July 15th, 16th summer birds

July 15th 28.3 falling, 68% rising, SW 4.3kt

This time of summer is pleasant, warm and not exactly packed with action.. young birds maturing, nothing migrating, the birds start to moult and take it easy.. relatively speaking. I expect rather repetitive observations for next couple of months but we shall see, anything could turn up;)

Gazelles - 1 without horns grazing over betw trees by pylon, usual spot.

hyrax - shrill alarm barks, almost sounding almost like kestrel. Probably cats around.. hillside just west of pumping station.

Turtle doves: plenty coos and one by cistern

Bee-eaters: lots around, hard to estimate, all over east part of field, eucalyptus grove.. half a dozen sat in the dirt road near the cistern, pecking at ground and dustbathing in a disultory fashion, or just sitting there. We checked out the place.. part of where they'd been had line of busy ants, rest was just red dusty ground.

Hoopoes pair sitting right on ground, on trail that heads alongside dry creek of northern valley, just west of look-out point.

Nice falcon over hill to east of east valley where the cave is.. this is where the crows do their windsurfing. Grey back, probably a hobby.

House sparrows: around houses

Senegal doves: coos and quite active around street

Hooded crows: all over valley as usual, small group on hilltop east of the east valley, a little disturbed by presence of a falcon.

Jackdaws: one calling and flying over valley road to the south

Jays: quite a number busy througout wood and gazelle field as usual

Feral pigeons: around street

Greenfinches: at least two families busy in pines above bunker ruins.. many social calls, became pleasant twittering song more toward dusk

Collared doves: some cooing and pair by cistern

Sunbirds: bauhinia as usual

Syrian woodpeckers: busy in woods, vocal

Bulbuls: calls in garden

Great tits, Blackbirds, chukars, graceful warblers, stone curlews all quiet today

July 17th

6-7 p.m. ish 24.4 degrees C, 62% humidity, wind WSW ~ 11 knots

Gazelles: none today

hyrax making kestrel type calls by pumping station again, whole families out, some alarm sent them into their dens.

Turtle doves: quiet

Bee-eaters: half dozen sitting together on ground by orchard, probably at least twenty around from cistern to orchard. Seems they use the pine grove south east of gazelle field as roost these days, moving towards it in small groups toward dusk.

Wheatear: 1 middle of wood, on central trail, quite dark, well developed immature

House sparrows: around houses, one male in orchard

Senegal doves: cooing, valley road, street

Hooded crows: 40 or so windsurfing and hanging out on hill to east of east valley, all scared in air by gunshots or something, boiled up from the hill and flew over valley to west but within a minute making their way back in singles and pairs back to their favourite hill.

Jackdaws: calls of flock from hillsides to east

Jays: active and calls, foraging ground around fields

Feral pigeons: on buildings and overhead

Greenfinches: active around bunker, cistern, look out corner, canary chorus

Blackbirds: some song, some calls, alarm calls

Collared doves: some coos. Turtle doves silent today.

Sunbirds: bauhinia bird, creek trail birds, orchard, from calls and activity seems like family

Graceful warblers: some calls

Syrian woodpeckers: calls, activity

Bulbuls: calls, activity , foraging in cypress and gardens

Great tits: some calls? Now young more mature moved higher up into tree canopies and harder to find