More rain and four gazelles.

Yesterday afternoon noticed several small roaming bands of finches in the treetops, some identified as chaffinches and one linnet, Carduelis cannabina, (though a poor view, part silhouetted) first I've noticed this season. If there's one there are undoubtedly more around. Black redstart at the bunker ruins as usual. Hooded crows and Jackdaws up on windsurfer hill. Eurasian Jays and Syrian woodpeckers and Graceful warblers about.

last night at about 10.10 p.m. noticed a single gazelle under the pines just east and down from valley road maybe 50 yards.

It was raining most of last night with some thunder and lightning but stream had already ceased flowing when we reached it.

Sunday: 9-17 degrees C

Headed out at about 4.10 p.m. , almost 15 degrees C, ~90% humidity with north westerlies blowing up to 14.8 knots though didn't feel that breeze in the bottom of the valley.

Saw four quite well grown gazelle moving together under the pines just north of the middle of central trail, the one in the fore and the one in the rear both had short thin horns, not noticed on the other two. Nice sighting and worth putting in an entry just for them and the one we saw last night.

A number of redstarts calling from the pines but they're amazingly good at staying out of view! We tried in vain to find even one of them but they can hide amongst the pine needles and the pitch of their calls makes them hard to locate accurately. I'm sure that's the idea! We heard the sparrowhawk call from the direction of eucalyptus grove.

The black redstart had already left the bunker ruins for the day apparently and was flitting about in the eucalyptus behind look-out corner, calling. A bird was tic ticking over at the edge of the old orchard near the creek trail.. sounded robin like but from that distance hard to be 100% sure since sunbirds have a similar tic tic call and we know they have a territory right there. Still, that call said 'robin' to me.

Blackbirds chacked from the woods, their usual chatter before roost.

From the house today I heard a number of birds active in the gardens: House sparrows, sunbirds, bulbuls and from farther off, white wagtail, Jackdaws and hooded crows.