last week or so of April

blooms of Tamarisk over drainage channel by north loop of valley road

north facing slopes north valley .. this one on trail down from valley road to dirt road but others seen in area. To identify.

Cerambyd beetle on milk thistle

Trip to Netanya

23rd April Just leaving neighbourhood, white stork over the road approaching French hill.

into vale saw a number of spur winged plovers flying about by road, just in ones or twos.

One Buteo spotted.

Netanya.. my first views of the feral common mynahs (Acridotheres tristis) close to the sea.. quite a handsome bird in my opinion with melodious calls though plumage drab, crown almost dark blue iridescence and white patch on wing together with graceful sure flight makes it a pleasure to watch.

unfamilar bird in Netanya, never saw this before, got good views flying
about between tops of lamp posts near sea, occasionally visiting the ground.

Loud, clear melodious calls.

slightly smaller than jackdaw, short tail, dark brown back and wings, broad
off- white 'window' across wing only visible in flight. Tail dark but
feather tips and outer tail feathers white. Wings broad, quick, direct
graceful flight.

head from eye level up black, slight blue gloss, faint red eye ring, iris
dark, bill yellow/orange and like that of a cuckoo. chin and underparts
paler than upperparts but not white.

Several individuals about.

Only one gull noticed hundreds of yards out , not high above water, black headed or similar. had black tail tip though mostly white head.

white swallows about, zipping over the area from time to time.

25 April

almost 6 p.m. , soon heading down to the valley to say 'hello' to the hyraxes in the last hour or so of daylight.. weather conditions: 21.8 degrees C, humidity 62% and rising, wind 2.6 knots from the west. clear skies and sunny :)

garden: sunbirds, cooing laughing doves

high altitude clouds, gazelle grazing on the hillside.. watched a pair of hobbies flying about gracefully amongst the cypresses.. we saw at least three falcons over bat cave area.. territorial disputes.. or in latter case could have been chasing away the kestrel that hunts in that area, one did appear more tawny in colour to Akiva.

family of great tits, cooing collared and turtle doves, blackbird in song and the tamarisk tree covered in many thousands of tiny buds.

greenfinch twitters, call of Syrian woodpecker, hoodies about, swift,

also flowering spiny restharrow by the road.

26 th April.

Now some caper foliage appearing, first mullein blooms out, cat thyme germander beginning to bloom and Carmel leek budding up on mid north slopes windsurfer hill.

3 hobbies flying about over east valley..

By Pistacia orchard.. heard great tit fledgelings, heard Syrian woodpecker, blackbird, turtle dove, some greenfinch twitters. No bee-eaters today or yesterday. Blackcaps heard in pines and cypresses by valley road just up from 'cypress slum'. Did see foraging in pine, lower branches and many calls, low 'tic tic' up from north watercourse a couple of days ago, forgot to mention then.

(some hyraxes about but quiet) 4 gazelle in lower east field, females, sub-adults, between small olive grove and cistern-hill trail.

Hoodies very much in evidence but relatively few jackdaws. Dead young hoodie by trail under pines.. do the great spotted woodpeckers eject young hoodies? Likely. Feral pigeons about, flock over edge neighbourhood.

garden: house sparrows, lauging doves foraging and coos, sunbird calls. Some bulbul calls neighbourhood gardens.

Friday 27 April

mid afternoon: sunny and warm (~25 degrees C) , some bird activity, particularly graceful warblers, great tits, blackcaps foraging for food for their families.. some blackbird and blackcap song as well as coos from turtle, collared and laughing doves. Noticed two agamas basking on stones near north watercourse . Feral pigeons, house sparrows, hooded crows, jackdaws also noticed. Bulbuls, sunbirds in gardens. Eurasian jays also in woods.

baby hyraxes noticed in Shadiker colony, adult male gazelle with good size horns in pines near central trail.

Sunday 29th April

garden: bulbul, sunbird from dawn.

just after 5.30 p.m. just under 18 degrees C, humidity almost 80%, wind 3.5 knots WNW. overcast with thin cloud or fine mist.

about half an hour later observed slow passage of about 100 raptors.. light barred under, rufous under shoulders and central parts, terminal dark bar on tail.. light head.. honey buzzards, many immature? Not one single large flock but several loose groups one following another, not high.

Look out corner: blackbird song, greenfinch song, graceful warblers about, turtle dove heard by north watercourse, great tits and their fledgelings calling, some blackcap calls near service road. Eurasian jays active from about shaft area to pine grove by cistern.. calls of fledgeling latter location while adult went down to ground to forage.

leek opening on hillside but only one seen so far this season.

small olive grove.. two females (??) or immatures in mock sparring session, one in particular quite frisky, much back kicking and bouncing around.

Monday 30 April

2 rollers on lines over hillslopes to NE, occasionally flying up and around and down back to line.. hawking for insects ..Then four falcons turned up.. also hawking about above us very deftly.. probably lesser kestrels from colouring, reddish brown, mask just visible, hard to tell much of colouring but given hawking in a group ID seems reasonable. A few Buteos about and lots of swifts esp over edge of neighbourhood, valley road.. as well as families of great tits and assorted other small jobs by north watercourse, very vocal. Masked shrike heard near north watercourse.. blackcap heard near north watercourse dirt road. warblers foraging in acacia.. one flew around.. had size and colouring of one of the Hippolais warblers but got no further info/view.

Syrian woodpeckers heard in Terebinth area, lots of twittering greenfinches around cistern area and pines towards pumping station. Feral pigeons, house sparrows (insect hawking behaviour from top of building), jackdaws, hooded crows, male gazelle following female near central trail.

Mid April records

9th April

one turtle dove (first seen of season) on rocks by bat cave.. another top of nearby cypress.. took off, did display flight with no call, turned around. landed on top of cypress again. Lately collared dove display flight with call.

Warm.. saw over 30 gazelle on slopes NE, group of females and well grown young followed by bachelor herd, over 17 adult males, and including a couple of scattered groups.

Roman nettle already has green 'pom poms' in mouth of the large cave over the hill. By there on Syrian thistle found specimen of Cerambyd beetle Agapantha pulifera but did not succeed in getting a decent pic. On others, bush crickets, on occasional Gundelia, green caterpillars (above)

10th April

nice walk.. warm (~20 degrees C) and sky totally clear of clouds. Masked shrike at edge of neighbourhood, Buteos about, kestrels on the hillside, Most Buteos seen have dark terminal tail band, mostly dark, relatively small size for Buteos. One seen over road with no terminal tailband, paler under, think that one is long legged buzzard, Buteo rufinus. At least two falcons on hillside up from bat cave, calls like kestrel though back darker, muddy brown. Didn't get good view of tail.

at least half a dozen gazelle grazing on hill slopes, and finally found a flowering Nigella by north watercourse dirt road.

11 April

lovely walk up the hill across north watercourse.. found bachelor herd of gazelle at top, a dozen plus. they moved on ahead of us, across the hidden wateroucrseA few sub adult males further down hidden watercourse. .. they moved on ahead of us, across the hidden watercourse.

Still plenty stuff flowering from golden drop (Podonosma) to budding aromatic cat thyme germander, campanula, alcea and a wide variety of composites and grasses .. found empty tortoise carapace,

heard bee-eaters, Eurasian jays, great tits, collared doves, more in neighbourhood.. hooded crow, house sparrows.. bulbul and sunbird calling in garden from first light.

15 April

warm and a little humid in the valley, great spotted cuckoos being very noisy.. saw a pair of turtle doves but not cooing, graceful warblers and great tits also vocal as well as a ring neck parakeet up in a eucalyptus. Bee-eaters 12, then 40, and swifts above amongst others. Couple of gazelle on top of hill to north.

17th April

10 mins before 6 p.m. 23.5 degrees C, 20% humidity and very light ESE winds. clear and sunny! bbl!

white storks in north field! foraging spread out , loosely seemed to be in pairs.. at least 16 spread from twin pylons up onto lower and mid hill slopes up from bat cave. After a while headed to pines and cypress beyond and up from bat cave, up on ridge between north watercourse and hidden watercourse , esp on some rather dried out pines, at least 15 landed, more joining at leisurely pace from Phlomis vale.. betw. them and those still on field, at least 20 birds

Akiva noticed one spook a youngish gazelle in the grass which leaped up and in turn spooked the stork, which took flight.

pair of falcons over north watercourse dirt road, one joined by another, smaller, looked slightly aggressive , but could be the male.. silhouette, dark, not kestrels but couldn't tell and no calls... possibly hobbies.

lots of great spotted cuckoo calls, some bee-eater calls. blackbird calls and some song. collared dove coos, flock several dozen jackdaws heading low north near security road to east. Graceful warbler calls.

buildings: house sparrows, feral pigeons, laughing doves

Saturday 21st April

gazelle, on hillside, males females esp up from bat cave on south facing slopes. Hobbies, sparrowhawk spotted heading from neighbourhood to east valley as dusk approached.

bee-eaters, brief call and sighting of ring neck parakeet.

male blackcap foraging in thistles by bunker rubble, returning repeatedly into one of the large pines there, (likely there's a nest up in there somewhere)

some time in the evening heard call thought was our escaped sugar glider.. went out in the garden, Akiva glimpsed medium large bird, quite broad wingspan, flying from street to valley.. repeated calls.. decided most likely to be little owl.

Sunday 22 April

almost 5.40 p.m., weather conditions: temp 21.5 degrees C and falling, humidity 35% and rising, sky clear, pale blue, wind 3.5 knots from the north.

turtle doves, coos now and yesterday finally, collared doves some coos, great spotted cuckoo (Akiva heard near pumping station) , bee-eaters (heard), a white stork (coming into north valley from direction of the large olive grove but probably most staying over there since lots of boys in north valley on vacation) , great tits singing in a number of locations and feeding fledgelings east edge of Pistacia grove; blackbirds in song and active on ground, syrian woodpeckers vocal and active in a number of locations esp young pines by service road, Eurasian jays active in a number of locations and some calls plus in the valley, kestrel over cistern

sunbirds and laughing doves in the garden.

1st week of April

zoom up on one of Akiva's Jerusalem sage pics (Salvia hierosolymitana)

Below, a beetle that dropped of a gladiolus at edge of east field, near Pistacia orchard.

some kind of sage relative found by trail from north watercourse to north valley road on 2nd.

Below: some kind of borage, found by low dry stone wall Phlomis field.

Below, Campanula amongst clovers.

below and above, would like to get retakes if I can find them again, above, have seen many on west hillslopes, this one near cistern, but so small hard to get sharp. Below, near north watercourse in open.. was trying to get a grasshopper, noticed this interesting tiny flowerhead nearby when I was looking over photograph.

Below, composite, common this time of year but not yet properly I.D. One of Asteriscus, or related?

Sunday 1st April

Temps mild, pleasant

Gardens: sunbird calls, bulbul calls, these vocal also in north valley watercourse. Laughing dove coos, house sparrows, jackdaws, hooded crows .. feral pigeons over.


Jays active, some vocal, some blackbird song. Graceful warblers vocal.

Crossed north watercourse, walked up to 'butterfly glade', saddle between there and hidden watercourse. Saw first Campanula. pic above. Still some Cyclamen.

noticed group of bachelor males on skyline to north, at least 5 males there.

kestrels as has been seen lately hunting on south facing slope, using top of slender cypress up and behind from bat cave as perch.

Below: prob of brassicaceae, at foot of our steps. To I.D. later the flower part shot up, stem elongated taking flowers much further from leaves.. similar to mustard flowers but far smaller.

2nd April

Walked over to Phlomis field. On the way at least 16 adult male gazelle in bachelor herd, at least one was on saddle between the watercourses, as we approached we saw them just across hidden watercourse, grazing peacefully, nearby, group of females and well grown young, at least 5 individuals. 3 more adult males headed north. In olive grove several more including one adult male. Total, about 30 individuals, new record in one day!

Gundelia starting to bloom. Several crimson gladeoli (G. italicus) found edge of Phlomis fields in open though near scrub. Unfamiliar white borage in pic above found near dry stone wall. Some Judean sage about to bloom. Phlomis coming up but no sign of flowers yet. No Jerusalem Salvia yet. Purple clover, yellow flax now blooming and still pheasant's eye, pretty much all known (to me) varieties of clovers, cyclamen.

Several larks active on south facing hillslope, calling on boulders, pi pi pyuuu didit repeated, melodious, also some more trilling calls. Plumage quite smooth, plain brownish, with crest, striations not visible.

Buteo with dark subterminal tail band, at least two in the area. Kestrel active in same area as has been lately.

Bulbuls, great tits, graceful warblers vocal though no great tit song. collared doves, jays active. No turtle doves yet.

garden: calls from sunbirds frequent. laughing dove coos and house sparrows as usual.

5th April First bee-eaters of season seen and heard! 5 flying over north field, younger pine grove area.

Getting warmer! Peak temps now in mid or upper mid 20s degrees C.

8th April

Walked along by north watercourse. Swifts and some bee-eaters heard over the valley, flying quite high.. no kestrels or Tristram's but did hear chukar partridge, collared doves. Lots of calls from great spotted cuckoos. Looked for blue rock thrush and little owl on rubble approaching quarry but no luck.. then pack of feral dogs showed up at the top and made a huge noise. Apart from spooking any birds I decide to move back downstream, farther from their territory .. at a leisurely pace because I didn't want to trigger a chase. Feral dog packs keep a distance when I'm with Akiva but this time I was by myself so they might not be intimidated, and they were a bunch of good size dogs.

Looked for Ciliate Nigella, still no luck but did find quite a few gladioli, one packed with bees, all dopey. Syrian thistle budding, quite attractive to some Dipterans, (body matched Otites grata in Rittner's site but without the marked wings). Also one small stand of budding 'Maccabees' blood' (Helichrysum sanguineum). Hawthorns half covered with blooms, much better than last two years but not up to level of three years ago, not yet at any rate. Akiva succeeded in finding and photographing Jerusalem sage on mid west slopes of windsurfer hill a few days ago. Wattle tree already have covered with yellow pompoms.

Dipteran on Syrian thistle (in text)

Fourth week of March

Pea relative, like Ononis, restharrow? photographed on 30th in cleared area middle of east woods


tiny cress like plant, needs I.D. by north watercourse dirt road.

turban buttercup laden with beetles. Now flowerheads are restaurants. This afternoon, latish (31st) watched a nice variety on milk thistle including lots of black aphids being worked by large reddish brown and black ants and several crane flies also came in to dine.

Saturday 24th March spring equinox

Mild/warm and clear in the valley this afternoon, about 20 degrees C. Set off shortly after 5 p.m.

blue pimpernel noticed on trail down from valley road to north watercourse dirt road.

Greenfinches have resumed twittering in the valley, some collared dove coos. Buteo noticed, very dark, dark tail band. Syrian woodpecker call briefly. Great tit scolds but not song. Graceful warblers quite vocal. Jackdaws and hooded crows, activity and calls. Feral pigeon activity. Bulbuls, sunbirds, house sparrows about gardens. didn't note laughing doves but probably about. Jay activity, some calling.

On way back, blackbird alarm calls somewhere in east valley, some brief notes heard. Alarm call seemed to set off a stone curlew. European cuckoo heard in woods dusk.

kestrel calls from tall building near top of our hill, some swifts flying about high above. Hyrax barks heard. No gazelle noticed today but could be shy due to increased human activity in the valley (people taking Shabbat walks)

Sunday 25th March.


Greenfinches twittering and chawing, activity between trees in the lowest, youngest pines. y, some collared dove coos and activity, pairs together. Buteo noticed again, light undersides, fine banding, dark primaries, dark tail band. Syrian woodpecker noticed by Akiva. Great tit calls? by service road, no songscolds; Graceful warblers quite vocal. Jackdaws absent today, brief call? and hooded crows, activity and calls. Feral pigeon activity. Bulbuls, calls many times from first light, gardens and edge of neighbourhood. sunbirds, musical calls garden, briefly hovering right outside window house sparrows about gardens. didn't note laughing doves but probably about. Jay activity, some calling.

On way back, blackbird alarm calls, Akiva heard song earlier.

kestrel noticed eating food on ground on hillside to north. , some swifts flying about high above from edge of neighbourhood to over valley, some screams. Gazelle. group of at least 9 females and well grown young grazing in field by twin pylons, lower hillslopes to north.

Much Eurasian jay activity, some calls. pair of chukar partridges noticed in open lower part of east field.

Thursday 29 March

cool/mild, just over 12 degrees C on walk, partially cloudy

Bulbuls, many calls, gardens and north watercourse area; sunbirds, musical calls garden;, house sparrows about gardens. laughing doves about garden as usual.

Greenfinches some twittering and chawing in the youngest pines; collared dove coos and some activity;. Buteo noticed again about half dozen individuals, one attacked repeatedly by a hoodie over central trail, light undersides, fine banding, dark primaries, dark tail band, upper wings black and brown, no distinct patches, two landing near bat cave followed by repeated anxious sparrowhawk calls; Graceful warblers quite vocal. Jackdaws some calls. hooded crows, activity and calls. Feral pigeon activity, much cooing in in eaves of building at edge of neighbourhood. Jay foraging activity and calls.

On way back, blackbird alarm calls and some song.

kestrel flying over north watercourse from hill to woods. Gazelle not noticed, prob due to more activity of children in valley, probaby had moved up north watercourse valley and/or over to sage vale. some calls of great spotted cuckoo heard somewhere up north valley. Akiva was reasonably sure he heard European cuckoo. Hyrax heard somewhere on the bank after sunset.

stone curlew heard from east fields after 10 p.m.


Friday 30th March

In valley, Prinias calling down in the fields, great spotted cuckoo heard, sparrowhawk heard from direction of bat cave. Usual garden and street birds.

Saturday 31st March

We were listening out for turtle doves but no luck.. either not back yet or had finished cooing. I've noticed in the past they prefer to coo when it's sunny. We did hear some blackbird song and alarm calls, some great tit scolds. Tristram starling whistles, sounded like two of them flying from neighbourhood over towards Hizmeh. Swift screams. Buteo spotted briefly. Hooded crows about as usual.
house sparrows, laughing doves, bulbuls, sunbirds in garden as usual.
Hyrax barks at sunset.

Also noticed blooming: Onobrychis vetch, the dark purple variety, bright yellow Achillea

Third week of March

Heart podded hoary cress at rubble (where we usually see black redstart) Cardaria draba

Thurs 15 March:

Garden: sparrows, cooing and foraging laughing doves, sunbird calls, short melodious, calls of hooded crows

feral pigeons about, jackdaws over, calling.

cool, rain threatening, has rained on and off through most of last night, thank God!

Brief walk on valley road, ominous rain clouds scudding over from the west.. hyrax seen right under Lev Aryeh building amongst other places, three gazelle grazing in the sapling field, femles, well grown young, watched a chiffchaff forage in an acacia, also heard/saw jays, syrian woodpeckers, ring neck parakeets calling from eucs down by look out corner , jackdaws, great tits,(some song), graceful warblers and the usual patrolling hoodies.

chaffinch calls, 1 female on acacia, 1 white wagtail flying over neighbhourhood, confirming they're still about. Looked for swifts but saw none in sky.

19 March Mon

garden: house sparrows, laughing doves cooing and male following female on ground, strutting, great tit song in our or neighbouring garden. Bulbul melodious calls. Jackdaws, hooded crow calls. Feral pigeon flock on wing when we left house. No sunbird calls.

star clover noticed today, their flowers were pink and white but now they are morphing to the characteristic star seeds. Lots of pheasant's eye and chamomile on the hillside. Watched kestrel hover and dive for food on hillside colouring suggested female. Made at least one successful catch.. was on ground for some time feeding. Then flew up to perched on line. A second bird heard calling from direction of Hizmeh. Soon after pair seen flying over cistern to west.

Spotted nicely furred fox loping along towards the bat cave but vanished before he reached there.. we think perhaps into earth but view blocked at that point by a pine. Sparrowhawk flying from hill to woods over shaft area as seen many times before sunset. Several collared doves on line and in pines near cistern, not at all bothered by kestrel. Eurasian jays glimpsed but not vocal. A couple of swifts up hawking. Prinias calling. Blackbird alarm. No sign of any winterers today.

Gazelle: at least 5 up on skyline to north.. bachelor herd. Two females on hillside lower and farther to east. Chukar? Or hyraxes sounding like them, which sometimes they do, or similar to kestrels.

Weather quite mild, temp up.. sky white, visibility less than a mile.

Tues 20 March

sunbird and bulbul melodiously vocal in the garden as it became light. House sparrows, laughing dove coos heard later, and jackdaws from somewhere about the street.

Weather mild, clear skies, over 16 degrees C.

milk thistle is beginning to bloom now and collared doves are just starting to coo in lowest pine grove. Kestrel on the line over hillside to north, prob the same one we saw yesterday. At least 14 gazelle grazing there, some chases noticed, young males showing off to the females. Great tits, graceful warblers active and vocal. Several swifts on the wing over edges of neighbourhood. Chaffinch calling in acacia at head of trail down to dirt road. Akiva spotted a hirundine but was gone before we got more info for id. Hooded crows about , valley and neighbourhood. Feral pigeons over. Eurasian jays active here and there. Graceful warblers active and vocal various places.

Wed 21st March

mild, clear and sunny

Today went up north watercourse dirt road towards quarry in hope of seeing Tristram's starlings or little owl. No luck on those but did find some nice wildlife.

gazelle 4 on hillside up from north watercourse, 2 females together and a male following a female, hyraxes over on rubble to north of watercourse before quarry.. little owl area; kestrel crossed over from A Ram to neighbourhood, jays active foraging on ground in many places, some calls, blue rock thrush foraging on rocks in little owl area, black redstart perhaps also a female, at other end of same rubble hard to make out details. chukar partridges in many places.

of most note for plants: 1 blooming clump of Turban buttercups (Ranunculus asiaticus ..) side of road but attacked by caterpillars.

22 March

garden and area: house sparrows, cooing laughing doves, bulbul calls,

adult male gazelle in woods near central trail

pleasant walk: kestrel pair up on the hillside, on lines, power line posts and also flying about briefly, mobbing a large dark bird that had landed on a boulder at the top of the hill. Buteo also landed on top of cypress a little to west , by bat cave. Hoodie mobbed it briefly. Swifts high over tall buildings edge of neighbourhood at top, great spotted cuckoo heard, syrian woodpecker heard repeatedly near bat cave, perhaps concerned by the Buteo; cooing collared doves, great tits and Eurasian jays, graceful warblers active and vocal and, notably, Akiva heard and saw a pair of *turtle doves* in a park in the centre of town- cooing distinctly.. I wonder if these are early arrivals or overwintered?

small poppy species noted on way down trail, about half the size of corn poppy and without the blackcircle at petal base though there was a black margin at base.

Pistacia orchard now budding into leaf, hawthorns well leafed.. hope they bloom well this year for a change, greenfinches not noted yet, white broom, blooming, noted near pumphouse, hadn't seen one there before, and the one blooming on the lower bank down from north loop of valley road has spread considerably.

March 2nd week

small stand of wild tulips up wooded slopes from east watercourse dirt road, near 'tree line'

clary- Salvia horminum

thurs 8 March

Pleasant day ~17 degrees C give or take a degree most of afternoon, mostly clear, a little cumulus.

Crossed north watercourse and headed up hill. Still lots of asphodel, Roman squill and cyclamen, also more figwort, some orange pheasant's eye, patches of clary and now plenty of the small blue, blue purple mini iris with stippling and yellow at base and inside tubes of petals.

Garden: house sparrow, laughing doves, also about street, hooded crows. some Feral pigeons about, Akiva saw sunbird earlier .

Up on hill.. ahead of us, group of half a dozen gazelle. Larks up top of hill, one hovering a few metres up from ground calling repeatedly , perhaps simple song. No good views. Two stone curlew left slope, headed down to fields. Looked for eggs, was possibly suitable laying area, but no luck. Chukar partridge heard somewhere on the slopes. Great spotted cuckoo heard from down in the woods somewhere.

Also great tits, graceful warblers. No luck with stonechats.

Sat 10th March

stone curlews (from north field area) and european cuckoo (from pines near north east corner valley road) calling in dusk on our return.

a few gazelle 2 north ridge, 1 buck coming up from top of shepherd's trail, headed out over east field, lower windsurfer slopes, lots of chiffchaffs contact calls, great tit scolding calls, brief song, graceful warbler vocalizations, european jays activity but quiet, a pair of hoopoes flying north east of trees; black redstart on a dry stone wall east field, female stonechat also there.. no male stonechats seen or heard anywhere. collared dove group on line over confluence, brief blackbird song.

Akiva heard sunbird earlier. about street: house sparrows, laughing doves, bulbuls (active, vocal many places today) , hooded crows. Jackdaws not noted. Did not look out for swifts and none obvious.

Sunday 11 March

mild/warm

Around dawn melodious bulbul and sunbird calls heard.. laughing dove coos, chirrupping house sparrows and later, jackdaws, hooded crows, feral pigeons.

*wild tulips* growing in several locations on west slopes. The first location we found them a few years ago is now part of the construction I think but I was optimistic and determined to discover more sites. I did find a group of tulips just below the most north western tip of the roadworks. Making our way down the hillslope Akiva discovered a couple of isolated flowers and then a beautiful little stand just inside the 'tree-line'

Also lots of buttercups, butterfly orchid, mini irises, buckler mustard and others. Cistus vegetation noticed north west windsurfer hill slopes.

Also, gazelle, adult male , then three females and well grown young lower north slopes of windsurfer. Hyrax chitters and activity by pumphouse colony, swifts now beginning to scream and lots of activity from jays, great tits, blackbirds, syrian woodpecker, ring neck parakeet, graceful warbler, blackbirds. Stonechat out in field. Black redstart absent from rubble and dry stone wall,

Monday 12 March

cool/mild

some gazelle: adult male went from Pistacia area to small olive grove where grazed. Group of 3 females/well grown young crossed shepherd's trail and continued along treed hillslopes to sw. a few adult hyraxes out on rocks at Shadiker colony, lots of jay and Prinia activity esp. in lowest parts of woods, blackbird and great tit song, great spotted cuckoo calls around look out corner area, collared doves and then four *black kites* appeared over windsurfer hill almost hovering, circled around over east valley and flew right over us.. (cistern to top windsurfer trail) then went on their way back over east watercourse, look out corner area, upsetting the local hoodies. A couple of hoodies flew up in half hearted harassment but kites chased them back briefly and they desisted.

Is it a crossbill eruption year? Saw pair finches up in pine by, cistern to windsurfer trail, mostly obscured by foliage but were feeding in there, bill wiping noticed, distinctly forked tail, brief view of underside of one looked redder than I'd expect from a chaffinch (which I'd at first thought they were.. had heard call like chaffinch but a little softer.. but not as crossbill described in book though just a contact call.. they all have a range of several) .. didn't get any better views except clearly a pair.

Chamomile starting to bloom, lots of Carmel bee orchids and pink butterfly orchids about.

Wed. 14 March

garden and street: house sparrows, bulbuls quite vocal in various places, laughing dove coos, feral pigeons, hooded crows.

a dozen gazelle grazing lower hill slopes just east of bat cave, females and well grown young, 1 adult male in attendance. 4 more on slopes up from east watercourse dirt road, sub-adults all?. A few Buteos about, brief view of large bird of prey over east watercourse being harassed by a hoodie, got impression it as a black kite.

great spotted cuckoos active and vocal, singles flying about, and brief chiffchaff song in young pine grove by hoopoe corner. Eurasian jays quite active. Quite windy, making flight difficult for most birds.

Black redstarts, sunbirds, blackbirds, Syrian woodpeckers, stonechats, swifts, jackdaws not found.

March, First week

hyrax found on valley road: back foot. Back legs were quite short, similar to dimensions of guinea pig.

front paw

eye and mouth.. also noticed pink tissue coming out of nose.. in skull we noticed well developed nasal cavity.. probably a LOT of nasal sensory tissue.

hyrax ear

Thurs March 1st

brrr temps falling! mid afternoon temp about 5 degrees C, raining on and off last couple of days. Sleet this morning, snow in Amman. We did get a gap in the rain for a short walk on valley road for about half an hour before sunset. All watercourses flowing. I don't recall SEEING north and hidden watercourse flowing before.

Blackbird (in castor oil bush on bank) and great tit(down in pines) in song, whistle from a Tristram's starling flying up north watercourse, encountered a HEDGEHOG crossing the road before us while yet light.. he stood still as we approached, watching us with his beady eye and looking scared. I assured him we were mostly harmless. He didn't roll up, just waited till we moved on.

gardens: house sparrows, laughing doves about, brief calls of sunbird and bulbul. Hooded crows about street, roofs, flying over valley, some calls

snow friday morning, settled briefly. Rain on and off into Shabbat

Sat 3 Mar

Garden: laughing dove coos shortly before dawn, still dark. Later, hooded crows, then house sparrows. Later, ring neck parakeet calls. blackbird song.

afternoon walk: drizzle on and off. Linnets about, small flocks flying about, and 2 in linnet tree. Several chaffinches off valley road, tops of cypresses, calling.
Blackbirds, song in trees on valley road, woods.

Swifts over edge of neighbourhood, several. not calling. Large sparrowhawk flew up over windsurfer hill lower slopes towards Pisgat Zeev, not high above canopy level. Female? Another sparrowhawk some time later flew from north watercourse area to over edge of neighbourhood.

gazelle: buck near north watercourse, near bat cave, rubbing horns against sapling apparently. sounds of hyrax barks.

No jays or woodpeckers today. Chiffchaffs active though, calling, foraging, flying between trees. Graceful warbler call. Bulbul various calls. Jackdaw calls, more hooded crows. Feral pigeons about buildings, whirr of wings, prob collared dove, in pine down from north loop valley. Akiva caught brief snatch of Tristram starling call from somewhere east, we both heard chatter of great spotted cuckoo from trees near bat cave. stone curlew later, after dark.

Sun 4 March


Garden: house sparrows, laughing doves, bulbuls, blackbird. Hooded crows and jackdaws heard. Feral pigeons about, ring neck parakeet.. uncertain, did hear some psittacine calls. No sunbirds.

Buteo with wing 'windows' flying over from A Ram to over neighbourhood, relatively brief glimpse. Great spotted cuckoo calls in eucs by look out corner, stone curlew brief call from direction of hidden watercourse.

Half a dozen gazelle, 4 on far south east slopes of hill north of gazelle field, near the confluence. 1 individual near central trail, didn't see much detail but got impression a relatively young one. In Pistacia grove adult male watching us at edge near pines, he headed back and I think it was him we saw again near top of shepherd's trail when we turned off hill to head back down towards east watercourse.

East watercourse is flowing and work has been done at look out corner to make sure it drains properly into watercourse on gazelle field without flooding the field by the bunker rubble where there are now many saplings. A row of slabs on upstream side of central trail serve both to halt erosion and as stepping stones. We really appreciated these efforts!

LOTs of linnets in small groups twittering over, singing blackbirds various places including our or neighbouring garden, black redstart at bunker rubble, stonechat, female over towards small olive tree grove, chiffchaffs in pine canopies, Prinias loud vocalization here and there. Several swifts over edge of neighbourhood but not screaming. Eurasian jay in pine. No calls of Syrian woodpeckers today.

Mon 5 March

fox approaching cistern along track, black redstart on bunker rebar, stonechat on scrub near cistern pine; robins, some calls, one in tree by north watercourse over from where trail from north road comes down. linnets, none in linnet tree but small groups passing over before sunset. kestrel, flew from hill to north to over neighbourhood; sparrowhawk over open north watercourse; chiffchaffs calling in pine canopies; ring neck parakeet in tall trees behind look out corner, called and headed fast to neighbourhood.

Most interesting. big lone stork job circled over east valley for a while before coming down somewhere to NE of us as it grew dark. Immature black? Lost touch with rest of flock, unusual to see alone. Not snowy white enough for white stork but seemed pale under.. no red but that hard to tell in silhouette... as it came down bill definitely looked longer than that of crane. Got some pics but poor definition in available light.

Tues 6 March

garden earlier: house sparrows, laughing doves, various sunbird calls, farther off, jackdaws,
also about, feral pigeons, and hoodies about valley and neighbourhood as usual.

half a dozen gazelle, females, well grown young, grazing out in the open, north field, by twin pylons, beyond watercourse.
swifts, over, about tall buildings up in neighbourhood. Heard calls, then we saw kestrel flying across east watercourse high, to those buildings.

ring neck parakeet, trees behind look out corner again, black redstart, on rebar at bunker rubble same area; stonechat, scrub around cistern pine; chiffchaffs, pine canopies thin contact calls as usual; great tits much scolding in relatively young pines in hoopoe area at same time strident chiffchaff alarm calls so something was bothering them but didn't see what .Was a pair of Eurasian jays about. Strange squeaky song in bunker pines.. didn't see what but recalled odd jay song I'd witnessed years ago. Was at least one jay in the tree at the time so possible. bulbuls calls near Shadiker hyrax colony, graceful warblers, calls around forepart of gazelle field; linnets, twittering of small groups going over now and again; chaffinches, in young pines, Tristram's starling, calls somewhere not far from pumphouse. Hawk over from north, nonedescript brown with paler stippling, no noticeable id features such as wing or tail bars but looked smaller than regular Buteo, larger than usual Accipiter.

several different types of clover blooming now - small white flowers, smaller leaves than those of white clover.. like miniature of that. Also the dark purple 'spiny' variety.

Found roadkill hyrax on valley road, used opp. to photograph feet and ear.. will post in blog. Couple of adult hyraxes active in boulders of Shadiker colony.

Wed 7 March

Garden: male sunbird active in Bauhinia earlier, house sparrows, laughing doves.

5 linnets in the 'linnet tree' today, some twittering. Jackdaws and hooded crows about as usual. graceful warblers about, stonechat pair active low on trail from north valley road to north watercourse dirt road. Sparrowhawk flew over shaft to south. Black redstart not at rubble but probably spooked by people there just before us. Swifts aloft, still none screaming. Syrian woodpecker north watercourse area, collared dove on line, chiffchaffs in pine canopies as usual.