‘Sometimes I wonder if I’ll come back’: Palestinian birdwatchers defy danger to scan the skies

In the West Bank and Gaza, a growing number of birdwatchers are pursuing their hobby despite the violence surrounding them

Sitting in the shade of an olive tree in the valley of Ein Qiniya, north-west of Ramallah, the wildlife photographer and birdwatcher Mohamad Shuaibi starts to enumerate the birds he can spot. Swifts and swallows flit and swoop, a short-toed eagle hovers in the distance, a jay perches on an olive branch and a kestrel returns to its nest in the limestone cliffs.

He also starts counting the times he has been stopped by Israeli soldiers or police out in the field with his camera. I was detained four times already since October, and each time was worse," he says. He now avoids going out at certain times: To watch birds we need to go out very early in the morning. But most of the military operations are in the early hours, so you can be shot if you're out around this time."