Delights of Form and Design

An Allium of some sort, yes another of the leek and garlic clan, found growing near the east valley watercourse. Taller than the Carmeli it stood on its single stem about four feet high. The flower head was maybe 6,7 cm diameter.

The closest match I found was A. pseudocalyptratum but that is unlikely since it's found up on the Hermon in the north. The one we found also has pink bases to floret stalks rather than whitish and more rounded bell like florets.

Below.. roughly same location, a pinwheel Nigella Nigella ciliaris has opened its seed pods showing shiny black seeds, flat and looking crimped at the edges. I'll show some pics of the seeds later in the week.

This seed head below attracted my attention for its star/spearhead shaped seed bodies. I think it's one of the clovers and was found by some thorny burnets, again, near the east watercourse.

Even flies have their beauty. This (perhaps) hoverfly was found resting on an old star clover, no doubt tired after a hard day's hovering. Notice the mini wings at the base of the main wings.

I took more pics of various seed pods and insects but want to keep these for later..

Other insects found included a lacewing resting on a eucalyptus leaf and a moth which seemed to be deliberately disguising itself as a eucalyptus leaf bud. It's colour and position on the stem was remarkably similar to the red tinted fresh leaves. This was growth at the base of a eucalytpus tree, almost a 'bush' growing up enthusiastically, green and lovely.

No luck on gazelles today though we weren't near or within sight of favoured grazing areas much of the time. We were mostly exploring along the east watercourse area for vegetation and insect life. Hyraxes we saw in abundance on the bank up and west of valley road, we lost count! Scores and many of them young just a few weeks old.

Birds: Collared dove and turtle dove cooing. Syrian woodpeckers, a number of calls. Hooded crows and jackdaws heard and seen flying about and foraging. Eurasian jays about the trees, relatively quiet today though they were making a din around look out corner last night towards dusk but we could not make out what was bothering them. Graceful warblers calling frequently in the vegetation along valley road and other places, Blackbird song heard. Swifts in flight above the woods but no bee eaters today.

House sparrows chirping about the buildings as usual, laughing doves cooing, white spectacled bulbuls calling a number of times. I listened for sunbirds but heard none all day. Shows you can take nothing for granted!

Weather: Cooler, more overcast than yesterday. Still much pollen in the air. Range: 14-25 degrees C. Time of walk: ~6.30 p.m. ~21 degrees C, 65% humidity, westerlies, 9-11

#435 Two year birthday and Fox skull

This blog is two years old today! I clearly remember writing my first ever entry back on 6th May 2007 on a baking hot day, talking about cracking pine cones and a flock of bee-eaters amongst other flora and fauna. (I started the blogspot version some time later than the version at funtrivia and entered many entries at once in blogspot to start)

We have learned so much since then, so much we have discovered that we had no idea was there! We stopped to chat with some boys today who said 'I bet you know every bird and every bush here!' and I told him we know quite a bit but that there is always so much more to know, there is so much to discover. I definitely feel a sense of both celebration and gratitude at having arrived at this 'birthday'.

Grisly photo alert, those squeamish and faint of heart may not wish to see:

This young fox skull we found near the north valley watercourse. We took the pic as it lay, then brought it home. The skull is just 12 cm long. Definitely my favourite find of today!

Avremi took this pic a few days ago, one of the larger relatives of the dandelion, (the viper's grass?), the 'clock' was at least 10 cm in diameter. We liked the parabolic arc shape of the seed hairs and of course, had much fun making the little 'parachutes' drift off.

still trying to get a satisfactorally sharp pic of the top of the ''minimum effort dandelion" , the head is so small, just 7-8mm in diameter, the structures on it are tiny. Each yellow floret is quite a bit smaller than a pinhead.

Nigella ciliaris seedpods. You can see now how it got its alternative name of Pinwheel Nigella. We found a lot of these near the north valley watercourse.

Favourite bird sighting today was a masked shrike, Lanius nubicus, a handsome bird, perching on an acacia near the north valley watercourse. We've been hearing their scratchy calls on and off lately and I don't always remember to mention them but this is first good sighting this season. Check out how handsome they are at

http://www.birdsoman.com/Birds/122-Shrikes/MaskedShrike/MaskedShrike.htm

Sunbirds (called Tzufit in Hebrew after the hebrew word for nectar, tzuf - in our Bauhinia much of today, not surprising at all since they are blooming. Lovely views of the sapphire iridescent male working the flowers.

Laughing doves, feral pigeons, house sparrows, white spectacled bulbuls also about the gardens and houses as usual. Jackdaws and hooded crows about buildings and valleys. In the woods, collared doves and turtle doves heard, graceful warblers, greenfinches, great tits (more fledgelings) , blackbirds, all vocal and active. Hoopoe spotted a couple of times. 12 bee-eaters over north valley and an indeterminate number of common swifts screaming high over east valley as it was growing dark .

No luck on gazelle, all the boys gathering wood in the forest would probably have made them retreat to the north and west but pile of fresh scat found.

Several small fires , we're sure these were deliberate and not spontaneous. Several of them were up by the top of the 'bbq patches from hell' area so they probably burned the litter we did not reach, some ironic comfort. They also weren't spreading as the ground is still too damp and little dry ground growth where they were. The other across the valley but in a rather bare spot.. we think there some of the boys were trying to make their job of wood gathering easier by trying to burn out the base of old dead trees. We've been working on getting them to take dry, old dead wood (and sick eucalyptuses) rather than green live wood and generally they listen to us and appreciate the help, especially when we show them which wood is best to take. I do think, though, that some of the boys do it because they are just bored and love making fires.

Weather: time of walk: ~6.30 p.m. 15.9 degrees C, humidity 63%, winds westerly 12.2 knots.. clear skies after several days overcast. Today's range: 10- just over 19 degrees C.

Fledgeling, and north valley delights

Fledgeling graceful warbler, Prinia gracilis, called Pashosh in Hebrew. This is a very common and highly vocal wren like bird that breeds prolifically in low scrub like this. Look at the base of the bill, you can see the yellow skin which tells you it's very young, still being fed by the parents. It was just about five feet in front of us for several minutes, occasionally hopping up and down the scrub, quite unconcerned. I have to say this. Isn't he cute?! Akiva

This extraordinary shaped yellow Nigella ciliaris (Ciliate Love in-a-mist) was found by Akiva in a eucalyptus grove close by the north valley watercourse. We found quite a few others in the area. Gila

This tiny wasp clinging to a grass barely 1 cm long was also found not far from the north valley watercourse. It matches Eumenes mediterraneus, a potter wasp. These insects build tiny round homes for their larvae out of mud. I did not realize it was a potter wasp when I took the pic, just looked it up now at Ritter's site. That's the wonderful fun of this hobby, discovering it all as we go along.

Eurasian jays, chukar partridges, blackbirds vocal and active. Lots of graceful warblers esp. by the corner of valley road where it turns east for a way.. near the hyrax colony there. Seems a whole family just fledged and parents very vocal.

A lot of Sylvia warblers working the acacias, contact calling 'tack tack' all around us but keeping within the foliage and not allowing us a fair glimpse. Husband made out dark upper head briefly which makes Orphean warbler quite likely. One briefly burst into song.

White spectacled bulbuls also foraging in the trees, perfect for them.

Hooded crows and such about, we were too much under the canopy with our attention at a lower level to notice much in the sky but no bee-eaters, swifts or turtle doves heard and no storks seen at all.

We headed down into north valley and explored the area by the watercourse. There again grasses and Syrian thistle dominant, still plenty mustard but the geraniums, persian buttercups, orchids and other delicate flowers of earlier spring are now past. Still some blue pimpernel here and there hugging the ground and poppies on banks in patches. Much of the watercourse and surrounding little meadows was thickly strewn with acacia pollen and fallen florets, yellow like lichen on the rocks and tangled with the thistles particularly those with webs. Pollen everywhere and tissues in hand.

The ramble along that watercourse track, barely a track, perhaps for a porcupine, was really quite idyllic, framed by steps of limestone and tiers of vegetation, reminiscent of a greek woodland fantasy, half expected to meet dryads, nymphs and satyrs along there! We must make a little video one day because still shots just do not do the whole place justice.

6.15 p.m. 18.8 degrees C, 48% humidity, winds NW 5.2 knots, skies totally clear.

Here's your mystery pic! It's a zoom of a pic Avremi took recently though the original pic is not posted it is a species I have mentioned many times and posted other pics of it, and yes, that really is its natural colour!