Welcome back (for the second time) nice bird.
The African entanglements in Haifa/The Society for the Protection of Nature, Uriel Levy
A special bird called
an African warbler
was recorded yesterday (Saturday) at the student beach south of Haifa by the birder Sagi Shuel.
After he published the photos among Israeli birders, it turned out to be an African warbler - an extremely rare occasional songbird from Northwest Africa, which is only the second time it has been recorded in Israel.
According to Dr. Yoav Perlman, director of the Israel Ornithological Center at the Society for the Protection of Nature, the first sighting was also in Haifa, in 2013, at Shekmona beach. Arid and sandy desert, in northwestern Africa, from the Western Sahara - southwestern Morocco and Mauritania, eastward to Libya. It spends a lot of time on the sandy soil and, like most sabki, feeds mainly on insects and other arthropods, such as small spiders and supplements its diet with fruits and seeds if any. It is possible that he came here after migrating south in the winter, and on his return migration north in the spring got lost and deviated from his route," he says.
The original habitat of the sabaki is an arid and sandy desert/The Society for the Protection of Nature, Professor Ran Natan, The Hebrew University
The sightings in Israel of the African tussock are the only ones in the eastern Mediterranean basin/Society for the Protection of Nature, Ido Schneiderman
Between Haifa and the Carmel Castle
The Society for the Protection of Nature adds that some populations of the African warbler migrate after nesting, but it is not entirely clear where.
It is a rare occurrence in southern Europe - Spain, Italy and Malta, but the sightings in Israel are the only ones in the eastern Mediterranean basin.
Also, the area where the tangle is located is on the seam line between Haifa and the Carmelite Castle, and in a survey conducted a few years ago by the nature surveys unit of the Society for the Protection of Nature, in the same area, it emerged that this is an area very rich in natural values.
"There are almost no areas left in their natural form on the Mediterranean coast, therefore the importance of the few remaining areas, such as the coastal dunes and the Kurkar ridge south of Haifa where the tussocks are located, is very high. We are at the height of the migration season. The migrating birds use our parking sites, where they rest and accumulate energy "Due to the enormous challenges faced by migratory birds along their migration routes, including habitat destruction, climate change and hunting, it is particularly important to maintain high-quality and rich parking sites in Israel," concludes Perlman.
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