Look up: About 50,000 woodland eagles are expected to pass through the skies of Israel today (Wednesday) and tomorrow, which is about half of the global population of this bird of prey. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel says that the winter weather system that has hit the eastern Mediterranean in recent days has caused a "traffic jam" in the skies of the Middle East that was released today.
Hundreds of eagles over Ben Shemen Forest, photo: Yuval Dax, Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel
"The cloudy and unstable weather prevents gliding birds, such as the woodland eagle, from migrating," says Dr. Yoav Perlman, director of the Birdwatching Center at the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. "As the sky clears, migration resumes. Convoys of thousands of eagles enter Israel from Lebanon and cross the skies of Israel, heading southwest. The route concentrates over the eastern part of the Dan region, and from there continues through the southern lowlands, to the Negev and Sinai."
Spectacular sight: Thousands of pelicans flying over the northern sky || Photo: Inbar Shlomit Rubin - KKL-JNF
The woodland eagle is a fairly large bird of prey, with a wingspan of almost two meters. It incubates in old forests in Eastern and Central Europe, and spends the winter in the forests of sub-Saharan Africa, as far south as South Africa. The woodland eagle is defined as a sensitive species in Europe due to its dependence on old forests that are disappearing. In addition, the woodland eagle and other raptors suffer severely from massive poaching in countries around Israel, especially Lebanon.
Sobel in Lebanon, Eagle of the Grove, Photo: Yuval Dax, Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel
"It is very painful to watch eagles coming to us from Lebanon with gunshot wounds," adds Dr. Perlman. "These wounded eagles testify to the many eagles being slaughtered in Lebanon. The international community must take strong action against the countries that allow such poaching. In Israel, we must do our best to help migratory birds complete their journeys safely, including maintaining and rehabilitating quality stops, and keeping the skies safe and free of infrastructure that could endanger them."
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