Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., January 18, 2008 Shvat 11, 5768 | | Israel Time: 07:50 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Last update - 22:48 17/01/2008 Cold weather turns fish pond into swan lake By Eli Ashkenazi Tags: weather, Birds A pair of white swans gliding nonchalantly in a reservoir near Kibbutz Afikim in the northern Jordan Valley could not imagine why the humans gathered around them were making such a fuss. "I was driving around near fish ponds and suddenly I saw them," Yoash Sadeh, from Afikim, said. "It's amazing." After checking to make sure the graceful avians had not escaped from area petting zoos, the observers realized they were seeing a rare sight. Advertisement "One of the most impressive signs of the Siberian weather we are experiencing is the arrival of birds who don't usually come here," said Amir Balaban, director of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel's Jerusalem Bird Observatory. According to Balaban, the swans who make it Israel are the lucky ones; they have escaped the cold snap in southern Europe and flew over Syria and Lebanon. Four swans have so far been spotted. Balaban said among the ways birds who normally winter in Israel have of dealing with the cold include inserting their beaks into their down feathers so their breath will warm the air in between the feathers. Some birds do not fare as well: The striped-backed prinia, for example, cannot warm itself or hunt for insects when snow covers the ground. Bookmark to del.icio.us   West Bank shooting Kiryat Sefer man, 40, sustains light to moderate wounds when terrorists open fire from passing car. Fighting words Barak vows to expand IDF operations against Qassam fire.   1.   Siberian Winter? 07:10  |  Danite 18/01/08

Today Online IAF strikes kill seven in Gaza; 40 Qassams fired at Israel Responses: 296 Israel Harel: No point in talks if Arabs won't accept Jewish Israel Responses: 132 Barak vows to expand IDF operations against Qassam fire Responses: 130 Na'ama Sheffi: New talkback law does not hinder public dialogue Responses: 65 Amy Winehouse mulls album of 'cool' Hanukkah hits Responses: 47 More Headlines 04:42 Hamas policy: Escalation to force Israel into truce 04:18 Winograd expected to slam PM over failure to consult on war 05:51 New ambassador to U.K. steps up PR to boost Israel's image 03:18 Education Ministry drops Arabic studies from core curriculum 05:34 N.Y. court to rule on dispute between warring Chabad wings 02:24 Many Sderot residents unable to reach shelters on time 02:34 Striking university faculty accept Histadrut's compromise proposal 06:07 Bar-On presents plan for increased aid to Shoah survivors 06:10 IAF strikes kill seven in Gaza; 40 Qassams fired at Israel 03:37 Livni: Ministry PR must focus on talks with Palestinian Authority Previous Editions Select Day 17 jan 16 jan 15 jan 14 jan 13 jan 11 jan 10 jan 09 jan 08 jan 07 jan 06 jan 04 jan

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