We head out just after 4 p.m. these days as sunsets are getting earlier. This gives us about an hour. Clear skies yesterday, clear skies, sunny and quite warm with some high altitude cirrus and other small clouds today.
Temps: Range 18-27 degrees C, 4 p.m. 22 degrees C and falling
Humidity: 75% and rising. Wind: NW ~ 5kt
About a half hour before sunset two gazelle made their way from north end of gazelle field, about the pylon, to the single trees by the stone walls. They picked their way to the shelter of the largest tree, which seems to be their favourite. Leader was slightly larger hornless with pure white on top of her head. I'm calling her Snowcap for future reference. The gazelle following her was slightly smaller, had short horns and much darker face. After a short while Snowcap led the way back to the north valley pines, 'Little prongs' bouncing after. Probably mom and yearling.
Shortly after, an adult buck emerged running from the pine grove just east of the cistern, made his way just down from the security fence, made his way north, partly running, partly walking. I believe he was spooked by the shouts of a goatherd on the other side of the fence. The shepherds seldom use dogs to control their sheep and goat flocks here, preferring to direct them mainly by voice.
It's good that these beautiful mammals are protected throughout Israel. The Arabian gazelle has have been hunted heavily in other parts of the Middle East and has disappeared from large parts of its range. I've seen gazelle running free and wild over many parts of the country, in the Golan heights, the Galilee and here. It's good to know that these are unlikely to ever become trophies on someone's wall. Down in the deserts of the south the Arabian gazelle is replaced by a more desert adapted gazelle, the Dorcas gazelle. Two herds of the mountain race of Arabian gazelle, as far as I know, live within Jerusalem boundaries, the tiny herd we record and a much larger herd in the south of the city in a valley known as Gazelle valley (Emek HaTzvayim) by Katamon. The gazelle valley herd has a smaller but lusher range than ours (bordered by major roads and a housing estate) but is predated by a pack of jackals that attack it from the south. As far as we've seen no jackals bother our gazelle, though they do serve to keep a herd healthy, picking off the old and diseased. I don't know if the pack of feral dogs ever try to hunt them or simply scavenge, probably the latter. There may be a third herd over on the west side of the city between Jerusalem and Ramot but I know of no records of it. Good habitat for them, though.
We made our way north up the field to see if we could find birds in the pomegranates, almonds and low scrub by the walls. We'd heard some melodious whistles but the callers were very elusive. We came to a walled channel that had been built long ago to guide the creek alongside the old walled fields. The walls were just over three feet high and now filled with weeds, the ubiquitous ragwort and a beautiful blue dragonfly hunting up and down its course, even though there was no water, still enough small bugs for it to catch. I noticed some other fall flowers today.. a kind of low lying broom, also yellow. No more painted ladies but some white butterflies still about. Light was fading and muezzins were calling for maghrib from the mosques of A Ram and Hizmeh, both serving as a call for us to get back to the family and prepare supper! We must check further up that way tomorrow because I'm sure interesting song birds are in that scrub.
Small flock of jackdaws passed over us to the south, probably on their way to roost. At about same time yesterday about 30 hooded crows did the same. Birds seldom have exactly the same habits every day, especially larger flocking birds. They need to rotate their resources and visit good hunting spots in turn. Alarm calls from blackbirds and Syrian woodpeckers, and of course, Eurasian Jays, plenty of those seen as usual. Greenfinches twittering and active last couple of days. A few collared doves about but quiet. House sparrow flocks noisy late afternoon around the buildings. Yellow vented bulbuls vocal in several locations.
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