Sponsored in cooperation with the Earthwatch Institute

Eilat, Israel

The steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis) pants in the desert heat, as you carefully remove her from the bow-net trap and hold her steady, whispering words of reassurance. The color of chocolate, with a short rounded tail and powerful talons, she is robust, even after crossing 2,500 kilometers of sere desert on her spring migration from Africa. Dr. Reuven Yosef, Director of the International Birdwatching Center in Eilat, takes measurements of the bird, and affixes a numbered aluminum ring on her leg. Another team member jots down the eagle’s species, age, weight, measurements, and the presence of ectoparasites. She appears healthy, but this is the first steppe eagle recorded for this team and Yosef is concerned about the future of this species after two years of poor counts.

Steppe eagles are only one of the 280 migrant bird species that pass by Eilat every spring. The southern tip of Israel on the Gulf of Aqaba is a bottleneck on the migratory route between Africa and Eurasia, the crossroads between continents. As many as 1.5 billion birds make their way through these geographic turnstiles in the spring, flying as far as from South Africa to the Aleutian Islands. This is three to five times the numbers of birds using more western routes from Africa, making Eilat a flyway of global significance. As director of the only banding station between Kenya and Hungary, and the only raptor banding station in the Old World, Yosef has his finger on this migratory pulse. He has authored four books and over 70 scientific articles on birds and is internationally connected to conservation efforts in the U.S., Europe, South Africa and the Middle East. Beyond birds, his interests range from habitat restoration to coral reef ecology.

Eilat has been the site of comprehensive soaring bird surveys in recent years, which offer valuable insight on the health of Eurasian populations. These observations are critical at a time when many of these birds’ breeding ranges are in countries that are politically unstable, have suffered the environmental ravages of war, or lack the funding for breeding bird surveys or management. For instance, Yosef has gathered the first evidence of a decline in the steppe eagle, a species that breeds in desertified Central Asia, and drops in other soaring bird populations since 1986 may be linked to the Chernobyl accident. Eilat itself is becoming less and less safe for passing migrants. Once an important refueling stop along the flyway, Eilat has grown from a small town to a booming tourist center with a population of 45,000. Human development is steadily encroaching on staging areas for migrants, and the data you generate will help clarify that impact.

• 2 0 0 0 . T E A M S

III: Mar 3-17 • IV: Mar 19-Apr 2 • V: Apr 4-18 • VI: Apr 20-May 4 • Max team size: 6

• M E M B E R S ' . S H A R E . O F . C O S T S
from $1,195 • £725 • A$1,836 • ¥140,300

• R E N D E Z V O U S . S I T E
Eilat Airport, Israel

• V O L U N T E E R T A S K S

Team members will band raptors, waders, and songbirds captured in mist nets, bow-nets, and other traps and participate in the soaring bird survey, conducting a census of birds passing Eilat by day. Experienced birders will find this project a raptor rapture, but all volunteers with a burning concern for bird conservation can find important work to do. The days are long and hot and satisfying, and nights are free to explore the lively nightlife of Eilat. Enjoy two free days to visit Jerusalem, Petra, Cairo, or other nearby cultural attractions. Or volunteers may choose to discover other wildlife abounding in the region, including the Syrian hyrax, striped hyena, Dorcas gazelle, Nubian ibex, or the incomparable coral reef fish of the Red Sea.

• F I E L D . C O N D I T I O N S
Be prepared for the extreme heat and dryness of the desert. You’ll share rooms in comfortable 3-bedroom apartments with modern amenities, including kitchens. Couples can easily be accommodated. Volunteers will prepare meals or go to area restaurants.