Crocuses

Friday: (about 3 p.m, sunny) By the saplings field, several chiffchaffs foraging in a pine by the north edge of the field. These are called alvit 'horef in modern Hebrew. Alvit = leaf warbler, from the Hebrew aleh, leaf, and 'horef = winter since these pretty yellowish insect eaters like to overwinter here. I noticed one black redstart on a rock in the open part of the field and activity of at least two other birds not far away, likely another couple of redstarts. Nice male Stonechat up the slope in the scrub to the west side of valley road.

The weekend felt considerably cooler and damper.

Today: (Saturday) Range 8-16 degrees C, ~4 p.m. 13.5 degrees C, Humidity 55%, wind ENE, still to barely 1.5 knots. Lovely high altitude mackerel cloud formations.

Coo of feral pigeon heard, at least 5 pairs of Senegal doves and a hooded crow where breadcrumbs are put out by our road.

Hooded crow and jackdaws up on windsurfer hill.

We headed north along the trail past the cistern and came across a number of delicate lightpurple crocuses just blooming out in the open, they looked quite recently emerge from the softy rusty coloured soil. Checking a guide later at home I narrowed it down to two likely species. We hope to return with a camera tomorrow. These crocuses bloom here from October to December.

Today.. a Tristram's grackle flew over us to the east as we walked down valley road. Blackbirds and bulbuls calling as we came back in the dusk along central trail.

Hyrax alarm calls heard.