In March, Taiwan, one of six claimants to this disputed smattering of sandbars and reefs in the South China Sea, built a bird-watching hide on a pinprick previously frequented more by soldiers than ornithologists.

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Bird watching is especially popular in northern Israel, where the varied climates of the Sea of Galilee, the Golan Heights and Mount Hermon provide lush habitats for hundreds of thousands of birds, including the endangered Marbled Teal, whose only breeding havens are located here.

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Pods of surfers bobbed on their boards, watching eagle-eyed as white-capped waves rolled in and paddling fervently for sea-sprayed ride towards the beach.

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