May 27 Mid 20s degrees C, westerlies ~9 knots breeze, humidity about 45% 4-5 pm
May 28 same SW 1 knot or less 50% after 5 pm for an hour or so
{Extraordinary story at this link.. an old weak desert leopard Panthera pardus nimr, hunting *pets*, entered an occupied bedroom.
May 27th Sat by edge of gazelle field looking up along tree edge line of northern valley. Edges of fields really good places for shrikes etc.
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus over hill to east of gazelle field.. hovering into the west wind, gliding, occasionally diving. Famous hunting strategy familiar to British birders. They fly directly into the wind, fluttering their wings a little to hold position. Their head remains absolutely still and scanning the ground below.
(Reminds me of the horribly sad movie, 'Kes', about a poor young boy in the north of England who finds, rears and trains a kestrel, his dearest companion. )
Good to know many kestrels doing well in the world.. they like to breed on our tallest apartment buildings. I have some pretty good pics (taken by a photojournalist friend) somewhere of chicks we took on someone's windowsill in our neighbourhood. I'll dig it up if anyone's interested. Yet another of my favourite falcons.
It's called 'tinnunculus' after its call. Means 'little bell' .. One of the calls is a piercing trill.
May 28th single Greater Spotted cuckoo flying east low over gazelle field
falcon calls over to the east.
Hoopoe - foraging in field near the saplings
Group of 8 large raptors passing very high over our house toward the south east
regular residents report:
House sparrows - active everywhere incl gazelle field, betw the dry stone walls and ruins
Senegal doves - active, foraging. This years' young fledged, looking almost like adults
Hooded crows - some activity. Flocking on hill to east of west valley
Jackdaws - some calls
Eurasian jays - foraging singly all over woods
Feral pigeons - fly over singly and in small flocks and foraging by gazelle field
Greenfinches - plenty song and 'chee' in young pine grove
Blackbirds - song in various locations in and around forest
Collared doves - some cooing, flight calls. Amusing: 27th One took off from wire over middle of woods, got hit by a blast of wind and changed its mind a second later.
Sunbirds - range of calls from garden including a high pitched hoarse trill in Bauhinia.. I assume it's a social family call, We're watching out for family groups.
Graceful warblers - song and calls and seen foraging in low grasses.
Syrian woodpeckers - some calls on 27th, silent on 28th
Bulbuls - some calls, more vocal and song on the 28th
Great tits- Plenty on 28th foraging at eastern end of north valley, in orchard and along creek path.
Some hyrax activity
Great tits- Plenty on 28th foraging at eastern end of north valley, in orchard and along creek path.
Some hyrax activity
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