During Israel’s control of the Sinai Peninsula, the late Shalom Zu-Aretz, then chief ornithologist for the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, discovered that the arid, desert island of Tiran was an extraordinary nesting site for a diverse array of seabirds.
From 1975 to 1982, nature photographer Yossi Eshbol joined Zu-Aretz’s research expeditions on Tiran and the mangrove coasts of southern Sinai, capturing intimate moments of seabird colonies from courtship to chick-rearing.
Now, Eshbol’s rare photographs are showcased in an exhibition opening Friday at the Gail Rubin Art Gallery at the Nili and David Jerusalem Bird Observatory, operated by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.
The exhibition centers on the osprey, a striking medium-sized raptor expertly fishing live prey from water, studied extensively for the first time in Israel. Alongside it, the display features a unique variety of nesting seabirds thriving at the desert-sea interface of Tiran and southern Sinai.
Eshbol expressed concern about the region’s future, saying, “In April 2016, Egypt and Saudi Arabia agreed to transfer Tiran and Sanafir islands back to Saudi Arabia. Since then, monitoring has been challenging, and rapid development in Sinai raises serious concerns for the conservation of ospreys and their neighbors.”
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Curated by Udi Katzman and Amir Balaban, the exhibition offers a profound look into one of the region’s last wild, inaccessible spaces. “A single camera captured the stunning wildness of the bird world on a magical island so close yet so far,” said Balaban, urban nature director at the Society for the Protection of Nature and a founder of the Bird Observatory.
He invited the public to view the historic images and learn about Israel’s conservation efforts. The osprey, noted in the Talmud as a bird that “fishes from the sea,” inhabits wetlands globally, except Antarctica, with small numbers wintering or passing through Israel and rare summer sightings in the north. A stable nesting population persists year-round near Eilat.
Celebrating 31 years, the Nili and David Jerusalem Bird Observatory, adjacent to the Knesset, is Israel’s first urban nature site, attracting countless colorful birds and thousands of visitors annually.
The station preserves a unique natural habitat, offering bird ringing at the Ariel Weissman Pavilion, observation tours and gallery visits, engaging children, adults and professional birdwatchers alike in one of Jerusalem’s most captivating natural spectacles.