High School Student's Interest in Birds Takes Flight - in Israel

By Guest Blogger Isaac Heintze

This was not my first time in Israel, but it was my first time seeing the birds in Israel. In fact, it was my first time really taking notice of birds at all.

As an amateur photographer, I think I tend to be pretty observant. I look for photos wherever I go and often ...

come back to a composition I see on a walk with my camera. While in Israel I had a lot of time to be observant, and for whatever reason, I was enthralled with the 
feathered creatures that lived there. 

It was on my first day that my interest in birds took flight. We were on a steep hike up the Maktesh Hagadol, and a Tristam’s Starling (below, left) was following us up the path. It would fly above us and perch, almost as if it was taunting our jet-lagged fatigue.

After this experience, I started to really take note of all the birds I saw. Some evenings I would sit out by myself and try to watch the birds. I ordered a field guide on bird identification to arrive while I was away, and I tried to identify the birds I did see while I was in Israel.

​I often found myself waking up early due to jet lag, and one morning a friend and I went on a walk with my teacher - Ms. Gibbons. She pointed out all the different birds as I eagerly snapped pictures of what I could. I specifically remember the morning sun shining on a Palestine Sunbird (above, right). The colors on that bird are truly incredible, and I have never seen another bird like it.

My love for birds is something I took with me from Israel to back home and I hope it continues to be that way.

Isaac Heintze is a student at Kehillah Jewish High School. He lives in Menlo Park and likes to take photos on the weekend of whatever scene he can find around him. His work can be found at: isaacheintze.com