Minor earthquakes

Forget to write up Tuesday's sightings last night, I must have been tired! Happily well rested now.

(20th Nov) range 11-15 degrees C, 13.2 degrees C at about 4 p.m. wore sweater but still felt a little cool, didn't bother with a jacket because I didn't believe rain was imminent. Cumulus filled half the sky and seemed mildly threatening, tossing down a few drops, but didn't rain in earnest till about 8 p.m. 3rd rain this fall. Humidity at time of walk, 68%, wind 5kt and westerly.

A couple of minor earthquakes today (Tues) but so small I didn't perceive them consciously, though they had been on my mind, one of those 'we must be overdue for an earthquake' thoughts that probably meant I had perceived them subconsciously. That has happened to me every time I've 'missed' an earthquake. I do clearly remember perceiving a couple of them some years back - one made my closet doors rattle a bit and another I remember thinking that some huge truck must be unloading a very large number of boulders down the road, that's how it sounded.

We're in an earthquake zone since we're so close to the great rift valley system which starts in Syria and forks south like lightning all the way down to the Olduvai gorge. Usually not a problem if the buildings are close to the bedrock (as most are in Jerusalem) but disastrous if buildings are built on accumulated Tel rubble, then everything shakes down as has happened Tzfat (Safed) in 1837 and to a lesser extent in the Nablus area in 1927.
We expect earthquakes every few years though usually just 2-6 on the Richter scale.

From indoors through my window heard house sparrows, bulbuls, senegal dove, a sunbird in full song in the Bauhinia and playing peekaboo amongst the leaves.. (the tree is still fully green ) Managed to get a glimpse of malachite iridescence from time to time.

Two hornless gazelle in the pinewoods, a few score yards north of the central trail, 'Snowcap' , the one with the white forehead and another one. They were there again and still together on our way back though they'd moved a few hundred yards in their wanderings.

Some hyrax calls. Many redstart calls in the woods though tantalizingly hidden by the foliage. At one point we were hearing them from both sides of the path and husband said "there are at least two here unless one of them just 'orbed'..." . "You've been watching too much 'Charmed' !" I joked. Black redstart not seen by bunker ruins today. The usual jay activity, graceful warbler calls. Watched a white wagtail, looked like one of this year's birds from its markings, foraging on the ground just off to the side of our street before we descended to valley road.

A nice size hawk flew from the east and settled somewhere in the north valley woods, brownish and barred, longish tail, looked too big for sparrowhawk. Goshawk is possible though not common.

A couple of times heard what sounded like European robin alarm calls but no sightings. Some greenfinch twitters, blackbird pre-dusk fuss as usual,