Meeting up with Jens Hering

I had the pleasure for the first time of meeting German ornithologist Jens Hering and his wife Heidi in Benghazi earlier this month. They had just finished their latest tour of Libya, mostly in the south. They visited Ghadamis. Jaghbub, as Sarir, Kufra and Uweinat


Jens explained to me what they had seen and I am very excited about it. I said in my blog of January 1st that I expected some great results and what he told me exceeded my expectations.


However much of it is subject to review before publishing in scientific journals so I can only write today in generalities.  He has kindly allowed me to show some pictures he took but I will not disclose any exact locations.

Jens Hering and me

Jens was the earliest to realise the importance of the huge government desert farms for wintering and trans-Saharan migration routes. Although I think its fair to say I have added a bit to collective knowledge in this area too!

pharaoh eagle owl by Jens Hering

He is also contributing greatly to our understanding of distribution of resident species such as the pharaoh eagle owl photographed beautifully on his latest trip,

desert warbler photographed by Jens Hering

Some birds can be short distance migrants within Libya (or residents) such as the desert warbler and Jens is helping our understanding in this area too.

flamingoes photographed by Jens Hering

Jens saw flamingo in the desert before me and obviously our sightings weren't flukes.

white stork at a government farm in the desert

He has previously published about the hundreds of white stork which winter in the Libyan desert at certain sites. Are there more sites - you will have to wait! 

glossy ibis at a desert location

Finally I am showing a picture of a glossy ibis which is a symbol of the several species birds he found wintering in the south some of which have been recorded for the first time.