Gazelles: female with right horn only seen with two kids in small olive grove.. a week or two ago we'd seen her on hill slopes to north east near fence, also with two kids. She browsed from olive tree (fruits? young leaves?) standing on hind legs to do so
.. another female with a young one also under olives, the young one went to join the (assumed) twins. Yet another female and young noticed in field between olive grove and windsurfer hill and yet another with female and subadult noticed in shepherd's trail area making 5 young of this year.
Record number of 11 hoopoes counted by Akiva in ''hoopoe stretch'' .. north watercourse dirt road between shaft and where it joins central trail near look out corner. In the last week we can usually see several to half a dozen in that area dustbathing on road, poking for invertebrates by side of road or in bald patch of new wood where trees taken down a couple of years back, also in rock flats by southern turn of road .
Today (20th) interestingly we noted a pair of blackbirds which had been foraging on ground under pines south of road shortly before southward turn of road , each chasing away hoopoes which tried to alight and poke ground in that area.. Competition there.
Juvenile wheatears.. up to half a dozen individuals about shaft.today (thursday) . didn't see the male but have seen typical local race of black eared wheatear male not far from there, on sapling poles closer to watercourse.
some flight calls of collared doves still heard, one male displaying to female in cistern pine. usual coos. Turtle dove coos but not every day, they seem to prefer sunny conditions and stop sooner before dusk than the collareds.
Syrian woodpeckers active and vocal , seen perching on lines briefly a couple of times when much drama seemed to be happening in trees it was flying in and out of .. speaking of drama.. couple of days ago pair of hobbies repeatedly dive bombing a tall cypress on ridge between north watercourse and hidden watercourse. Pair took it in turns to climb and dive at tree..owl in there? couldn't see.
Jays active and vocal, great tits about, calls, juveniles well feathered now, occasional calls of ring neck parakeet.. not every day, but particularly by eucs by east watercourse, Whole covey of chukars 9,10 plus, noticed on rocks to left of central trail (as it emerges into open leading to watercourse crossing and look out corner area)
Bugs on capers seen middle of month. Stenozygum coloratum.
Lots of hyrax activity, vocalization, numbers of young seen, female nursing young on rock couple of days ago, at least three in that litter.
June 21st Bulbul first heard 5.05 am.
