21 
DEMOISELLE CRANES IN ISRAEL A. R. M. Howes 
At about 13.00 hours on 21 March 1988, a party of eight birdwatchers led 
by myself entered the eastern end of a wadi known as En Zafzafa, to the 
west of Route 90, at a point eight kilometres south of Ein Gedi on the 
western shore of the Dead Sea. 
Our attention was drawn to a flock of 126 crane-like birds flying north 
across the wadi. The birds were in two groups: 102 individuals followed 
closely by 24 more. They flew in a ragged formation, but otherwise fairly 
straight. Their necks were extended forwards, and their legs trailed well 
beyond the tail. 
All appeared to be of the same size and species, although there were no 
other birds with which to compare size. In the bright sunshine, 
visibility was excellent. 
We saw that each bird had a completely black neck, extending back to a 
point either level with or just behind the leading edge of the wing. The 
remainder of the underbody was grey, and there was a clean demarcation 
between this and the black on the neck and upper breast, eliminating any 
suggestion of shadow. An identical grey colour extended through the 
forewing-c overt s , tapering gradually to a point on the leading edge beyond 
the carpal joint. The hand and flight feathers throughout the trailing 
edge of the wing to the body were black. The legs appeared dark, too. 
The birds were in view for up to a minute as they flew overhead at a 
distance of less than 200 metres above ground; they did not call. Within 
the next few minutes, a flock of over 300 White Storks Ciconia ciconia 
also passed overhead in the same general direction. They were two or 
three times higher than the Cranes, but their black-and-white markings 
were clearly visible. 
Most members of the group were using Zeiss 10 x 40 BGAT binoculars. 
Demoiselle Cranes Anthropoides virgo have previously been recorded in 
Israel, but infrequently and then only in small numbers. This record has 
been accepted by the Rarities and Distribution Committee of Israel. 
13 New Forest Close, Wigston Magna, Leicester LE8 2RW, Great Britain. 
DONALD PARR MBOU: 1921 - 1988 
Don Parr's name, probably more than any other, is linked to the creation 
and establishment of the Ornithological Society of the Middle East. He 
was not only the editor of the first ten issues of Sandgrouse , but also 
the Society's first Secretary; after being the last Secretary of the 
Ornithological Society of Turkey, OSME's predecessor. 
