It has been estimated that over 500 million migratory birds fly over Israel twice every year; in the spring and in the autumn.
This massive wave is composed of more than 450 different species of birds of which a large number make a lengthy stop in the Hula Valley – resulting in a striking phenomenon that has attracted birdwatchers and photographers from around the world.
The Hula Valley is located north of the Sea of Galilee.
Israel drained swamps in the valley in the 1950s because of the malaria that existed there. What remained after the reclamation was a small lake, which in 1964 became Israel's first nature reserve.
In the 1990s, Israel flooded an area north of the reservation again. It is now known as Lake Agmon. The restoration of the nature reserve is now bearing fruit.
For example, the Hula painted frog is back. The species seemed to have disappeared for good after the reclamation, but a few years ago a ranger spotted the first specimen again; so far thirty frogs have been counted.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has accordingly reclassified the species as Critically Endangered.
The Hula painted frog is endemic to the Hula Valley.