Well it looks like the gazelle aren't going to be abandonning their favourite tree after all:) I recently replaced the photo of the tree in the entry a few posts ago since that image was a little blurred. Today a fine full grown hornless individual was grazing in that little patch, and not directly under the tree. Clearly there is still vegetation worth their return though it wasn't very obvious at all from our visit. Now it's rainy season, grasses crop up everywhere at any time and we have to mind our feet not to step on all the crocuses! Gazelle tracks on the path past the cistern and some large dog tracks too.
Pines along central trail were full of redstart calls but they were as elusive as ever. They change position constantly in the trees even if you do catch sight of one, tricky to get a fix on them and wise on their part with a sparrowhawk around. European redstarts are common passage migrants in the fall but that should have pretty much tapered off now.. unless any decided to overwinter.. possible but rare and I'd like sightings of those.. pretty much all the redstarts we're seeing and hearing will be black redstarts.
Nice crow fly-by going on 4.30. First a flock of 40, mostly jackdaws with a few hooded crows mixed in coming from about NNE and heading to windsurfer hill. A few minutes later a nice size flock, I think all jackdaws, at least 100 individuals also returning from foraging in the hills to the north flew right over us as we walked down valley road.
In the woods, some white spectacled bulbul, blackbirds, syrian woodpeckers. Gazelle field: stonechat call and graceful warblers. Around the buildings and gardens, house sparrows, senegal doves (cooing softly early afternoon), great tits, (some song early afternoon), feral pigeons and white wagtails, latter over valley road.
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