The commercial Salt Pools in Atlit and Eilat have become important nature reserves where you can watch flamingos, terns and other waterfowl enjoying their Israel vacation!
Migrating birds who pass through Israel every spring and fall often stop to rest and refuel in Israel’s lakes and salt pools. People who enjoy bird-watching also flock to these locations to watch and photograph the visiting species.
One of Israel’s leading salt manufacturers, Melach Ha’aretz, has decided to make life easier for the migrating waterfowl that stop-over in their salt extraction pools in Eilat in Southern Israel and Atlit in Northern Israel in order to feed. They realized that native predators such as jackals, dogs and foxes were preying on the birds, so they created a plan to protect them.
Working with Israel’s environmental protection agencies and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), they landscaped their salt pools to create a protective habitat for Israel’s waterfowl. They created fenced islands in the salt ponds which the predators could not reach, and these fenced-off areas have also helped to solve flooding problems caused by rising water levels. Melach Ha’aretz has also installed observation cameras in nesting areas to monitor the water birds, particularly the terns, which were becoming endangered species.
SPNI and Melach Ha’aretz have opened their salt pools to visitors and offer family-friendly bird-watching tours during the summer months. They are keen to educate the public about the beauty of the natural world and our responsibility to do whatever we can to protect endangered species. Because of the importance of Israel as a feeding station on the migration route of many bird species, we must do what we can to help them enjoy their Israel vacation!
If you are interested in visiting the salt pools or any of Israel’s other bird-watching sites around Israel, particularly during the migration season, talk to Shatour today.
Photo credit : Flamingos in Eilat Salt Pools by Dov Greenblat, SPNI