honorable mention
Gal Gross israel
title
Rest Stop
For many years, the Hula Valley was a swamp neglected area. At the end of the nineteenth century, because of the fear of Malaria, it became necessary to drain the huge swamps. In 1951, KKL-JNF ) Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael Jewish National Fund) started draining the Hula swamps. It was the first national engineering project undertaken by the State of Israel, and when it was completed, the local communities had about 60,000 dunams of additional land for agriculture and the valley turned from a region plagued by malaria into a flourishing place.
The KKL-JNF restoration project has turned the area, which covers 75 sq km, from an ecological disaster into an area flourishing with a great diversity of vegetation and wildlife. The Valley is considered as one of the best areas for bird watching.
I visit the Valley every year at the beginning of winter, stay in a hiding place in order to take pictures of cranes.
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entry description
The pictures were taken at Hula Valley Nature Reserve at sunrise and early morning during my annual visits in the reserve. This nature reserve is a major stopover for bird migrating along the Syrian-African rift valley between Africa, Europe, and Asia. More than 300 different species of birds pass through this area and over 500 million birds pass through Hula Valley each year.For many years, the Hula Valley was a swamp neglected area. At the end of the nineteenth century, because of the fear of Malaria, it became necessary to drain the huge swamps. In 1951, KKL-JNF ) Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael Jewish National Fund) started draining the Hula swamps. It was the first national engineering project undertaken by the State of Israel, and when it was completed, the local communities had about 60,000 dunams of additional land for agriculture and the valley turned from a region plagued by malaria into a flourishing place.
The KKL-JNF restoration project has turned the area, which covers 75 sq km, from an ecological disaster into an area flourishing with a great diversity of vegetation and wildlife. The Valley is considered as one of the best areas for bird watching.
I visit the Valley every year at the beginning of winter, stay in a hiding place in order to take pictures of cranes.
back to gallery