Wild plant pics and brief bird report.

Low lying mat of vegetation by valley road. Appears to be another member of the mint family, tiny spotted delicate light purple flowers. . Hairy leaves are adapted for heat and since this plant is peaking in June that makes total sense. Magnified about 2x natural size.

Range today: 19.2-28.4 degrees C. When we set out about 6.30 p.m. had dropped to 24.3.
Humidity: 29%, wind westerly and ~9.6 kt.

Gazelles: none sighted today. Rock hyrax: some activity by valley road, mainly adults, one half way up a cypress tree. Some chittering alarm barks.

Bee-eaters: Small group hawking for flies around look-out corner, over orchard.
Turtle doves: All cooing in various parts of the forest esp. look-out corner
Common swifts: A few active over orchard
Hobbies: call over orchard area.
Hoopoes: 2 near look-out corner, foraging and in flight.
Ring necked parakeets: Very vocal up in eucalyptus by look-out corner. Then flew off south.
House sparrows, laughing doves: Around buildings/garden as usual.
Hooded crows: Around generally, from the sound of it, a flock beyond pines, east end of north valley. Seems jackdaws have gone on their yearly vacation, following goats?
Eurasian Jays: Activity throughout woods, foraging individuals, some calls.
Feral pigeons: Around the street as usual.
Greenfinches: Some song, 'chaw calls' in pines.
Blackbirds: Some alarm calls but no song.
Collared doves: Some cooing and flight calls
Stone curlews: Vocal toward sunset.
Graceful warblers: some calls
Syrian woodpeckers: some calls and activity
White spectacled Bulbuls: Plenty calls and activity in the garden
Great tits: Some calls from the pines.

Differences noted from last year: Presence of the parakeets (absent last year though they had been around previous year) Absence of wheatears breeding in rubble and sapling field.

These tiny plants had managed to germinate IN the remains of a burnt tree stump since May 6th, found close to east valley dry watercourse. Both pics taken by A. Atwood.