Upupa epops/هدهد

Finally got out of the city yesterday and went to Umm Qais, in the northernmost part of Jordan. It is well-known for its Roman ruins (more amphitheaters, columns, etc.) but it was also formerly known as Gerasenes, the town where Jesus once exorcised demons from a possessed man and threw them to a herd of swine who ran madly into the sea (presumably the Sea of Galilee, which is near Umm Qais, beyond the Golan Heights).

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%205:1-20;&version=NIV

The beige, treeless mountains are the Golan Heights. Recognized and claimed as part of Syria, it is still controlled by Israel. It was clear that the dispute over the Golan Heights comes mainly from its strategic location between Lebanon, Israel, Syria, and Jordan. Beyond that is the Sea of Galilee and on either side and in the valley is Israel.

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.7483308,35.678157,11z

More Roman ruins...

One of the best parts of the trip was being somewhat near nature. Instead of only seeing pigeons and House Sparrows, I spotted Crested Larks, Kestrels, a Hoopoe, a Palestine Sunbird, and a gorgeous Woodchat Shrike that makes North American shrikes look dull in comparison. I was so happy to see the hoopoe. It is one of the most symbolic birds in the Arab world. It is also the national bird of Israel and is definitely in the running for being my favorite bird.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoopoe#Relationship_with_humans

The only bird I was able to photograph was the Crested Lark, looking over the Sea of Galilee:

Past all of the ruins was an Islamic graveyard with about 100 graves, all of which were quite recent. The headstones did not include any details about the deceased other than their name, date of death, and the phrase "We belong to God and to him we shall return." The graves themselves had flowers planted on top of them, and some of them were quite beautiful.

A few days ago a cat and her kitten have taken up residence on our front porch. They're completely feral and won't let us touch them, but we gave them some food anyways…