Yesterday I took my three youngest out of school for a long awaited return trip to the Hula Valley Nature Reserve. You see, now the migratory birds from Northern Europe are making their way down to South Africa, and many stop by this swamp land for a much needed rest in their treacherous journey. So while we called ahead to enquire whether now was the best time to come, apparently the birds knew we were coming, and chose not to be photographed for this blog. We did see some black commorants from the Black Sea region, who actually spend their winters here, having rightfully realized that it's just a wonderful place to be, and the winter temperatures are really not that cold. Who needs to go all the way to South Africa? Well, if you are a flamingo, then apparently you do, to accompany your friends the cranes, the egrets, the pellicans and others. (Don't get me wrong, I have some lovely blog readers from South Africa, and I'd love to go there myself, just I could fly in a plane! You probably never thought about it, but tens of thousands of birds lose their lives migrating!)
Not many birds, but a beautiful tranquil morning, with the place virtually to ourselves (until the flocks of schoolbuses started to arrive around 11am.....) Somewhere on those hills beyond (looking East) is the border between Israel and Jordan—I'm quite sure my "middle east" isn't exactly how you imagined it, is it?
A special place, and definitely worth a visit. It is a swamp, but a truly gorgeous one. The waters are filled with giant catfish whose photos I will omit here, as these fish are well, quite "icky" I must say. And if you drop some pretzels or rice cakes into the water, you can have quite a show, as they open their mouths and crawl all over each other. Yuck, believe me. Now back to the beauty, lest I digress.....
Part of the boardwalk trail, which spans the largest body of water is covered, so that when those huge flocks of birds land here, you are protected. Hmmmm. I was just happy to be protected from the sun, and there are even benches inside for sitting, since you'll want to enjoy all the action. Or in our case the memerizing silence, occasionally broken by the distant cackle of birds. (You know, the ones that were hiding from us!)
Amazing swamp grasses....The sign said in English that they are Cyprus, I think they are more likely Papyrus, but I'll have to check into that. (Note: We're both right! The scientific name of the plant is Cyperus Papyrus!) In any case, it is forbidden to pick them as they are an important element in the ecosystem of the Hula.
Oh, and there's a fun wooden observation tower that kids will enjoy, giving you a nice vantage point of the swamps below, and the opportunity for more bird watching.....
And for the 30 shekels adult/18 shekels child entrance fee you also get a really nice multi media/taxidermic presentation of the history and wildlife of the area. The end-all is the 3D movie with special effects (chairs that move, etc. I won't spoil it for you.....) that tells the story of the bird's migration and shows amazing footage of what the Hula looks like when there are tons of birds there. This was the second time I've seen it, and it was still interesting, and thrilling. If you happen to be the only ones in the theater, so you can request to see it in English (or Arabic) if you like, an unexpected surprise! Just take note that it might be a bit scary for any children under the age of say four or those who are sensitive. My eight year old daughter refused to watch it with the glasses on, but she was also scared that that boardwalk might cave in so...... too much crafting and not enough nature expeditions?
