Bluish smoke arises from the 'crossroads' area.. where a dirt road leaves central trail towards some ruins in the middle of the woods, and below, piles of ash still glowing and smoking in parts. In both these places large piles of branches had been left and may have caught alight spontanously due to rot and high ambient temps. Some lower tree branches have been damaged by this. Ground fires have also singed many spots alongside valley road, shriveling many leaves on the large corner wattle tree.
Thistle found by the trail from valley road down to north watercourse dirt road. The rather insignicant flower blooms in a head larger than that of the much more common yellow or blue tuft thistles also out now.
Blackbird that lives between sapling field and bridge loop- up on a line at about sunset singing away. Usually it sings low, from a tree stump or similar but today it prefers a higher perch.
Sunday 18th July
gazelle: : 3 passing down from woods betw. owl glade and north watercourse dirt road. They crossed the road, entered pines by service road and then out onto ploughed field where stayed to graze. Adult male following two young individuals.
Hyraxes: seen Shadiker colony on path which continues around the hill a way from north west loop of valley road.
Bee-eaters: flock in eucalyptus stand as yesterday.
Hobby: calls not heard today
Turtle doves: heard in pines betw. valley road and north watercourse dirt road.
Blackbirds: some song heard.
Hooded crows: flock headed over lower edge of neighbourhood towards Pisgat Zeev late afternoon.
Collared doves: some coos.
Stone curlew: some calls heard
Bulbuls: some calls in garden though not melodious calls in garden nor on monday.
sunbirds: some calls. Also house sparrows, laughing doves, feral pigeons in area as usual.
Flowering now: horsetail polygonum and the low yellow broom as usual. Caper flowers finishing up, growing pods where the caper bugs will let them. Infestation on many bushes again. Yellow thistle and blue tuft thistle season underway. The tiny 5 petalled bright yellow as yet un IDd flower growing near look-out corner.
Wednesday 21st July
gazelle: : 5: 1 adult buck following female by north watercourse not far west from bat cave. Out in the ploughed area, two, another adult buck and other individual. Another was grazing in grassy area between ploughed area and bat cave.
Hyraxes: bark heard from Shadiker colony.
Bee-eaters: calls heard from house and over east watercourse woods several times in the afternoon.
Hobby: calls not heard today
Turtle doves: not noticed today
Blackbirds: 1 betw. pumphouse and bridge- in small grove south end of sapling field.. was singing on line.
Hooded crows: some seen in flight
Collared doves: some coos.
Stone curlew:
Bulbuls: melodious call about 5.15 a.m. again previous days it didn't start up till later.
sunbirds: song in Bauhinia tree near midday last few days.
Also house sparrows, laughing doves, feral pigeons in area as usual. ?
Thursday 22nd July
gazelle: : 3 in view, grazing in the ploughed area beyond the line of almonds towards sunset.
Hyraxes: shrill kestrel like call heard from Pumphouse colony as it was getting dark.
Bee-eaters: calls heard from house and over east watercourse woods several times in the afternoon.
Hobby: high brief almost squeak calls from a couple of locations, one in woods on west slopes of windsurfer hill, another from pines just west of east valley watercourse.. seemed to be communicating with each other.
Turtle doves: not noticed today
Blackbirds: 1 singing high in a eucalyptus by east valley dirt road.. near enough to position of yesterday's bird to possibly be the same male.
Hooded crows: some seen in flight
Collared doves: some coos.
Stone curlew: calls from direction of east field, beyond Pistacia orchard about sunset.
Bulbuls: some calls.
sunbirds: song and calls in Bauhinia tree again.
A number of fires, esp by the crossroads and by east watercourse dirt road. In every case it was in piles of pine branch cutting that had been left. We suspect the growing heat in these piles from processes of decomposition combined with the heat of the day and the flammable resins brought about spontaneous combustion. Temps reached 31 degrees early afternoon today as they have throughout the past week.
Saturday 24th July
gazelle: at about 5 p.m. Akiva saw about 8 individuals in open near north watercourse/north gazelle field. First: 2 adult males and female (or well grown young) grazing near bat cave, then a group of females, young tailed by another two individuals. Later after 7 p.m. saw three, apparently females or well grown young, grazing in ploughed area behind almond row or just beyond :
Bee-eaters: group flying and calling over east valley towards edge of neighbourhood, flying roughly north at height of mid neighbourhood buildings, first, group of a dozen or so followed by a few small groups.
Hobby: high brief almost squeak calls from area of cypresses and pine up SW of Pistacia grove.
Turtle doves: not noticed today
Blackbirds: 1 singing on line over sapling field, probably same male as before.
Tristram's starlings: calls about 5 p.m. from direction of quarry, again after 7 a.m. over east field
Hoopoe: seen flying from bunker rubble area into a eucalyptus near look-out corner.
Collared doves: some coos, flight calls, activity between fields. .
Stone curlew: clear calls shortly after sunset.
Bulbuls,sunbirds, Great tits: some calls.
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