Cranes on their way to Africa

While “our” cranes on the Western European flyway are only rarely seeking wintering areas further south than Spain, the cranes further in the east, e.g. from Russia, are seeking different areas. Many of them use the Eastern European flyway over Israel towards Ethiopia. There they overwinter especially in the Rift Valley. Over 60.000 common cranes were recorded during our monitoring in 2018  together with NABU BAG Africa. The distance between Rift Valley and Hula Valley (Israel) is about 2.500 km. A vast number of birds are resting in the Hula Valley (see picture), before they cross the Sahara. Currently, there are 36.500 common cranes in the amazing Hula Valley.