Toads and other delights

One of the toads my son caught in the cistern. Isn't he cute?

Some kind of bush cricket type photoed on thistle this morning A.Atwood.

Temp. range today was up to 23-31 degrees C. At about 6.30 p.m. when we went down it was down to just under 28 degrees C, humidity just 15%, wind just under 2 kt WNW

Up to 3 Buteo aloft over gazelle field and surrounding land, couldn't tell which, possibly long legged buzzards we had last summer. In the morning husband noticed a hooded crow harassing two of them over gazelle field.

Two hobbies up there over look-out corner near sunset, gliding and circling. Swifts and bee-eaters not about today as far as we noticed. Turtle doves also quiet when we were down and also during husband's morning visit. Perhaps the numbers of people picnicking in the bottom of the valley has made some of the birds timid. We did hear singing male greenfinches and collared doves.

Jackdaws and hooded crows heard and seen around. Graceful warblers heard. Blackbirds in song, This morning about 9 a.m. husband noticed a pair of hoopoes in the pine by the cistern, a great spotted cuckoo, and a chukar partridge in the area.

No gazelle noticed today but we did not spend a long time scanning the northern hillside. Plenty marbled whites on the wing as well as a satyrid.

The smaller cistern pool had a lot of filamentous algae in it and quite a population of toads, looked like Bufo viridis we'd seen on the roads earlier in spring. They dropped in the leftover rainwater to breed, no doubt, but there's no way they or their offspring will be able to escape from there once they're grown. It will be a death trap by late summer, too dried out to supply their minimum moisture. Unlike frogs, toads prefer to stay on land outside the breeding season. Our 12 year old son joined us and was able to reach down and 'rescue' three by hand.. we put them in the grass away from the cistern on the assumption that if they had already succeeded in breeding they would not wish to return. Plenty food for them everywhere. The cistern also had quite a population of water boatmen (bugs) and wasps and quite a few hornets dropped by to get moisture. These hornets were large brown jobs with yellow tails, Vespa orientalis. Some red dragonflies also seen today.

So many of the locals went down there to view the toads and make barbecues we hoped the local doves and others would succeed in getting a drink! That cistern is very important for them in the summer.

The milk thistles have already pretty much gone to seed. There are many large umbellifers out now, probably Daucus carota (related to carrots.), and common mallow are growing up, about to bud. Flower buds are also appearing on the pomegranate trees.

Kites and Wasp moths

Wasp moth (Syntomis mestralii ) on wild oats. Also check out Nir Ofir's pic ref'd below.


Gundelia in flower.. Also A.Atwood CC

April 20/21st

Temp range today: 17-30 degrees C. When we went out.. just after 6.20 p.m. , temp had fallen to ~26.5 degres C, humidity ~19%, wind NW ~3kt.

Two gazelle up on skyline north ridge.

Insect of the day was a wasp moth, Syntomis mestralii , a rather fearsome looking extraordinary insect I'd never seen before. Several were on the wing about sunset where the south end of gazelle field meets central trail. The wings were jet black with 'windows' of pale yellow, the body was metallic blue black with two orange bands, one at about wing level, one further down the rather long abdomen. Wingspan ~7 cm, length ~6cm.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Syntomis_mestralii.jpg for a very nice image taken by Nir Ofir on Mount Gilboa. This doesn't show the blue tint of the body but the only pic we managed to take which really did convey that hue unfortunately lacked focus. We took a few clear images which I thought boring compared to Nir's but I do rather like this shot on the wild oats.

Bird of the day was Black kite.. Milvus migrans. We were amazed to see a very stretched out procession of 12 of them flying from the north over A Ram and heading south east toward Hizmeh. They flew over in small groups of two or three or singly. Then nine of them circled lazily in the direction of Hizmeh approximately over east field as the light was fading. I've never seen so many Black kite over the area before- most I've ever seen at once here was four individuals last summer.

Plant of the day was a beautiful flowering Gundelia, all the more delightful to see since some young mischievous arsonists had burnt all the ground round about, laying waste patches of woodland here and there, (including the place where we found the Ophrys and other orchids, so I hope some underground part of those orchids survived) - The Gundelia stood here and there on the parched ground, apparently unscathed. Perhaps because of its partially succulent nature it was just too moist to catch fire.

This morning and yesterday morning a ring necked parakeet visited the garden.. 7.30 a.m. yesterday, ~ 7 a.m. today on top of the willow. Not the same individual as "Squeaker", this one had a complete tail. We also saw one in the pines on the bank between our street and valley road both today and yesterday late afternoon.

Sunbird/s very active in the Bauhinia both days. White spectacled bulbuls heard in gardens and down from valley road. Laughing doves in the garden, around the street. Collared doves active and cooing and flight calling in the valley. More turtle doves have arrived.. (more heard in the new pines east end of north valley). Great tits vocal and active in the pines, greenfinches in song approaching sunset, as were some blackbirds. Graceful warblers foraging, active, calling. Syrian woodpecker calls. Two great spotted cuckoos seen in the top of a pine near east end of north valley, vocal. Hobby over gazelle field. Chukar partridges heard from somewhere along north valley. Bee-eaters heard, a couple seen. A number of common swifts hawking for bugs over the trail from central path to north valley around sunset. (Plenty insects on the wing). Stone curlews also vocal around sunset.

Daily Round up

A tiny plant growing in gazelle field, looks like a dandelion clock but less than 1 cm across. They were just too cute to pass over:)


Small relative of the cornflower, a composite.. season just about over for them now. 
Crupina crupinastrum   False saw wort   quite common by roadsides.

Today's walk was relatively brief.. busy with Passover preparations but never too busy to smell the flowers. Sometimes the breeze brings me a whiff of the Bauhinia outside and now and again as I sit here at night a gecko calls 'tok tok' from the walls just outside the window.
Temp range: 9-18 degrees C. At about 6 p.m. : some high altitude cloud, ~16 degrees C, humidity ~65%, wind NW veering W, 4-8 kt.

Bee-eaters: Group of about 25 hunting over middle of woods and part of gazelle field.

Turtle doves: again cooing in eucalyptus behind look-out corner.. pretty much same location they were at last year.. probably returned to same nesting site.

House sparrows: active as usual, laughing doves: cooing as usual, even long after darkSunbirds: very vocal and active in the garden, as were white spectacled bulbuls.

Hooded crows: active as usual Jackdaws:some calls Eurasian jays:active as usual

Greenfinches: much activity, twittering around pines by bunker, small groups flying between trees.

Blackbirds:quite a bit of activity, some song, Syrian woodpeckers: some calls

Collared doves: plenty activity, cooing. 3 down by cistern & around pomegranate trees. We were waiting to see if any turtle doves would join them as they did last year but not while we were there.

Stone curlews: Very vocal just after dark from length of hill slopes just north of north valley

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Turtle doves are back:)

Perhaps not the most pleasant image but zoologically significant nevertheless.. gazelle dung. This was photographed close to the quarry but we also found fresh scat like this in the sapling field today.

A common composite in open areas at the moment. Also A.Atwood CC

Temps have dropped quite a bit since yesterday- 16.5-21 degrees C. today. When we went out, at about 6 p.m. temp was ~17.3 degrees C, humidity 59%, wind WSW ~7kt (sunset, 7.15 p.m.)

Delighted to hear that the turtle doves Streptopelia turtur have returned from Africa on schedule. . they usually get back just before Pesach (Passover). We heard their purring coo up in the eucalyptus a little behind 'lookout corner at about sunset. This is the first record of this season, 'shehechyanu!'

All the other representatives of the dove family are also active and busy, feral pigeons and laughing doves cooing and busy around the houses, collared doves also very active and cooing down in the valley. I wonder what happened to that barbary dove that we heard a couple of days last summer?

Husband spotted another swallow Hirundo rustica over the neighbourhood today.

Bee-eaters: about 20 over fields and woods today.

Two apparently somewhat immature great spotted cuckoos in a dead tree close to the north valley streambed.. calling intermittently, and from the direction of calls seemed there was another one off farther east in the direction of the cistern. After a little time these two birds headed 'upstream' to the west, over the north side as yesterday, probably same two.

Also active, vocal and around in their usual places: Hooded crows, jackdaws, greenfinches, Syrian woodpecker, house sparrows, sunbirds, white spectacled bulbuls, graceful warblers, Eurasian Jays, blackbirds (some song again from the individual holding territory around the turn off from central trail to north valley).

Since it's vacation there's plenty human activity in the woods lately, kids and teens, which make it not worthwhile to linger by the old bunker.. nothing will visit the cistern while any young folk are around there, but this doesn't usually stop activity in north valley or up at canopy level. Several dragonflies noticed along north valley in last week.

Millipedes, poppies, Marbled whites and others.

Swarms of black millipedes about lately, many reach 5 inches or so in length.

Poppies had second wind it seems, quite a few blooms noticed in past week.
Gazelles: Bucks glimpsed on the northern ridge skyline. Two individuals or one counted again later.

reptiles: On the central trail we met some boys returning from the with three wild tortoises. It's permitted to keep them as pets but not to harvest for trade.

Bee-eaters: Again lined up on the wires over the hillslopes north of gazelle field alternating with hawking flying insects over the area, fewer than yesterday, up to 40 birds.. other sub-group elsewhere this afternoon apparently.

Two great spotted cuckoos seen flying up north valley, then heard calling shrilly and loudly.
Swallows, at least 3 spotted briefly low over north valley.
Buteo on the ground lower slopes of hill to north, just stayed put, literally low profile, preened itself a little. Mostly chocolate brown with paler looking chest band. Staying put no doubt since there was a small flock of hoodies foraging a little farther up the slope and it didn't want to attract their attention.

House sparrows: very active around buildings as usual.Laughing doves: active cooing around buildings

Hooded crows: Active, some vocal Eurasian Jays: Active, relatively quiet today.

Feral pigeons: some activity around and between buildings.Greenfinches: plenty song and 'chaw calls' in the newer pine grove east end of north valley.Blackbirds: song, Chukar partridges: some calls north side slopes north valley

Collared doves: Plenty activity, coos and flight calls. Still no turtle doves

Stone curlews: some calls from fields east of north valley.Sunbirds: very vocal, plenty activity garden, Bauhinia.

Graceful warblers: calls, Syrian woodpeckers: calls, Bulbuls: some calls valley road area, Great tits: calls in pines

Plenty butterflies around, marbled white , which I first took for a Pierid but with a bit of research discovered is actually a Nymphalid though similar to a white in its colouring, drove us a little crazy since they'd land (usually on thistle heads) and open their wings tantalizingly then shut them whenever in view for a photo. We did get some nice side pics, by comparison same species as the one we used a few days ago so replacing that pic. Also saw a small blue Lycenid type which seems to disappear when it lands because its underwing pattern is a delicate tapestry of little ocellations which provide so much camouflage they almost seem to disappear when they land.. the gorgeous almost iridescent blue winks out of existence.

Warm spring day

Delicate butterfly sipping from a thistle. Melanargea titea titania, also known as Marbled white. Back is quite strongly marked black and white but would not keep its wings open long enough for a pic. Looks like one of the white butterflies but is in fact a Nymphalid


A white squill type flower, very similar to the bluebell but pure white and growing in many locations in fields and woods over last few weeks.

Temps warm today, reached ~30 degrees C (~86 degrees F) and was only a little below that when we headed down for our walk. Humidity 19%, wind light and ENE. Plenty fine dust noticed in the air last few days, casts a light haze in the sky at times.

Gazelles: No show today
Rock hyrax: A number active on the slopes near the pumping station including juveniles (born past winter)

Summer birds: Bee-eaters: As yesterday- we could see them lined up on the wires over the hillside to the north, at least 60.
Swifts: Quite a few aloft, hunting bugs and chasing each other.
We're listening out for turtle doves which should be back very soon now.. none heard yet though.
Rose ringed parakeet: Heard as we came down shortcut to valley road, he was up in a pine. Nice long tail visible on this one so clearly not the same individual as the one which visited the garden.
House sparrows: Very active around the houses
Laughing doves: Cooing and active in the gardens and street.
Hooded crows: All over the place, foraging, flying about, perched on treetops, generally singles or pairs, not as flocks. Jackdaws: Some calls.
Eurasian Jays: Plenty activity over forest and trees, also singly, not in groups.
Feral pigeons: Some activity, Blackbirds: song, some activity
Collared doves: coos, some activity
Sunbirds: Calls and activity, especially around the cape honeysuckle which has grown quite thick again and likely has a nest. Graceful warblers: Quite vocal
Spectacled Bulbuls: Quite vocal and active in gardens and generally.
Great tits: Vocal and active

hobby, flowers, butterflies, mole cricket

Oxalis? Taken today, east end of north valley flat area.. we found several stands.

Temps 19-29 degrees C, at 6 p.m. it was still 26.4 degrees C and quite warm. We walked around in the lower part of north valley and secret valley where those streambeds approach gazelle field, and on the south facing slopes just beyond. Humidity down at 19%, winds ENE, betw 1 and 2 knots.

We watched a hobby circle over north valley for a while, nice views! Blackbirds active, graceful warblers heard, night insects already chiming most of the time we were out, collared doves cooing, (laughing doves in the garden, as well as sunbirds)

Bee-eater numbers have stepped up yet again! I noticed them lining up on the power lines crossing north ridge.. they ride in their flocks over the valley and return to those lines to perch. I counted 66 in a (uneven) row and some were still airborne so we have about 70 in the area now if not more. I'd noticed birds perched up there in a row yesterday too but then I couldn't make out what they were from that distance and sometimes collared doves use the lines.. but likely this behaviour yesterday too. Some common swifts also airborne.

House sparrows, some broody feral pigeons, hooded crows,


As we approached gazelle field we noticed a large adult female gazelle make her way alone into the field ahead of us, she seemed to have a very slight limp back right leg. We kept our distance, didn't want to spook her. A little while later we noticed two bucks, no doubt of the bachelor herd, way up on the north ridge on a pile of dirt near the wall. Some time after that we saw two hornless gazelle up on the skyline of the nearer north ridge (between secret valley and the olive glade) , so today altogether at least 4 individuals, probably five if we assume the first female we saw wasn't one of the two latter.


I shall have to get those leather bedouin socks or make some of my own to protect my feet against the prickles on the hill! Some of them cause a slight histamine reaction. Foliage was otherwise gorgeous today.. lots of composites of various kinds, many of them yellow, various yellow headed members of the carrot family, a gorgeous tall purple labiate with leaves that smelled like geranium, and a stand of yellow 5 petalled flowers similar to primrose or Oxalis. Today I decided on a white scabious (which have been out last few weeks in gazelle field and seem to be coming to the end of their season) and those yellow 5 petalled flowers which have just appeared. Many beautiful Pierid butterlies with dark grey patterning, working on ID. possibly Euchloe ausonia (eastern dappled white)



Speaking of insects, my boys have just walked in with a very nice mole cricket Gryllotalpa in a plastic cup! This is one of the favourite foods of the lesser kestrel which breeds in the gables of old buildings in Jerusalem this time of year and commutes to fields where these juicy large insects can be found, to feed its young. (Our pics available on request or google http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_cricket)