Black redstarts popping up all over

Nov 8: Thursday: Range 13-19 degrees C,

4 p.m. (beginning of walk) 15.8 degrees C,

humidity 65% and rising, wind NNW 1.7 kt

Almost clear skies, a few high altitude clouds. Those cumulus clouds of yesterday didn't drop much, just a couple of episodes of light drizzle, didn't make the records.

Feral pigeon, Jackdaw, Greenfinch, Graceful warbler, Syrian woodpecker. Hyrax alarm calls.

Nov 9: Friday: Range 14:20 degrees C

3.20 (right after walk) 17.5 degrees C and falling

humidity 65% and rising, wind WSW 6.1 kt

Mystery bird solved.. seen again and much closer on the field by the saplings, possible to see red in the tail. Female (or possibly immature) black redstart.

Another redstart seen further north, over in the burnt glade west of the dry creek path approaching the old orchard , another female or immature- but because of strong back lighting, hard to make out if European or Black redstart. It flew into acacia and then into pines which is more European redstart type choice. Not sure, one or 'tother.

Garden: Yellow vented Bulbul calls, quite vocal today, and sunbirds busy in the cape honeysuckle which is still blooming.

(Ragwort at least half converted to seed-heads by now)

White wagtail heard midday from the street.

Great tit calls from the pines from valley road, jackdaw calls, graceful warbler calls and a family foraging together in vegetation between the saplings and dry creek. Eurasian Jay calls.

Nov 10: Mostly clear, some small clouds of varied altitude and type. Range: 13-19 degrees C, still no more rain.

Shortly after 4 p.m. temp ~16 degrees C and falling, humidity ~65%, wind NW ~ 4kt.

Imm. or female black redstart again on rocks in field by the saplings, seen further away again, red on tail hardly discernible. Clear Stonechat calls heard up the scrubby slope to west of the approach to the pumping station. Must have dived for cover. hubby directed me to one bird he noticed up there, turned out to be yet another black redstart! Light now fading and didn't manage to actually see any chats. Hyraxes quite active up there.

Nice Crow flyby toward sunset.. spread out flock of some 80 jackdaws returning from foraging in the north to windsurfer hill area, soon after joined by another 20 coming from our neighbourhood and some minutes later another just under 40 from the north, as well as stragglers and also small groups of hooded crows. At least 20 hoodies, probably more, were already up there, doing, guess what? Their usual windsurfing and winddiving games.

Bird of prey seen briefly dipping down into the woods toward look-out corner though hard to tell exactly where it swooped down, we saw from behind, could have been the sparrowhawk or a falcon.

No robins yet:(

Heard and glimpsed Great tit, Graceful warbler, Syrian woodpecker, White wagtail (flying over), chaffinches.