Birds flying at high altitudes have occasionally been observed above mountain areas and the open sea. For the first time the regular occurrence of migrating birds flying within a low-level jet at heights of 5000 to almost 9000 m asl. have now been verified by radar above the Negev desert in southern Israel. Tracks of rather large birds with wing-beat frequencies of 5-6 Hz were measured to have horizontal flight speeds up to 50 m/s. Visual observations, seasonal occurrence, and wing-beat frequencies allowed to associate them with small species of the order Ciconiiformes (mainly Ardeidae) and possibly with members of the Laro-Limicolae group. These wading birds seem prone to continuing nocturnal migration into daytime under favorable conditions and to make use of high wind speeds at sometimes extreme altitudes.