2023-10

26th October 2023

At the Arbel Mountain yesterday, as well as the cranes we saw a few insects:

1) A dragonfly which settled on a twig for a few seconds, then flew around for a moment or two only to return to the same twig. It repeated this process a good few times. I wouldn’t be surprised if it got quite dizzy – I certainly did, just watching it.

2) A little brown grasshopper.

3) A pioneer white butterfly.

4) And my favourite butterfly, the swallowtail, resplendent in yellow.

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When we returned home, I tuned in to another SPNI (Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel) webinar. One of the cameras was positioned at the Hula Valley pointing at some cranes. They were gleaning in a field, gathering the few remaining peanuts on the ground (groundnuts) after the recent harvest. The SPNI are soon to do a count of the cranes in Israel, which is no easy matter. Best estimates at the moment suggest there may be about 10,000.

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25th October 2023

We’re waiting anxiously for the kidnapped hostages to be freed. We’re waiting for the missiles to stop raining down on our citizens. And we’re waiting to see if/when the Government and Defence Forces will decide to send soldiers into Gaza on the ground. Who would want to have to take that decision, with its implications for the lives of hundreds of hostages and thousands of soldiers, as well as many innocent citizens of Gaza?

It was hugely disheartening to see how quickly much of the world blamed Israel for attacking a hospital last week, without checking the facts. It subsequently became known that in all likelihood, it was a missile aimed at Israel that had misfired. We have complete confidence, proven by experience, that our army and Government always do their absolute best to avoid harming innocent civilians. And indeed Richard Kemp, a retired Colonel of the British Army, has described Israel’s armed forces as "the most moral army in the history of warfare".

Schools and kindergartens are functioning normally again in most areas of Israel. And, so, we try to get on with our lives as normally as is possible, given the situation. We are advised how to deal with various sorts of incident. What to do if, God forbid, there’s a missile attack and you’re at home, or you’re out in your car, or you’re on a bus or train etc. We’re not very far from Hezbollah bases in Lebanon so it’s important for us to know what to do. If out in the open you should lie down on the ground with your hands over your head, because when a rocket hits the ground, the shrapnel flies upwards.

Despite the worry, we’re still trying to walk each day in the surrounding countryside. Today we walked at Mount Arbel. We heard a loud honking from above. It wasn’t missiles, but the distinctive sound of cranes flying overhead. We had heard that 22 cranes had reached Israel early in the month, but today was the first time this autumn that we observed them ourselves. And we didn’t just see 22, we saw many hundreds. Their migration seems at last to be fully underway. Amongst them was a single pelican that had either lost its way or perhaps had had an identity crisis.

Wonderful as it is to see pelicans in flight, and storks and flamingos, it is the common crane (Grus grus) that really captures the imagination of the Israeli public. About 90,000 arrive in Israel in the autumn, which is about 18 to 20% of the total world population. Some of the birds stay a few days and travel on to Africa, while 40,000 or so, choose to spend the winter in Israel, particularly in the Hula Valley, where they are well fed. Hundreds of thousands of tourists and bird enthusiasts flock to the Hula Valley to see the flocks, and they’re not disappointed. One of the great sights (and sounds) of nature is to see and hear thousands of birds in one place; to see hundreds or thousands of huge birds take flight at one moment, is an experience never to be forgotten.

And huge birds they are. They weigh-in at about 5kg (11 pounds), they have a wingspan of 2 meters or so (6ft 6in) and are 1.3 meters tall (4ft 3 in). They fly in a V formation to take advantage of slipstreaming from the birds at the head of the skein and can reach huge heights. Only the griffon vulture flies higher than the crane, which is said to fly at a height just a little less than a commercial jet.

Despite their large size they’re very graceful birds, well-known as dancers, with their dance steps including pirouettes and bows. They dance particularly in courtship displays, but also to show aggression and to make territorial claims.

In times gone by people thought that cranes ate sand and stones to act as ballast to help them fly on windy days. It was also thought that a crane acting as a guard for other cranes in the throng, would stand on one leg and tuck a stone under the other leg. If the ‘guard’ crane were to fall asleep the stone would fall alerting it and others that they weren’t being well-guarded.

Actually, the crane has few predators, though the eagle is one of the rare bird species that can cause concern. If it is attacked, however, a crane will fight hard using its powerful legs, wings and long bill to defend itself. Its bill gives its name to a flower. Geraniums, also known as cranesbills, are so-called based on the Greek word for crane, geranos, because the seed heads of the geranium plant look somewhat similar to a crane’s beak.

We would love to be able to go to the Hula Valley to see them at rest on the ground as well as in the air. But sadly it’s too close to Lebanon to be possible at the moment.

Last year I was able to take a photo and a video clip of a massive group of cranes taking off – truly unforgettable!

Some of the photos here are from today, and some from last year.

This video clip lasts 14 seconds:

Cranes in flight - this video clip lasts 13 seconds

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22nd October 2023

I have written in the last few posts about how terrible the tragedy is that we are suffering. Unfortunately, this tragedy continues. These wicked terrorists are still holding many innocent hostages - men, women, children and babies. We thank God that two women, a mother and daughter, have just been released. The rockets are still being fired indiscriminately at towns and cities in Israel with the aim of causing as much death and destruction and fear as possible. Citizens of Kiryat Shmona, a city in the North of Israel (not so far from our home) with a population of 22,000 have had to leave the city, because of missiles being fired at them by Hezbollah. And of course, very many thousands of innocent civilians in Gaza are suffering too, because of the criminal actions of the Hamas Government.
The tragedy, though, only tells half the story. We have also seen such wonderful acts of kindness too. Huge numbers of people have opened their homes to those who have lost theirs or have had to be evacuated from communities near Gaza and also near the Lebanese border. Whole communities have come together to provide food and medical assistance to those in need. Everyone is doing what they can to relieve the suffering of those who have been hit so hard. I've had the opportunity over the last few days to make a small contribution myself. Under the auspices of a nationwide charitable welfare organisation, I've been telephoning elderly or lonely people in the South of Israel to see what sort of help they might need; be that counselling, housing assistance, or just the need to talk to someone. It feels great to be doing something positive, however small, rather than being glued to the news all day long.
We also try to continue to have our daily walks.  During this last week in the Switzerland Forest, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a black whip snake going down the hillside at some considerable pace. I guess it may have seen me, because in a flash it disappeared behind some rocks. Like a fool, I followed the snake, which was about 8ft long, over the rough ground, camera in hand, hoping to be able to photograph it. Unluckily for me (some would probably say, luckily for me) the snake had gone to earth - and so I haven't got a photo to share.

We're not travelling much at the moment, and are therefore not getting to some of the places that we would love to see at this time of year. So, a few days ago we joined a Zoom meeting arranged by SPNI, Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. This was a wonderful presentation, which included live camera views of a nature reserve in Eilat, and bird ringing sessions there and in Jerusalem. The birds were very professionally handled and seemed calm (with feathers unruffled). One of the subjects addressed was the impact the war is having on the bird migration. The feeling is that the birds are getting used to the air activity of planes and the migration is continuing more or less undisturbed by the current events. This is good to hear. We had thought there was much less bird activity than usual in the places we visit close to home.

Among the interesting points raised were: -

1.      Some small birds will double or even triple their body weight in a week, preparing for their long migratory journey.

2.      Flocks of pelicans and other large birds can cause serious problems for aeroplanes. So, pilots and air traffic controllers keep a close lookout for the migrating birds.

I photographed this pelican, round about this time last year.

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15th October 2023

One of the aims of terrorists is to terrorise a population to the point of making everyone afraid to continue their daily activities. Tragically, the terrorists in Gaza have murdered so many hundreds of people and aimed thousands of rockets at towns and cities, that it is very hard for normal routines to continue. All the schools in the whole country are closed. Many shops are closed throughout the country. Hundreds of thousands of men and women have been called up for duty to the Israel Defence Forces. And hundreds of thousands of people are having to work from home.

It's tempting to spend the whole day watching or listening to the news, but Miriam and I feel that as long as we’re not putting ourselves at risk, we must try to continue our lives as normally as is possible.

We had to visit Kibbutz Lavi on Friday and took the opportunity to have a short walk around the Kibbutz with a friend. There was a particular tree that seemed like a magnet for birds. There were several yellow-vented bulbuls, a few graceful prinias and a couple of little birds that were hard to identify. All were feasting on the insects crawling over the bark of the tree. When we got home, I consulted our bird books and also used two apps (Google Lens and Merlin) to try to establish what these little birds were. It seems most likely that they were either chiffchaffs or willow warblers. They’re so similar in appearance that even experts find it hard to separate the willow warbler from the chiffchaff. The easiest way to tell them apart is by their song, and that the chiffchaff’s legs are darker.

Looking at all the evidence we have, it seems probable that the birds we saw were willow warblers, which, like other warblers, are small insectivorous songbirds, with a warbling song.

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11th October 2023

War Update

We’re beginning to learn the extent of this terrible tragedy. The number of dead and injured is truly awful. The number of children and adults that have been kidnapped is frightening. And the worst thing of all is that this is not a natural disaster – it’s a disaster perpetrated by evil and barbaric murderers, aided and encouraged and cheered on by a few vile countries and people.

We read an article in the London Times this morning that listed acts of barbarism that are so horrific I can’t think about them and certainly can’t write about them.

Social media is full of posts of Israelis whose mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters or spouses have been murdered, butchered or are missing presumed to be hostages in Gaza. It’s heartbreaking to read them. Everyone knows people who have been murdered or kidnapped. There have been funerals in all the towns and cities of Israel – lots of them.

This evening, Miriam and I had our first experience of life in a bomb shelter. I know that many of our Israel family-members and friends have experienced this many times, but our 90 minutes in the shelter beneath our apartment block was a first for us – hopefully not to be repeated any time soon. The sirens blared out, and I didn’t even hear them, I was focussing on an article I was writing. I had to be told by Rachel what was going on. I now have an app on my phone that will alert me and hopefully rouse me even if I’m in bed, asleep.

We’re not sure exactly what happened but it seems that there was a fear that drones had come into our airspace, which thankfully turned out to be not the case.

Miriam and I were due to give a talk this evening in Netanya, about the Nature of Israel, with my photos and Miriam’s music. A few days ago, the Synagogue in Netanya that invited us, decided, due to the present situation, that it would be a Zoom event instead of a live event. Because we were in the shelters, the event had to be postponed and will be rearranged for some time soon, hopefully.

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In order to distract my mind somewhat from what’s going on, I’d like to resume writing about the nature we see. That said, we’re not getting out so much at the moment. This morning I had a medical appointment in the town centre and afterwards had a short walk next to the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). I looked over the railings at one point and saw a crab sidling along. I know that ‘sidling’ isn’t the right word to use, but it seems so apt for a sideways walker. I’ve encountered crabs like this before – they’re Levantine freshwater crabs – the Potamon potamios. But this one was a colour I’ve never seen before – almost purple in places, as you can see.  It had probably been out in the sun too long and was turning as red as a lobster!

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8th October 2023

The last day or two have been truly dreadful here in Israel. We mourn for the very many hundreds who have been murdered in cold blood by terrorists and we pray for the thousands who have been injured and particularly for those who have been kidnapped and are being held hostage, including young children.

Thank G-d, Miriam and I are safe and well as are our children and grandchildren. Tiberias is not currently under threat, in the way that other regions are. But it’s a very small country and nobody is ever very far from terrorist bases.

We try to go about our daily lives as normal. But we’re constantly aware of how friends and family, as well as millions of our fellow citizens in the affected areas, are suffering enormous pain and under constant and considerable threat. Our daughter and son-in-law in Netanya who normally work in Tel Aviv and Rehovot are currently working from home. Their children (our grandchildren) and millions of other children are not able to go to their kindergartens or schools. In much of the South of Israel, children and their parents are traumatised by the rockets that are aimed indiscriminately at major urban areas, with the intent of murdering as many innocent men, women and children as they possibly can. Our other daughter, who lives in Jerusalem, was spending Shabbat (Saturday) with us and will for the time being remain with us and work from our home.

We hope and pray, please G-d, that our government and defence forces will very soon regain control over the whole of Israel, will bring home the kidnapped hostages and will eliminate terrorists and terrorism from our midst, for a lasting peace.

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5th October 2023

Sukkot - Lulav and Etrog – The Four Species

 On the festival of Sukkot, as well as relocating from our home to our sukkah, as I wrote about last week, we also experience the nature of Israel in another way. Each day of Sukkot, we take four different species of plants and bring them together in prayer, praying for a year of plentiful rain. In Israel, as in other very hot climates we’re in trouble without rain. Rabbi Leo Dee, the UK born, giant of human spirit, who just six months ago so tragically lost his wife and two teenage daughters, brutally murdered by terrorists, wrote last week on Facebook:

“Through the week-long festival of Sukkot, we shake all four species together, reminding us to recognise and respect others for their unique contributions and skills”.

These days Israel has a programme of ‘milking’ the atmosphere to gather water out of thin air. We see from the air conditioning units that we rely on for much of the summer, just how much water there is in the atmosphere. One of the by-products from cooling the air in this way is an almost constant flow of water from these units. One of our neighbours collects our water and waters his garden with it. The more humidity there is in the air, the greater the potential for harvesting water – so every cloud really does have a silver lining, even in a cloudless sky. This isn’t the only way of ‘generating’ water. Israeli scientists have tapped into the sea and there is now a significant desalination programme that provides huge quantities of drinking water. In 2022, 85% of Israel’s drinking water came from desalinated water.

In England rainwater was so plentiful we could afford to let it go down the drain, but here we’re much more careful not to waste this valuable resource. Despite the alternative sources of drinking water, we’re still desperate for the rainwater, which ensures we have sufficient supplies and also is so hugely important for the environment. Just three years ago the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) was at a dangerously low level – dangerous for the environment as a whole and wildlife particularly. Our prayers were answered and for the last two or three years we have had plentiful rain during the rainy season. The beaches around the Kinneret, that had grown much bigger, have now all but disappeared.

The four species that we bring together in prayer are all particularly dependent on the rain. They are:-

Etrog – in English, citron (Citrus medica, often mistakenly mistranslated as lemon, perhaps because the French word for lemon is citron). It is a citrus fruit, indeed a rather beautiful one, and one of the ‘parent’ citrus fruits from which others have subsequently developed. You’ll see from the picture at the right-hand side of the etrog, the oketz, the stalk. And at the left-hand side the pitam, the stigma. The etrog has a bitter taste but a very pleasant citrus smell.

Lulav - date palm frond

Hadass - three stalks of myrtle leaves – to the right of the lulav

Arava – two stalks of willow leaves – to the left of the lulav

Because they are all so different to one another, binding the date palm, myrtle twigs and willow twigs together (as you can see in the photo) and holding them close to the etrog (citron), as we pray for rain and the environment, we recall the unique contributions of all people and peoples.

There’s also a photo of a mosaic on the floor of an ancient Tiberias synagogue (1600 years old). You can see the lulav and etrog to the left of the base of the menorah (candelabra).

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The Times of Israel (ToI) reported yesterday that 50,000 lesser spotted eagles were expected to fly over Israel yesterday and today. This accounts for half the total world population of this bird. They’ve been journeying from Europe and got held up in Lebanon by bad weather, which has now cleared. Sadly, many birds enter Israel with gunshot wounds. They’re a popular target for hunters in some of the countries that they travel through. They’re likely to travel along the coastal plain, so look upwards and you might see them.

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ToI also reported yesterday that the first cranes have reached the Hula Valley on their migration route – 22 of them. 90,000 are expected to arrive in Israel this autumn, so in the next month or so we expect the remaining 89,978.

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4th October 2023

On Tuesday last week, my essay ‘Purple Gilley Whompers and Other Handsaws (Herons)’ was published at the Times of Israel - https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/purple-gilley-whompers-and-other-handsaws-herons/. The next day, after putting up our Sukkah, Miriam and I went to Tirat Tzvi in the Bet She’an Valley. We headed straight to the fishponds, which Mum’s late cousin Cyril used to manage. To Cyril, the migratory birds were a bane (and a pain) in his life – they pinched huge numbers of fish that he was so carefully farming, and so he arranged huge nets to cover the ponds and protect his fish. It was always interesting to visit Cyril - who sadly passed away last year aged 90+ – aside from telling us about the fishponds and the birds, he showed us the wood-carved jewellery and sculptures that he made, and he talked about his amateur gymnastics and how he taught himself to play an electronic keyboard at an advanced age. Most interesting of all was to hear how tough life was when he arrived in Israel, and he and his fellow workers made the terribly hot and arid desert-like kibbutz land of Tirat Tzvi bloom.

As we arrived at the fishponds, we saw many of them covered with Cyril’s nets, but some were left open. There were lots of birds around; herons, storks, egrets, ibises, and black kites.

I photographed this grey heron, just taking off as it saw me. The little egret (the white bird), I photographed, in similar circumstances, a few weeks ago at the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee).

On both birds you can see the alula feathers which some birds, including herons and egrets, have.  The alula is a small bone (sometimes known as the thumb) on the front edge of the wing of the bird. It is used to increase lift on take-off, and ease landing. Aeronautical engineers, inspired by the way birds use the alula, created the wing flaps on aircraft, which are also used to aid take-off and landing, though the aeroplane’s flaps are on the rear edge of the wing, whereas birds have their alula at the front.