weekend round up, Eucalyptus in bloom.

Eucalyptus is blooming by the dry stream path- and this attracts a lot of bees as well as sunbirds. Tricky pic, just a cellphone, doesn't have much of a macro feature but just about gives the general idea - taken this afternoon. Hopefully we'll get a new camera soon to replace the one that was stolen!

What else is blooming? Still some ragwort and the low broom like plants, pretty much all right now. All of them yellow.

Gazelles - 9 seen today on western slopes of windsurfer hill, just a little up from the tree line.. could have been more around the slope out of view.. mostly adult females, perhaps two or three young and an adult buck that was following one of the females. Another individual noticed in north gazelle field shortly after, not one of those, grazing near the almond trees.

hyrax - active and vocal lately especially the pump house colony.

Bee-eaters- they've gone off again somewhere else last few days, Turtle doves, also silent
Hobbies, heard on and off, and nice view of one flying high over bipass road area.

House sparrows: some calls in the gardens
laughing doves: around the street, foraging as usual
Hooded crows: heard and seen foraging on the fields, and up on the hill tops.
Jackdaws: flock of 70 + foraging on various parts of windsurfer hill today, and between here and Hizmeh, active and vocal, also heard calling in the neighbourhood on and off.
Jays: active and vocal in small groups and singly in the forests, foraging, squabbling, fussing.
Feral pigeons: roof tops as usual
Greenfinches: small flocks flitting between the pines, some calls.
Blackbirds: alarm calls towards dusk, otherwise keeping a low profile.
Collared doves: quiet, a few up on the lines over north gazelle fields.
Stone curlews: much quieter, occasional calls.
Sunbirds: daily active and usually song in the Bauhinia by the window, also heard in valley.
Graceful warblers: calls, vocal, active especially by valley road.
Syrian woodpeckers: calls here and there, flying between trees
White spectacled Bulbuls: calls in woods especially near pumping station.
Great tits: some calls in pines just east of valley road. ,