2-3-2015 GATA DE GORGOS - IBERIAN SCARCE SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY (Iphiclides feisthamelii)

Iphiclides feisthamelii, the southern scarce swallowtail, southern swallowtail or Iberian scarce swallowtail, is a butterfly found in Italy, Slovenia, southern France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of I. podalirius.

The larva feeds on Prunus amygdalus (almond), P. persica (peach), P. insititia (a kind of plum), P. longipes, Pyrus communis (common pear), Malus domesticus (apple) and Crataegus oxyacantha.

The Southern Scarce Swallowtail is a large butterfly that can look either white or pale yellow with prominent vertical black stripes and long tail streamers, from where it gained the common name. When feeding on a flower the blue crescents and red markings on the hindwings are visible. The under wing pattern is a little paler.

Once classed as Iphiclides podalirius podalirius (Central and Southern Europe), The Southern Scarce swallowtail – Iphiclides podalirius feisthamelii (North Africa, Iberia and southwest France) is now recognised as a subspecies due to their geographic location and differences in size and coloration.

The caterpillars can be up to 4.5cm long. They are green with fine yellow lines and orange spots. The shape is deeper in the first third and tapers off sharply. They have a glandular defense system against predation. On their necks is hidden a fork of brightly coloured retractable flesh, when raised this emits a foul smell to deter predators.

25-2-2015 PEGO MARJAL, ALICANTE - MUSKOVY DUCK (Cairina moschata)

The Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) is a large duck native to the Americas. Although it is a tropical bird, it adapts well to cooler climates, thriving in weather as cold as −12 °C (10 °F) and able to survive even colder conditions.

Muscovy ducks are large birds. They are predominantly black and white, with the back feathers being iridescent and glossy in males, while the females are more drab. The amount of white on the neck and head is variable, as well as the bill, which can be yellow, pink, black, or any mixture of these. They may have white patches or bars on the wings, which become more noticeable during flight. Both, the males and the females of this species have pink or red wattles around the bill, those of the male being larger and more brightly colored.

Muscovy ducks are found in Mexico and Central and South America. Small wild and feral breeding populations occur in the United States, particularly in Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas as well as in many other parts of North America, including southern Canada. Feral Muscovy ducks are also found in New Zealand, Australia, and parts of Europe. These birds usually inhabit wet forests, forested swamps, wetlands, lakes, rivers, streams, and nearby grassland and farm crops.

Muscovy ducks are agile and speedy birds. They are non-migratory and are active during the day; at night birds often roost in trees. Days are spent feeding by grazing on the ground or dabbling in shallow water. Muscovy ducks are social birds; they are often seen in pairs or small groups. They are aggressive ducks; males often fight over food, territory, or mates. The females fight with each other less often. Some adults will even peck at the ducklings if they are eating at the same food source. In order to communicate with each other, Muscovy ducks wag their tails, raise and lower their heads and use various vocalizations including hisses and quacks. Males have a low breathy call, and females produce a quiet trilling coo.

21-2-2015 RIVER JUCAR, VALENCIA - EURASIAN GREAT CORMORANT (Phalacrocorax carbo)

Great Cormorant is a beautiful bird, widespread throughout the world. Its fishing ability may be as turned to man’s advantage in the Far East, or considered as fish competitor in several other countries and persecuted.

On the head, the chin is black, but cheeks and throat are covered with bare white skin. Head is black with more or less white feathers on the loosely crested nape which is formed by elongated feathers. According to each bird, we can see white short feathers extending broadly on the rear neck and ending in narrower collar on the foreneck.

The thin, straight bill is horn-coloured, with yellow to orange-red gape and hooked tip. The eyes are emerald. The short legs and the webbed feet are black.

Outside breeding season, Great Cormorant looses most of its white feathers and has duller plumage.

Both sexes are similar. Male is slightly larger than female, with larger bill.

Juvenile has brownish neck and white belly, and sometimes mottled pale brown breast, neck and flanks.

Second year resembles adult, but browner.

Young reaches its sexual maturity at 3-5 years.

27-11-2014 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - SARDINIAN WARBLER (MALE) (Sylvia melanocephala)

16-3-2015 PEGO MARJAL, ALICANTE - MUTE SWAN (Cygnus olor)

A rare sighting of a wild Mute Swan quite far south in Europe near Pego in Valencia.

2-4-2014 ALBUFERA, VALENCIA - GREY HERON (Ardea cinerea)

2-2-2015 VILLALONGA SERPIS, VALENCIA - MUSKOVY DUCK (Cairina moschata)

Found at scattered locations across England, and less often in Wales and Scotland, Muscovy Ducks are usually found close to human habitation, prompting they are semi-domesticated or feral.

Very small numbers have been found in Ireland and on the Isle of Man. Records usually relate to single birds or a handful of individuals, but larger groups (in excess of 20 birds) have been reported.

16-1-2015 CARTAGENA, MURCIA - GREEN PEAFOWL (Pavo muticus)

The Green peafowl (Pavo muticus) is a peafowl species native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. Due to their natural beauty, these birds are still sometimes targeted by the pet trade, feather collectors, and even by hunters for meat. They are a much-desired bird for private and home aviculturists, despite their rather high-maintenance care requirements.

The sexes of Green peafowl are quite similar in appearance, especially in the wild. Both males and females have long upper-tail coverts (which cover the tail itself, underneath). In the male, this extends up to 2 m (6.6 ft) and is decorated with eyespots; in the female, the coverts are green and much shorter, just covering the tail. Outside of the breeding season, however, the male's train is moulted; distinguishing the sexes during this period can be difficult unless they are observed quite up close. The neck and breast feathers (of both sexes) are highly iridescent green and resemble dragon scales. In the male, the scapular, median, and greater wing coverts are blue; the lesser coverts are green and form a triangle of scaly shoulder feathers (when the wing is closed). The secondaries are black and, in some subspecies, the tertials are brown and/or barred with a faint pattern. The female has blue lesser coverts and lacks the triangle at the wing-shoulder. Females also have neck scales fringed with copper, as well as more barring on the back, the primaries and alula. Both sexes have shafted crests, are long-legged, heavy-winged, and long-tailed in silhouette. The crest of the female has slightly wider plumes, while those of the male are thinner but taller. The facial skin is double-striped with a whitish-blue; beside the ear is a yellow-orange crescent. The dark triangle below the eye (towards the eyebrow) is bluish-green in the male, and brown in the female. Seen from a distance, they are generally dark-coloured birds with pale vermillion- or buff-coloured primaries, which are quite visible in their peculiar flight; this action has been described as a true "flapping" flight, lacking the gliding that one associates with many birds.

Green peafowl were widely distributed in Southeast Asia in the past but are now only patchily distributed in China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Thailand, and Viet Nam. These birds are found in a wide range of habitats, including primary and secondary forests, both tropical and subtropical, as well as evergreen and deciduous. They may also be found amongst bamboo, on grasslands, savannas, scrub, and farmland edges. In Vietnam, their preferred habitat is dry, deciduous forest close to the water, and away from human disturbance.

Green peafowl are forest birds that usually spend time on or near the ground in tall grasses and sedges. At night family units roost in trees at a height of 10-15 m (33-49 ft). During the day they can be found in small groups spending their time foraging on the ground, drinking, preening, and resting in the shade. They look for their food by scratching around in leaf litter either early in the morning or at dusk. Green peafowl are generally silent. The males usually call from their roost sites every morning and at dawn and dusk and have a loud call of 'ki-wao'. The females' call is a loud 'aow-aa' ” repeated at short intervals; males, however, may also make a similar call.

Green peafowl are believed to be polygynous; this means that one male can mate with more than one female. However, males are solitary and do not display in leks; they are highly territorial and form harems with no pair bonds. In captivity, these birds have been observed to be strongly monogamous (one male to one female). Breeding occurs between April and June and during this time males perform courtship displays to attract the female. When the pair is formed, the birds will nest on the ground in a very protected site laying 3 to 6 eggs. Incubation usually lasts during 26-28 days by the female alone. Chicks are precocial; they are hatched with their eyes open and are able to leave the nest very soon after hatching. The young can fly 2 weeks after hatching but usually remain in the family group until the next breeding season.

Green peafowl are threatened due to loss of habitat and hunting for their beautiful feathers as well as for food. Although there is no natural range overlap with the Indian peafowl, hybridization is still another threat where the Indian peafowl is introduced as they produce fertile hybrids. In captivity, hybrids are called "Spalding" peafowl and are used by breeders to create different breeds. Through backcrossing, some hybrids become almost indistinguishable from pure Green peafowl. As the species as a whole is sometimes called "Java peafowl" in aviculture, the subspecies of Green peafowl are also mixed in captivity and there are many captive birds of unknown provenance. In some areas of their native range, captive Green peafowl have sometimes been released in the vicinity of a breeding station even though their true origins remain unknown. Wild Green peafowl also suffer from poisoning in some areas as they are regarded as a crop pest by farmers.

Population numberAccording to the IUCN Red List, the total Green peafowl population size is around 15,000-30,000 individuals. This includes 10,000-19,999 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.

16-1-2015 CARTAGENA, MURCIA - MUSKOVY DUCK (Cairina moschata)

16-1-2015 CARTAJENA, MURCIA - MONK PARAKEET (Myiopsitta monachus)

14-1-2015 VILLALONGA BRIDGE, VALENCIA - EURASIAN GREAT CORMORANT (Phalacrocorax carbo)

12-1-2015 BARX, VALENCIA - DARTFORD WARBLER (Sylvia undata)

The Dartford warbler (Curruca undata) is a typical warbler from the warmer parts of western Europe and northwestern Africa. It is a small warbler with a long thin tail and a thin pointed bill. The adult male has grey-brown upperparts and is dull reddish-brown below except for the centre of the belly which has a dirty white patch. It has light speckles on the throat and a red eye-ring. The sexes are similar but the adult female is usually less grey above and paler below.

Its breeding range lies west of a line from southern England to the heel of Italy (southern Apulia). The Dartford warbler is usually resident all year in its breeding range, but there is some limited migration.

The species is naturally rare. The largest European populations of Curruca undata are in the Iberian peninsula, others in much of France, in Italy and southern England and south Wales. In Africa it can be found only in small areas in the north, wintering in northern Morocco and northern Algeria.

It inhabits open fields with degraded scrub brush and is common in heather. In winter it may visit urban areas, but always feeds within shrubs in these areas. It nests in bushes with thorns and near the ground. These warblers are mostly insectivorous, eating caterpillars, butterflies, beetles and spiders.

The song of the Dartford warbler is a distinctive rattling warble.

2-1-2015 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - EURASIAN BLACKCAP (FEMALE) (Sylvia atricapilla)

4-1-2015 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - MEDITERRANEAN SPOTTED CHAFER (Oxythyrea funesta)

Common name “White spotted rose beetle”.

This beetle is present in most of Europe, in the eastern Palearctic realm, and in the Near East.

Larvae are up to 30 mm long, they feed on plant roots and can remain until next spring in the soil.

The adults appear early in the spring, they grow up to 8–12 millimetres (0.31–0.47 in) and can mostly be encountered from May through July. They are considered an insect pest that do not just feed on pollen, but rode the floral organs, especially damaging light in color buds and flowers.

Their colour is black, more or less bronzed. Most of the specimens show six white spots in two longitudinal rows on the pronotum and many others on the elytra. They are completely covered with white pubescence (easily visible in profile). Older specimens usually have no hairs, as they are rubbed off with time.

31-12-2014 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - HOUSE SPARROW (MALE) (Passer domesticus)

29-12-2014 RIVER JUCAR, VALENCIA - GREAT CRESTED GREBE (Podiceps cristatus)

                                    https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/4208-Podiceps-cristatus

29-12-2014 RIVER JUCAR, VALENCIA - BLACK REDSTART (MALE) (Phoenicurus ochruros)

25-12-2014 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - HOUSE SPARROW (MALE) (Passer domesticus)

4-12-2014 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - HOUSE SPARROW (FEMALE) (Passer domesticus)

13-5-2015 EBRO DELTA, TARRAGONA - HOUSE SPARROW (MALE) (Passer domesticus)

Cheeping flocks of House Sparrow once tumbled from untidy nests and wallowed in urban dust baths. Now the species is in decline and has been on the UK Red List since 2002.

Colonial nesters, the male House Sparrow is resplendent with grey head and black bib, while the female and young are more uniformly brown. Very much associated with the dwellings of man whether urban or rural, House Sparrows enjoy a mixed diet, and in the summer will readily forage for insects in hedgerows and meadows providing they do not have to fly too far from their nests.

House Sparrows are found year round throughout Britain & Ireland, except for on the highest peaks. The species has declined in the UK since the mid-1970s, with losses most notable in the south and east.