Frustrated gazelle

6-7 p.m. 24.7 degrees C (~76 degrees F)and falling, 62% and rising, NW 11.3 kt and rising

Gazelles -3 today.. from the valley road we could see the third of a mile or so across the valley and the east field to the security fence where we noticed a handsome buck gazelle.. even from that distance we could clearly see his horns through binoculars. There were also two gazelle without horns in east field near the fence. The adult male seemed to have made his way into the army patrolled strip by accident .. there are actually two parallel fences with a security road and strip of ground between.

An army jeep was coming down the road from the south. Seemed likely the buck had tripped the motion sensors, probably trying to reach the gazelle in east field. All the buck really has to do is go back south and pass through the gap the shepherds use but of course the poor animal may not realise that and continue north in a futile attempt to reach other gazelle. There may be another place he can cross further north, I'm not sure. I doubt he can jump that fence. We hope he'll find his way out in the course of time. The fence won't hurt him meanwhile and there's plenty grazing for him. The army will certainly know he's there by now and will want to get him out safely so he won't keep tripping alarms. They're a protected species so he won't be shot and the army have cooperated well with the S.P.N.I. in the past (Society for Protection of Nature in Israel) . I really hope it all works out well for him. Those bucks will wander off on their own;)
Darn waste of investment that fence in my opinion, does more harm than good all round.

Hyrax. Plenty chitterings and a whole litter of young noticed on the west hill slopes near the pumping station.. can't be more than a few weeks old..

Feral dog family lounging by the edge of valley road, near the hyrax colony. When we came down the road mom and junior crossed the road and headed down the slope to the woods a little way, dad stayed put, reserving their seats as it were. After we'd passed mom and junior crossed back to join dad. Could be they were on the lookout for a hyrax nabbing opportunity there.

Bee-eaters: swarm of at least 50 high over the orchard. When many of them criss cross catching insects they do really seem to be swarming.

Nice view of sparrowhawk.. over the pine copse east of the cistern again.. clearly in the middle of moulting and looking a bit bedraggled. Flew up toward the swarming bee-eaters though not with a hope of catching one I'm sure, just gaining altitude to look for easier targets, or else he's very ambitious.

Hoopoes: One foraging on the path near the cistern

House sparrows, Gardens and street as usual. The wind was stiff over the valley today.. we watched a feral pigeon make three approaches to our neighbourhood before it was able to make a safe landing on a rooftop. Plenty other feral pigeons active, in small flocks and singly flying over.

Senegal doves: Street and valley road

Hooded crows: Small flock and calls

Jackdaws: some calls

Jays: Plenty foraging wood and fields and some squabbling behaviour.

Greenfinches: some calls and twittering, movement from tree to tree in small groups.

Blackbirds: Almost 7.30 p.m. and an individual is singing in the garden for a very short while, more of a tentative subsong than a full blooded display song. 1 male seen flying over valley road earlier

Collared doves: Flying over gazelle field and around eucapytus copse

Stone curlews: calls to east, other side of pine grove

Sunbirds: calls and song in bauhinia, some calls from eucalyptus along dry creek trail.

Syrian woodpeckers: Plenty calls and several seen here and there. One by the cistern, seemed to be trying to pluck up the courage to make its way down the rebars to the water but loud noise (firework probably) from the north west made it lose its nerve and fly off

Great tits: Some calls

Turtle doves, wheatears, cuckoos, chukars, graceful warblers : none seen or heard