"Sheep grazing in the Sky"

Over the last two days cloud patterns changed from mostly clear skies to a vast 'flock of sheep' (a kind of altocumulus) across the sky. Yesterday they were all little white 'lambs' but it's *as if* the flocks have been grazing and putting on weight since today each cloud mass is significantly larger, heavier and greyer in part.

Possibly means rain in a couple of days.

5 p.m. ~22 degrees C (today's range: 18-26 degrees C)

humidity ~80%, wind mainly in the west, ~ 8 knots.

Gazelles. As we approached the orchard from the dry creek path we noticed a gazelle running through the orchard from lookout corner toward the east field. I had a gazelle in my sights a minute later, it had slowed to a walk and was clearly (by the shape and size of his horns) an adult male.

Husband was not sure that the gazelle we saw running was the same gazelle I saw walking a minute later since no gazelle was in sight for a short while, but since no other appeared after some watching we conclude it was most likely the same individual. It had not been possible to discern horns through all the low branches during that swift run of just a few seconds across the orchard.

A short while later we saw a second individual, hornless, again in that favourite spot under the trees by the dry stone walls in the middle of gazelle field.

Hyrax - a blonde shaggy large one on top of a rock making repeated grating barks 'chok-ok-ok-ok'
Just up from valley road and down from a school there, not the cypress slum colony, one further to the north along that slope.

Hoopoe: One perched up in a eucalyptus near look-out corner.

House sparrows: Again very vocal at 4.45 p.m. They've been having quite a chorus at that time lately.

Hooded crows: At least 50 on the ground or flying just above up on windsurfer hill.

Jackdaws: Calls from the east, from windsurfer hill and a small flock over Hizmeh.

Jays: Vocal and busy foraging about the forest and fields as usual.
Blackbirds: Quite vocal and some glimpsed. Usual chack chack calls and some tsreet. The bird that uses the pines by the ruined bunker also ranges over the trees immediately behind look-out corner.

Collared doves: Several individuals seen especially around look-out corner/eucalyptus area but no coos at all.

Syrian woodpeckers: Some calls

Bulbuls: Melodious calls in the gardens by us, and at the other end of the orchard.

Great tits: Some alarm calls.
Sunbirds: Calls from the gardens, one call in the woods, otherwise quiet.
Feral pigeons.

A few around in flight.

Stone curlews, greenfinches, chukars, graceful warblers, hobbies, shrikes all quiet today .