This area was originally a natural desert wetland fed by floods. As Eilat grew, it was turned into salt ponds and sewage treatment pools and contained roads, landfill, and airport infrastructure. Despite this, the birds kept coming. In the 1980s and 1990s, scientists realized that the artificial ponds had become a life-saving oasis, and without them, many birds simply would not survive their journey. So instead of removing the ponds, researchers and the city made the bold decision to manage them on behalf of nature. Water levels were controlled, vegetation added, disturbance reduced, and an International Birding and Research Center was established. In effect, what had once been waste infrastructure became a world-class conservation site.

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The sanctuary’s habitats of salt ponds, freshwater lakes, reed beds, and dense scrub attract some 400 species of birds, including waterfowl, waders, herons, flamingos, warblers, sparrows, raptors and more. The birds do not need to be fed since the sanctuary contains self-sustaining ecological systems. During the migration seasons, research involving the ringing of endangered species is carried out.

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The journey from sub-Saharan Africa to the Middle East is some 1,500–2,500 km. For many species, there is nowhere to land, since the Sahara offers almost no food or water. The birds survive the journey by doubling their body weight before they set off. Nevertheless, by the time they reach Eilat they may be at the edge of their physical limits. Small songbirds will have had 40 to 70 hours of continuous flight, day and night, without landing. Larger birds such as storks and cranes spend 3 to 7 days of journeying, using thermals by day and resting minimally at night. Raptors such as eagles, and buzzards ride over several days on rising warm air to conserve energy.