Tens of Thousands of Birds of Prey Observed Migrating Over Israel

Birdwatchers from the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) counted approximately 20,000 Lesser Spotted Eagles in the Jezreel Valley on Tuesday as part of their ongoing migratory bird survey. According to Dr. Yoav Perlman, Director of the SPNI's Birdwatching Center, this number represents about a quarter of the global population of this species, all of which pass through Israel during their autumn migration.

Dr. Perlman emphasized the international significance of monitoring these eagles, as they are not counted at any other bottleneck worldwide. "Our monitoring here in Israel influences the assessment of the global population size and the identification of population trends," he stated. This is the second year of a three-year comprehensive count of two raptor species whose entire global populations migrate through Israel: the Short-toed Snake Eagle and the Lesser Spotted Eagle.

So far, nearly all of the Short-toed Snake Eagles have passed over, with over 42,000 counted since the survey began on September 10. By the end of the count on October 10, an additional 40,000 Lesser Spotted Eagles are expected to pass through.