Second half December

17 December

Dead hyrax with blood on ground found on valley road, probably hit by vehicle.  Another hyrax down from road on boulder, quiet.

blackbird calls late afternoon almost every day this week,  song some days.  Jackdaws heard earlier, hoodies heading home.

garden: house sparrows,  sunbird alarm calls and activity in cape honeysuckle,  bulbul calls some days in last week.  Some laughing dove coos and activity.

thin piping in pine canopies probably chiffchaffs but not confirmed, usually heard when some sun, chaffinch calls yesterday mid pine woods.

gazelle , several in east field in and near small olive grove yesterday, none noticed today.

blooming, lots of white winter crocus, Crocus hymalis, still some of the purple autumn crocus, Colchicum, still Polygonum equisetiforme and Ononis natrax.

19 Dec

Buck gazelle near north watercourse,  kestrel flying over north field, blackbird singing by east watercourse,  Prinia calling near valley road, on way down.  Woods pretty quiet but for various softbills in canopy being elusive.. some medium small passerines flying about,  Akiva caught sight of reddish underparts, he thought blackbird size or a little smaller but poor views or silhouette. About 40s coming back from forage from over hill to north,

22 December

calls of stone curlew just before dawn.. later, hoodies, sparrows, white wagtail, then sunbird in the garden and, as it got lighter, coos of laughing doves and some squawking ring neck parakeets came by. In the woods and fields, Syrian woodpecker calls and activity, blackbird song by east watercourse, graceful warbler trills in the open. Hoodies, jackdaws foraging on the hill

24th December

linnets in 'linnet tree', first positively noticed this season, a quite large Ailanthus end of Shadiker overlooking north watercourse, at least half a dozen, possibly more.  First definite of season seen.. also great tit calls, blackbird by north watercourse in song and calls,  in gardens, much sunbird activity, bulbul calls earlier, Akiva also heard ring neck parakeets  

27th December

lots of chiffchaffs about foraging.. seen in hawthorn by north watercourse and heard all about; sparrowhawk sunset flyover near the shaft, fair size bird, prob female Akiva saw,) , hoodies and jackdaws, small groups of finches but didn't get good view, linnets probably, earlier.. sunbird and laughing dove coos in the garden, house sparrows, feral pigeons about as usual. and loads of white crocuses. Great tits, blackbirds heard calls

29th December 

Sunbird heard singing at lunch time and calling other times of day.. ring neck parakeets came by earlier.. great tit song morning, bulbul calls, on walk several gazelle grazing in east field by small olive grove, graceful warblers vocal and active in several places, stonechat calls near lookout corner, sparrowhawk over east valley, hyrax activity by valley road towards dusk, hoodies as usual, twittering heard north east edge of neighbourhood.. linnet flock somewhere.  Blackbird calls also heard towards dusk. 

31st December 

gazelle: two in Pistacios, one adult male, one apparent sub adult.  East field at least five individuals, females and well grown young.   Continued sunbird activity in cape honeysuckle including some song.  Stone curlews heard before dawn,  blackbird calls.  ring neck parakeet calls.  Usual others... laughing doves, jackdaws, hooded crows.