rim.

.. which flew quite close and gave great views. This resident species is named after Professor Franco Andrea Bonelli (1784 – 1830) Italian naturalist and collector.

Later we reached the wonderful Ramon crater near the town of Mizpe Ramon.

Further south you have the choice of driving to Eilat via the Avava Valley or heading towards the Egyptian border. We chose the latter. This is the 4m high security fence that marks the border.

Eventually we had great views over the Gulf of Aqaba. There is a four country view from here. In the distance is Saudi Arabia, the land on the far shore of the Gulf is Jordan, whilst Egypt is just behind me. Aqaba can just be seen on the shore of the Gulf, whilst Eilat is hidden by the nearby mountains.