( CNN ) -- The Sea of Gallilee , where Christ reputedly walked on water , is today home to another miracle of sorts . It is where hundreds of millions of birds migrate across Israel and a paradise for bird watchers . Located west of the Golan Heights , the area is part of the Great Rift Valley , which stretches from northern Syria to central Mozambique in Africa . It is akin to a superhighway of bird migration routes , creating thermal currents that raptors and other birds can ride from central Africa to Europe . Israel is at a bottleneck on the migratory birds ' flight path where an estimated 540 species converge . Compare that with 460 species in Germany , which is 20 times bigger . The Hula Valley , in Galilee , is an important resting and refueling place for migrating birds on their annual journey of thousands of kilometers from Europe and Asia to Africa and back . In late autumn , tens of thousands of common cranes and pelicans flock to the area , as well as more than 25 species of raptors like the imperial eagles and spotted eagles . Some of these birds stay in the area for the entire winter . It is a spectacular sight , and the area has become a popular spot for amateur bird watchers and ornithologists . There is even the Hula Valley Bird Festival held every November . According to Yossi Lessem , director of the International Center for the Study of Bird Migration , every year the Hula Valley 's Agamon bird sanctuary attracts 398 bird species , more than 400,000 visitors and 50,000 hardcore bird watchers . Nadav Yisraeli , manager of the Hula Valley Bird Watching Center , has been studying birds here for years . In the middle of the migration season , he will catch hundreds of birds a day , and they will be taken to the ringing station for inspection and measurement . He showed CNN the ringing procedure . `` First , I 'm going to record the ring number , '' he said , before moving on to measure the bird 's wing length , tail length and weight . `` We are learning that there are certain species that are doing quite well with the changes , '' Yisraeli said , `` and some species are declining , so we can tell something is happening . '' One of these change is the war in neighboring Syria . `` If they arrive on a war zone , and that was land on a stop for them and they ca n't stop and rest , then they are in a problem , '' Yisraeli said . `` They have to move on and sometimes their body will not be fit for that . '' Luckily food is abundant in the Hula Valley . In the 1990s , as Israel started to restore its wetlands , more cranes began to stop here and many -- an estimated 30,000 birds -- decided to spend the whole winter in the area . The cranes took a shine to the local peanut crops , costing farmers around $ 350,000 a year . To avoid conflict between farmers and birds , the Israeli government now provides corn and other bird feed . Tourists can ride along the feeding tractor and the wild birds are hardly disturbed by the gawking visitors . Yenni Kwok contributed to this report .
Located between three continents -- Europe , Asia and Africa , Israel is at a bottleneck on the migratory birds ' flight path . The Hula Valley , in the Galilee , is an important resting and refueling place for migrating birds on their annual journey . Comment: