Saturday, November 17, 2007

Thurs to Sat

Thurs:
Range: 15-22 degrees C, ~ 4 p.m. 19.9 degrees C. Humidity 41%, wind westerly 8.7 kt.
Gazelles: no show, but pair on Sat , see ahead.
hyrax: plenty activity around cypress slum, numbers various ages scampering over the road from there to dens on east side of road.
No really young darker young pups though some relatively small, a few months old already.
White wagtails: Heard in the street
Redstarts:1 flew from field by saplings into the pines. calls
Black redstart on bunker ruins.
Stonechats: Calls in gazelle field.
House sparrows: Gardens as usual, Feral pigeons: roof rail of buildings.
Hooded crows: Flock up on windsurfer hill, windsurfing, later joined by jackdaws, at least 80 birds total.
Eurasian Jays: Several seen in the pinewoods, relatively quiet
Greenfinches: Some twitters in pines near look-out corner
Blackbirds: alarm calls in the woods, Great tits: calls in pine woods.

Harsh quickly repetitive call down near dry creek bridge. Sounded familiar but couldn't quite place it...
Nice sound collection. Rose ringed parakeet aka Ring necked parakeet, Psittacula krameri. We had several sightings along dry creek trail eucalyptus last year, no positive this year but this call matches.
Husband heard Tristram's grackle whistle up in higher part of neighbourhood.
Friday Nov 16. 15-22 degrees C, 2.30 p.m. 20.8 degrees C, humidity 48%, wind very low, NNW
Gazelles: no show
reptiles: agama lizard sunning on the bunker ruins.
White wagtails: calls (and on sat)
Redstarts: one flew up from field by saplings into pines
Black redstart at the bunker ruins, stump by pomegranate tree, branch of pine behind the cistern. Didn't see two at one time so couldn't verify not same individual moving around.
Stonechats: nice view of male on scrub by dry stone wall toward west end of gazelle field.
House sparrows, Bulbuls: gardens, Senegal doves: around buildings
Hooded crows: calls and around windsurfer hill
Eurasian Jays: several foraging around woods and fields.
Feral pigeons: building roof rails
Greenfinches: twittering in pines by bunker ruins
Sunbirds: one calling and singing in the Bauhinia in the garden.
Syrian woodpeckers: calls, Great tits: calls woods, around look-out corner.
Saturday Nov 17 Range 15-23 degrees C, ~21 degrees at ~4 pm.
Wind veered from easterlies to westerly shortly after 4 p.m. and humidity soared from about 25% to 80% within the hour.
Wind speed increased from very light to 6 kt then 8kt at the same time as temperatures began to fall. Change is usually not that dramatic.
It was charming to see adult buck gazelle and an apparently fully grown hornless adult grazing peaceably at the sweet spot in gazelle fields, the largest single tree by the dry stone walls, both beautifully marked. She may be his alpha queen. The buck stood at attention from time to time - doing sentry duty apparently. He seems more cautious than the others, perhaps because he spends more time off on his own. After some time he walked off but the other stayed.

At least 100 crows visible up on windsurfer hill, both hooded crows and jackdaws, more hoodies on the ground. I'd estimate at least double that in the area.
Clear Tristram's Grackle whistles just beyond eucalyptus grove, to east and north, at least two individuals from directions heard, but none sighted.
Black redstart by the bunker ruins again, calling and flicking. Possible Stone curlew call.. not sure. haven't heard them in a while and this sounded a little different.
Chaffinch call.

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