Cuckoos cackling in the wattle tree.

A common low large cushion like thorny plant found all over the woods and fields. Purple flowers appear later in summer. Many bear green or pinkish berries now.


Paronychia argentea, no common English name I've found but its Hebrew name, Almavet hacesef translates roughly has silver immortal/'everlasting'

This is now common over much of gazelle field.

Temp at about 6 p.m. (summer time) 14.9 degrees C and falling, (58.8 degrees F), humidity 66% and rising, wind WNW 7kt

great spotted cuckoos.. about 6.30 p.m. 2 individuals noticed on branches of a blooming wattle tree by the path leading from centre trail to north valley, cackling repeatedly, (possibly courtship?). one quite nice mature plumage, one much less vividly marked. After some minutes they flew west into the pines where they continued to vocalize, rather a wicked sounding laugh!
bee-eaters, at least 14 in the group flyingtoday though we didn't see them all at once, blocked by trees.
common swifts, quite a few high up, heard screaming from the sky
hobbies: calls from orchard area.
Hooded crows: small flock foraging on the ground just outside of the young pines north west end of gazelle field, some jackdaws there also.
Eurasian Jays: active, busy foraging throughout woods and fields.
Greenfinches: 'chaw' calls from pines. Graceful warblers: calls
Blackbirds: heard some song, Collared doves: active and some cooing
Stone curlews: some calls north end gazelle field, Syrian woodpeckers: calls , seen
Sunbirds:

Around the house: House sparrows, laughing dove coos,

Gazelles: no show, hyrax: did not pass a colony, feral dogs not heard.