This above - by valley road I
noticed the short leguminous shrub growing together with Polygonum
(horsetail knotweed) and thought the combination
pretty so took some shots- noticed later on the zoom the red and black plant bug, probably Pyrrhocoris apterus, also known as the firebug. (or Scantius aegyptius or related )
Avremi
captured this pic of an opened seedpod - magnified, the actual seedpod
was barely half a centimetre across. All this kind had three chambers
like this and each held at least two seeds.
(As I write I
can hear Bauhinia pods bursting out their seeds every few minutes, a
disconcerting effect if you don't know what it is! )
These
were between valley road and the north valley turn off, we headed off
the path under the pines near where we found that carob tree and Moshe
always has fun jumping down the limestone shelves and boulders.
Below: Hyrax,
eyes lit by the flash. They must have good night vision to have light
gathering retinas like this and we have seen them occasionally
scampering about well after dark especially in the neighbourhood
gardens along the snake path.
The
boys found a very busy ant nest, ants of two distinct sizes collecting
and milling around industriously. The large ones were quite aggressive
and swarmed onto us if we let them, the boys received a few nips. We
need a better pic to show their mandibles.
Gazelle: We noticed an adult male today in gazelle field not far from the north
valley watercourse, peacefully grazing.
Boys
noticed a gazelle up on the hill to the north but couldn't make out definite horns.
Hyrax: A few hyrax noticed at the Shadiker colony.
Boys noticed
the fox family
this morning on their return from their campsite, must have been around
7 a.m. Mom vixen and three cubs making their way quickly up the hidden
watercourse and then up its northern banks.
The younger boys
also came with us for the walk this afternoon. Avremi likes to use the
camera and Moshe wanted to check out the cistern for toads or whatever.
Turned out to be a good decision!
Bee-eaters
Lots of activity over gazelle field, eucalyptus grove and the lower
part of east field beyond. Scores, hard to estimate numbers because of
the way they moved about and that we did not have all of them in view
at any one time but something over 60.
Turtle doves: Some coos heard.
Blackbirds: no song but a
pair whistling thin alarm call by central trail on the way back.
Chukar partridges: some calls
heard as we arrived at the north watercourse dirt road.
Collared doves: coos, flight calls,
general activity.
Eurasian Jays:
Activity, calls as usual, and a RESCUE! The boys found one that had
somehow become waterlogged in the cistern. They rescued it and before
they could even ask 'can we keep it" I told them to take it home as at
least a temporary pet. Jays are omnivorous and therefore quite easy to
feed on table scraps and was already taking pieces of bread by the time
Akiva and I arrived home. Soon it was sitting quite calmly on Moshe's
hand without restraint. We used an old cage we have for its quarters
when not being handled, more to protect it from the dog and other
accidents around the home. We must get pics of him when he looks less
bedraggled! Aharon was impressed at the beautiful blue barring on his
wings.
Greenfinches: Twitters and chaws in the pines as usual.
Hooded crows: A few flying about.
House sparrows:
Around the houses as usual and a small flock today at the bunker ruins foraging on grass and
apparently also thistle seed.
Laughing doves: around buildings and cooing as
usual.
Stone curlews: Calls from fields from about sunset onwards
Sunbirds:
melodious short calls in the garden since about 5 a.m.
Syrian woodpeckers: A few in the eucalyptus
groves, calling and banging beaks into the eucalyptus trunks.
White spectacled Bulbuls: calling in
the garden from about 5 a.m.
Mr. Goldwasser reported a large bird in the valley, from his
description most likely a long legged buzzard.
Weather: today's range, 16- almost 30 degrees
C, ( 60.8 F - 86 F)
Time of walk, starting about 6.30 p.m. ~27 degrees C. (80.6 degrees
F)
humidity ~40%, winds NW/NNW, 7-8 kt.
Here's
one for fans of purple flowers and of bugs. One of the globe thistle
beetles, though pic still not quite as sharp as I'd like, does show
quite different head form and antennae from the red beetles that are
even more numerous on the thistles. I also look out for anything else
such as bees and that flower weevil that showed up once, and the crab
spider that had caught a wasp which was neat. Always worth looking,
never know what will show up next.
Bean like seed pods of an acacia near the east valley water course. 
For
fans of Prince the jay, another mug shot of him showing a different
angle on his 'moustache' . He's eating and drinking but still very
quiet, probably not a bad thing given how loud they can screech.
