We took a two day trip North to the Upper Galilee. This is my fourth visit to Israel but I had never seen this part of the country. We stopped at the Naot Kibbutz where they manufacture this famous brand of shoe. My niece is one of their designers, so we were given a special tour of the entire manufacturing plant. I was given permission to photograph but not to post on line. It was a fascinating tour. The following day we went to a place called Hula Lake where there is a bird sanctuary and nature preserve. Here a hundred thousand cranes feed for the winter. It is not possible to get very close, so this is my best shot with a 10x zoom.
Here you can see some of the cranes in flight against the backdrop of the snow covered mountain. The weather warmed up nicely and we had a gorgeous day out in the preserve.
A large group took to the air!
It is amazing to see these very large, magnificent birds filling the sky!
It is about 12 miles around the lake and there are a number of choices of locomotion. Here is pedal power for two! There were various configurations for any number of people.
You could rent their bikes or bring your own.
Our choice was the golf cart. I was sitting in the back, so I took these great shots!
Here was the most inventive mode of transportation. One person steers and everyone gets to contribute to the enterprise by peddling. We didn't see anyone take this out but it looks like a fun idea.
Here are some of the other birds in the preserve. Normally there are large groups of white pelicans. They has already left on their continuing migration. I saw one through a telescope but was unable to photograph it. Egrets, Herons, Coots, Kingfishers and a few others I don't know the names of, were spotted, but not in large groups like the cranes.
Here is a photo of an animal that is in the beaver family, called a Nutria. We spotted a number of them along the banks and in the water. I had purchased the skull bones of a nutria a few years ago and did a series of paintings from photos I took. It was exciting to actually see the animal with the long fang front teeth!
Here is the most exciting sighting of all...A FLAMINGO!!! There were two that had become disoriented by the storm and wound up at the preserve. They normally don't have flamingos stopping by.
Tomorrow I will post my photos from the Baptismal sight on the Jordan River.
4 comments:
I'm enjoying your posts about your workshop and trip and all the paintings and photos you've shared. I'm glad you had a warm day on the lake :)
wonderful photos. So glad it warmed up for you. We had a flamingo who escaped the Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City who lived and migrated around the Great Salt Lake for years. He was named Pink Floyd. I am afraid he was a lonely bird as there were no other flamingos to join him..but he thrived and lived for a long time.
What a fascinating trip, Myrna! How lucky to get a shot of that flamingo. The Nutria looks like an ornery critter to me and the name sounds like an energy drink. That red bike contraption looks like a disaster waiting to happen. I would've opted for the golf cart as well.
These are wonderful pictures of the Hulu preserve, Myrna! This is a side of Israel that I have not seen before. Maybe this will be my year to travel there myself! Thank you for sharing.
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