11 July > 21st July

Monday 11 July

Cicadas last few days even up till sunset , heard in cypress and Pistacias but not located, well camouflaged. Temps to low and mid 30s C peak time of day.

Gazelle: 9 in east field.. 6 between small olive grove and windsurfer north slopes, another three between olive groves and trees, lower part.

graceful warblers very vocal lately, Eurasian jays about, short sharp calls of hobbies in tree tops and brief glimpses.,

strange call in garden tree.. sounded like slow soft but carrying trill.. as if a bulbul were imitating a turtle dove . Sunbird calls. Laughing doves, house sparrows,

Tuesday 12th July

Several gazelle seen in various places about the woods, 1 over on path near cistern, alone, not adult male,
Hyrax active and vocal

Hoopoe, jay, turtle dove calls, stone curlew, blackbirds active and vocal but not singing, short low contact notes, graceful warbler and bulbuls around garden. Graceful warbler calls approach to look out corner.

Shabbat 16th July

Several Gazelle seen almost every day esp in east field, usual places. Today three down near fence foot NE windsurfer slopes.
Hyrax activity by street

Graceful warbler, at least two in our garden and adjoining garden active lately. Bee-eaters late afternoon heard from house. In woods Syrian woodpecker, wheatear on a sapling tube in Pistacia orchard.. another a few days ago same area. stone curlew heard.. Eurasian jays more in evidence lately.

Bulbul and sunbird calls also garden, house sparrows, laughing doves.

Sunday 17th July

6 gazelle in total, hyraxes, hoopoe, hobbies, stone curlews, much greenfinch activity between eucalyptuses of look out corner and the bunker pines, Syrian woodpecker calls and glimpses, blackbirds spotted though not singing, occasional relatively soft alarms. Turtle dove and collared dove coos, hooded crows.

Bulbul and sunbird in the garden.

Monday 18th July

8 gazelle grazing in favourite place south east of east field, down near fence and foot of slope. Great tit calls heard, Syrian woodpecker calls, some stone curlew calls as it got dark, sounds like collared dove and turtle dove coos mostly abated now but replaced by numerous insects.. cicadas of low pitch end of afternoon, various crickets as the day darkened. Hoopoe by road near pumping station, flew off to tree in sapling field.

Laughing dove coos, melodious bulbul calls, Prinia calls and occasional sunbird calls in the morning. Forgot to mention a few days ago a couple of lizards noticed amongst fence pieces by patio.

Wednesday 20th July

Hoopoes, at least two around hoopoe corner, usual other birds in woods, blackbirds, stone curlews, (from direction north fields) , great tit scolds, graceful warblers, syrian woodpeckers. As most days this week, cicadas buzzing at various pitches, pitch lower towards sunset.. temps in low 30s early afternoon but humidity down to about 25% at hottest time of day climbing up to about 50% at night

Thursday 21 th July

10 gazelle grazing around windsurfer mountain, on high north west slopes and low down by foot of north east slopes including adult buck who I observed on hill trail up from us repeatedly rubbing his horns against stones or bush or ground, hard to tell. . Also including two in the forest just south of central trail, female and young. Could have been twelve if we didn't count two twice. There were two running to and fro on mid west slopes, apparently chasing each other, fast, almost like play, not significant horns, we didn't know if these joined the others on the north slopes or not.

Quite a bit of hyrax activity by valley road, some juveniles out, adults of various ages.

Syrian woodpecker calls, blackbird alarm, great tit alarms, glimpses of raptors, probably hobbies but very quick views, could also have been sparrowhawk. stone curlew calls. Some collared dove cooing in pines by north gazelle field. Some greenfinch twitters, lark (?)calls in east field. Didn't see for confirmation, may have been wheatears. Akiva heard bee-eaters from house mid afternoon. I heard ring neck parakeets shortly after dawn when I went out to feed the chickens.

Street: laughing doves cooing on roof edges,