Joey and I have settled in quite nicely to life at Ami’ad. On previous field excursions we have had to share a bed (Czech Republic), so it feels quite luxurious that our little flat here has two beds even if they are only 5 feet apart. This is quite entertaining as Joey some times talks in her sleep. We have become quite creative cooking with our hot plate and using our single table which we move around as needed. Our power adaptor only fits in one plug and all and all it is a good exercise in adaptation. It makes you realize that you really don’t need much. It is also more pleasant in the apartment when we realized, after a week, that our air conditioner was also a heater!
Netting poles can also be rigged to dry laundry.
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Lunch on the porch
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Please let me in We have made several friends at Ami’ad and it is nice to have people to wave to or stop and talk with on the sidewalk. Yoni wrote an article about our research and why we are staying at Ami’ad in the kibbutz newspaper and we now face the situation where most people know who we are, while we are still struggling to remember lots of names and faces. We have been meeting more new friends through the morning palates class we are attending on the kibbutz. The instructor is great and she gives directions in both Hebrew and English (for our benefit).
If I am going to talk about friends at Ami’ad I guess I should not leave out all the animals. The dogs of Ami’ad are supposed to be tied up, but most seem to have free reign of the kibbutz. They often come by to visit if we are sitting outside and during nest checks we frequently end up with three or four dogs following us that are eager to help. One of my favorite scenes at Ami’ad is all the dogs sitting outside the dining hall waiting for their people to finish lunch. I must also mention the cats. Ami’ad is home to dozens of stray cats. This is not unique, in fact, cats are a problem all over Israel. There are literally cats everywhere! The ones at Ami’ad are in pretty good shape, mostly thanks to our elderly neighbor who has taken them all under her wing. On any given day there are at least 14 cats sitting outside of her door. The cats are very tame and provide entertainment as they chase pigeons, frolic with each other or harass the dogs. We do have the occasional cat-fight, at odd hours outside of our window and it is incredible how loud they can be.
One cat in particular has decided to make friends with us. I have named her Feta for her fondness of the cheese. She loves when we eat or study out on our porch. We try not to feed her (Joey scolds me if I do), but she sticks around just to be petted and if I am working will take naps on my lap. It was raining this morning and she was very eager to get in our house. I opened the door and was greeted by a damp, very insistent and vocal Feta.
If I am going to talk about friends at Ami’ad I guess I should not leave out all the animals. The dogs of Ami’ad are supposed to be tied up, but most seem to have free reign of the kibbutz. They often come by to visit if we are sitting outside and during nest checks we frequently end up with three or four dogs following us that are eager to help. One of my favorite scenes at Ami’ad is all the dogs sitting outside the dining hall waiting for their people to finish lunch. I must also mention the cats. Ami’ad is home to dozens of stray cats. This is not unique, in fact, cats are a problem all over Israel. There are literally cats everywhere! The ones at Ami’ad are in pretty good shape, mostly thanks to our elderly neighbor who has taken them all under her wing. On any given day there are at least 14 cats sitting outside of her door. The cats are very tame and provide entertainment as they chase pigeons, frolic with each other or harass the dogs. We do have the occasional cat-fight, at odd hours outside of our window and it is incredible how loud they can be.
One cat in particular has decided to make friends with us. I have named her Feta for her fondness of the cheese. She loves when we eat or study out on our porch. We try not to feed her (Joey scolds me if I do), but she sticks around just to be petted and if I am working will take naps on my lap. It was raining this morning and she was very eager to get in our house. I opened the door and was greeted by a damp, very insistent and vocal Feta.
Friendly neighbor
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Feta. "Love me please"
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Ami'ad has other attractions besides the cats. Less then a 15 minute walk from where we are living are the ruins of an inn where caravans would stop. It was last renovated over 500 years ago, and has a history that goes back long before that. There is a large fence around it, but I found an inviting hole and it was begging for exploration... Near the inn there is also a deep and ancient well that legend says is the same well that young Joseph was tossed into by his jealous brothers. The authenticity of this claim is surrounded by some debate, but it is hard not to start humming strains from Joseph and the technicolor dream coat!
Ami'ad is also known for its liqueurs and Joey and I finally made it down yesterday to check them out. People on the kibbutz started making them as a hobby about 30 years ago, but it has since turned into a business and they are now famous all over Israel. Ami’ad fruit liqueurs are special because they are made with a unique process where the fruit juice is fermented with yeast, like wine, instead of being made with added distilled alcohol like most liqueurs. All the fruits that they use are grown on Ami’ad or near by. We had fun tasting all the interesting flavors: passion fruit, almond, pomegranate, dark chocolate, and several more. Yum.
Ami'ad is also known for its liqueurs and Joey and I finally made it down yesterday to check them out. People on the kibbutz started making them as a hobby about 30 years ago, but it has since turned into a business and they are now famous all over Israel. Ami’ad fruit liqueurs are special because they are made with a unique process where the fruit juice is fermented with yeast, like wine, instead of being made with added distilled alcohol like most liqueurs. All the fruits that they use are grown on Ami’ad or near by. We had fun tasting all the interesting flavors: passion fruit, almond, pomegranate, dark chocolate, and several more. Yum.
Ruins of ancient caravan inn
Inside ruins of ancient caravan inn
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Joseph's Well
Ami'ad fruit liqueurs
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Field work is going well. We have now caught 40 adult birds and have 5 nests that are suppose to hatch next week. Fingers crossed for nestlings! Barn swallows in Israel are quite solitary, so we have not been doing any early morning banding sessions to catch the birds like we do in Colorado. Instead, we have been doing targeted night captures at each nest. This comes with the advantage that we know where each pair of birds is nesting and eliminates hours of binocular observations. The disadvantage is that it has been quite rainy here and Joey and I have come back late from night banding damp, cold and covered in mud. Each day we have to air out all of our field gear. 3 am and dry is really starting to not look too bad.
We have continued to train Tal and Inbal, our two Israeli field assistants, and they seem to be hooked after getting to hold some barn swallows. They both are catching on fast and doing great!
We have continued to train Tal and Inbal, our two Israeli field assistants, and they seem to be hooked after getting to hold some barn swallows. They both are catching on fast and doing great!
Inbal and me setting up the banding station and waiting for dark
Joey hanging out with a barn swallow
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Training Tal how to take a blood sample
Inbal, me and Joey's finger
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