Big brown jobs, little brown jobs.

This rather ragged butterfly was found by Moshe on the back porch back in the middle of May. I found these while I was going through the pics and decided to try to identify the butterfly as closely as I could and finally post some of his pics. It's one of the Satyridae and thanks to Rittner's site I could soon narrow it down to one of the Pseudochazara butterflies (Rock browns) P. telephassa or P. pelopia , both have plus and minus points in being a match but paler hindwings match pelopia better. Another new Satyrid for me either way! This is a huge family of spotted brown butterflies which look superfically similar until you start looking at details and comparing.

''little brown jobs' 'is usually a term used by birders for small nondescript old word warblers that are hard to identify but I think they apply also quite aptly to the Satyrids!

Tuesday 8th June
Gazelle: 4. Two, perhaps more, northern slopes of windsurfer hill and east field, another 2, mother and young, just north of central trail, east of owl glade.
Bee-eaters, a dozen, perhaps more, hawking over cistern area

Hoopoes, a pair foraging on the ground and between cypresses in the cistern area.

Blackbirds: song various places in the woods late afternoon.

Collared doves: vocal and active.Jays quiet, husband spotted one cypress slum area. No hyraxes about.

Greenfinches: plenty twitterings towards sunset in young pines around look-out corner area, eucalyptus grove
Syrian woodpeckers: calls in the eucalyptus grove by cistern.

Jackdaws: vocal active, flock about north windsurfer hill, foraging on the ground with hooded crows.

House sparrows: chirps in garden all day, foraging in east field, windsurfer hill north slopes.

Turtle doves, hobbies, graceful warblers, : quiet today. Notably cooler today.. yesterday reached just over 30 degrees C in the afternoon, today did not exceed about 26 degrees.

Wednesday 9th June

Gazelle: 1 female? grazing north gazelle field.
Hyraxes heard up in Shadiker colony, alarm barks.

Bee-eaters, a dozen or so over Pistacia orchard, look out corner area.

Blackbirds: song various places in the woods late afternoon.

Collared doves: vocal and active. Turtle dove coos Jays noisy and active prob because some "big brown jobs" about. Two seen relatively clearly over pumphouse, honey buzzards? Lightish barred underneath, terminal tailband, light rufous head. Several others in the area but not seen clearly , between trees, under canopy .

Greenfinches: twitterings late afternoon in young pines around look-out corner area, eucalyptus grove
Syrian woodpeckers: calls various places in the woods.

Graceful warblers, vocal and active esp. by valley road

Jackdaws: vocal active, various places, foraging on the ground with hooded crows.
hobby - 1 gliding up north valley watercourse, wings more spread than usual.

House sparrows: chirps in garden all day, foraging in east field, windsurfer hill north slopes.
bulbuls, sunbirds heard in the garden, laughing doves by street , 'crumb corner'


Thursday 10th June

Gazelle: no luck today
Hyraxes : activity, several adults seen scampering for cover Shadiker colony

Bee-eaters: at least a dozen or so over pine and eucalyptus behind, look out corner area, gazelle field, cistern area. Also hawking over western slopes of windsurfer hill earlier.

Blackbirds: song various places in the woods late afternoon.

Collared doves: vocal and active, coos, flight calls. Turtle dove coos Jays active, foraging north valley watercourse .

Greenfinches: twitterings late afternoon in young pines around look-out corner area, eucalyptus grove
Syrian woodpeckers: calls various places in the woods.

Graceful warblers, vocal and active various places

Jackdaws: vocal active, various places all around the neighbourhood, foraging on the ground with hooded crows. White spectacled bulbuls active around pumphouse area

House sparrows: chirps in garden all day, foraging in east field, windsurfer hill north slopes.
sunbirds heard in the garden, laughing doves in the street.

Interesting insect found at edge of open north west windsurfer hill slopes, fluttering like a butterfly between stalks of dry oats and other vegetation, 4 winged like brown lacewing typewe photographed in the house a few times. Unfortunately my pics in the field were unsatisfactory.

cicada heard in garden again.

Saturday 12 June

Gazelle: 3 grazing down in north gazelle field. husband saw one more on western slopes of windsurfer hill shortly after.
Hyraxes :several adults on sentry duty cypress slum colony both sides of valley road.

Bee-eaters: several calls heard over valleys and neighbhourhood.

Blackbirds: calls and activity various parts of the pine woods.

Collared doves: some vocal. Turtle dove some coos heard Eurasian jay in cypress

Greenfinches: twitterings late afternoon in young pines around look-out corner area, eucalyptus grove as usual.
Syrian woodpeckers: calls various places in the woods.

Graceful warblers, vocal and active various places esp. by valley road

Jackdaws: vocal active, various places all around the neighbourhood and hills,
Hooded crows. have been seen windsurfing off west slopes of ''windsurfer hill'' afew times lately
White spectacled bulbuls calls in the garden starting 4.55 a.m.

House sparrows: chirps in garden much of day
sunbirds heard in the garden on and off since dawn, laughing doves in the street and coos in garden.

Today's temps ~18.5 to just over 31 degrees C