May 1st Half

 1st May

about 5.30 p.m. heading down valley road.. we noticed a strange bird flying into 'linnet tree' ( Ailanthus outside SE property on Shadiker) .. then flew down to pines.. soon found after scanning pines.. about quarter way down.. adult male GOLDEN ORIOLE  beautiful breeding condition, obligingly sat there for a few mins allowing photos though somewhat distant, bird identifiable in zoom (Avi estimated about 300 pixels worth)   There he is! Better through binos, could see dark about the eye quite clearly.

5th May

saw Turkish meadow brown (Maniola telmessia) the other day, I think still also lots of marbled whites and smaller Pierid whites, didn't get closer look at them
... today.. nice walk near north watercourse.. quite a few buck gazelle plus a hoopoe foraging on the ground by some young eucs, red back shrike in the young pines, chukar partridge on boulder out in the open, Prinias calling alarm at a hooded crow probably after its fledgelings on the bank near ramp up to neighbourhood, call of European cuckoo near look out corner/by central trail, young great spotted cuckoo flying between pine tops near valley road, cooing collared and turtle doves, swifts, over high rise flats where they prob also added their dwellings on upper outer walls, twittering greenfinches in the larger eucs that seemed to be joining in with music from a car radio and some picnickers, Syrian woodpecker calls, jays , blackbird song.. the forest was pretty much hopping! 

7th May

north watercourse : vegetation particularly wild carrot, Asteriscus with hoverflies, dried oats, some red everlasting opening petals, Syrian thistle fading, Verbascum beginning to bloom in some places, cat thyme germander blooming as were capers. 

hobby heard in woods,  kestrel also higher, chukars heard. 


8th May

Sdei Trumot.. 1 little egret,  several largish plain grey terrapins pulled out on the banks in the sun (mid 30s degrees C) , several spur winged plovers on opposite bank, collared doves around.. several pied kingfishers about, hover and diving watched.  Nest activity not noticed in the few mins I was there.. 1 hoopoe flew over.. around were also graceful warblers. Hirundines noticed by Argaman.

now by roadside in Beit Shean and lower Gilboa.. globe thistle blooming (on my patch just small budding heads)  still hollyhocks, giant fennel gone to seed and wilting, 

At Argaman photographed male sparrow which looked different from house sparrows in Jerusalem.. on viewing pics resembled ''Italian sparrow''  which is hybrid of Spanish and House sparrows. 

temps up and down, 30s one day, cool, rainy, even stormy the next, oscillating, unstable. 

16 th May

10 buck gazelle by north watercourse, some sparring behaviour, plus a few more in other places including three sets of mother plus kid born this spring, hurray! Some nursing observed near east watercourse and kid literally bouncing after the mom to keep up.. too cute!

plus: pair of great spotted cuckoos, cooing collared and turtle doves, pair of hobbies, call of Tristram's starling up the hill to the west, various fledgelings, singing greenfinches, calls of Prinias, syrian woodpeckers, Eurasian jays, great tits & warring jackdaws and hoodies over the pumping station, and bee-eaters down near the cistern. Pomegranates and broom in bloom.

locust in the willow tree,  another one appeared a day later.. both Anacridium aegyptium, second had yellow stripe on top, first did not and was slightly larger.

 

2nd half April

 Below: Bi-coloured centaury (Volutaria crupinoides) photographed at Argaman:

above: swallowtail on Bauhinia  (Malkishua gardens, Gilboa)  Below: olive tree flowers

Roadside Beit Shean: above , Painted lady, below, convolvulus which forms loose large cushions.. a number of these noticed by the wayside..

Group of white storks soaring on thermals on road between Jerusalem and sea level marker on road to Jericho.. 13 in frame, 3 of those relatively quite a bit higher.. there may have been a couple more outside the frame. Below: Limonium photographed at Argaman

Pics above from trip to Gilboa 24th April


Wed 17 April

most signif.. while walking east along north watercourse dirt road noticed roller flying across to bat cave trees.. A little later we walked up hill to north west and over to olive grove, sage vale.  Amongst olives noticed in all 5 European rollers, two pairs staying fairly close to each other.. flying to and fro amongst olives and to hill ridge behind us.. could have included the one I saw earlier, impossible to know for sure.. if not, then six individuals all. I suspect family group from last year as from colouring not all individuals fully mature.

More than 18 gazelle in north watercourse, all males of various ages but with clear male horns.. headed up hill as we and some kids approached.  Later saw  another group of 9 females and well grown young further over to east on open hill.

Bee-eaters on line over hillside.. a dozen or so.. had seen in last couple of days flocks of 15 or so over Pistacias and fields. Pair of kestrels seen and heard up from bat cave almost every day .. where nesting? Using a cypress or one of the towers?

In woods Eurasian jay, great tits, blackbirds, Eurasian jays vocal and active.

Sunday 21st April

Has been raining quite a bit in last few days.. walk out today just after 5 p.m. quite sunny and much bird activity, temp around 12 degrees C. 

Wild carrot flowering now.. the root is hard and pale.. not very edible, would take a fair bit of boiling! More chicory flowering in woods than ever saw before. 

Sunny and lots of bird activity after the rain.. great tits feeding young in acacias by north watercourse.. saw adults foraging and heard calls of young birds in acacia, also some song.  several masked shrikes about, v attractive little birds.. bachelor herd gazelles grazing by north watercourse again.. group of about half a dozen rollers, probably same ones we saw a few days ago, looking for food over north watercourse and hill side up from bat cave, flying about in their beautiful turquoise plumage like massive butterflies, swifts quite high over north watercourse, a Buteo coming down to cypresses by east field annoying hoodies, hoodies, jackdaws, chukars centre of east woods, jays, Syrian woodpeckers all vocal and active. Blackbird song and bulbuls.. hopping! Also greenfinches calling in young pines, collared doves in woods, on lines and in trees but no coos today.  Call of young great spotted cuckoo in east woods as seen from valley road.. attending hoodies seen. 

Sdei Trumot 24th April

Just a few pied kingfishers.. activity not noticed at the nest but I only had a few mins. Several collared doves noticed near shore.  Spur winged plovers heard but not seen. 

A score of white storks noticed over road towards Jericho just out of Jerusalem to north, flying on thermals. 

Several cattle egrets noticed in rift valley north of Jericho. 

Last day of April towards sunset, scores of Buteos, most with terminal tail bars.. at least one if not more without terminal tail bar, brownrufous body I assume long legged buzzard.. all slowly drifting north, flying, criss crossing at various heights.  

Grey grey shrike on top of high pylon arrangement red/white for signals..

April 1st Half

above.. found 3rd April near north watercourse.. some kind of Orthopteran.. yet to be IDd I haven't seen this species before 

Mason bee, Osmia? found in kitchen
 

Monday 1st April


Shield and star clover showing seed heads now, Gundelia and Syrian thistle coming into bloom, many milk thistles already in bloom as well as much mustard.

Bee-eaters:  heard flying high.. was poor visibility for much of the afternoon after hot chamsin morning. Also heard first time season on 31st March. Also last couple of days , peaks over 30 degrees C.  A turtle dove noticed on line near look-out corner , flew as we got too close but no cooing heard today.  As we came up from valley heard shrill calls, I think hobbies already back.  No luck spotting stork but probably because we are out too late in the afternoon when they are already settling down to roost.

gazelle: about eight up on ridge to north up beyond hidden watercourse, several others about on south facing slopes to north east.  Hyrax activity by valley road.

Wednesday 3rd April

Nice views of hobby flying about over north and east watercourses, hunting,  bee-eater calls regular now.. great tit song.. usual foursome in the garden.. now Bauhinia is blooming sunbird is regular visitor to the blooms.  Jackdaws, swifts heard just after sunset, larks up on hill north east of watercourse, crested?

Sunday 8th April

About 50 bee-eaters on lines over hillslopes to north east.. several gazelle grazing below.  One Turban buttercup found in north watercourse.

Wednesday 11th April

Sdei Trumot pool

Active pied kingfisher nest!  Left most opposite bank.. bird entered, exited with white thing in mouth.. dropping?  eggshell? went in again.. another in attendance not far off outside.. several more squatting further down on the bank.. appearance of at least two other holes to the right of that one but not in such good repair, may have partially collapsed, at least the whole not so well defined.  Further to right watched another P. K. hover high, attempt dive, change mind last moment close to water, swerve up again , then sploosh! in.. then settled on rock by water but hard to see if it had anything.

Several collared doves came down to water,  one little egret left as soon as arrived, no sign of herons, great whites or cormorants though searched but did eventually find just one spur winged plover.

Saturday 13th April

pleasant walk earlier by north watercourse.. upwards of 19 bachelor gazelle grazing and 3 sets of practice sparring on the other side of the watercourse. Some blackbird song, lots of Jay activity, some turtle dove coos, calls of bee-eaters and, on our way back, calls of stone curlew from over in east field.

Sunday 14th April

Pterophorus found near bat cave on Sunday, on shrubby restharrow
Again, upwards of 18 gazelle by north watercourse, some practice sparring..  some blackbird song, Prinias active and vocal, kestrels heard calling shrill bell call from up from bat cave, cypresses,  hyraxes barks down from shadiker about sunset. 
Lots of Syrian thistle, fleabane, some yellow Achillea,  
Insect life included bush crickets, hoverflies, Pterophorus moth, honeybees about neighbourhood. Mason bee in house a week or so ago.. Osmia, blue eyed job. A few days ago striped hawk moth on curtains french windows,  Hyles livornica.  

15 April
as yesterday just under 18.5 degrees C at about 6.30 p.m. . again, 18+ male gazelle of varying ages by north watercourse, some practice sparring, kestrel up the hill amongst the cypresses, call heard, one perched on line over hillside, lots of jays active by north watercourse dirt road, cooing collared and turtle doves in pines, greenfinches heard there too,  scampering hyrax on valley road on our way back, flock of 15 or so bee-eaters hawking and calling over us, hoodies, blackbird, 

lots of the dark beetles with small white spots on syrian thistles and similar plants. 

March 2nd Half

18th March

Acanthus coming up , starting to bloom by north watercourse.  Our Bauhinia is also starting to bloom, some flowers, many buds and sunbirds and bulbuls active from before dawn.. the bulbuls now start at about 5.20/5.25 am a.m. though one morning from 5 am.  Sparrows sometimes start chirping from 4.30 am.. probably a nest nearby.

Blackbird song regular around sunset, great tits also vocal , active, singing esp when sunny, collared doves have started to coo in the valley.  Great spotted cuckoos heard regularly.. that pair of kestrels still active just up from bat cave, east end of woods by north watercourse and hillside.. using electric wires and pylons between hovers.  Hoodies busy with nesting, jackdaw activity around.

Akiva saw group of some five hoopoes by ramp (back of neighbourhood to valley road by an acacia), no more swifts over neighbourhood since first heard them from east field a week and a half ago:(  Some Syrian woodpecker and jay calls, some greenfinch chaws, some chukar calls and activity, stone curlews fairly active in evenings.

Weather has been very changeable lately.. going down into mid, upper 50s then jumping up into upper 60s, lower 70s F.

That odd bee orchid which has some features of O. flavomarginata , seen blooming again just up from picnic area on valley road bend.. just one stalk again.  Lots of O. carmeli and pink butterfly orchid by north watercourse as usual,  O. lutea elsewhere under pines many places.

Eastern knapweed fritillary confirmed !  perched by north watercourse, didn't want to fly, just raised forewings to this position when front touched. Before that they were up half that from hindwings.

27th March
today a few fishermen gathered around my favourite pool at Sdei Trumot had spooked herons and plovers but there were a number of pied kingfishers hunting there, either perched on the far bank near the pipe over the water or flying low over the water. I think I heard a spur wing once but didn't find one. There were also five black storks circling about low over the valley approaching Beit Shean area from the south and a number of cattle egrets in flight at various places along the route.. Akiva spotted some quail (by his description.. he also noted dark wing tips) flying about by the road. We also spotted various roadside raptors, a pair of Tristram's starling near Jericho, lots of collared doves, crested larks, bulbuls, Prinias and some hirundines. Also yesterday afternoon walk in north valley watched a nightjar hunting back and forth over the road between the pines at dusk, always neat to see. I can hear a yellow vented bulbul now in the gardens, its late afternoon melodious calls.

March 1st Half

 3rd March   

Below- 2 legumes found between edge of neighbourhood and valley road. First near Medicago seedpod in spare patch of land between two buildings, in little raised island of veg.  Also lots of hop clover nearby.  Other clovers also blooming now including white clover.

flower above only found, so far, in this one place, by ramp on way down to valley road near lots of birds foot trefoil and blue pimpernel.

Also lots of blooms of pink butterfly orchid under pines and also quite a bit of Ophrys lutea but no other orchids.  Asphodel , many of them producing healthy berry like fruit despite presence of Mirid bugs on almost every other one.

great tit calls and song, blackbird calls and song.  Foraging hoodies and now plainly territorial in tree tops.. great spotted cuckoos noticed since middle of last week, calling, flying about lower part of pines and across north watercourse, but not today.  Chukars also on lower hillsides, kestrels heard up from bat cave, usual area we have seen them. Stonechat male in lower east field still no swifts seen but may have heard scream of one midday/early afternoon today.
greenfinches starting to be vocally active lower pines, chaw calls heard today.  chaffinches still about a few days back, a whole little group in bare tree in euc grove near cistern and collared dove on line in area.. still not cooing though did hear coos Gilboa area last week already. call of corn bunting in east field a few days back

Bulbuls, sunbirds, laughing doves, house sparrows active and vocal in garden/adjoining gardens.

SWIFTS finally heard 9th March just after sunset over east valley,high, didn't see them, just heard them.  May have heard them a few days earlier over street briefly from my room but could'nt be completely sure do to lots of other street noise 

10th March.. noticed first Campanula on hillside , south facing.  C. hierosolymitana prob.
also more calls of great spotted cuckoo into dusk from east woods.

13 March

Sdei Trumot

I was pointed at a little egret that had just landed on that outer branch of the eucalyptus .has its crest plumes now.. sad the pic doesn't show it off well enough, need a more powerful lens for that.. only when zooming/reframing the pic at home did I notice I had also photographed a grey heron on the left.. hahaha!

also around the pool: several spur winged plovers, group of five pied kingfishers sitting on the dirt 'shore' other side of pool, one great white egret stalking along the edge of the pool, a grey heron standing on a little island, two black kites flying low.. a black stork up high and some kind of eagle soaring way higher.. two cormorants in the eucalyptus fluttering their gular pouches in the heat (just over 30 degrees C) ..at least two little egrets

Argaman: 
bulbuls, house sparrows, sunbirds, a blackcap? in something like a bay laurel.  

  

 Swifts  over town on way back.  Lots of Judas tree, Cercis siliquastrum in bloom.

Thursday 14 March 

Blackbird in song in forest towards dusk.  Calls of great spotted cuckoo, one sighted flying from rubble pines across forepart of gazelle field to pine grove,  Jay briefly spotted. Hoodies calls.  Collared doves

 

 

Second Half February

16th Feb

Flowers seen in bloom in valley for first time today: the small purple vetch (Vicia palaestina), the pale off-white vetch, the six flowered clover/pea family plant , a small headed short member of Apiaceae.

kestrels heard, hyraxes active, a couple of gazelle east field, blackbird song, laughing doves coo, great tits and sunbirds vocal and active


brief attack of some raptor of a hoopoe between cistern tree and pine grove, didn't get any details of raptor as hoopoe drew our eyes but likely was one of the sparrowhawks.

20th Feb 

 Above: first orchid of season.. on north facing slope by Shadiker.

above, a legume blooming by east watercourse dirt road

 legume blooming by central trail.

flowers noticed blooming for the first time this season today,  two Ophrys orchids: green orchid, Ophrys lutea, on long trail down from end of Shadiker to north watercourse and Carmel - in flat area near north watercourse and, also in that area, grape hyacinth.. earliest I've seen one.

Also sparrowhawks, call of a kingfisher, staccato call, prob a white breasted but couldn't be sure, didn't get a look but Akiva confirmed it was one he heard near edge of neighbourhood a few days ago. great tit song, Prinias, calls of Tristram's starlings, blackbird, hoodies, jackdaws, Eurasian jay, chaffinches.

21st Feb

several gazelle about.. couple of instances of male following female.. head stretched forward, following, first female would trot away, just wanted to graze, male continued. Second instance, north slopes windsurfer hill male running at speed after the female.

chaffinches heard in pines quite regularly last few days, stone curlews pretty regularly heard in the evenings now,  laughing doves cooing in garden, jackdaw calls, jays foraging in low part of east field, hoodies there too, apparently took large morsel, large millipede? or perhaps a mole cricket , was hard to tell. saw jay with it on pine branch, usual technique, used foot. Blackbirds also heard regularly around sunset, various calls, song some days in last week, Prinia, 

23rd Feb

starling flock towards sunset , couple of hundred birds..  white wagtails using trees on Elias. 

24th Feb

morning not long after dawn:  chiffchaff singing, nearby garden.  laughing dove coos, sunbird activity, bulbul calls, jackdaw calls.

26th Feb

 chamomile daisies out now by valley road,  first campanula out in forest, more Ophrys lutea about, pair of great spotted cuckoos  heard and then seen in the lowest little pine wood by gazelle field. blackbird song, great tits, chukar partridges out in the field.

27th Feb

Sdei Trumot:  Several spur winged plovers on the opposite side of the pool,  at least two pied kingfishers about flying low, perching in tree, hovering high, vocalizing.  A white breasted kingfisher spotted perched on a wire beyond other side.. away from the water.  Several swallows hawking over the service station. little egret edge of water other side.  Hoopoe calling repeatedly in trees on service station side.    graceful warblers about, calling, great tit song and calls. Collared dove coos.
Sunbird calling repeatedly around dawn in garden.
Nadal arsi seen at Malkishua in lobby of building.

28th Feb

The mini irises first seen blooming in east field, lower north windsurfer hill 

February First Half

7th Feb

Seen flowering for the first time this season- between north watercourse and hidden watercourse: Aethionema carneum - (pink) stonecress, Ciliate vetchling (Lathyrus blepharicarpus),op clover (Trifolium campestre) as well as a small pink/white, slightly spiny/hairy clover and a yellow clover with single flowers plus lots of vegetation of white clover and others up in many places. 

more vocal stone curlew in evenings lately.. in woods, calls of chaffinch, chiffchaff, great tits calls, some song on sunny days lately, some Syrian woodpecker calls,  lots of hoodie calls.. seems they're picking out nesting spots later, Akiva noticed one carrying nesting material a few days ago. I also suspect collared doves also doing same top of cypresses (near bat cave).  Call of great spotted cuckoo also heard? 

Vocalisations of bulbuls in garden, some sunbird but not so much, laughing dove coos. ring neck parakeets sporadic,  jackdaws randomly vocal but seems flock on move, sometimes about, sometimes foraging elsewhere but hoodies regularly seen and heard. 

Small finches heard, linnets, greenfinches, possibly goldfinches in tree canopies, pretty much random sightings and hearings.  A few white wagtails roosting in the densely foliaged trees lower Elias. 

gazelle: 24 in region of north watercourse a couple of days ago.. first mixed , then bucks headed up hill towards hidden watercourse, females and well grown young headed out into field to east of bat cave.. 14 of them were adult bucks,  last one of those seen separate, coming out of young pines by service road. 

hyrax active by valley road, no young seen lately, generally out when it's dry, in when damp unless it's a gap between rains in which case they will come out to forage. 

10 Feb 

yesterday Malcolmia found in field near cistern on small island of green and flowers though about it much of the ground seemed pretty dead.. as if flood waters washed over it had killed it.. also some stretches by east watercourse similarly affected though not obviously by flood water.. I do wonder, though, if some treatment chemicals from the pumping station or from the road above or somewhere might be toxic to the local vegetation.  Effect on field by rubble and cistern marked.

greenfinches.. some twittering and chawing calls in pines near field across from cistern, almond trees flowering , the large one and a smaller one that we had not noticed flowerng before between the large one and look-out corner.  

Today.. on line over north field near north watercourse in open repeated high pitched trilling call like corn bunting recording, and noticed above on line 13 individuals, silhoutte but clearly conical bills, shallow forked tail.  Kestrel calls up slope up from bat cave, then one flew down towards pines near owl glade.. also saw a sparrowhawk fly that way.. soon after strident repeated calls of sparrowhawk.

blackbird calls in woods near east watercourse.  Prinia calls from various places.  repeated tic tic calls near east watercourse, sounded like angry European robin. Garden: laughing dove coos. Bulbul calls. 
Stone curlew fairly regular calls evening. 

13 Feb

Return to Sdei Truma: the little pool was less populated today.. the great white egrets and bulk of the cormorants were gone but there was one lone great cormorant standing on the pipe in the middle, a couple of little egrets at the edge, a grey heron, pied kingfisher also on that pipe and, to my delight, the much smaller blue and orange European kingfisher was flitting between perches across the pool. A number of spur winged plovers along far bank, at least three pairs. In the eucs by the pool, chaffinches, a chiffchaff in full song, great tits, Eurasian jays and other unidentified passerines. A pair of kestrels vied for possession of some dainty clutched in talons on a tower across the pool. New pics today, must process.  

one lone immature large size gull swimming by itself on the pool, all over mottled grey and dark bill, a number of cattle egrets along the Jordan valley, one hunting by a donkey. saw some gamebird crossing the road.. I think female black francolin ,Akiva as he had a longer view of it and agrees best guess so far, strong dark striations on the body. No hirundines at all noticed today but a number of doves and Akiva spotted a starling type flock.