wasp and bee battle, honey buzzards

6 p.m. 27.9 DEGREES C, 82 degrees F and falling, 3.5 kt W and falling, 43% humidity and rising

Gazelles no show today

hyrax plenty activity, scampering down slopes by valley road to cross to dens on forest side

reptiles small Lacerta lizard in garden

Hoopoes a few around lookout corner and bunker, one in pomegranate tree

Falcons.. pair over windsurfer hill, typical call of hobbies.. nice flight watch, could see mask but not thigh colour but glimpse of back and greyish.. probably hobbies , may not be those with us early in summer but passage migrants, no way to know

Remarkable sight on ground on the dry creek trail.. wasp and honeybee locked in mortal combat, both buzzing till honeybee finally stopped, end abdomen torn, sting expended. Wasp continued attack, removed wings and abdomen. If the bee used its sting how did the wasp survive that? Perhaps it would also succumb later.

House sparrows: houses as usual, Senegal doves: pair by bread zone - some people spread crumbs just beyond fence near the garbage.

Hooded crows: small flock by hizmeh and windsurfer hill, one flew up to peck at hobby but was unsuccessful, hobby dodged

Jackdaws: calls, small flocks about

Jays: foraging and squabbles as usual

Feral pigeons, blackbirds : low profile

Greenfinches: small flock to look out corner

Chukar partridges: chuckling east valley from the slopes to east of pumping station. .

Collared doves:coos, flight calls, around cistern

Sunbirds:song in bauhinia

Syrian woodpeckers:vocal and active as usual

Bulbuls: calls in the garden

Great tits: calls in the pines east valley

Betw about 5.30 and 6.30 p.m. temps now 27.3 degrees C, humidity 50% and rising, wind WNW 11 kt

Walked up to neighbourhood centre with husband and boys, then back down the mountainside scented with tall flowering liqorice scented fennel, food for a second wind of butterflies, medium/small jobs pastel orange upper wing, pale underwing. We've also noticed Saturnid butterflies about again lately. We picked up an outskirts trail and road overlooking east valley. There's at least one small owl resident in the rocks by this road.. almost perfectly camouflaged but has not escaped the eye of the men who use that route regularly and mention him with pride. We didn't see him today but my son believes a family of them was raised this year. What kind of owl? I believe it's a scops.. Otus scops too small to be a Little owl, (despite the name) , face pattern less marked and plumage pale and faint barring. When it's totally still it disappears against the limestone bluff behind it.

Over Hizmeh husband spotted a group of seven majestic raptors. From the thin barring of dark on almost snow white I'd say they were honey buzzards, Pernis apivorus, and clearly soaring on a thermal. A flock of at least forty hooded crows rose up from windsurfer hill to give them aggravation but I guess when they truly realized what they were up against they had second thoughts. As one the flock turned and headed in the opposite direction. That was pretty funny.