Flamingo Watching in Eilat’s Salt Pools

Photo credit: Eilat Birding Center - IBRCE

Eilat, Israel's southernmost city, is located in a central location along the migration route from Africa towards Europe and Asia. During the migratory seasons, autumn and spring, you can enjoy the amazing experience of watching hundreds of thousands of pink flamingos and other birds in their natural environment. We took some time during our stay in Eilat to visit the salt pools, just a few minutes drive north of the city, where Greater Flamingo, waders, raptors and many other birds come to "refuel".  About one million birds pass through the region during the migratory seasons.

Eilat's salt pools are an industrial site for the production of salt for both the domestic and international market. The Salt of the Earth salt plant uses the pools, which cover a total area of around 180 hectares (440 acres), to extract Red Sea salt from the sea water by evaporation. An experimental solar evaporation salt production plant was already operating in Eilat between the years 1954-1959 and the current plant was set up in 1976. Over the years, the plant's manufacturing processes became more sophisticated, doubling and even tripling the plant's production and processing output. During the early years, when the pools operated only with water sourced directly from the sea, annual production reached about 150,000 tons. Salt harvest progressed from collection by tractors and carts to laser-guided equipment used today that preserves salt purity and prevents damage to pool infrastructure. Over time, new processing and drying equipment was added, improving the salt quality to superior levels.

The salt pools serve as a very special haven for flamingos since they are loaded with algae as a result of the evaporation. The flamingos feed on the algae, which are rich in beta-carotene, which causes the pink colouration in the flamingos' wings.

The first few years after the salt company built the ponds, only 10s of flamingoes came in the autumn and left in the spring. In the mid-1990s a change was observed. Adults that wintered in Eilat between September and March brought their young and after the adults left for the subsequent breeding season in March, the young, which can be identified by their black and white plumage, stayed back for the summer.

There are several observation posts overlooking the salt pools and the flamingos. The one we visited, after a short bumpy ride off-road, allowed us wonderful views of the jagged peaks of the Edom mountains in Jordan and of Israel's Mount Amram, which is notable for its dark colour. Opposite us was Jordan's Aqaba International Airport, above. A peace agreement in 1996 between Israel and Jordan included arrangements for Israel to use the runways and for passengers to proceed from their aircraft directly into Israeli territory.

The salt pools are constantly under threat. In 2020 a plan to build a visitor centre for marine and ancient agriculture with a large campsite for 750 people, on the shores of the pools, was put forward for approval. Because the pools are an industrial site for the production of salt and not a nature reserve, protecting the birds and habitat is a constant fight.
In addition, visitors using drones to film flying flamingos and ATVs racing through the habitat in the past has scared the birds away. The flamingoes leave for the day to a protected but foodless site and only come back to feed at the pools when the crowds leave. Signs now enforce against the disturbance of the birds and on the day we visited it was very quiet.

Photo credit: Tiuli

Near to the pools is the ancient site of Evrona, which we will check out on a future visit. Evrona is mentioned in the Bible as one of the stations that the Israelites stopped at on their long journey in the wilderness. "They journeyed from Jotbathah (Yotvata) and camped at Abronah (Evrona). They journeyed from Abronah (Evrona) and camped at Ezion-Geber (Eztion-Gaver)." (Numbers 33: 34-35).
Over a thousand years ago, farmers constructed an elaborate underground water system at Evrona and turned it into Israel's savanna. The location was excellent, on the route called Darb el-Haj - Road of the Celebrants. Although it had been used by traders for millennia, after Islam was established, Darb el-Haj became the main pilgrimage trail to Mecca. Thousands of travelers from North Africa and Spain took the route every year, stopping to buy their provisions in Evrona.
The farmers, who were probably Muslims who came from the surrounding Arab countries, dug to reach fresh underground water and transport it to the fields. Every 10 meters, a shaft was dug so that air could circulate. Today you can descend a ladder down a six-meter shaft, crawl about 20 meters through the tunnel, and surface through another shaft. Apparently it's cool down there and a great way to get out of the heat!
Nearby are the "Doum Palms", a group of rare and impressive Egyptian palm trees. This is the most northerly point in the world where this species of palm trees grows. They are more commonly found in Sudan and the tropical regions of Africa and they don't grow any further north than Evrona. Unlike date palms, whose trunks are tall and straight, those of the doum palm (also known as gingerbread trees) split into V-shapes that open to the sky, with tufts of large fan-shaped leaves at the ends of the branches. Their presence here for thousands of years indicates that the weather in the past was far different than it is today.

* This post has been shared on The Hearth and Soul Link Party, Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), My Corner of the World and Wild Bird Wednesday.

A Symbol of Growth and Hope

A new customer wrote to me to tell me that she loved my teacher gift papercut. "Would you be interested in doing another similar one?" she asked. Her daughter's teacher had really gone over and above this last academic year. My customer thought that a papercut would be the perfect thank you gift.

She wanted me to make one small change to my design. She wanted to know if I could replace the infinity symbol with some sort of "giving hands" symbol. After a short discussion we decided to show a hand holding a fresh young plant, a symbol of growth and hope.

The hand merged seamlessly into my design, blending well with the decorative flowers, leaves and vines. In the middle of the piece I cut out the word "Ha-Morah" (the teacher). My customer liked the idea of green for growth as the backing colour. I picked out this grass green paper and then framed the piece in a birch wood coloured frame.

The cherished teacher who received my papercut, who I happen to know, wrote to me. "As you know, I am the lucky recipient of one of your papercuts. It's beautiful."

* This post has been shared on The Good. The Random. The Fun. and Tuesday Turn About

Two Cards for Mum's 80th

A customer asked me to make two cards for her mum's 80th birthday back in May. She sent me a recent photo of her mum and told me that she likes to knit, do crosswords and play Kalooki.

Showing mum knitting was easy. I added a newspaper with a crossword puzzle on it and a tiny pencil. I had to look up Kalooki  but soon learnt that it is a card game popularly played in Jamaica. It is sometimes called Jamaican Rummy. I printed out a tiny Kalooki score sheet and some playing cards. A big yellow number 80 marks mum's age.

My customer wanted me to show her children on the second card. Once again she sent me a recent photo and I was able to create a likeness of them all, carefully copying all the details, from the girls' dresses to the colour of the boys' belts!

"Thanks to my amazingly talented friend Lisa Isaacs for making these wonderful birthday cards for my mum's 80th." my customer wrote on Facebook. "She [mum] loved them."  

* This post has been shared on The Good. The Random. The Fun., Wow On Wednesday and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

Spider-Man, Spider-Man

Twins Benji and Daniel turned 6 in May 2022. The previous year they had received musical instruments as gifts from their grandparents for their birthday, so I showed Benji playing the accordion and Daniel the guitar on their birthday cards. In 2022 mum told me that the boys were into the Marvel superhero Spider-Man. She asked me to make two different cards for her boys but on the same theme.

For Daniel's card, I showed him standing in front of a red spiders web background. Spider-Man's squinty white eyes can be seen next to him. I added the black Spider-Man logo, a spider symbol that relates the character to the spider's extraordinary skills and abilities. The spider is a traditional symbol of protection, power, agility, mystery, creativity and wisdom. A black number 6 marks Daniel's age.

Benji's card shows him standing behind the skyscrapers of the New York City skyline, which provide the backdrop for Spider-Man's daring stunts. Benji is wearing a red Spider-Man T-shirt. Spider-Man's mask is behind him. I added the black spider symbol once again and a number 6 to mark Benji's age.

Mum told me that both boys loved their cards.

* This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade, The Good. The Random. The Fun.