When my wife and I left Manchester, UK, and immigrated to Israel, we had to decide where to live. We chose Tiberias in northern Israel and settled into an apartment overlooking the Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee), Israel’s largest lake. What an inspired choice that turned out to be for a nature photographer. We have wonderful views from our windows and porch of the Kinneret and the surrounding mountains including, on clear days, a view of Mount Hermon, snow-capped in winter. And we’re right on the bird migration route. Five hundred million birds travel through Israel twice a year. In the fall, they escape the cold winters of Northern Europe and head for the warmer climes of Southern Africa; and in the spring, they travel in the opposite direction to be in Europe for the summer. For many birds, it’s much safer to travel over land than over the sea, and Israel being a “land bridge” between Europe and Africa, is an obvious route. The birds more or less follow the Jordan River, and so the Hula and the Kinneret in the North, and Eilat in the South, are prime locations for birdwatchers.
Living so close to the lake and also to the beautiful countryside all around us has enabled me to get a close-up view of the nature of Israel. As well as photographing the flora and fauna, I’ve started blogging about what I see. You could almost say I’m a naturalist, which is not to be confused with a naturist. For most of the year, there’s so much to see; but sometimes it’s so hot in our region (well over 100 degrees F) that all the animals and birds hibernate (if you know what I mean), and I don’t see anything or anyone apart from mad dogs and other Englishmen. Because of days like this, I decided to have a go at writing some nature poetry. I’ve taken inspiration in doing this from a friend, a retired professor of philosophy, and also from a group of English-speaking poets in Israel, Voices Israel. You can check out the website https://voicesisrael.com/.
