30th, 31st July

30th July

Humidity lower than yesterday, conditions back to pretty much normal for time period. Bird life seemed more normal too, not so quiet

Husband saw a male sunbird repeatedly fly into the top of our entryway just outside the front door and pick at the cobwebs, then he'd go back to a branch and wipe his bill. He could be after spiders themselves, after the spider's victims or after the webs they use in nest construction together with grass fibres and such. though it's a little late in the season for that, still husband definitely saw webs trailing from its bill. Nice to know they're not quitting! We let the spiders build webs freely up there to catch mosquitoes though the latter are quite good at evading capture.

Gazelles, dogs, reptiles: no show

hyrax quite a bit of activity around the cypress slum colony

Bee-eaters: 20 seen perched on wire just south of Pumping station.

Over gazelle field and east end of north valley, and perched on wire over there and in flight, 100 at least, wonderful to see. A falcon of some kind flew amongst them for a few minutes though did not seem to be making any attempt to catch one, that would have been very challenging. The bee-eaters are very adept flyers. The falcon then turned south and flew over us. Looked dark, head rufous, could be the late afternoon light, hard to tell, never got a good look at its back. Wing feathers poor condition, needed a good moult.

Wheatears: Juvenile at the bunker, perched on rebar

Great spotted cuckoos - moved on we think

Hoopoe - briefly glimpsed in flight near orchard

House sparrows, Senegal doves: around houses and street as usual.

Hooded crows: Around valley and hills as usual

Jackdaws: some calls from direction of hill and field to east

Jays: Foraging in woods and fields as usual,

Feral pigeons: buildings and over valley as usual

Greenfinches: in good tune, some lovely song in pine by bunker.

Collared doves: Visited cistern

Graceful warblers: calls

Syrian woodpeckers: Plenty calls and foraging on trunks.

Bulbuls: calls in gardens and along valley road

We'd taken a bin bag with us and picked up after some long gone picnickers, mostly disposable plates and bottles.. the latter we dropped into a cage for recycling on our way back. My love of a clean neat environment is greater than my distaste for picking up after people who don't care. Thankfully they seem to be in the minority.

Turtle doves, cuckoos, blackbirds, chukars, stone curlew, great tit: none seen or heard today

31st

6 p.m. 27.4 degrees C, 55 % humidity and rising, Wind WNW 22.6 knots. I forgot to get the weather yesterday, sleep deprivation, but it was pretty much like today, perhaps wind a little lower.

Gazelles: 2! Happy to see them.. looked like a mother and well grown young, neither any sign of horns. She also looked a touch heavy in the abdomen which hints another one on the way? A little closer than usual, our side of the last dry stone wall so very nice views.

Bee-eaters: At least approaching 20 on the wire just south of the pumping station again, vocal. Over gazelle field at least 80, flying a few score feet up, then later skimming the places where the gazelle graze, sometimes alighting.

Wheatear: an immature (black-eared, probably a Bill Jr) perched on a rebar of the bunker ruins not far from yesterday's similar sighting.

House sparrows, Senegal doves: gardens and street as usual

Hooded crows: A few over valley and around hill as usual, and foraging over on gazelle field

Jackdaws: flock of fifty or so birds over on east fields where the goats were. One very vocal flying from our neighbourhood buildings to valley

Jays: Plenty scattered foraging on fields especially around where gazelle

Feral pigeons: Buildings and flying over valley as usual

Greenfinches: Small groups flitting about pines by bunker as usual. No full song, chee calls or use of thistles though.

Sunbirds: call from Bauhinia, also calls from pumping station area. We know there's a territory there.

Syrian woodpeckers: Many active and vocal, chipping calls and feeding on pine trunks.

Bulbuls: harsh calls along valley road. Gardens. It's just after 7.30 p.m. now and I'm hearing some melodious pre-roost bulbul calls. Many birds get quite vocal before roosting.

No turtle dove coos still, not sure if I saw any fly over the field. No cuckoos, probably moved on. No hoopoes seen today but they'll still be around. Blackbirds silent, probably gone into moult. Chukars also keeping a low profile. Stone curlews quieter than usual. Graceful warblers quiet. Great tits not heard or seen today