30-3-2018 KYNSNA, SOUTH AFRICA - SOUTHERN FISCAL SHRIKE (lanius collaris)

The Southern Fiscal (Lanius collaris), is a striking bird of the shrike family, prevalent throughout much of southern Africa. It is colloquially referred to as the 'jackie hangman' or 'butcher bird', a nod to its unique habit of impaling its prey on acacia thorns, a larder for future feasting. This bird was once considered conspecific with the Northern Fiscal, Lanius humeralis, under the collective title of the Common Fiscal.

Adult Southern Fiscals measure between 21 to 23 centimeters in length. They exhibit a bold dichromatic plumage with crisp white underparts contrasting sharply against their sleek black upperparts. A distinctive white "V" marks their back, and their long black tail is adorned with white outer feathers and white tips. Both sexes possess a black bill, eyes, and legs, with the female distinguished by her rufous lower flanks.

The Southern Fiscal is an adaptable species, inhabiting a variety of environments from grasslands adorned with fences suitable for perching, to acacia thornveld and even woodlands. It tends to avoid overly dense areas that would hinder its hunting prowess.

This bird's range extends across southern and eastern parts of the African continent, including parts of Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zambia, Botswana, Tanzania, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.

A solitary hunter, the Southern Fiscal typically perches in exposed locations or atop shrubs, from where it preys on insects and small rodents. Its territorial range is influenced by the availability of perching sites, with an increase in artificial perches leading to a reduction in territory size. The bird's hunting strategies and physiology adapt to seasonal variations, with changes in body temperature, metabolic rate, and hunting methods observed in response to different environmental conditions.

The Southern Fiscal's vocal repertoire includes a mix of shrike-like sounds, ranging from harsh alarm calls to more melodious songs. While its song may sound sweet, it is generally used for territorial defense or pair bonding.

The Southern Fiscal's diet consists primarily of insects and small rodents. It has been noted as a significant predator of the plain tiger butterfly in eastern Africa. Seasonal changes influence its foraging behavior, with the bird adjusting its hunting times, attack rates, and prey size in response to the availability of food.

The IUCN Red List classifies the Southern Fiscal as Least Concern, indicating that the species does not currently face any significant threats to its survival.

30-3-2018 KNYSNA, SOUTH AFRICA - BLACK EYED SUSAN VINE (Thunbergia alata)

Thunbergia alata, commonly called black-eyed Susan vine, is a herbaceous perennial climbing plant species in the family Acanthaceae. It is native to Eastern Africa, and has been naturalized in other parts of the world.

It is grown as an ornamental plant in gardens and in hanging baskets. The name 'Black-eyed Susan' is thought to have come from a character that figures in many traditional ballads and songs. In the Ballad of Black-eyed Susan by John Gay, Susan goes aboard a ship in-dock to ask the sailors where her lover Sweet William has gone. Black-eyed Susan is also a name given to other species of flowers in the genus Rudbeckia.

The plant is originally from East Africa, and has almost a world distribution including tropical and subtropical areas like China, eastern Australia, Hawaii, Southern US in the states of Texas and Florida, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Mexico, South Africa, Portugal, Japan, New Zealand, Cerrado vegetation of Brazil, Argentina, Madagascar, India, Thailand and Philippines, among others.

It is used all around the world as a garden plant, but has managed to "escape" to the wilderness, naturalizing in tropical and temperate forests. It has been widely reported as Invasive species, especially in the Caribbean and Pacific islands, from Mexico to Colombia, and in Japan,  due to the fast growing of the plant; the ease of wild pollination during sporadic flowering times; its vine-growing strategies that strangle or create shadow on other plants; its difficulty to eradicate by hand (as it leaves underground rhizomes that rapidly grow back); its lack of usual predators in non native regions; plus, people who are unaware of its harmful nature to other plants in the wilderness tend to admire its beauty and might opt not to remove it.

30-3-2018 KYNSNA, SOUTH AFRICA - SOUTHERN OSTRICH (Struthio camelus ssp. australis)

The South African ostrich (Struthio camelus australis), also known as the black-necked ostrich, Cape ostrich or southern ostrich is a subspecies of the common ostrich endemic to Southern Africa. It is widely farmed for its meat, eggs and feathers.

The South African ostrich is found in South Africa, Namibia, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola and Botswana. It lives in south of the rivers Zambezi and Cunene.

It is farmed for its eggs, meat, leather and feathers in the Little Karoo area of Cape Province.

Feral South African ostriches roam the Australian outback after having escaped from farms in the 20th century. The extent of their range in Australia is not known.

31-3-2018 WILDERNESS NAT PRK, SOUTH AFRICA - COMMON BUSH BROWN BUTTERFLY (Bicyclus safitza)

Bicyclus safitza, the common bush brown or common savanna bush brown, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in all of Africa south of the Sahara. Its preferred habitat is forests and other well-wooded habitats.

The wingspan is 40–45 mm for males and 43–48 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round.

The larvae feed on various grasses, including Ehrharta erecta.

Subspecies and forms

B. s. safitza – south of Sahara except Ethiopia

wet-season form, f. safitza – south to Mpumalanga, South Africa

wet-season form, f. injusta – South African east coast regions

dry-season form, f. evenus – widespread

B. s. aethiops (Rothschild & Jordan, 1905) – Ethiopia

12-12-2014 MARJAL DE MOROS, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN MOORHEN (Gallinula chloropus)

1-4-2018 BIRDS OF EDEN, SOUTH AFRICA - DOUBLE TOOTHED BARBET (Lybius bidentatus)

The double-toothed barbet (Pogonornis bidentatus) is a species of bird in the family Lybiidae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. Within Lybius bidentatus, there are two subspecies: Lybius bidentatus bidentatus and Lybius bidentatus aequatorialis.

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Pogonornis bidentatus is a barbet with black and red coloring. Its bill is large and off-white, and the skin around its eyes is yellow. The double-toothed barbet is black on the top side of its body with a patch of white feathers on its back. Its breast is red, with a white patch on its side. Females and males have similar markings, except that females have lines of black feathers on the white side patch. Juveniles of the species are duller; their feathers are dark grey..

Its song is somewhat like a cat's purr. Sometimes pairs of double-toothed barbets will sing together.

Double-toothed barbets generally live in the understory of dense woodland. They occupy the edges of the woods, riparian forest, and secondary forest. Some may go into gardens and forage for fruit.

The double-toothed barbet is most likely to be confused with the black-breasted barbet or the bearded barbet. In flight, it's ungraceful.

Pogonornis bidentatus eats fruits and insects. They search in the foliage for food, usually staying below ten meters. Of insects, they eat beetles, termites, ants, and Hemiptera, which they find in the tree bark or in clusters of leaves. Often a double-toothed barbet will capture winged ants or termites while in flight. They also eat fruits: figs, papayas, avocados, and the fruits of the umbrella tree Musanga and of Solanum. Double-toothed barbets will eat the seeds of some fruits.

These barbets can be found in pairs or small family groups with helpers; lone double-toothed barbets are rare. Their territories are large.

Double-toothed barbets roost communally, as all the barbets in a group roost in the same hole. Nests are made by excavating a tree, often rotting, at above two meters. Both barbets in a pair will dig out the nesting hole, and both will defend it. The entrance to the nest is circular, five or more centimeters across. Some nests have an entrance tunnel. At maximum, a nest is 46 cm deep.

30-11-2015 SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - COMMON EVENING BROWN BUTTERFLY (Melanitis leda)

Melanitis leda, the common evening brown, is a common species of butterfly found flying at dusk. The flight of this species is erratic. They are found in Africa, South Asia and South-east Asia extending to parts of Australia.

Wet-season form: Forewing: apex subacute; termen slightly angulated just below apex, or straight. Upperside brown. Forewing with two large subapical black spots, each with a smaller spot outwardly of pure white inwardly bordered by a ferruginous interrupted lunule; costal margin narrowly pale. Hindwing with a dark, white-centred, fulvous-ringed ocellus subterminally in interspace two, and the apical ocellus, sometimes also others of the ocelli, on the underside, showing through.

Underside paler, densely covered with transverse dark brown striae; a discal curved dark brown narrow band on forewing; a post-discal similar oblique band, followed by a series of ocelli: four on the forewing, that in interspace 8 the largest; six on the hindwing, the apical and subtornal the largest.

Dry-season form: Forewing: apex obtuse and more or less falcate; termen posterior to falcation straight or sinuous. Upperside: ground colour similar to that in the wet-season form, the markings, especially the ferruginous lunules inwardly bordering the black sub-apical spots on forewing, larger, more extended below and above the black costa. Hindwing: the ocellus in interspace 2 absent, posteriorly replaced by three or four minute white subterminal spots.

Underside varies in colour greatly. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen in both seasonal forms brown or greyish brown: the antennae annulated with white, ochraceous at apex.

26-11-2015 BOTANICAL GARDENS, SINGAPORE - PINK WATER LILY (Nymphaea rubra)

Nymphaea rubra is a species of waterlily native to the region spanning from Sri Lanka and northeastern India to western and central Malesia. Additionally, it has been introduced to regions such as Southeast China, Cuba, Guyana, Hungary, and Suriname.

Nymphaea rubra has 15.1 cm long, and 7.9 cm wide rhizomes. The petiolate, orbicular leaves are 25–48 cm wide. The adaxial leaf surface is bronzy red to dark green, and the abaxial leaf surface is dark purple. The leaf venation is very prominent. The petiole is 140 cm long.

The flowers are 15–25 cm wide. The four purplish-red sepals are oblong to lanceolate. The 12-20 narrowly oval petals have a rounded apex. The androecium consists of 55 red stamens. The gynoecium consists of 16-21 carpels. The fruit bears 1.85 mm long, and 1.6 mm wide seeds. The peduncle is 116 cm long. The flowers are pleasantly fragrant.

One case of the development of a proliferating pseudanthia has been reported for a Nymphaea rubra specimen cultivated in the Botanical Garden of the University of Heidelberg, Germany in 1886.

Nymphaea rubra may reproduce an apomictically.

It occurs in rivers, lakes, and ponds.

29-3-2019 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - LOBONYX AENEUS BEETLE (Superfamily Cleroidea)

Lobonyx aeneus is a species of soft-winged flower beetles in the family Prionoceridae, found in the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa. Seen climing on the exterior wall of the house in Monte Corona, Valencia, Spain.

27-3-2019 BENIARBEIG, ALICANTE - EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH (JUVENILE) (Carduelis carduelis)

27-3-2019 BENIARBEIG, ALICANTE - GENUS SINAPIS (Family Brassicaceae)

27-3-2019 MARJAL DE MOROS, VALENCIA - KNAPWEED (Genus Centaurea)

Centaurea (/ˌsɛntɔːˈriːə/)[1] is a genus of over 700 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are found only north of the equator, mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere; the Middle East and surrounding regions are particularly species-rich.

Common names for this genus are centaury, centory, starthistles, knapweeds, centaureas and the more ambiguous bluets; a vernacular name used for these plants in parts of England is loggerheads (common knapweed). The Plectocephalus group – possibly a distinct genus – is known as basketflowers. Cornflower is used for a few species, but that term more often specifically means either C. cyanus (the annual cornflower) or Centaurea montana (the perennial cornflower). The common name centaury is sometimes used, although this also refers to the unrelated plant genus Centaurium.[2]

The name is said to be in reference to Chiron, the centaur of Greek mythology who discovered medicinal uses of a plant eventually called "centaury".

27-3-2019 MARJAL DE MOROS, VALENCIA - EURASIAN COOT (Fulica atra)

27-3-2019 MARJAL DE MOROS, VALENCIA - RED VEINED DARTER DRAGONFLY (FEMALE) (Sympetrum fonscolombii)

27-3-2019 MARJAL DE MOROS, VALENCIA - LARGE WHITE BUTTERFLY (Pieris brassicae)

27-3-2019 MARJAL DE MOROS, VALENCIA - SMALL WHITE BUTTERFLY (Pieris rapae)

Pieris rapae is a small- to medium-sized butterfly species of the whites-and-yellows family Pieridae. It is known in Europe as the small white, in North America as the cabbage white or cabbage butterfly, on several continents as the small cabbage white, and in New Zealand as the white butterfly. The butterfly is recognizable by its white color with small black dots on its wings, and it can be distinguished from P. brassicae by the latter's larger size and black band at the tip of the forewings.

The caterpillar of this species, often referred to as the "imported cabbageworm", is a pest to crucifer crops such as cabbage, kale, bok choy and broccoli. Pieris rapae is widespread in Europe and Asia; it is believed to have originated in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Europe, and to have spread across Eurasia thanks to the diversification of brassicaceous crops and the development of human trade routes. Over the past two centuries, it spread to North Africa (about 1800), North America (1860s), Hawaii (1897), New Zealand (1930), and Australia (1937), as a result of accidental introductions.

27-3-2019 MARJAL DE MOROS, VALENCIA - BLACK AND RED BUG (Lygaeus equestris)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/362835-Lygaeus-equestris

27-3-2019 MARJAL DE MOROS, VALENCIA - BLACK WINGED STILT (Himantopus himantopus)

The Black-winged Stilt has a wide range, extending across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Some populations migrate to coastal regions in winter, while others in milder climates may remain resident or engage in short-range movements.

Black-winged Stilts are often seen foraging in shallow waters, gracefully picking insects and crustaceans from the surface. They are known to nest in small groups, sometimes alongside avocets, and exhibit a variety of courtship behaviors, including intricate displays and duets.

The flight call of the Black-winged Stilt is a sharp and clear kleek, typically heard during its aerial maneuvers.

Nests are simple bare spots on the ground near water. These birds are communal nesters and may breed in loose colonies. They have been known to breed as far north as Britain, with recent successful breeding events recorded in Southern and Northern England.

The Black-winged Stilt can be confused with other stilt species, such as the Black-necked Stilt (H. mexicanus) in the Americas, the White-backed Stilt (H. melanurus), and the Pied Stilt (H. leucocephalus) in Australasia and New Zealand.

Their diet consists mainly of insects and crustaceans, which they deftly pick from the water's surface or from wet sand.

27-3-2019 MARJAL DE MOROS, VALENCIA - RED CRESTED POCHARD (MALE) (Netta rufina)

27-3-2019 MARJAL DE MOROS, VALENCIA - RED CRESTED POCHARD (MALE AND FEMALE) (Netta rufina)

The Red-crested Pochard, Netta rufina, is a striking large diving duck. Its name is drawn from the Greek word for duck, 'Netta', and the Latin 'rufina', meaning 'golden-red', a nod to the male's vibrant plumage.

Males are resplendent with a rounded orange head, a red bill, and a contrasting black breast. Their sides are a crisp white, with a brown back and a black tail. Females, on the other hand, are clad in more subdued tones, primarily pale brown with a darker back and crown, and a whitish face. During eclipse, males resemble females but retain their red bills.

These ducks favor lowland marshes and lakes, thriving in the wetland habitats of southern Europe.

The Red-crested Pochard breeds from the steppe and semi-desert regions near the Black Sea to Central Asia and Mongolia. It is a somewhat migratory species, with northern populations wintering in the Indian Subcontinent and Africa.

Gregarious by nature, Red-crested Pochards form large flocks in the winter, often mingling with other diving ducks such as the Common Pochard. They are known to both dive and dabble for their food.

27-3-2019 MARJAL DE MOROS, VALENCIA - WOOD SANDPIPER (Tringa glareola)

The wood sandpiper is a small wader with dark, speckled upperparts, a white underbody, and yellow legs, identified by a distinctive white stripe over its eye. It is a migratory bird that breeds in northern Europe and Asia and winters in Africa or Asia. During its spring and autumn migrations, it stops at inland freshwater wetlands to rest and refuel. Key features in flight include a square white rump and no wing bars. 

Identification

Appearance: A small, slim wader with dark grey-brown upperparts that are speckled or spotted, and a white underbody with a mottled breast.

Key features:

A conspicuous white stripe from the bill over the eye.

Yellowish legs.

Fine, straight bill.

In flight:

A square white rump is revealed.

No wing bars are visible. 

Habitat and behavior

Habitat: Prefers inland freshwater wetlands, such as ponds and pools, often with reeds, grass, and other emergent vegetation.

Behavior:

Can be found singly or in small flocks.

Is wary and will fly away if disturbed, often in a zig-zag pattern.

The flight is strong with clipped wing beats, and they may call with a quickly repeated, reedy whistle. 

Migration

Migration routes: They are passage migrants in spring and autumn, traveling between their breeding grounds in northern Europe and Asia and their wintering grounds in Africa and southern Asia.

Stopovers: They use small, shallow wetlands to refuel during their long journeys.

Flight: Capable of flying non-stop for long distances, storing up to half their body weight in fuel for the journey. 

Distribution

Breeding: Primarily breeds across northern Europe and Asia, including Scandinavia, the Baltic countries, and Russia.

26-3-2019 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - MONTPELIER CISTUS (Cistus monspeliensis)

Cistus monspeliensis is a species of rockrose known by the common name Montpellier cistus or narrow-leaved cistus. It is native to southern Europe and northern Africa, in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecosystems of matorral—maquis shrublands.

Cistus monspeliensis is a shrub with narrow evergreen leaves and a hairy, glandular, sticky surface. The leaves are linear to lance-shaped, green, with a rugose, wrinkled upper surface, up to 5 centimeters long. In cultivation, C. monspeliensis attains a height of around one meter and a width of 1.5 metres.

The plant's inflorescence is generally a panicle of 2 to 8 flowers, each with five sepals and five white petals.

It is mainly distributed throughout the western Mediterranean Basin (Portugal, including Madeira; Spain, including the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands; Morocco; southern France, including Corsica; Italy, including Sardinia and Sicily; Malta; Algeria; Tunisia) but it is also present in Croatia; Serbia; Albania; Montenegro; Greece and Cyprus.

The plant has been reported elsewhere as an introduced species, and in California as an invasive species.

26-3-2019 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - RED ADMIRAL BUTTERFLY (Vanessa atalanta)

26-3-2019 OLIVA, VALENCIA - CHINESE WISTERIA (Wisteria sinensis)

26-3-2019 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN FIREBUG (Pyrrhocoris apterus)

The firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus, is a common insect of the family Pyrrhocoridae. Easily recognizable due to its striking red and black coloration, it may be confused with the similarly coloured though unrelated Corizus hyoscyami (cinnamon bug or squash bug). Pyrrhocoris apterus is distributed throughout the Palaearctic from the Atlantic coast of Europe to northwest China. It has also been reported from the United States, Central America, and India, and is also found in Australia. It has been reported as recently expanding its distribution northwards into mainland United Kingdom and eastward on to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They are frequently observed to form aggregations, especially as immature forms, containing from tens to perhaps a hundred individuals.

Firebugs generally mate in April and May. Their diet consists primarily of seeds from lime trees and mallows. They can often be found in groups near the base of lime tree trunks, on the sunny side.

They can be seen in tandem formation when mating which can take from 12 hours up to 7 days. The long period of copulating is probably used by the males as a form of ejaculate-guarding under high competition with other males.

P. apterus was the subject of an unexpected discovery in the 1960s when researchers who had for ten years been rearing the bugs in Prague, Czech Republic, attempted to do the same at Harvard University in the United States. After the fifth nymphal instar, instead of developing into adults, the bugs either entered a sixth instar stage, or became adults with nymphal characteristics. Some of the sixth instars went on to a seventh instar, but all specimens died without reaching maturity. The source of the problem was eventually proven to be the paper towels used in the rearing process; the effect only happened if the paper towels were made in America. The researchers could replicate these results with American newspapers such as the New York Times, but not European newspapers such as The Times. The cause was found to be hormones found in the native balsam fir tree (Abies balsamea) used to manufacture paper and related products in America, and in some other North American conifers. This hormone happened to have a profound effect on P. apterus, but not on other insect species, showing the diversification of hormone receptors in the insects. The most potent chemical component was later identified as juvabione, the methyl ester of todomatuic acid, which is produced by the trees in response to wounding; it mimics juvenile hormone closely at the chemical level, defending against vulnerable pests.