My brother the birder: Birding with ALS.

Gidon ringing (banding) an Eagle Owl, near Jeruslaem in the early 1990s. Photo: Yoav Perlman.

[This piece originally appeared on Yoav’s website on October 22, during Birdability Week 2021, and is published here with his permission.]

For Birdability Week, organized by Birdability, I want to share here the inspiring story of my brother Gidon. 

My brother Gidon is three and a half years older than me. He started birding just before I did - we were both under 10. Thanks to his infectious enthusiasm about wildlife and birding, my childhood growing up in Jerusalem was all outdoors. We trained as birders and ringers (banders) together, and spent long periods together in the field. My brother was always up there for me, leading the way, pushing boundaries. He co-founded the wonderful Nili and David Jerusalem Bird Observatory, with Amir Balaban, back in 1994. He served as head of the Israel Ringing Center for many years.

In 2015 Gidon was diagnosed with a horrible, terminal neurodegenerative disease, ALS. (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.) His disease develops in a medium, steady pace. When he was diagnosed he lived in Vancouver, where he worked as a fellow in a leading hospital (his main profession is as a cardiologist). In May 2016 I went to visit Gidon and his family in Vancouver with Amir. Back then his disease was demonstrated mainly in weakness in one of his legs. This affected his walking and stability, but all in all his mobility was reasonable.

Gidon in Vancouver during a trip we took to Vancouver Island. He had just spotted our first Orca of the trip. May 2016. Photo: Yoav Perlman.

Back then, the idea to embark on a Big Cat quest was born. Though Gidon had travelled the world extensively when he was young and healthy, he failed to connect with several Big Cat species. I remember that in July 1999, when Gidon came to visit me while I was travelling in Pacific Russia, we walked through a forest full of buntings and leaf-warblers. When we reached a stream that crossed our path, we noticed big, wet, paw prints, still wet from crossing the stream. We missed an Amur Tiger by minutes. Therefore, Gidon was keen to see as many Big Cats as long as he could travel. One day I may write a book about our travels (too many adventures to share here). 

By early 2017 Gidon's condition worsened. He was already using a scooter, but could somehow walk short distances using two sticks. In February 2017 we travelled to India. The team included, Gidon, Amir, Eli (Gidon's close friend who's also a medical doctor) and me. We had to plan the trip according to Gidon's limited mobility. It was a challenge to climb into and out of the safari vehicles. Walking forest trails was out of the picture. We planned the trip well, and had breathtaking encounters with Bengal Tigers in Ranthambhore NP.  Kaziranga NP was incredible too.

Here are Gidon and Eli in a tea estate near Kaziranga National Park, searching for Blue-naped Pitta, February 2017. Photo: Yoav Perlman.

 In November 2017 I visited Israel (before my return from UK to Israel). I met up with Gidon and Amir, and we birded the Negev. It was a special year for rare wheatears (Red-rumped Wheatear and Basalt Wheatear) and we enjoyed them along the Uvda Valley road. Gidon was unable to walk then, so birding was limited to roadside stuff. Thankfully the wheatears were kind to us, and showed well just by the road.

Gideon on his scooter, Israel, November 2017. Photo: Yoav Perlman.

Our next trip together was to South Africa, in February 2018. This time it was a family trip, introducing the children to their family roots in Cape Town. Of course, we had planned the trip to connect with Lion and Cheetah. By then, Gidon could barely stand up using walking sticks. The safari-drive tempo worked better with his mobility challenges. Of course, we planned our trip to South Africa bringing into consideration his disabilities.

An important consideration in planning birding and outdoor activities is Gidon's ability to use optics. For birders without disabilities, the simple actions of lifting binoculars up to the eyes, or tilting the head to look through a telescope, are trivial. For birders with disabilities that affect the use of arms and hands, this is not trivial at all. In South Africa, Gidon still had just enough muscle power in his arms to lift binoculars up.

Gidon could still lift binoculars during our trip to South Africa. Taken at Hluhluwe Game Reserve, February 2018. Photo: Yoav Perlman.

Our next Big Cat assignment took us to the world-famous Pantanal in Brazil, in November 2018. Again, the crew included Gidon, Amir, Eli and me. Our main target was Jaguar. For this, we used boats specially adapted to Gidon's condition, with the help of awesome friends from Panthera. By then Gidon could barely stand up, so getting him into a boat was a big challenge. Despite the challenges, we had wonderful experiences with Jaguar, and his smile seconds after our first Jaguar encounter made it worth all the efforts to get him there. Of course, the stunning wildlife of the Pantanal includes much more than Jaguar - it was a dream come true to visit there.

Our final international assignment (to date) was just before COVID-19 pandemic halted world travel. We flew to southern Spain in late January 2020, where with our Flyway Family siblings Inglorious Bustards we tried to connect with Iberian Lynx in Sierra de Andujar. By then, Gidon's condition had deteriorated dramatically. Now seated in a wheelchair (rather than scooter), and more tragically, hardly able to lift up binoculars. Gidon's energy levels and stamina reached a new low. It was a tough trip, made even more difficult by various unexpected events, including Gidon catching pneumonia. Eventually, on our final morning, we had views of an Iberian Lynx at long range. Sadly, Gidon was unable to stabilise his binoculars, and he failed to see the cat. It was an extremely frustrating moment; after all the difficulties of getting Gidon up that mountain, he couldn't see the lynx.

Amir, Gidon and Eli, Spain, January 2020. Photo: Yoav Pealman.

Since then we have been unable to travel outside of Israel. First, because of COVID. Second, because Gidon's condition is now so frail, that the logistics of international travel make it (almost) impossible for him to fly. I write 'almost' because I still hope that in the near future, we will do the impossible and travel somewhere. Sadly, Gidon won't be able to see any more large cat species. Initial plans we had for Puma in Torres del Paine, or Snow Leopard in Tibet, have become irrelevant. Gidon's lungs won't withstand high altitude anymore. Additionally, Gidon needs to be within short driving distance from a modern medical facility, and requires stable, reliable power supply to sustain him.

Since our last trip to Spain, I have tried, usually with Amir, to take Gidon to as many places as possible in Israel. We plan our trips according to Gidon's accessibility requirements. Not many high quality birding sites in Israel are fully accessible. Nowadays, Gidon is unable to lift up binoculars or even tilt his head to look through a telescope. So Gidon requires birding sites that have big birds (places like Agamon Hula for instance).

Gideon and a buzzard. Photo: Yoav Pealman.

Gidon is a keen ringer (bander); now unable to handle birds himself, his interest and knowledge of ringing hasn't declined. And it's a great opportunity for him to see birds from up close. Thankfully Gidon has the Jerusalem Bird Observatory - he visits there multiple times a week, and is still deeply involved in the monitoring and research work carried out there. Together we visited IBRCE  - Eilat Bird Park, which is fully accessible too: the ringing station, and the wonderful walking trails and hides (blinds). The team working there, lead by Noam Weiss, always go a long way to assist.

We also visited Ashalim Reservoir, a wonderful site with a good lookout but the distances are large. I attempted to connect a lightweight scope, Viking 12-36x 50mm Swallow Compact Telescope, to his wheelchair by a complex system of clamps and adapters. It's a good scope, and the system looks good in the photos, but eventually wasn't very useful, mainly because Gidon was unable to tilt his head in the exact angle needed to look through the scope.

We tried also to show Gidon birds through my scope, connected to my phone with an adapter. That didn't work well either - sunlight on the screen makes it difficult to use. That was very frustrating at times.

At KM20 flamingo pools north of Eilat. The rough tracks between the saltpans aren't suitable for Gidon's wheelchair. Photo: Yoav Perlman.

Gidon and Amir at the KM20 flamingo pools. Photo: Yoav Perlman.

Gidon was able to look through the scope eventually! Photo courtesy of Yoan Perlman.

I somehow managed to get Gidon look through the scope at Israel's first Three-banded Plover in Ha'Maapil fishponds. It was very challenging to adapt the scope inside the specialised vehicle, in the exact angle for Gidon to look through the scope at the constantly moving plover.

In June 2021, Kan 11 TV channel broadcasted a piece they did on Gidon and his inspiring story. I am also in there... If you want to get to know Gidon better, consider watching this story. Unfortunately for most of the world it's in Hebrew, but I think you can get the main idea. You can watch it on YouTube (unfortunately this video does not work outside of Israel), or through their website (which does work internationally) from minute 54 onward.

Gidon and Yoav, before ALS. Photo: Amir Balaban.

To conclude, birding with Gidon has changed my concept about birding with disabilities. In the past, when I birded daily, I was totally unaware of accessibility considerations. I never thought about the simple actions of lifting binoculars up, or looking through a scope. I also never faced issues staying in the field for hours. Now, my views have changed. When I am birding with my brother, the careful planning, the slow pace of birding, the accessibility of trails and the distance to birds all become fundamental. The birding community in Israel is small, and there's only a handful of birders with disabilities. I hope that Gidon's story will elevate accessibility for birders with disabilities into the agenda of birding and wildlife experiencing in Israel. Many new birding sites are being planned these days. Almost every city has an infrastructure of urban wildlife sites. Accessibility needs to be a major component of the planning process.