5-8-2019 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - FURROW SPIDER (Genus Larinioides)

Larinioides is a genus of orb-weaver spiders commonly known as flying spiders and first described by Lodovico di Caporiacco in 1934. They mostly occur in temperate climates around the northern hemisphere. The name is derived from the related araneid spider genus Larinia, with the meaning "like Larinia".

As of April 2019 it contains seven species:

Larinioides chabarovi (Bakhvalov, 1981) – Russia (Central Siberia to Far East)

Larinioides cornutus (Clerck, 1757) – North America, Europe, Turkey, Israel, Caucasus, Russia (Europe to Far East), Iran, China, Korea, Japan

Larinioides ixobolus (Thorell, 1873) – Western Europe to Central Asia

Larinioides jalimovi (Bakhvalov, 1981) – Russia (Far East), Korea

Larinioides patagiatus (Clerck, 1757) – North America, Europe, Turkey, Caucasus, Russia (Europe to Far East), Central Asia, China, Mongolia, Japan

Larinioides sclopetarius (Clerck, 1757) – Europe, Caucasus, Russia (Europe to Central Asia), China, Korea. Introduced to North America

Larinioides suspicax (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876) – Europe, North Africa to Central Asia

5-6-2019 KHWAI CAMP, BOTSWANA - BENNETT'S WOODPECKER (Campethera bennettii)

31-5-2019 THORNTREE CAMP, ZAMBIA - WHITE FRONTED BEE-EATER (Merops bullockoides)

The White-fronted Bee-eater, known scientifically as Merops bullockoides, is a vibrant and slender bird adorned with a striking black mask and a white forehead. Its square tail and bright red throat patch are distinctive features. Measuring at 23 cm in length, the bird's upperparts are a lush green, while its underparts boast a warm cinnamon hue. Its call is a resonant, deep squeak that carries through the air.

A bright and colorful bee-eater; the red throat and white line under the black face mask render it unmistakable. Pairs and groups inhabit woodland adjacent to watercourses, hillsides, and scrub, especially near earthen banks, where nesting colonies are formed by up to 450 individuals burrowing into the dirt. They have one of the most complex of all avian societies, featuring families, clans, and pirates! A nasal rolling “ngyaaau” is the main vocalization.

To identify the White-fronted Bee-eater, look for its unique combination of colors: a black mask, white forehead, green upperparts, and cinnamon underparts. The square tail and bright red throat patch are also key identifiers. Listen for its deep squeaking call as a helpful auditory clue.

This species thrives in the open savannahs of sub-equatorial Africa, often found near gullies where their insect prey, particularly bees, are abundant.

The White-fronted Bee-eater is widely distributed across the savannah regions of sub-equatorial Africa, where it is a common sight in its preferred habitat.

The White-fronted Bee-eater exhibits a complex social structure, nesting in colonies that can average around 200 individuals. These colonies are not just for breeding but also serve as a communal space for roosting and socializing. The birds demonstrate cooperative breeding, with non-breeding individuals acting as helpers to their kin, significantly increasing the success rate of raising young.

The diet of the White-fronted Bee-eater primarily consists of bees, but it also includes other flying insects, depending on seasonal availability. They employ two hunting strategies: making swift hawking flights from lower branches or gliding down from perches to hover momentarily before snatching their prey mid-flight.

The White-fronted Bee-eater is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating that it is not at immediate risk of population decline or habitat loss at a global scale.

31-5-2019 THORNTREE CAMP, ZAMBIA - TAWNY FLANKED PRINIA (Prinia subflava)

4-8-2019 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - CROSS ORBWEAVER SPIDER (Araneus diadematus)

The spider species Araneus diadematus is commonly called the European garden spider, cross orbweaver, diadem spider, orangie, cross spider, and crowned orb weaver. It is sometimes called the pumpkin spider, although this name is also used for a different species, Araneus marmoreus. It is an orb-weaver spider found in Europe, where it is native, and North America, where it was introduced.

A. diadematus has a holarctic distribution throughout Europe and across North America, from southern Canada to Mexico, and from British Columbia to Newfoundland.

Individual spiders' colourings can range from extremely light yellow to very dark grey, but all A. diadematus spiders have mottled white markings across the dorsal abdomen, with four or more segments forming a cross. The markings are formed in cells filled with guanine, which is a byproduct of protein metabolism.

Adult females range in length from 6.5 to 20 mm (0.26 to 0.79 in), while males range from 5.5 to 13 mm (0.22 to 0.51 in). Occasionally, the female will eat the male directly after mating. 

31-5-2019 THORNTREE CAMP, ZAMBIA - BROWN HOODED KINGFISHER (Halcyon albiventris)

31-5-2019 THORNTREE CAMP, ZAMBIA - BLACK COLLARED BARBET ( Lybius corquatus)

The black-collared barbet (Lybius torquatus) is a species of bird in the family Lybiidae which is native to sub-Saharan Africa. Indigenous names include Rooikophoutkapper in Afrikaans, isiKhulukhulu and isiQonQotho in Zulu, and Isinagogo in Xhosa.

It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa through Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The black-collared barbet usually is about 20–25 cm long, plump-looking and has a large head. It also has the heavy bill fringed with bristles that is characteristic of the genus Lybius. This barbet has a very obvious black collar and head which gives reference to its name. It also has a fire-engine red coloring around the eyes and beak. It has morphologically variable coloring because there is a replacement of a red head with a black head. It also has a more intense color and is larger than other barbets. This bird is also sexually monomorphic, which means that there is generally no phenotypic difference between the males and females of this species. The morphology, size and behavior are basically the same.

The black-collared barbet is one of the many duetting species in the genus Lybius and it regularly uses duetting in its day-to-day life. There are no solitary song instances heard from this species. Also, the repertoire of the duets do not vary greatly. This species is readily recognized by its loud duet, commonly rendered as "too-puddly too-puddly too-puddly" or "too-doodle too-doodle".... accompanied by wing-flicking. In addition to the wing-flicking, the birds in the pair face each other while calling and lean forward while bowing ceremoniously to each other. This bird produces a variety of calls including its snarling warning call and loud buzzing. The snarling could be the initiating sound of the duet.

The "too-puddly" song is actually an antiphonal duet. That means that one bird out of the pair sings the first note, then the other bird in the pair sings the second note. To bystanders, this does not sound like it comes from two different birds. It has distinct sexual duet roles after a greeting ceremony and the partner's notes do differ. The birds do not sing simultaneously, but are synchronized in their duets. The time between when one bird stops singing to when the other bird in the pair picks the song up is called the auditory response time for the duet. The approximate auditory response time for this bird is 178 ms.

This species also incorporates more wing and flight displays into their greeting ceremonies, mating, and territorial displays. It is a gregarious species, often acting in concert when driving off intruders and roosting together (up to 15 recorded) in nest holes. Their flight is direct with a loud whirring of wings.

31-5-2019 THORNTREE CAMP, ZAMBIA - ARROW MARKED BABBLER (Turdoides jardineii ssp. tamalakanei)

The arrow-marked babbler is a medium-sized babbler, 22 to 25 cm (8.7–9.8 in) in length and weighing 56 to 85 g (2.0–3.0 oz). The common name for the species is derived from its plumage, which is brownish-grey above and lighter below, with white tips to the feathers on the throat, neck and head. The outer iris is bright red and the inner bright yellow or orange. Males and females are identical in appearance. Juveniles have brown eyes and less arrow-shaped streaking on the breast.

The arrow-marked babbler lives in social groups of between 3 and 15 birds (six being the average) that defend large territories, with the size of the territory being dependent upon the number of individuals in the group. They feed on insects, spiders and sometimes snails and lizards, as well as fruits. Foraging occurs near the ground, sometimes in association with other babblers or bulbuls.

This angry-looking bird lives, breeds and travels in groups of between 4 and 12 or so: very noisy, very active, aggressively flicking aside leaves etc. to find insects and sometimes small reptiles. It also eats seeds and small fruit.  They are hard to miss and common in Harare suburbs, very frequent visitors in the early mornings and evenings. 

They are monogamous, meaning that they mate in single pairs, but co-operative, meaning that the group works together to raise the chicks.  As they move together as a group, they are constantly calling to each other, presumably to keep the group together.  Their alarm call is very characteristic: starting with an individual bird, it swells and grows louder and louder to a deafening crescendo.

31-5-2019 THORNTREE CAMP, ZAMBIA - WAHLBERG STRIPED SKINK (Trachylepis striata ssp. wahlbergi)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/83037-Trachylepis-striata-wahlbergi

31-5-2019 THORNTREE CAMP, ZAMBIA - AFRICAN PIED WAGTAIL (Motacilla aguime)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_pied_wagtail

30-7-2019 BOTANICO ATLANTICO GIJON, ASTURIAS - SPANISH GATEKEEPER BUTTERFLY (Pyronia bathseba)

Pyronia bathseba, the Spanish gatekeeper, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found on the Iberian Peninsula and in France, Morocco, and Algeria. A similar gatekeeper species is Pyronia tithonus, which is found in northern Europe.

The wingspan is 18–19 mm. The butterfly is on wing from May to July depending on the location.

The larvae feed on Poaceae species, mainly Brachypodium species.

30-7-2019 BOTANICO ATLANTICO GIJON, ASTURIAS - BEAUTIFUL DEMOISELLE DAMSELFLY (FEMALE) (Calopteryx virgo)

The beautiful demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) is a species of damselfly belonging to the family Calopterygidae. It is found in Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. It is often found along fast-flowing waters.

Females can lay up to 300 eggs at a time on floating plants, such as water-crowfoot. Like the banded demoiselle, they often submerge underwater to do so, and the eggs hatch around 14 days later. The larvae are stick-shaped and have long legs. They develop over a period of two years in submerged vegetation, plant debris, or roots. They usually overwinter in mud or slime.

The larvae of the beautiful demoiselle develop over 10 to 12 stages, each of which ends with a moult. The body length varies and depends on environmental conditions. In the final stage (F-0-stage), larvae are 3.5–4.6 millimetres long and weigh about 4 milligrams, slightly smaller than those of the banded demoiselle. The larvae of the beautiful demoiselle can be recognized by the bristles of the gills on their abdomen.

The body of the larvae shows only a relatively small adjustment to the fast-flowing waters of their habitat. The body is not flattened, but it is very slim, and the legs are long and end with strong claws. Because they reside within the water, and mainly in quiet areas, the danger of being swept by the flow is relatively low. If this happens, they stretch out to grab onto passing vegetation or substrate.

30-7-2019 BOTANICO ATLANTICO GIJON, ASTURIAS - GUADARRAMA WALL LIZARD (Podarcis guadarramae)

The Guadarrama wall lizard (Podarcis guadarramae) is a medium-sized lizard endemic to the granite rocks of the Sierra de Guadarrama and other ranges in western-central Iberia. It is characterized by a flattened head, slender body, and coloration ranging from brown to bright green with dark spots. This species is insectivorous, laying 3-11 eggs and hibernating in winter to escape cold temperatures. 

Description and characteristics

Appearance: Males often have bright, contrasting pale dorsolateral stripes, while females may have uninterrupted or fragmented pale stripes.

Head: A key distinguishing feature is its flattened head with an elongated snout.

Size: Adult males have an average snout-vent length of about 53.8 mm, with females averaging 51.6 mm.

Coloration: Color can range from brown to bright green with dark spots, and it may have a high proportion of black elements in its coloration. 

Habitat and behavior

Habitat: It is a rupicolous species, meaning it lives among rocks and scree, particularly on granite substrates in its namesake range. It can also be found in other rocky areas, including artificial stone walls, and sometimes in sandy areas within forests.

Diet: It is primarily insectivorous, consuming a wide variety of terrestrial invertebrates, but it may also eat fruit and berries.

Reproduction: It is an egg-laying species, typically laying 3-11 eggs once or twice per year, depending on the length of the summer.

Behavior: The Guadarrama wall lizard hibernates for several months to avoid winter cold. Some populations at higher altitudes have larger body size and lay more eggs, which is likely related to environmental factors like food and water availability. 

Geographic distribution

Range: The species is found in the mountain ranges of the Sistema Central in Spain, from the Sierra del Alto Rey in the east to the Sierra de Guadarrama and Sierra de Gredos in the west.

Endemic to: It is endemic to this region, making its presence particularly important to the ecosystem of the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park. 

26-7-2019 AVILA, CASTILLE AND LEON - EURASIAN JACKDAW (Coloeus monedula)

The western jackdaw (Coloeus monedula), also known as the Eurasian jackdaw, the European jackdaw, or simply the jackdaw, is a passerine bird in the crow family. Found across Europe, western Asia and western North Africa; it is mostly resident, although northern and eastern populations migrate south in the winter. Four subspecies are recognised, which differ mainly in the colouration of the plumage on the head and nape. Linnaeus first described it formally, giving it the name Corvus monedula. The common name derives from the word jack, denoting "small", and daw, a less common synonym for "jackdaw", and the native English name for the bird.

Measuring 34–39 centimetres (13–15 in) in length, the western jackdaw is a black-plumaged bird with a grey nape and distinctive pale-grey irises. It is gregarious and vocal, living in small groups with a complex social structure in farmland, open woodland, on coastal cliffs, and in urban settings. Like its relatives, jackdaws are intelligent birds, and have been observed using tools. An omnivorous and opportunistic feeder, it eats a wide variety of plant material and invertebrates, as well as food waste from urban areas. Western jackdaws are monogamous and build simple nests of sticks in cavities in trees, cliffs, or buildings. About five pale blue or blue-green eggs with brown speckles are laid and incubated by the female. The young fledge in four to five weeks.

27-7-2019 RIBADESELLA, ASTURIAS - BLACK HEADED GULL (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)

The black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) is a small gull that breeds in much of the Palearctic in Europe and Asia, and also locally in smaller numbers in coastal eastern Canada. Most of the population is migratory and winters further south, but many also remain in the milder areas of northwestern Europe. It was formerly sometimes cited as "common black-headed gull" to distinguish it from "great black-headed gull" (an old name for Pallas's gull).

Black-headed gulls were among the birds most heavily hit by the 2023 avian influenza outbreak, with over 4,000 birds killed in Great Britain by early May; similarly high mortality rates were also reported from France, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany.

The black-headed gull is a bold and opportunistic feeder. It eats insects, fish, seeds, worms, scraps, and carrion in towns, or invertebrates in ploughed fields with equal facility. It is a noisy species, especially in colonies, with a familiar "kree-ar" call.

It displays a variety of behaviour and adaptations. Some of these include removing eggshells from the nest after hatching, begging co-ordination between siblings, differences between sexes, conspecific brood parasitism, and extra-pair paternity. They are found in a variety of different habitats.

27-7-2019 RIBADESELLA, ASTURIAS - SWAN GOOSE (Anser cygnoides var. domesticus)

29-7-2019 ISABEL CATOLICA PARQUE GIJON, ASTURIAS - EMU (Dromaius novaehollandiae)

29-7-2019 ISABEL CATOLICA PARQUE GIJON, ASTURIAS - COMMON SHELDUCK (MALE) (Tadorna tadorna)

29-7-2019 ISABEL CATOLICA PARQUE GIJON, ASTURIAS - BARNACLE GOOSE (Branta leucopsis)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnacle_goose

29-7-2019 ISABEL CATOLICA PARQUE GIJON, ASTURIAS - MUTE SWAN (Cygnus olor)

The mute swan, Cygnus olor, is a majestic bird, easily recognized by its all-white plumage and the distinctive orange beak bordered with black. The male, known as a cob, is noted for a prominent knob atop the beak, which is more pronounced than that of the female, or pen.

Adult mute swans measure between 125 to 160 cm in length, with a wingspan of 200 to 240 cm. The males are generally larger than females and possess a larger knob on their bill. The species is one of the heaviest flying birds, with males reaching weights up to 14.3 kg and females up to 10.6 kg. Juveniles, or cygnets, are not as bright white as adults and have a dull greyish-black bill for their first year.

Mute swans are found in a variety of wetland habitats, including lakes, ponds, rivers, and coastal areas, where they build large mounds of vegetation for nesting.

Native to Eurosiberia, the mute swan has been introduced to North America, Australasia, and southern Africa. It is partially migratory in northern latitudes, with some populations moving as far south as North Africa and the Mediterranean.

Mute swans are territorial and monogamous, often reusing the same nest each year. They are less vocal than other swan species but are known for their aggressive defense of their nests and offspring. They can be seen performing a threat display known as busking, with wings half raised and neck curved back.

While not as vocal, mute swans produce a range of sounds including grunting, hoarse whistling, and snorting. They also have a rhythmic song during courtship displays and a unique throbbing sound from their wings in flight.

Mute swans lay 4 to 10 eggs, with the female brooding for around 36 days. Cygnets typically fledge at around 120 to 150 days old.

The mute swan can be distinguished from other swan species by its orange beak with a black border and the pronounced knob on the male's beak.

Their diet consists mainly of submerged aquatic vegetation, which they reach with their long necks, and they also graze on land. They may consume small amounts of aquatic insects, fish, and frogs.

The mute swan is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a native population of about 500,000 birds. However, in some introduced regions, it is considered invasive and subject to population control measures.