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.

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.

Neot Semadar Arts Centre

It's time for me to post something about Israel once again, about the beautiful side of the country I live in. This post was written over a year ago, when we took a short break in Eilat, Israel's southernmost city. We planned to go again this last December, but the war in Israel meant that we were unable to travel there.

Neot Semadar is a kibbutz in the southern Negev desert, about 70 kilometres north of Eilat. It was established in 1989 on the grounds of an abandoned kibbutz, Shizafon. The founders, a group of ideological young people who met whilst living in Jerusalem, shared a love of the desert, the desire to set up a communal community and to create an oasis in the southern Negev.

The kibbutz members created an organic community, engaged in agricultural waste recycling, and built eco-friendly homes. Their economy is based on agriculture, with 500 dunams of organically cultivated vineyards, olives, date plantations and a herb garden. The kibbutz also operates a boutique organic winery and produces a variety of cheeses from fresh goat milk. On our way to Eilat we stopped for lunch at their roadside restaurant, Pundak Neot Semadar, which offers vegetarian food and sells the kibbutz's organic products. It was delicious!

Before lunch we made a quick visit to the kibbutz's Arts Centre. Unfortunately it closes early several days of the week but, even though we arrived after their closing time, we got lucky and met a kibbutz member who was keen to show us around.
The Arts Centre is an architecturally unique building which serves as a gallery and studio for all of the artists living on the kibbutz. Many of their works of art are on display in the gallery located on the ground floor of the centre and a variety of workshops for stained glass, ceramics, textile, wood and metals are offered there. The building is insulated with mud bricks, with "air conditioning" supplied by a desert cooling tower.

The Arts Centre was gradually constructed by kibbutz members over a period of 15 years. The entire kibbutz participated and there was no blueprint for the building. Instead, many techniques of architecture were studied and applied as they went along. The members developed a special way of casting a mosaic floor, a technique of moulding reliefs and sculptures in concrete, and applied some desert construction principles, such as the massive air cooling tower which is kept cool using a unique evaporative cooling system. There is a balcony at the top of the tower, from which you can look out over the expansive desert surrounding the kibbutz.

Residents of the Neot Semadar had never worked on a project outside of the desert until the world-renowned Turkish architect Sinan Kafadar sought out their expertise while finishing off the interior of the 226 room Waldorf-Astoria in Jerusalem. About 10 kibbutz members employed techniques regularly practiced on the colourful eco-friendly buildings at Neot Semadar to make wall panels, door frames and number signs on the rooms at the historic 1929 hotel.

A program of courses and seminars in the Arts Centre is offered to people from Israel and abroad. Students can learn a new art form, while staying in one of the kibbutz's eco-friendly bed and breakfast units with gorgeous views that overlook the fields. Each unit has its own balcony and herb garden. There is a communal kitchen outfitted with appliances, kitchenware and a communal dining area, and prepared meals can be booked ahead of time.
I might just try one out one day.

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

Can He Be Scuba Diving on His Bike?

A friend was rather taken with the birthday card I made for Nadav's 22nd birthday which showed him diving in the Red Sea, off Eilat's shores. My friend's husband, Ed, is into diving too. His birthday was coming up and she wanted to know if I could make a similar card for him.

Once I had agreed to make the card, the brief became a little more complicated! Ed is into biking too. "Can he be scuba diving on his bike?" my friend asked.

Never one to shy away from a complicated request, I have shown Ed on his bike. He is wearing the bright yellow cycling jersey and black shorts that he has on in the photo my friend sent me, above, and the blue bike helmet on his head. At the same time, he has a giant diving gas cylinder on his back, underwater breathing apparatus and flippers!

I added a pale blue background, some coral and a fish, along with a big 55 to mark Ed's age.

My friend was delighted. "Lisa managed to get Ed riding his bike while scuba diving!" she wrote in a WhatsApp group we both belong to. Comments varied from "What an amazing card" to "Lisa's cards always capture the magical essence of a person."

* This post has been shared on Little Things Thursday, Create-it Link Party, Thursday Favorite Things.