Brief week review.

Visibility conditions on the 27 th may, almost still, sky greyish with slight hint of yellow, humidity almost 40%, the dust was precipitating some of this out of the air on occasion. Within a day the westerlies blew all this away and the sky has been pretty much clear since.

Some days temps exceeded 30 degrees C in the early afternoon but most days mid or upper 20s at most and westerlies prevailing though some days from the east in the forenoon.

The blog has recently passed its 3 year anniversary!

Tuesday 25th May

Gazelle: 1 adult male in greenest part of gazelle field by open north valley watercourse. Watching us.

Fox: 1 day Foraging on gazelle field behind and around large almond
Feral cat: calls up from east watercourse dirt road, lower slopes of windsurfer

Bee-eaters: calls over north valley watercourse, flying over, not many birds quite high.

Hobbies: call somewhere around look-out corner

Swifts: calls, Turtle doves: calls.

Blackbirds: calls, some song.

Collared doves: coos in various parts of the woods.

Eurasian Jays: active and foraging various places, some in gazelle field but quiet.

Graceful warblers: quite vocal. Great tits: calls heard up from north valley watercourse

Greenfinches: various twitters and calls around look-out corner area.

Jackdaws: Heard from house numerous times today.

Hooded crows: Foraging on lower slopes of hill to north, flying home to roost.

House sparrows:Chirping in the garden, male found trapped in sapling tube by north valley watercourse, we released it by lifting it and allowing to fly out from the bottom.

Stone curlews: heard as dusk fell and we were returning into the neighbourhood.

Syrian woodpeckers: calls.

Laughing doves, bulbuls, sunbirds not heard in the garden today.
Feral pigeons: Have not seen any on the local roofs lately, went farther affield to forage

Bauhinia pods on garden tree started bursting today

Wednesday 26 May

Gazelle: 9 today- 2 on upper west slopes windsurfer hill, one with thin horns, one with no visible horns, group of 5 females and well grown young in gazelle field near large almond, moving through and grazing. Adult male came to join them from direction of open north valley watercourse, tried to approach , raised his head a couple of times as if scenting the air.. those in the group ran from him though, so he resigned himself to graze. 1 more without visible horns in the owl glade, closer than usual escape distance.

Hyrax: family. Blondie sentry on boulder joined by a couple of youngsters. Another adult came up, probably their mother, then she skittered for cover. At least one more young seen down in the rocks nearby, probably all from same litter. The blondie could be older relative. (The older matures tend to have bleached out looking shaggy fur)

Reptiles: skink spotted by east valley dirt road, skittered from brown earth by a sapling to cover of plant base, too fast to get pic unfortunately. Mostly brownish.

Bee-eaters: Flock passed over us as we moved along east valley dirt road but didn't get a count.
Swifts: 6

Turtle doves: some cooing.
Great spotted cuckoo: calls heard near bridge. Avremi spotted the bird, skulking on the ground moving up the trail through sapling field to pumping station. Soon after saw it on a branch below a hoodie, following it in hope of food.

Blackbirds: some song, two males seen again near bridge, seems to be a territory border there, slight chase going on at ground level

Collared doves: coos, activity, flight calls, male trying to impress female near top of cypress but she flew.

Eurasian Jays: Akiva spotted one in eucalyptus but otherwise quiet and not in evidence today.

Graceful warblers: Some calls.

Greenfinches: Much twittering in look-out corner area as usual approaching sunset.

Jackdaws: Heard over various parts of valley and neighbourhood throughout day.

Hooded crows: seen, heard, dispersed over valley.

House sparrows:chirping in garden as usual.

Laughing doves: cooing in garden and by valley road.

Sunbirds: calling in garden various times from dawn.

Syrian woodpeckers: some calls look out corner area

White spectacled Bulbuls: calling in garden from before dawn, also calling near pumphouse late afternoon.


Thursday 27 May:

Hooded crows, jackdaws, jays, blackbirds (song) , great tits, collared doves, turtle doves, (coos) , bee-eater, greenfinch, graceful warbler, feral pigeons. garden: house sparrow, laughing doves, sunbirds. bulbuls,
Friday 28th May: Garden, as above, Jackdaws also heard.

Saturday 29th May:

Hooded crows, jackdaws, jays, blackbirds (song) , collared doves, turtle doves, (coos) , bee-eater, greenfinch, graceful warbler, Syrian woodpecker, swifts, hobbies, feral pigeons, stone curlews. garden: house sparrow, neglected to pay attention to the others for the record.

Sunday 30th May:

Hooded crows, jackdaws, jays, blackbirds (song) , collared doves, turtle doves, (coos) , bee-eater, greenfinch, graceful warbler, Syrian woodpecker, feral pigeons. garden: house sparrow, laughing doves, sunbirds. bulbuls,