My spouse and I had the privilege of visiting Mexican associates in Jordan in early October. These associates do work much like that which we do in Mexico, however in rather more delicate circumstances. So I received’t go into any of their private particulars.
Because it seems, birding may also be barely delicate on this nation. Upon our arrival in Amman’s airport, I used to be detained within the customs space for round 1 / 4 hour. This was due, oddly sufficient, to my binoculars.
Now, I’m a mediocre sufficient photographer that I would like a 600 mm lens to get images which are adequate, say, for this web site. And I’ve plenty of expertise with my lengthy lens drawing consideration. However nobody had ever been involved about my binos earlier than. And but, involved they have been. Even upon our departure from Jordan, I used to be knowledgeable that my ever-so-dangerous binoculars couldn’t go in my carry-on bag. Birders, be forewarned.
I’ve continually talked about over the previous a number of weeks that our journey to the Previous World was not about birding, and that was much more true about our time in Jordan. I used to be not in a position to have any designated outings throughout our time there. However… Our associates have been keen to point out off their nation, and that did give me just a few alternatives.
There was a Palestinian Sunbird perched in a bush alongside the highway to the Useless Sea. I had dearly hoped to see a sunbird, so I needed to forgive it for turning up as we whizzed by, with no digital camera in my arms.
The Useless Sea wasn’t solely lifeless, however the birds there flew by too briefly for IDs. Nonetheless, Bethany-on-the-Jordan, the positioning of Jesus’ baptism, was my first shot at some actual habitat. And it provided up one other taxonomic household I had longed to satisfy, with my first bee-eater, an Arabian Inexperienced Bee-eater. Really, Bee-eaters, as they have been fairly quite a few on the web site.
Bethany-on-the Jordan is actually a stone’s throw from Israel, which is why we have been required to stick with the group and hold transferring. I believe that if I may have stood nonetheless for a bit, and even (gasp) wander off from the group, I may have seen many extra species. Or maybe I may have gotten full photographs of my first bulbul, a White-spectacled Bulbul, or of the Desert Finches within the bushes. Because it was, I needed to accept these images:
A few days later, we made the compulsory (and nicely price it) journey to Petra, in southern Jordan. I didn’t have to go away the Petra museum’s parking zone to get my first Petra lifer. To my slightly unexperienced eye, Tristram’s Starlings don’t appear like any starlings I had seen earlier than.
There was additionally a brand new raven for me, the Fan-tailed Raven. That one did appear like the ravens I had seen earlier than.
However my chicken of the day was a member of the wheatear genus, which I had just lately met in Turkey. The Mourning Wheatear was fairly much like the Japanese Black-eared Wheatear I had seen there. However I believed it was only a bit cuter. Possibly it was the pink rock background.
So, would I am going again to Jordan simply to chicken? I didn’t get out sufficient to reply that query. I can say, nonetheless, that we are going to nearly definitely return to assist our associates there.
However what is going to I do with my binoculars?
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