August continued

Black nightshade Solanum nigrum has sprouted spontaneously all around our garden. Central areas mainly goosefoot and purslane.

Wednesday 10th August

13 gazelle,

1 adult male near bat cave, by north watercourse
1 individual up south of north dirt road in woods towards owl glade
8 down near foot north east slopes windsurfer, by fence , usual place.. females and well grown young
1 adult male: crossing windsurfer dirt road ahead of us, heading to east woods.
2 relatively young individuals near head of shepherd's trail

about 50 bee-eaters flying about eucalyptuses by north low end of east field, first a group of about two dozen, then with clatter of leaves the rest flew out.. wheeled about over cistern area for a while as one flock, then split into two flocks again

syrian woodpeckers calls, hooded crow calls, Eurasian jays spotted here and there, hobby heard, sparrowhawk (?) glimpsed, grey back, whitish rump? Flew to cypresses by bat cave. collared dove on line, hyraxes twilight bark, pumphouse colony.

Garden: sunbird song around midday, later, alarm calls for a while, more song later. Bulbul calls, some laughing dove coos.

Thursday 11th August

gazelle several over beyond cistern where Ailanthus saplings.. disappeared into watercourse, Eurasian jays, several active, some calls graceful warblers some calls, flock of 30 plus bee-eaters as we approached look out corner from north trail heard them, then 9 appeared , then another group joined in, much calling.
hoopoe 1 flew over fore part of gazelle field to top of pines bunker rubble pines, jackdaw flock 80 plus SW windsurfer/saddle area, Syrian woodpeckers lots of calls, heard hyrax twilight barks pumphouse area. Ring neck parakeets heard from house earlier.

Saturday 13th August

Field by small olive grove produced 4 gazelle, at least two of them adult females. Not the usual group. No bucks. Soon after ahead of us 2 more gazelle crossed the dirt road leading up the hill from direction of east woods.

2 dozen bee-eaters in two groups moving from over woods towards edge neighbourhood late afternoon. Ring neck parakeets heard in street, sunbird singing in garden about midday.

Woods: hobby call high trees east valley, hoopoe flew across central trail approaching look-out corner, small group greenfinches into eucs there, wheatear far edge east field in herbage, female or juv. prob black eared, hooded crows, Syrian woodpecker call,

Sunday 14th August

9 gazelle, 2 separate nr north watercourse, the others in fields around small olive grove and farther south east towards fence. Adult male between dirt road and olive grove looked like the larger horned male of that area.. seems he's brought his herd into area that previously the (slightly) smaller horned buck and those three youngsters (including 'one horn') were using.. expanding his domain north and driving the group of four to the woods and north gazelle field)

about 30 bee-eaters, in single flock as dusk was descending, quite high. syrian woodpeckers, lots of calls, greenfinches again between look-out corner eucs and bunker pines area, also graceful warbler, hooded crows, blackbird alarm (latter east watercourse dirtroad near sapling field, haven't heard blackbirds in a while) , hyraxes twilight bark amongst others, and Varthemia foliage coming up, will produce tiny bright yellow blooms come the first rains.

It did actually rain lightly and briefly saturday morning. Was somewhat overcast.

Two hobbies over north watercourse, spooked some jays who were very vocal at that.

Wednesday 17th August

11 gazelle NW slopes windsurfer, all females and well grown young.. they made their way round north slopes and down in direction of their usual grazing grounds. Young individual seen near head of shepherd's trail, may have been a 12th.. No adult bucks seen.

several seen yesterday including one horn seen near service road edge of young pines, some way from her usual haunts.. perhaps the larger herd drove her in that direction.

Flock of bee-eaters in eucalyptus, as yesterday .. settling down to roost, didn't come out so no count. Syrian woodpeckers, great tit and graceful warblers heard.

Flock jackdaws heard. Tristram's starling and ring necked parakeets heard from house earlier. laughing doves in the garden, foraging on ground.

bat on way back, hyrax on garden wall on way down.

21st August sunday

Bee-eaters heard from house earlier, sunbird in cape honeysuckle, laughing doves

17 gazelle. 13 grazing near fence including adult male. Other male and one other small individual not far behind him, between olives and cypress grove. 2 more , 1 w thin horns, one with no visible horns, just up from north watercourse dirt road up behind owl glade.

hyrax calls dusk.

Sparrowhawk over. , jackdaws heard, garden and street, collared doves on lines near cistern, male acting amourously, puffed chest etc. Hoopoe, syrian woodpecker calls, A number of hooded crows over but not coordinated flock .

Monday 22nd August

9 gazelle, 2 minimal horns up from north trail as yesterday, 2 in field between olives and cypresses, adult male and 1 horn. Second adult male with longer horns near fence just south of olive grove and nearby adult female. 3 females? /well grown young up on north west slopes windsurfer.

2 sparrowhawks flying same direction not far from each other so prob associated, near service road. Syrian woodpeckers, graceful warblers heard, Eurasian jays about and active, Hoodies and jackdaws flying south to roosting areas around villa hill , latter vocal, collared doves on line near service road as yesterday prob. same two.

carpenter bee black with yellow end abdomen seen by dirt road by east field.