On the difference between the spring and autumn migrations in eilat, southern israel

Abstract

Large numbers of several raptor and many passerine species are regularly recorded during spring migration through Eilat, but numbers observed in autumn are far smaller. This paper proposes one explanation for this phenomenon: That soaring raptors reaching the Red Sea avoid long crossings by following the coast until narrows are reached. In spring, this would concentrate them at Eilat; corresponding autumn concentrations at Bab‐el‐Mandeb are predicted. It is also proposed that passerines are more likely to land in Eilat in spring, after crossing inhospitable terrain, than in autumn, after crossing more fertile areas. © 1984 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.