Partridge season

A small Deadnettle bloom (one of the Labiatae) found north end of the sapling field, just under the pines. Some of the brilliant orange small daisy types around it.

Deadnettle is so called because it resembles a nettle a little but doesn't sting.

Thursday 28 Feb

Jerusalem, Israel

Thursday 28 Feb

Range ~9-~18 degrees C. At about 5 p.m. temp was just under 17 degrees C, sky was beautifully patterned with fine herringbone cumulus.

House sparrows in the garden as usual. In the valley we noticed Eurasian sparrowhawk heading from gazelle field towards the orchard. Quite a few Eurasian jays foraging though quiet. Beautiful calls from stone curlews at 5.30 p.m. while still light, coming from direction of hillside just north of gazelle field. Great tit, black redstart, blackbird calls from the pines. Syrian woodpecker calls from north valley pines. Chukar partridge walking on the ground under the young pines just north of central trail. He probably had company but it was out of sight.

Feral dog pack noticed in the pine grove just east of the cistern. One quite well grown white puppy just sat and barked at us.
Thursday evening after 10 p.m. stone curlews heard.

Sat 1 March

Range: 8-15 degrees C

Garden: all day the usual quartet of house sparrows, white spectacled bulbul/s, a rather noisy and excited sounding sunbird and a cooing laughing dove. Brief 'tzeet' of a blackbird

Walk late afternoon: Quite a few small finches on the move between trees, from the sound of them mostly greenfinches. Graceful warblers vocal, black redstart calls, 2 chukar partridges broke cover from slope into the woods just east of valley road, they flew off over east valley. They had been quite vocal just prior to that.. a repeated call something between the coarse call of the bulbul and that of a jay but couldn't quite place it.. very likely part of the chukar's courtship calls. This raised in pitch when they broke cover. Great tits vocal and active. blackbird in song in north valley toward sunset. Jackdaw call, hooded crows winging to roost, feral pigeon flock

Alarm calls of hyraxes up on the bank west of valley road.

Denbury Farm, Somerset, England

Thursday: At about 1.30 p.m. .local time, grey squirrel visiting feeder, at least two rabbits behind the feeder, watched a couple of chases. Watched one making several quick digging movements with his forepaws, digging for some kind of plant roots it likes?

At the feeders, great tits, greenfinches, chaffinches, blue tits, coal tit, house sparrows.

Friday" greenfinches, bluetits, great tits, chaffinches, female great spotted woodpecker, house sparrows, cock pheasant (ground), coal tit, marsh tit, cock blackbird (ground), robin, brief.

James Reserve, California, U.S.

At about 11 a.m. local time. sun was bright, temp ~63 degrees F. For a while the feeders were deserted, then slowly mountain tits, then oregon junco, mourning dove, at least 3 pygmy nuthatches,, white breasted nuthatch. Later had connection problems.