Notes on the Birds of Jerusalem

Srm•AR•,Notes on the Birds of Jerusalem. 179 NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF JERUSALEM. BY R. W. SHEPPARD. To THE studentof religioushistory and to the archaeologistthe territory around Jerusalemmust always hold great interest; but it is perhaps not so generally recognizedthat the bare stony mountains,terraced hillsides and olive grovesof this sameregion hold most unusual and intensely interestingattractions for the ornithologistor the casualobserver of bird life. Here in this mountainous,historical country, roughly within a fifteen milesradius of the Holy City, may be found many diverse forms of bird life representativeof three separatecontinental faunas,European, Asiatic and African. During the winter monthsof December,January and February this Judean hill country, two to three thousandfeet above sea level, is apt to be cold, wet and somewhatdesolate looking; but, from the beginningof March, when great.massesof flowersbegin to appearon the hillsides,until the end of May when thingscom- menceto scorchup, vegetation,in the form of floweringplants, grassesand low growing shrubs, if not exactly luxuriant, is neverthelessabundant in the valleysand on the lower hills. Throughoutthese six months,from the beginningof December until the end of May, being the time the writer was in this part of the country,birds were found to be moreor lessplentiful under nearly all conditionsof weatherand environment. One of the most abundant and conspicuousof the small birds to be met with in the vicinity of Jerusalemduring the winter months,is the White Wagtail (Motacillaalba). From December until about the middle of March, this speciesis to be found in small flocksand scatteredparties on all the bare stony hill-sides and, during bad weather,it wasmost entertainingto watch their fearlessnessin coming around camping areas and other human habitations for, when the wind and rain were at their worst, thesecheerful little black and white exponentsof perpetualmotion would becomeso bold that they would scarcelyhesitate to enter our tent or bivouac shelters in search of food. 180 SHEPPAP•D,Noteson the Birds of Jerusalem. AukApril Another bird which is very commonon all the hillsides,is the CrestedLark (Alaudacristata) and, althoughperhaps not so con- spicuousas the speciesjust mentioned,it is probably the most numerousand generallydistributed bird in the country for it is everywhereabundant and even on the most barren mountain sum- mits the CrestedLark appearsto find sustinence. A smallparty of the finch-likeDesert Lark (Ammomanesdeserti) was met with, on one occasion,feeding on the slopeof a sandy mountain overlookingthe plains of Jerico;but we are inclinedto believethat this is a comparativelyrare speciesin the Judeanhill country,although possibly common enough in the adjacentJordan Valley. In the barren rock strewn country bordering the roads leading north from the city of Jerusalem,the Black Redstart (Ruticilla titys), a handsomebird with black body and bright reddish- chestnuttail, is occasionallyto be seenand the rare glimpsesof this species,together with the more frequent occurrenceof a black and white chat probably referableto the speciesSaxicola lugens, doesmuch to cheerthe ornithologiston his way over thesestony roadsin mid-winter. Later on, towardthe endof February,another blackand white Chat (Saxicolamelanoleuca) becomes very numerous and is to be met with everywhere among the bare stony mountains. It was noticedto be especiallynumerous in the immediate vicinity of Jerusalemand on the terraced mountainsnorth of the village of Ramah; becoming,at that time, one of the most con- spicuoussmall birds in the country. Another small bird which appearsto be quite numerous,is the commonEuropean Linnet (Acanthiscannabina). This specieswas foundto be moreor lessgenerally distributed over the mountainous country during the early monthsof the year when it is to be met with in wanderingflocks and small partieswhich appear to favor the more openhillsides and the broad valleyswhere large tracts of land have been cultivated for growingbarley or other grains. Several other common European fincheswere observed;the Greenfinch(Ligurinus chloris) being not at all uncommonin gardenson the outskirtsof Jerusalemwhere it appearedto show great partiality for the Italian Cypressand, in fact, was seldom seento frequent any other speciesof tree; whilst the Goldfinch sPP, Not o. Birdof 181 (Cardueliselegans ) was occasionally encountered, toward the end of January,feeding in largeflocks among the youngplantations of coniferoustrees in the vicinity of the Mount of Olives. Later in the season,as springadvanced, Goldfinches were frequently seen, in pairsor smallparties, among the olivegroves in the valleys. Althoughnot by any meansa commonbird, the Chat•inch (Fringilla coelebs)was also occasionallymet with in the olive grovesand, early in the year, a few werenoticed associating with the Goldfinchesin the coniferousplantations near the Mount of Olives. Anotherfinch, which was found to be quite commonin the olive grovesduring the spring months,was the Meadow Bunting(Emberiza e/a) a specieswhich was alsofound to fayour the terracedslopes of the hills, being especiallypartial to those which were well cultivated. Toward the end of March, one other bunting,the CornBunting (Emberiza emberiza), appeared in great numbersand, at this time, its somewhatmonotonous song was verymuch in evidencein the valleysof thehills immediately above the plainsof Jerico. In andaround the city of Jerusalem,the commonHouse Sparrow (Passerdomesticus) was found in large numberswhilst every smalltown and villageor otherhuman habitation appeared to have itsquota of thisubiquitous species. The Starling(Sturnus vulgaris), whichis now so widely distributedover both easternand western hemispheresas to be associatedwith the HouseSparrow as oneof the world'scommoneat birds, was occasionally noticed during the wintermonths, in smallflocks or parties,in the outskirtsor suburbs of the holy city. Amongother common European birds, observed in thiscountry, the Great or Oxe-eyeTit (Parusmajor) was frequently heard and occasionallyseen in the olivegroves while, on oneoccasion only, the Robin Redbreast(Erithaca rubecula) was met with in a shel- tered valley, near the villageof Enab, somesix or sevenmiles northwest of Jerusalem. The swallowfamily appearsto be well representedin Judea, both in summerand winter; a fortunate circumstancein view of the generalprevalence of flies. One species,the OrientalSwallow (Hitundosavignii) was met with in the vicinity of most of the towns and villagesand was commonin and around Jerusalem 182 SHEPP•m),Notes on the Birds of Jerusalem. Auk during the winter months. During the periodsof wet and stormy weather,which occursomewhat frequently in January and Febru- ary and often last for severaldays at a time, these swallowsdis- appearedto return againat eachsucceeding period of warm sunny weather. The frequent disappearanceand re-appearanceof these Swallows,although at first a little puzzling,was later explainedby the closeproximity of the Jordan Valley to which deepdepression, with its tropical heat, theseentirely insectivorousbirds appeared to retire, before the mountain storms, to seek the warmth and abundant insectlife which is perenniallyfound in thesesheltered plains. The EuropeanChimney Swallow (Hitundo rustica), which elosdy resemblesthe precedingspecies, put in an appearancequite early in the spring and was later to be found in the neighbourhoodof nearly all the towns and villages;while on one occasiononly, on a day in the monthof May, a pair of Red-rumpedSwallows (Hirundo rufula) were seenflying up and downthe courseof a streamwhich flowed through a deepravine in the vicinity of the village of Ain Arik. Of the two other speciesof the swallowfamily, which were re- corded in my notes from this part of Judea; the Sand Martin (Cotilerlparia) was occasionallyobserved, in the vicinity of Jeru- salem, during the early Spring months; while, a little later, the Crag Martin (Cotilerupestris) was met with in fairly largenumbers in the ravinesand dry water courseswhich intersectthe mountains in the district betweenthe Jerusalem-Jericoroad and the plainsof Jerieo. Probably owing to the general lack of shade trees and other suitable cover, birds of the warbler group are far from being plentiful; but the Chiffehaff(Phylloscopus minor) was quite frequently observedamong the olive grovesduring the late winter and early springmonths, while on mild sunnydays, toward the end of January, numberswere to be seenfeeding in the youngconiferous plantationsand in the almond and fig trees which are scattered here and there over the hills in the neighbourhoodof the Mount of Olives. One RufousWarbler (Aedongalactodes), or more probablythe easternform knownas the Grey-backedWarbler (Aedonfamiliaris), was observed, in somewhat thick cover, on the lower western slopesof the mountainsand close to a roadwinding down into Ludd a villagein the maritimeplains. That beautiful bird the Blue Rock Thrush (Monticolacyanus) wasmet with on oneoccasion only when a few werefound inhabi- ting the cliffsof a very deepgorge among the mountainsto the northwestof the plainsof Jerico. The birdswere observed and their wonderfullysweet song was heard from the ledgesbelow us whilstlying on the edgeof the cliff and watching,through field glasses,the movementsof a tribe of cave dwellingArabs on the oppositeside of the gorge. The exquisitesong of this bird is per- hapsheard to the bestadvantage in thisromantic setting oœ flower decked mountain

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