Watching Birds in Beit Shemesh

pigeon in Beit Shemesh
I had fun looking out the window (and standing on the balcony) from the apartment where we stayed in Beit Shemesh, Israel. Beit Shemesh seems to be a combination of urban with rural. I heard roosters crying on my first morning in Israel – they were up at 4 am. Watching birds in Beit Shemesh is not as exciting as watching them in the Hula Valley or in Eilat, but I enjoyed the show.

sparrow on wood plank in Beit Shemesh
The sparrows don’t look that different than our sparrows in New Jersey.

pigeons on a roof
This photo of pigeons on a roof can give you a bit of an idea of how the urban buildings are right next to the rural countryside.

pigeon in flight in Beit Shemesh
Oooh, I got this pigeon in flight!

etrog
I got to see this etrog on a tree in my friend’s backyard. It’s too bad I didn’t have a chance to take photos from her balcony – she lives on top of a high hill in Beit Shemesh, so you can see all around from up high.

beit shemesh ramat
I think this is the edge of Ramat Beit Shemesh. There are several sections to the city – it’s grown a lot in the past twenty years.

urban beit shemesh - buildings
From this photo of apartment buildings, you can see what I mean by urban.

farm in beit shemesh
I believe this is where the roosters live, right outside Beit Shemesh in this farm.

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16 thoughts on “Watching Birds in Beit Shemesh

  • You caught some great shots of the birds looking out the window. It does look urban but nice seeing the trees that makes a big difference in areas that have grown.

    • Israel has such variety when it comes to trees – Ma’alot, which I hope to post about later this summer, has tons of trees. Some neighborhoods, like Har Nof in Jerusalem, have barely a tree.

      I saw some pretty purple trees in bloom in both Beit Shemesh and Ma’alot – if I could only remember what they were called …

  • I love the bird photos, especially the pigeon in flight. The landscape reminds me a lot of the “high desert” in CA, on the northeastern edge of Los Angeles County, about 75 miles from Los Angeles.

    Great photos! Thanks for sharing them!

  • Great capture of the pigeon flying! It’s always so interesting to me to see other parts of the world. I’ve never before seen an etrog. I’m off to Google it.

  • Oh my goodness… You are a birder!!……these are great photos Leora… I would love to visit Israel…. But I will visit via your posts…. Thank you for linking into Nature Notes…. Michelle

  • I like how you note that the sparrows looked just like the ones in NJ. It’s just one of the many small ways that travel humbles us.

  • Shalom Leora! Those look like the dry hills of Southern California in the background; I remember thinking the topography in Israel sometimes matches that where I come from on my brief visits there. The last time was 18 years ago already, wow. Just wanted to say hello. You are a long way from New Jersey at the moment!

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