Last night I ringed at Atlit saltpans, the capture was slow but Sandwich Tern and a few waders were a refreshing change. Sandwich Tern is a first to me in the hand, I was surprised by the differences between Sandwich and Common Terns; Sandwich is a considerably more massive bird in the hand. Other birds ringed were a few Common and Little Terns, Common Sandpipers and Little Stint.
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Little Stint |
At the JBO, the warbler migration has become stronger, mainly with Eastern Orphean Warblers, Lesser Whitethroats and Eastern Olivaceous Warblers. Adult passerines which undergo partial post-breeding moult and undergo their complete moult at African wintering grounds migrate before their juveniles; Olivaceous Warbler is an example of this strategy. But species such as Eastern Orphean Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat which undergo complete or suspended post-breeding moult at breeding site, before their autumn migration, migrate after their juveniles. Today I ringed the first adult Eastern Orphean Warbler with suspended moult, was easily differentiated from the post juvenile partial moult.
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| Lesser Whitethroat - juvenile |
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| Orphean Warbler: adult after post-breeding suspended moult - secondaries pre-breeding, rest wing post-breeding |
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| Orphean Warbler: 1y after post-juvenile partial moult - LC, MC and 5-10GC post-juv. rest wing juv. plumage |
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| Orphean Warbler - adult |
Other photographs were taken at the Tzoraa valley and from another visit to the Judean Desert.
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| Pied Kingfisher - Tzoraa valley |
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| Desert Lark - Judean Desert |
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| Striolated Bunting - Judean Desert |