Heron visitors

Approaching 6 p.m. 26.1 degrees C, , (~79 degrees F) 66% risig, 13.9 rising, W

Two hobbies Falco subbuteo over east valley south of pumping station, quite vocal. Other bird life as normal for this season, much hyrax activity.

30th 25.7 degrees C, 78 and quarter degrees F and falling 69% and rising, WSW 9.6 kt and rising,

Bird of the day would be herons, from the size and markings I identified them as Night herons, Nycticorax nycticorax. Quite remarkable sighting.. a nice flock of at least 20 birds perched in several pines by the dry creek. These are common passage migrants but it was interesting to see them in an upland pine forest. (~800 metres above sea level. They rose in a mild panic at our approach with much "ROK" and "KROK" like calls, wheeled around and headed toward the south. We last saw night herons here there were just 3 perched in the pines but in a different location, at a bend in the central trail, and that was several months back. So far I have been unable to find the exact date of that record but within the past year.

Gazelle - 1 full grown without horns grazing by dry stone wall and tree in gazelle field.

hyrax - some activity.. one well grown let us photograph him, lying stretched out and relaxed by the valley road.

Hoopoes- the regular pair on the trail close to the cistern as usual, alternating between walking around and poking the ground and just sitting in the dust

Calls of a shrike, likely the masked shrike we saw the other day, in the trees by the bunker ruins, but it stayed out of our line of sight.

House sparrows, Senegal doves, feral pigeons, around the buildings as usual :

Hooded crows, Jackdaws- Usual flocks on hillsides and quite vocal and busy:

Eurasian Jays: Usual squabbling vocalisations or foraging singly and scattered.

Greenfinches: Flock of at least 40 took off from eucalyptuses near look- out corner and grove and took off over orchard .. clearly panicked.. soon saw the trouble.. two falcons made an appearance soon after, from the brownness of the plumage looked like immatures and probably hobbies.

Collared doves: Quite a few about, seen in flight and perching but quiet today.

Sunbirds: Song in Bauhinia again

Graceful warblers: Quite vocal yesterday, quiet today

Syrian woodpeckers: Quite vocal and visible

Bulbuls: Song in garden, calls around orchard

Eucalyptuses along the dry creek trail are in flower and have been positively buzzing with honeybee activity lately.. and the bee-eaters moved on! The sunbirds are clearly enjoying them too.