Wednesday, 7 August 2019
Tuesday, 6 August 2019
24-5-2019 MANA POOLS, ZIMBABWE - AFRICAN FISH EAGLE (Haliaeetus vocifer) PHOTO COURTESY OF MRS VALERIE FISHER
True to the first part of its name, the African Fish-eagle is distributed far and wide throughout Africa, the world’s second largest continent. This eagle is relatively common and widespread in a variety of habitats south of the Sahara Desert.
And true to the second part of its name, the African Fish-eagle is very fond of eating fish. As you would expect, the African Fish-eagle is generally found living next to bodies of water of almost any type and size. This beautiful bird of prey can be seen perched on trees or other prominent sites near ponds, estuaries, lakes, rivers, streams, coastal waters, and wetlands.
The stunning African Fish-eagle, with its milk-white head and tail, dark eyes, yellow cere, and chocolate brown back, has become synonymous with Africa’s inland waters, lakes, rivers and dams. In fact, its loud, piercing calls are a characteristic sound around African waterways. If you hear the call of the African Fish Eagle, you are likely to be in a relatively healthy environment.
Like many birds of prey, the African Fish-eagle is an indicator species. How is this so? These eagles need lots of fish to eat and tall trees to perch and nest in. If a waterway is contaminated, the fish and other water animals will die and the eagles will have nothing to eat, so they won’t survive long. If the area has been deforested, the birds will have nowhere to nest or perch and will leave in search of a better place to live. If these eagles are around, they are finding everything they need to survive in that area. If these eagles are missing or disappearing from an environment where they should be found, biologists know that something is wrong and can begin to research the problem.
The African Fish-eagle is normally very territorial, which means it vigorously defends its home turf from other fish eagles or any other bird or critter it perceives as a threat. Most often, you can see this bird perched alone, in pairs, or in small family groups. However, flocks of up to 75 or more have been recorded under special circumstances, such as when water sources are low or around fishing boats. Can you guess why this might be so? The answer, of course, has to do with food. When water sources are low, or fishing boats pull up to shore with a catch, the African Fish-eagles are presented with an opportunity for a relatively easy meal. Though they still might bicker over a fish or two, they tolerate each other at these “all-you-can-eat buffets.”
18-5-2019 BUMI HILLS, ZIMBABWE - LITTLE BEE-EATER (Merops pasillas)
The Little Bee-eater, scientifically known as Merops pusillus, is a diminutive and vibrant member of the bee-eater family, Meropidae. This species is adorned with green upper parts and a yellow throat, complemented by a striking black gorget. The upper breast is a rich brown, which gently transitions to a buffish ochre on the belly. Their wings exhibit a blend of green and brown hues, while their beaks and legs are a stark black. Measuring a mere 15–17 cm in length, they hold the title of the smallest African bee-eater. Both males and females are similar in appearance.
When identifying the Little Bee-eater, look for its bright green upper parts, yellow throat, and the distinctive black gorget. The rich brown of the upper breast and the buffish ochre belly are also key characteristics. Their small size and black beak and legs can help distinguish them from other bee-eaters.
These birds favor open country with an abundance of bushes, showing a preference for areas near water sources.
The Little Bee-eater is a resident of Sub-Saharan Africa. Their movements are seasonal, often dictated by the patterns of rainfall rather than long-distance migration.
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Little Bee-eaters are known for their abundance and tame nature within their range. They are often seen perched low, sometimes just a meter above the ground. They roost communally, aligning themselves neatly on a tree branch.
Typically a quiet species, the Little Bee-eater's call is a soft "seep," which can be heard intermittently.
Solitary nesters by nature, Little Bee-eaters excavate tunnels in sandy banks for their nests, occasionally utilizing the entrance of an Aardvark den. They lay a clutch of 4 to 6 spherical white eggs, with both parents sharing the responsibility of egg care.
True to their name, Little Bee-eaters primarily consume insects, with a particular fondness for bees, wasps, and hornets. They exhibit remarkable agility, capturing their prey mid-air from an open perch and then removing the stinger by striking the insect against a hard surface before consumption.
The Little Bee-eater is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with an estimated population of 60 to 80 million individuals.
18-5-2019 BUMI HILLS, ZIMBABWE - COMMON IMPALA (MALE) (Aepyceros melampus ssp. melampus) PHOTO COURTESY OF MRS VALERIE FISHER
The impala (Aepyceros melampus) is a medium-sized antelope that is found in Africa. It was first described to European audiences by German zoologist Hinrich Lichtenstein in 1812. Active mainly during the day, the impala may be gregarious or territorial depending upon the climate and geography. The impala is known for two characteristic leaps that constitute an anti-predator strategy.
Impala is an elegant and magnificent species of antelope. The animal has slender body with the identifying "M"-like marking on the rear. This medium-sized antelope possesses thin, pointed horns with tips, lying far apart from each other. Males of this species are identified by the characteristic "S"-like horns. The elegant limbs of these animals have scent glands behind the ankles. The overall coloration of their fur is red-brown with paler sides. In addition, they have black and white colored areas on their body. Thus, the tail, belly, chin, lips, inside ears as well as the lines above the eyes are colored with white. Meanwhile, black bands cover their thighs, tail, forehead and ear tips.
Monday, 5 August 2019
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
Sunday, 4 August 2019
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.
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.
Saturday, 3 August 2019
31-5-2019 THORNTREE CAMP, ZAMBIA - BLACK COLLARED BARBET ( Lybius corquatus)
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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.
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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.
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)
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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.
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