The Agamon Park has more to offer the visitor than just birdwatching.
By ITSIK MAROMGeese 521(photo credit: Itsik Marom)
Following the draining of the swamps in the Hula Valley region by the state between 1951 and 1958, unique flora and fauna, particularly fish and amphibian species, were endangered or lost forever. The “Agamon,” or “little lake” is the result of a partial re-flooding of the area which began in 1994 aimed at recovering some of this natural habitat.
The effort has met with some surprising successes; just two months ago a frog species, Discoglossus nigriventer (Agollashon in Hebrew) thought to be extinct was rediscovered. In addition, the Agamon provides a home for many bird species and a wintering area for others. Best known among the latter are the cranes that come by the thousands every fall, leaving in March or April.But the Agamon Park, which is administered by the Keren Kayemet Leyisrael-Jewish National Fund has more to offer the visitor than just birdwatching.Visitors to the park in the early morning hours stand a good chance of catching a magical hour or two of deep fog. Hiking along the trail, the fog slowly lightens, becoming a mist through which more and more details can be seen. As the moisture in the air condenses, plants, stones and spiderwebs become coated with sparkling drops of dew.As the sun starts to show through the mist, sunny Israeli everyday reality reasserts itself, but the windless serenity of the early morning mist leaves its mark. The sounds that have been in the background now seem to become louder and more real, since the flocks of birds responsible for them can now be seen.
