Orange Tufted Sunbird, Nectarinia osea this photograph is property of the Jerusalem Bird Observatory and ringing station.

6.30 -7.30 p.m. ish

1 Gazelle.. hornless, behind the giant pine behind the cistern.

Sunbird, much singing in the Bauhinia lately, and calling, one day calling the 'squeak' well over a hundred times in succession with just a couple of very brief pauses. That must take some doing vocally but a bird's breathing system is very efficient, one way circular track through all the air passages with associated air sacs.

Seemed whole family flitting about high in a eucalyptus along the dry creek trail. The tree is in flower and they are probably getting nectar

21st August

6 p.m. - 7 p.m. 27.5 degrees C and falling, humidity 45% and rising, wind NW veering W, 6-7 kt

4 gazelle today in two groups of two each, not male/female, two appeared to have very short horns, one slightly longer horns but still thin. Other hornless. Making their way west through the eucalyptus grove. One crossed the path about 50 yards in front of us, toward the cistern and headed off into the field behind there, the others stayed in the grove. This is probably their regular route from the east field to gazelle field, we've seen them come down this way several times now. Of course we'll be looking out for a/the buck, I'd like reassurance he returned safely from inside the fences.

feral dogs - barking toward evening down from the creek trail, could be pack or the family, hard to tell. We have heard barking down there in the middle of the night lately, enough barks to be the pack.

reptiles. A number of gecko young noticed lately

Bee-eaters: some calls today

Hoopoes: pair in the path near the cistern.. standing so close together that when they moved apart it looked like they had just multiplied by binary fission. Just a cute effect.

House sparrows: Senegal doves: feral pigeons, around houses as usual

Hooded crows:Jackdaws: calls heard but keeping generally low profile

Eurasian Jays: plenty about, foraging in woods and fields as usual

Greenfinches: Twitters and movement between trees of small groups around look-out corner as usual and then suddenly at least 50 erupted from the eucalyptus above us and flew over to the eucalyptus grove.. We soon saw the trouble. A sparrowhawk was sweeping in close above the canopy, made a couple more passes, then landed on a eucalyptus branch over the path by the grove. Husband's sharp eyes caught the three bands on the tail which confirmed I.D. because it was either that or a young hobby.. these birds not so easy to tell apart when in swift gliding action and seen briefly. It then took off and flew across gazelle field to the pines of the north valley.

Blackbirds: One short call.. they really are keeping a low profile.

Collared doves: still about but quieter.. flight call heard yesterday.

Sunbirds: some calls around look-out corner. Our garden bird is in a very amorous mood.. much singing in the Bauhinia again today and today, eureka! I finally managed to witness him in display mode, orange tuft clearly visible on his side, I could hardly believe my eyes. Finally! The leaves of the tree are so large one alone can hide most of him from view so spotting him can be a game of hide and seek even though he's just a few feet away the whole time. Nectarinia osea has several names.. Palestinian Sunbird or Orange Tufted Sunbird the most used. In Hebrew he's 'tzufit boheket' tzuf=nectar because that is his favourite diet item, and boheket

meaning glossy/iridescent.
Syrian woodpeckers: Calls, and one flew from north valley pines to look-out corner eucalyptus shortly after the sparrowhawk went over there.. feels threatened?

Bulbuls: Calls of young birds in the garden, quite a lot though not as intense as they were a few days ago.

Great tits: Calls yesterday, briefly glimpsed today in the pines.. they're there in some numbers I'm sure but most concealed in the green of the canopy.

Turtle doves: Wheatears: Great spotted cuckoos, chukars, stone curlews, graceful warblers none seen or heard today