Lebanon is situated straight in the eastern Mediterranean flyway and sees the annual migration of hundreds of thousands of raptors, storks and other soaring birds. Very few studies have been done to document this and no updated counts or figures exist. Pressing is also the need to build capacity among local conservationists and birdwatchers and to spread awareness for reducing the widespread illegal bird hunting. This is pioneering bird conservation work and you can be a part of starting it up!
Bird Camps done in October 2018 and April 2019 indicates a rich passage of bird migration through Hammana and Ras al-Matn. Read the trip reports at www.osme.org.
Now we need YOU to join us and learn about this amazing phenomenon happening on the Lebanese skies every autumn!
- Learn to count and identify flying eagles, buzzards, kites, storks and other birds.
- Join and listen to bird migration experts giving their best advice and helping you to become a skilled birdwatcher.
- You need to be able to stand and watch from the view point in Hammana a whole day, or for several days or even a week.
- If you have, bring equiment and field guide book or the Arabic app for bird identification!
Species include thousands of Lesser Spotted Eagle, Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, Levant Sparrowhawks, Honey Buzzards and White Storks. Smaller number of Common Buzzard, Long-legged Buzzard, Black Kite, Marsh Harrier, Montagues Harrier, Pallid Harrier, Egyptian Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Hobby, Red-footed Falcon, Peregrine, Steppe Eagle, Osprey and Black Stork.
Also migrants like Bee-eater, Roller, Turtle Dove, Short-toed Lark, Tawny Pipit, Red-backed Shrike, Golden Oriole and Ortolan Bunting.
Period 8 – 25 September 2019, possibly longer
Where viewing points at Hammana and Ras al-Matn
Aims * improved knowledge of raptor migration along Mount Lebanon * build local capacity * community-based project
Participants foreign birdwatchers and Lebanese volunteers and Homat al-Hima, student groups on day visits
Meals IF YOU APPLY AND STAY A WHOLE DAY, then we offer breakfast and lunch!
Local transports if you live nearby, you can be picked up
Questions and signing up tomasharaldsson(a)hotmail.com and andrebechara1@gmail.com
This pilot raptor count is a cooperation between Society for Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL), BirdLife Sweden and Ornithological Society of the Middle East, Caucasus and Central Asia (OSME).
Initiative holder and project coordinator is Tomas Axén Haraldsson, Youth Development Officer at OSME.
