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Migratory Birds in Wartime

JL;DR SUMMARY Nested in the heart of Jerusalem, the Nili and David Jerusalem Bird Observatory serves as a critical stopover for migratory songbirds navigating their biannual journeys between Africa and Europe. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

LebanonWar ImpactEnvironmental ConservationAviationMigratory BirdsJerusalem Bird ObservatoryYossi LeshemEcosystemsOrnithology

Places mentioned

Jerusalem, Israel
"Located in the heart of Jerusalem between a cemetery and the Knesset, the 1.5 acre Jerusalem Bird Observatory (JBO) is a fruit-tree-filled paradise that lures a glorious array of migrating songbirds, or passerines, with an opportunity to refuel, says JBO director Amir Balaban."
Tel Aviv District, Israel
"Early on an April morning, I joined ornithologist Yossi Leshem, emeritus professor at Tel Aviv University, and his colleague Yosef Kiat at the JBO, watching in awe as Kiat weighed and wound tiny coded bands to the legs of colorful songbirds in order to track their movements."
Northern District, Israel
"Data on the number of birds killed this way is classified. But Leshem notes that in an average year, about 50,000 cranes overwinter in Israels Hula Valley; in the period from October 2023 through 2024, the number was reduced to some 15,000."
Mount Lebanon, Lebanon
"The fires on both sides of the border incinerated not only trees and crops but the seeds and insects on which migratory songbirds feed."
Beirut, Lebanon
"Instead, the birds are roosting in the eastern Bekaa Valley and northern Lebanon."

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Retrieved 2025-07-10 05:30:45 UTC
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