Israel Restores Wetlands; Birds Make It Their Winter Home

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The thousands upon thousands of the common cranes are about as tall as a toddler and have a 6-foot wingspan. They seem unperturbed by the sudden arrival of hundreds of gawking tourists, riding in what amounts to a grandstand on wheels.

The grandstand is pulled by a noisy tractor. The driver is a young tour guide. She's explaining that these birds fly thousands of miles from Europe and Asia, stopping here in the Hula Valley for rest and fuel before they head to Africa.

Each time the tractor stops, the din of the birds takes over. They coo and gurgle, while the tourists make their own appreciative noises. Why aren't these normally timid birds taking to the air? Well, they associate these big wagons, and the tractors, with food.

Restoring The Wetlands


Biologist Omri Bonneh, with the Jewish National Fund, says the farmers didn't like that.



Now, biologists don't usually like to mess with the feeding habits of wildlife. But the strategy has attracted lots of paying tourists, who help pay for all that bird food, and for maintenance of this refuge — creating a home for hundreds of other species.

If you're a serious birder, it's a good place to hunt for elusive species that appear just for a second. Or, you can wade through a sea of cranes and just listen.

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