Abu Dhabi and Israel cooperate to save the birds
Such studies will include monitoring wild populations to assess survival, dispersal, and breeding success.
birds
Urban gulls adapt to when we lunch
Fitting birds with GPS backpacks on their legs reveals what we’ve long suspected: urban gulls know when & where to forage for human food. If you’ve ever seen a seagull snatch a pasty or felt their beady eyes on your sandwich in the park, you’d be right to suspect they know exactly when to strike […]
Europeans try to save storks, then this happens over Lebanon (warning graphic images)
There is no fighting chance for migratory birds when they fly over Lebanon: Hunting laws may be in place in the Middle East, but who’s enforcing them? From storks and pelicans to hoopoes to eagles to migratory songbirds… see the images of the bloodbath in Lebanon during this year’s hunting season. And these images are […]
Israel’s Bird King Yossi Leshem: Jordan’s Tafila Wind Farm is a “Real Problem”
Jordan is pushing ahead with the largest commercial scale wind farm in the Middle East region, the Tafila Wind Farm, seemingly without care for the massive bird migration population that passes through Jordan twice a year. Green Prophet called Israel’s Bird King, bird migration specialist Prof. Yossi Leshem.
A Meteor, UFO or Starlings? Check Out This Super Nature Show in Israel
When I lived on a roof in Tel Aviv with my boyfriend Elad more than a decade ago, I would spend some evenings watching the Cypress trees sway and pray in the wind, and above them flocks of starlings painting the sky with their moves like tea leaves in a cup. Without a television it […]
Dramatic Bird Migration on View at Israel’s Hula Valley
The Hula Valley Bird Park offers unique bird and nature-watching opportunities. We birdwatchers sat in a covered safari wagon as lines of cranes criss-crossed the evening sky. More and more cranes began to appear, and soon the air was full of powerful-looking birds calling in hoarse, creaking voices. Hundreds landed to roost in a field […]
New Lake Rose 35 Feet in the Arabian Desert This Past Year Alone
A handful of new lakes popping up in the vast and formidable Arabian desert are creating whole new ecosystems and attracting rare bird species that breed among the dunes. And, technically, it’s not a naturally-occurring phenomenon. NPR traveled to the United Arab Emirates to witness firsthand one such lake that rose 35 feet in the […]
Seed Money Available to Protect Mediterranean Basin Birds
Seed money up to $1 million to protect your local birds. Apply today. Sick of reading about Cyprus songbirds killed and pickled for snacks? Weary of wild killing sprees like Egypt’s sanctioned bird hunt ? Or maybe the downed flamingos in Kuwait ruffled your feathers? BirdLife International has created a fund to underwrite environmental preservation projects in one of the […]
Qatar’s City of Birds and Islam’s Teachings On Animals (INTERVIEW)
“In Qatar, the birds have built their own hidden city. They live in the towers and stairwells of an abandoned palace…” Over at Guernica Magazine, I stumbled across a beautiful short story by Autumn Watts who is a lecturer of writing at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. Evoking the hidden and unseen aspects of […]
Jerusalem’s Western Wall for the Birds
Swifts return to nest at Judaism most sacred site When the swifts came back to Jerusalem’s Western Wall last week there was rejoicing as bird watchers and the religious welcomed them home to Judaism’s most sacred site. The common swift, which spends is entire life flying or sitting its nest, returns from wintering in South […]
Maltese Hunters Legally Massacre Egypt’s Protected Birds (Video)
In the video below the jump, Maltese hunters are depicted shooting Eagles, Falcons, Vultures and other protected bird species. The Avian Influenza outbreak had at least one positive outcome in Egypt: it kept both local and migratory birds safe from hunters. But last year in December the government re-opened the country to what seems to be […]
Nature Iraq Promotes World Migratory Bird Day
Iraq is rife with environmental woes, as Arwa points out in her survey. And some of the most endangered animals are migratory birds: the Basra Reed Warbler (found in the southern Marshlands) and the Egyptian Vulture (found in the Kurdistan-Iraq Mountains) are especially at risk. To honor World Migratory Bird Day May 14-15 this year, […]
Restoring Iraq’s ‘Garden of Eden’- The Mesopotamian Marshlands
The Iraqi Marshlands, which were pushed to the brink of extinction under the Saddam era, are slowly being restored to their former glory For over 7,000 years the Iraqi Marshland- also known as the Mesopotamian Marshlands- played an important role in global ecosystems by supporting rare wildlife and rich biodiversity. Located in south Iraq, the […]
Birds in Iran Migrate Between Polluted to Less-polluted Cities
Once part of the urban horizon, crows are leaving Iranian cities. Since the 1980s scholars have studied the influences of urbanization on the environment, particularly the ecosystem. The rapid growth of the urban population and especially the lifestyle of the urban dwellers have undeniable effects on the life of living species and plants. Birds are […]
An Unwelcome Colony? Ring-necked Parakeets Threaten Biodiversity in Jerusalem
A “beautiful nuisance” infiltrates Jerusalem’s German colony. On a recent walk through the German Colony, I was treated to a stunning sight. Filling a tree with their flapping green wings was a flock of eight parakeets, calling raucously to each other and pecking at fat red berries with gusto. Residents of the German Colony (in […]
Man Arrested Attempting To Smuggle “Golden” Falcon Eggs
This raptor is coveted for sport, but it is also a protected species. UK officials celebrate the recent arrest of a professional courier. Conservation work is not always straightforward. Good intentions, such as a fence to keep Oryx safe, can often have disastrous results. In this case, many starved to death cut off as they […]
Dubai for birders
Dubai. The very word evokes a sense of plastic dread: tall, extravagant buildings shimmering in the sharp sun, the tallest buildings, the trendiest, and one of the worst environmental offenders we can think of. And yet, Dubai's 3900 sq km hosts a plethora of migratory birds traveling between Africa and Asia, as well as various year-round species.
Turkey Helps Syria Revive "Thoth" – The Northern Bald Ibis
God “Thoth” or the northern bald bis negotiates its way back from extinction in the Middle East [image via isawnyu] Syria is toiling to improve its environmental record. An internet service provider there is educating the public, and they have created a Master Plan for Renewable Energy. However, conservationists are unable to resuscitate the critically endangered […]
Stephen Colbert on Israel’s National Bird
When Israel declared its new national bird, the hoopoe, Green Prophet was on the story. Little did we know that so was American fake newscaster Stephen Colbert, complete with Hebrew pronunciation. “Congratulations, Israel. Just as America soars like the might eagle, may you emulate the noble long-billed hoopoe by squirting fecal matter at intruders,” says […]
Yossi Leshem Saves Birds and Pilots in Israel
The publicity surrounding the emergency landing of U.S. Air Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, was only the tip of the iceberg in regards to the growing dangers of collisions between aircraft and birds, particularly migratory waterfowl, at major airports around the world.
Reflections On A Day Hiking Through Jordan Valley's Wadi Qelt
Green Prophet recently wrote about the rise in environmental activism and awareness amongst Palestinians, including conservation biologist and educator, Sami Backleh. In this guest post, Sami, a resident of east Jerusalem, writes about the flora and fauna of Wadi Qelt in the Jordan Valley near Jericho. (Article originally published in This Week in Palestine.) It […]