International Birding and Research Centre Eilat

This post was written a year last December, when we took a short break in Eilat, Israel's southernmost city. With everything going on here in Israel at the moment, we currently have no plans to travel anywhere, but hope that one day soon we will be able to go out and discover new and interesting places in our beautiful country.

Israel's Arava region, the desert valley that extends from the Dead Sea to Eilat, is an important bird migration route between Europe and Africa. Millions of birds pass through the region during the migration seasons. En route many of them stop over in Eilat. In the autumn, on their way to Africa, the birds pause to rest and regain their strength before crossing the foodless and hostile Saharan desert that lies before them; and in spring, on their journey to Europe, they stop to recuperate after their desert adventures. The International Birding and Research Centre Eilat (IBRCE), located at the northern entrance to the city, is the perfect place to observe all these birds.

The IBRCE lies on what was once a salt marsh, before it was turned into an industrial waste site. The area around Eilat was once home to extensive salt marshes where plants provided flowers and fruits to feed the migrating birds. But as the resort city expanded, the salt marshes were replaced by urban sprawl. During the 1970s and '80s developers built shopping malls, hotels, housing and restaurants that used the salt marshes of Eilat as a landfill for all their rubbish. Residents strolling through the city streets would find hundreds of dead birds at their feet. The poor creatures had searched in vain for their natural habitat, trying to find the indigenous plants and the salt marshes that had fed them so wonderfully in the past.

Something had to be done.
In 1993 the ground was leveled, the rubbish dumps were covered up, pools were created and trees that could provide the birds with food were planted. The park is now run by the KKL-JNF (Jewish National Fund), together with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, the Nature and Parks Authority, Eilat Municipality and Ben Gurion University, all of whom oversaw the transformation of the rubbish dump into an environmentally friendly venue and bird watching park.

Now the migratory birds can enjoy resting in a tranquil spot that extends over about one tenth of the original area of the salt marsh and which is well provided with food. Israel's national water company Mekorot has also become involved in the project and it supplies water for the lake in the park, which has become a wonderful habitat for a variety of aquatic species. 

The park includes a number of paths flanked by hides that enable visitors to observe the birds without disturbing them. Ponds offer different water conditions and quantities of light and shade. A salt marsh has been recreated to serve warblers, rare species of sparrows and shrikes, while a freshwater lake thickly lined with foliage attracts waterfowl, herons, kingfishers and waders. Salt pans are populated by flamingos and gulls, and reed beds by crakes and reed warblers. The Asian Green Bee-eater is a common visitor. All in all, more than 480 species of birds have been recorded in the Eilat area. Foxes, shrews, hyenas and snakes are all regular visitors too, but you have to go there really late at night or way before dawn to see them.

The IBRCE is also involved in nature conservation work and campaigns throughout the Southern Arava region, making sure the desert skies are clear from hazards and the stop-over sites are safe and welcoming for the birds. Centre staff visit local kibbutzim to explain the importance of birds and encourage them to become more bird-friendly. They also conduct research and monitor migrant birds. During the spring and autumn it is possible to watch bird ringing and see many incredible species up close and in the hand. About 25,000 birds are caught each year in Eilat for monitoring purposes. Using a special ring placed on the bird's leg, they track their migration patterns.

The IBRCE also has a small hospital designed to give immediate care to birds that arrive too exhausted and hungry and need to be injected with fluids and fed manually. Birds that arrive wounded are flown to the safari in Ramat-Gan for treatment.

The park staff organize a variety of activities for the general public and provide guided tours for groups and individuals. Guiding takes place in the mornings but a visit at any time of the year is recommended. I couldn't help but think how much Gadi, a bird-lover, would have enjoyed it.

Tomorrow night the festival of Pesach or Passover, the Jewish Festival of Freedom, begins. It is celebrated to mark the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. This year it will be less of a celebration and more a marking of the holiday. 133 Israeli hostages are still being held in Gaza and are not free to sit around the Seder table with their loved ones. Celebrating the Festival of Freedom frankly feels impossible.

* This post has been shared on Sundays on Silverado, The Good. The Random. The Fun., Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Wild Bird Wednesday and My Corner of the World.