Yet more storks

The orchard looks so lovely at this time of year!

The Gundelia is blooming again in many open areas on hill and valley, a ball like flower on a short stalk with a rosette of prickly leaves. I posted a whole pic of it last season but here I give a close up detail of the florets.

Paronychia argentea, called Silver nailroot, or Silvery Whitlow Wort.. quite a common ground plant by the wayside.

After the tip from Moshe and Aharon we decided to check out east field. We circled round, taking the east valley dirt road and from there walked up a shepherd's trail up onto the lower slopes of windsurfer hill. From there we could look down over the fields by the olive grove long before they'd be aware of us. Several white storks were indeed foraging down there and were soon joined by storks right ahead of us over the nearest ridge until there were 11 down there. We made our way down to the cistern area to see 5 circling overhead to the admiration of a group of neighbours who had come down for a walk. Other individuals were scattered over the fields and hillslopes to the north. Towards sunset more storks sailed over the ridge north of us and headed towards look-out corner. Three headed up north valley and perched on a eucalyptus but by the time we made it back to our street we could count 20 in east field just beyond the pistaccio grove with two more arriving. At that point, about quarter to 7, the storks started to move to the eucalyptus to roost and began to confuse our count but we finished at a definite 26 individuals including those in north valley, and perhaps more to arrive from the north.. they'd probably been foraging in the sage/olive grove to the north. We need to check out the vale again soon.

Other birds: Sunbird active in the garden, melodious and squeak alarm calls, laughing dove coos, house sparrows. Hooded crows and jackdaws foraging busily around bat cave area.. I wonder what they're finding? bee-eaters heard around sunset, male black-eared wheatear noticed on a rock up the hill, pair of cuckoos noisy and active between acacias by open north valley watercourse and cistern area, stone curlew after dark. Glimpses of sparrowhawks. Collared doves active and cooing.

Male gazelle following female up on the hill, she was looking a little skittish about his behaviour. A third gazelle on south facing slope farther up north valley.

Mystery solved? Pretty yellow flowers in bloom again on the north hillside (pic. back at #196). At the time I'd speculated they were Oxalis though not been happy about that since Oxalis flower colour much more intense and, as we've seen since, leaves totally wrong. These were simple, longer than wide compared to shamrock style Oxalis leaves. Husband noticed flower form was similar to those of the hairy pink flax growing nearby so later when home, looked up other members of the genus. Common flax, Linum nodiflorum (??) does indeed have yellow flowers but pic of these also seems too intense yellow and leaves seem considerably larger than those we found in the field, unless of course, it's yet another variation.

We also found plenty more Acanthus, white garlic/lily types, more dardarit, and cyclamen still blooming.

Weather: Just below 9 to just below 14 degrees C. Walk: we set off about 4 p.m. today, , temp nearly 13.5 degrees, humidity just over 75%, wind, W/NW 6-10 kt.

Sorry, time's up and the answer is revealed:) It is a close up of the back of this handsome scorpion, caught (with great care, it's loaded!) photographed and released last summer.

Here are the 'scores' so far.. Honeybee in the lead with 4.5; Elli 3 (for solving some of my botanical mysteries!) Garry 2.5, Lesley 1.5, Verronika 1 and Bobcat and Jordandog 0.5 each and my apologies if anyone does not feel I gave them enough credit.. rating the guesses is tricky and I may have missed a 0.5 here and there. Who was it who solved the pistaccio mystery? she should get another point.

And now for today's mystery! I have not posted it before but I HAVE mentioned it. It is a favourite prey of lesser kestrels and probably the white storks would enjoy it too! Moshe said it nipped him, but he's not sure which end! Found last year. It's about 2-3" long or more. Juicy!

Stalking storks

Best we could do without a telephoto and without spooking them, not to mention the rapidly declining light.. enough excuses, you can see them well enough.. three individuals, the third just down to the right.

Purple clover growing in gazelle field not far from the midfield watercourse. Going for slight Monet impressionist effect perhaps? Still pretty and you get the idea:)

Caterpillars have been much fewer lately, no doubt because most are now pupae and going through metamorphosis but I did find this hairy little chap, a variety I hadn't seen before.

Sadly the boys' caterpillars did not thrive,despite all their efforts, and did not successfully transform to chrysalises though some tried.

A thistle/sunflower like composite found near the north valley dirt road. This pic is actually from last year's stock but we did not use it then for some reason. Since it's blooming again now, why not? I.D. ideas?

Today our neighbours, the Goldwassers reported seeing 7 white storks in the valley early in the day. (7 for a secret never to be told? That's the magpie rhyme I know) . This afternoon I soon found one grazing with hooded crows again on the lower hill slopes north of gazelle field, then another not far off . One took flight and headed towards the watercourse on the east side of field and after a while the other flew over and joined it. Then looking back south towards look-out corner husband noticed large birds in the treetops! Storks were using the eucalyptus there, and seemed to be settling down to roost. We snuck up on them along the deeper middle field water channel, now filled with mustard, wild cereals and milk thistle as tall as myself- starting to feel like safari, but we didn't want to spook them as they were settling down. Husband was eyeballing all tree tops around, storks flying from tree to tree around the pistaccio grove- he reckoned ten individuals with confidence and perhaps more scattered in other trees about.

Other birds about.. greenfinch getting quite vocal and active, great tits heard, great spotted cuckoos very active and vocal about the north valley watercourse out in the open. Two together on a dead tree, then one flew down to boulders, raised its tail in strong signal then hopped and flew from boulder to boulder for a while, then flew to woods just west of bat cave. A third bird from cistern area.. possibly also a fourth involved. Is this the same territory dispute we saw in the orchard or is yet a third pair involved? I've no idea how great an area these birds 'claim' as territory.. they clearly don't need to centre it around one particular nest as they will try to 'work' as many hoodie nests as they can and so may have quite large territories.
Happily, European cuckoo still about, calling again close to dusk from somewhere along the east valley watercourse.

House sparrows, laughing doves, blackbirds about buildings and gardens as usual.

Some kind of Sylvia warblers working the almond trees, could not make out which, they concealed themselves very well and I never got a good look at a head, best indicator on these.
Another Buteo, almost all dark, headed up north side north valley

Gazelle: 1 buck noticed up on the skyline to the north. Forgot to mention yesterday three grazing lower slopes north west end of gazelle field, no adult buck.

Husband noticed beautiful butterfly visiting rosemary flowers on the snake path.. from his description sounded like a red admiral, Vanessa atalanta.

I've been trying those wild mustard leaves.. pleasantly nutritious with a wonderful peppery flavour. Found another purple clover with a taller conical top.. not happy with my pics of it, going to try again. Not same species as the other, looks like Trifolium purpureum this time. (Purple clover)

Weather: today's range 9-just over 18 degrees C. Time of walk (6 p.m. ) just over 15 degrees, just 40% humidity, winds W/NW 6-9 kt.

Mystery pic time! Perhaps our last few have been too easy? Honeybee (again!) I.D.d last mystery within an hour as the little crab we photographed last summer. I've no idea what species it is but 'that little crab in Tel Aviv' is good enough for me for a hit!

This literally obscure pic will have you wondering for a few days:) All I'll say is, pay attention to texture, light reflection etc.

STOP PRESS on the stork count: Today Moshe and Aharon found 13 storks (Moshe reckons) foraging in east field as well as a nice buck gazelle. Yesterday Goldwasser found 12 over in that direction, followed by another 6 bringing the total sure count to 18!

Purple clover, birds etcetera

These two pics show the recovery of part of the young pine grove at the east end of north valley. Pic above: last June 4th. First pic, today April 6th. Recovery was effectively complete well into the rainy season and this area was filled with asphodel blooms just a month ago. Almost doesn't look the same place, but if you look carefully you can see the matching trees and boulders.

This tiny purple clover is in bloom now near the north watercourse especially on the north facing hillslopes. It joins the ubiquitous large white (pinkish) clover, the small bright yellow clovers (Trifolium campestre, hop clover perhaps ) and the star clover in our seasonal clover display. Not sure of the I.D. of the purple clover- T. clusii or T. resupinatum?

No more storks but one rather impressive large brown bird of prey, first seen on a boulder on lower slopes just to north of gazelle field, later circling over the area, likely on a thermal. From its underwing pattern I'd say darker morph of long legged buzzard, B. rufinus. Roughly the same time a falcon using the same thermal but too far up to see what.

Bee-eaters heard again but we didn't see the flock to get a count, chukar partridges heard, hooded crows active, jackdaws heard. Greenfinches calling, collared doves out perching on the lines, graceful warblers calling nearer valley road.

Much great spotted cuckoo activity in the pistacco orchard.. two pairs vying for territory? At least three birds involved possibly a fourth, flying to and fro and calling.

Garden: sunbird calls, white spectacled bulbul in the Bauhinia early, blackbirds, house sparrows, something else singing not far off at dusk quite beautiful, sounded like something between a greenfinch and a skylark but couldn't place it. Laughing doves active, cooing in the garden and foraging at crumb corner as usual.

weather: 10-24 degrees C, ~14 degrees C at time of our walk. Humidity up to 85%. winds had shifted back to westerlies late morning, raising humidity and wind speed and lowering temperatues. Due to last night's easterlies, temps didn't fall much below 20 degrees all night.

Mystery pic yesterday was of an egg of a chukar partridge Any readers of last year (#214, 6 May) may remember my boys found a clutch of partridge eggs baked in the forest fires. The partridge are somewhat vulnerable since they nest on the ground but given the chucks and chuckles I've been hearing this spring, there are still plenty around! Honeybee came closest, realizing it was indeed an egg.

How about this?

#410 gladdening spring items

This lovely small wild Gladeolus was my favourite find today. It was growing in a eucalyptus grove part way up north valley not far from the watercourse. I'm really not sure if it's the same species we found growing over in the Jerusalem sage vale to the north last spring. This one does seem a deeper shade of purple to me and the other more pink- I just compared the pics, but as we saw with the iris there can be a lot of variation. Is this one G. atroviolaceus and the other G. italicus? I'll leave that one to readers to ponder. I took another pic lying on my side looking right up into the flower which I'll probably post on my online album. (I'll give the site for that when I have a bunch more pics uploaded)

Here's an Orchis orchid I found in the same general area as the last. The lower part of the flower is similar to O. tridentata but not so much the upper part.. other than that I don't see anything close but I'm sure it's not far distantly related. It's certainly not the more pink orchid we found earlier up on the hillslopes. That I had I.D.d as pink butterfly orchid but I'm not entirely satisfied with that I.D. either since the lower lobe is narrower. Still, I did not find a closer match.

On the subject of orchids, I figured now is a good time to toss in a pic I took of yet another Ophrys variation I found in the north valley about a week ago, before it goes out of season! You can see even on the same plant the markings vary, look at upper left and middle lower flowers. Another O. carmeli I believe.

For those interested in the ongoing Persian buttercup(nurit)/anemone(calanit) saga, I added a pic of the base leaves of the anemone after those of the nurit for comparison, a couple of posts back.

While I was taking pics of the purple Orchis a lovely and welcome call came to my ears from the east. Bee-eaters! Merops apiaster Back for the summer from Africa, first I've heard this season. Presently they came into view, a loose flock of about 20 individuals making their way up the valley to the north west and calling as they went. In Hebrew they are called 'shrakrak' which really does not do their warbling flight call much justice!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Bee-eater.
One of the few birds that actually sound almost as beautiful as they look. Checking back- last year we first noticed them on 29th March. We're also listening out for turtle doves now, though last year they didn't get here till the 16th so there's time yet.

Two more Buteo noticed sitting on boulders on the north hillslopes, sadly no gazelle today but not complaining with all the other great stuff. Common swifts aloft and calling, great tits calling, collared doves cooing, Eurasian jays, hooded crows and jackdaws all active, graceful warbler heard. Up by the buildings several pairs of laughing doves at crumb corner and one cooing in the garden at all kinds of odd hours of day and night.. my light might set him off, and probably tired him out, I don't think he wants to pull another allnighter so fast! Sunbird active in the Bauhinia well before dawn and white spectacled bulbuls active in gardens and acacias in north valley. Blackbirds singing. Stone curlew calling after dark.

Weather: range: 13-24 degrees C. At ~ 6 p.m. time of walk 21 degrees C, 45% humidity, wind ESE and very light to almost still, very convenient when you want to take pics of tall flowers!

And now for the mystery pic! It's a cone shell which my husband found in Eilat by the Red Sea a few years back. At that time he had not yet received the warning not to touch absolutely anything and assumed the shell was washed up on the beach, so he popped it into his swimming trunks and went scuba diving. He did not realize that many kinds of cones have a venomous sting and it was possibly alive at the time he picked it up! He was fortunate and did not get stung but the shell itself is sitting right here close to the p.c. with other parephernalia.


And now for today's. My boys looked at it and both said almost instantly 'it's an Israeli floor tile!'
It's not, but I had to laugh because it does look like one!

#409 Two for joy

A meadow amongst cypresses about half way up north valley close by the watercourse. This is roughly the area where we found several dead tortoises some weeks ago.

Two white storks today! Flock of hooded crows and jackdaws also foraging in north gazelle field, lower hill slopes. The storks seemed to be together. They were first foraging metres apart but when one flew a little distance the other flew to join it and they continued foraging farther up the hill quite close together and surrounded by the crows, which did not give them any trouble at all. The crows did however, harry a large brown bird of prey Buteo (?)passing through. The latter headed up north valley and landed in a tree on the north side somewhere.

Eurasian jays also active, one chasing a hooded crow in the young pine grove today, possibly because that crow was after a taste of jay egg. Graceful warblers heard as well as greenfinch chaws and some great tit calls. Collared doves about though quiet.

Bauhinia quite active now, blackbird singing on and off all day, much sunbird activity in there, white spectacled bulbul visits, house sparrows and laughing dove not far off cooing most of the day from before dawn to dark.

Gundelia starting to bud yellow star flowers on their pineapple like heads by path to north valley and we had some fun playing 'how far away can you tell if it's a calanit(red anemone) or a nurit' (Persian buttercup)- it has become quite easy! We also noticed the nurit buds have a definite orange tinge to them.

Gecko heard outside my window this evening, first I've heard this season as far as I remember. distinct Tack .... tack .... tack call.

Weather: range today- 12-19 degrees C, time of walk, ~ 6 p.m. ~16.5 degrees, humidity 63% and rising rapidly, winds W/WSW ~ 8kt

Bright collage of mustard flowers, pheasant's eye, cloverand other vegetation near the north valley watercourse

I'm sure you've seen this. It's called colloquially 'cuckoo spit' though it has nothing to do with either kind of local cuckoo! It's actually the protective 'home' of the nymph of a kind of bug called a froghopper,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Froghopper

Last thursday's pic was solved by Lesley from the U.K. It was the stinging tentacles of a jellyfish.. namely, in case you're interested, Rhopilema a kind that has made its way up the Suez canal from the Red Sea and become quite a menace on east Med coasts probably because they don't have their usual predators. Both our young boys were stung in the water last summer but we had taken a bottle of vinegar in anticipation of this problem and it helped relieve the pain.

Your mystery pic for today:

Before, after, surprise visitor

This photo by friend Ruthie Schueler. I was thrilled and delighted to see a single White stork Ciconia ciconia foraging in the far north west end of gazelle field. We looked around for other flock members (perhaps others were over the hill in the Jerusalem sage vale) but we didn't see any. They will be passing through on migration now, on their way to their breeding grounds in Europe and Asia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Stork

I have watched migrating flocks fly over Jerusalem many times but this is the first time I've seen a touch-down in the Jerusalem area.. and on our patch! Lovely! As we approached, looking for other flock members as we went, the bird took off and flew over the trees, spreading magnificent snow white and black wings - good to know not injured. It would prey on grasshoppers, small amphibians and reptiles it could find in the area.

I spotted another Buteo perched on a boulder a little farther to the north. Not long after the stork took off it too headed up for the trees.

White spectacled bulbul and sunbird were active in our Bauhinia tree this morning, no doubt the blossoming is bringing more insect life to the tree. Swifts, collared doves, hooded crows, jackdaws, laughing doves and greenfinches also active today. Bat seen near look out corner shortly after sunset.

Below.. the recovery of gazelle field, below.. as it was on 13 July last summer.. today, 2nd April...

The tree in yellow bloom in front of the pines is an wattle acacia, as is the far tree a little way to the right of the pines. The larger tree on the right is an almond, now in full leaf and immediately to the right of that a hawthorn, then another almond farther back. We noticed one hawthorn rooted quite low down in one of channels was in full leaf but the one on the east side was too damaged by the fire to bud on its main body. It was far from dead however as many twigs bearing leaves were already sprouting up from ground level. The larger pomegranate tree was also budding nicely, not sure about the smaller one yet.

Below, a nice patch of Nurit, Turban/Persian buttercup, and below that, detail of their leaves.

compare with the leaves below which are calanit (Anemone coronaria ) base leaves.

the most obvious way to tell them apart though are the triangular orange/red sepals under the petals of the nurit but completely absent on the calanit.

Yesterday's solution: The dark body at the bottom of the pic is the Dead Sea, into which the Jordan river flows. The dark town to the left of the river is Jericho, or called Yericho in Hebrew, an ancient town and still inhabited. It's a significant oasis town down there as a number of freshwater springs arrive there from the mountains including Wadi Qelt, which flows down from Jerusalem. Yericho itself comes from a Hebrew word meaning 'fragrance' , probably because flowers could grow there in an otherwise desert environment.

Mystery pic of the day:

Gazelle fields, more reds

Here's another scenic view for you, this time of the north valley watercourse looking west. The course itself only flows during and right after heavy rain

A common salmon coloured vetch in bloom in many places now. I particularly liked the violet centre. Looks like Lathyrus blepharicarpus , Ciliate vetchling

Gardens and street today: blackbirds, house sparrows, laughing dove, feral pigeons. Our Bauhinia tree is starting to bloom so I'm sure the sunbird will frequent it more and more now for nectar.

Nice views today of Great spotted cuckoos flying across gazelle field and landing in the eucalyptuses, two of them, some interaction.. a pair? Both very vocal.

Happy to hear greenfinches chawwing and twittering away near look out corner and elsewhere, graceful warblers, jackdaw caws and I forgot to mention we saw a falcon over the hill to the north yesterday but couldn't make out much detail in silhouette. I suspect though, it was a common kestrel from its flight and general jizz.

Just when you think you've got things botanically sorted out, (and I'm sure I never will), nature throws in a little more variety! I had found a few more poppies blooming right by the bunker rubble but was starting to 'dismiss' all the other reds as anemones when I looked again and realized that there were several clumps of yet a third large red flower that did not seem 'right'. There were several differences: 5 petals rather than 6, the shiny red sepals, definite clumps of a dozen or so rather than a few at a time, lobed but not filamentous basal leaves and each with a slightly less lush, flamboyant 'jizz' , the latter not scientific I know, but nonetheless real. I had the suspicion I knew what they were but needed to check my sources at home to be sure.

Persian or Turban buttercup, Ranunculus asiaticus, called Nurit in Hebrew. (Anemone is calanit, poppy is pereg)
Crickets chirping up a storm from the banks this evening, little owl calls somewhere in the direction of the bat cave but stone curlews quiet tonight.

Weather: Almost 6 p.m. ST temp just over 19 degrees C, humidity just 26%, winds easterly and very light. As you notice, when winds switch to the east the humidity plummets and the temps go up, quite welcome after the last few cool damp days! Peaked at 21 degrees C today. Last night's minimum was 10 degrees. It's nearly 10 p.m. and still above 18 so we shall see.

Lesley was yesterday's winner, (wolf spider from last 29th July) pinning the pic as a spider - so for all you spider fans I've included this jumping spider pic above, which I found about half an hour ago while spring cleaning, in the same room as that wolf spider as it happens but this one was tiny! They do indeed have different faces, arrangement of eyes can vary a lot. One way to ID brown recluse spiders is that they have three pairs of eyes arranged in a big triangle across the thorax. We have those here! Today's mystery pic is below- what do you make of this?