Saturday, 30 May 2020
Friday, 29 May 2020
29-5-2020 GANDIA MARJAL, VALENCIA - HOUSE SPARROW (FEMALE) (Passer domesticus)
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The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a member of the sparrow family Passeridae. This small bird typically measures around 16 cm (6.3 in) in length and weighs between 24–39.5 g (0.85–1.39 oz). The species exhibits sexual dimorphism, with females and young birds displaying pale brown and grey plumage, while males are characterized by more vibrant black, white, and brown markings.
Males can be identified by their bright black, white, and brown markings, with a distinctive black bib, white cheeks, and a grey crown. Females lack the striking head patterns of males and are predominantly buffish with softer coloration. Juveniles resemble adult females but are generally paler with less defined markings.
The house sparrow is highly adaptable and can thrive in both urban and rural environments. It is commonly found in close association with human habitation and avoids dense forests, grasslands, polar regions, and deserts far from human development.
Native to Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, and much of Asia, the house sparrow has been introduced to various regions worldwide, including parts of Australasia, Africa, and the Americas, making it one of the most widely distributed wild birds.
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House sparrows are social birds, often seen in flocks. They exhibit a range of behaviors, including dust or water bathing and communal roosting. Males are known to be territorial around their nesting sites.
The house sparrow's vocalizations are predominantly variations of a simple chirping call. Males may sing or give an "ecstatic call" during the breeding season, and the species uses a variety of calls for different social interactions.
House sparrows are generally monogamous and may mate for life. They can breed in the season following their hatching and often produce multiple clutches per year, with each clutch containing up to five eggs. Nest sites are varied, with a preference for cavities.
An opportunistic feeder, the house sparrow's diet consists mainly of seeds from grains and weeds, but it also consumes insects and other invertebrates, especially during the breeding season when feeding young.
29-5-2020 GANDIA MARJAL, VALENCIA - EURASIAN COOT (Fulica atra)
The Eurasian coot, Fulica atra, also known as the common coot or Australian coot, is a distinctive waterbird with a slaty-black body, a glossy black head, and a striking white bill topped with a white frontal shield. This bird is a member of the Rallidae family, which includes rails and crakes. Both sexes exhibit similar plumage, making them indistinguishable in the field.
Adult Eurasian coots measure 36–38 cm in length with a wingspan of 70–80 cm. Males are slightly heavier than females, weighing around 890 g compared to the females' 750 g. The species is characterized by its white bill and frontal shield, which contrast sharply with its all-black body. Juveniles are paler with a whitish breast and lack the facial shield, which develops fully by one year of age.
The Eurasian coot is found on freshwater lakes and ponds and has adapted well to urban environments, often seen in city parks and gardens with water bodies.
This bird has a broad range across the Old World, including Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of North Africa. It is a resident in milder regions but migrates south and west from much of Asia during winter.
The Eurasian coot is less secretive than many rails, often visible on open water or grasslands. It is territorial and aggressive during the breeding season, with both parents defending their territory. In non-breeding seasons, coots may form large flocks. They are reluctant flyers, preferring to run across water surfaces, and are known for bobbing their heads while swimming.
29-5-2020 GANDIA MARJAL, VALENCIA - YELLOW IRIS (Iris pseudacorus)
Iris pseudacorus (yellow flag iris) is a bright yellow, semi-aquatic perennial plant. Though often used in water gardens for its beauty, it is a highly invasive species, especially in North America, that spreads rapidly via rhizomes and seeds to crowd out native vegetation. It thrives in wetlands, pond edges, and wet soils.
Key Facts About Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus):
Invasive Nature: Listed as a high-risk invasive species and noxious weed in many areas, as it forms dense mats and ruins wetlands.
Identification: Features bright yellow flowers, often with purple-brown veining on the petals, that bloom from April to July. The leaves are long, flat, and sword-like.
Habitat: Commonly found in wetlands, fens, coastal areas, marshes, and along banks of rivers and streams.
Highly Toxic: The roots and leaves are poisonous, causing skin irritation, blistering, and severe illness if consumed by humans or livestock.
Reproduction: Spreads through seeds (which can float on water) and hardy rhizomes.
Uses: Used as an ornamental plant in gardens but often escapes into the wild. It is also used to filter nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen out of water in specialized water treatment systems.
Removal Advice: Due to the risk of leaving behind root fragments that can regrow, manual removal can be difficult and should be done with care, ensuring the plant is not composted but sent to a landfill.
Background and Ecological ImpactOrigin: Native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia.
Appearance: They can grow up to 2-6 feet tall. The seed pods are large, green, and turn brown, containing many seeds that can float for extended periods to establish new colonies.
Wildlife Impact: Yellow iris can quickly become a monoculture, reducing biodiversity in wetlands, as noted in the Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus)
29-5-2020 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - BURNET MOTH (Zygaena lavandulae)
Zygaena lavandulae is a species of moth in the family Zygaenidae.
This species can be found in Southern France, eastern Spain, Portugal and Italy (only in central and western Liguria), as well as North Africa, including Morocco.
Zygaena lavandulae has a wingspan of 31–36 millimetres (1.2–1.4 in) in males and of 35–37 millimetres (1.4–1.5 in) in females. The head is black. The thorax is black with a white collar. Also the abdomen is black, with a slight blue gloss. Forewings are bluish, with five red spots surrounded with black or dark blue. Hindwings are bluish-black with a very large distal red spot. Colorations of the females are rather similar to males, but their forewings are usually bluish-green, with larger spots.
These moths mainly inhabit rocky places, dry woods and grove rich grasslands. They are present in the Maquis shrubland, characterized by the widespread presence of Cistus species.
There is one generation per year (univoltine). The larvae feed on Dorycnium pentaphyllum and Anthyllis cytisoides. They develop until April without real dormancy. Adults are on wing from April to June.
Thursday, 28 May 2020
28-5-2020 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - SPOTTED FLYCATCHER (Muscicapa striata)
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Spotted flycatchers are one of our summer migrants that spend the winter in Africa. They are one of the latest migrants to reach us, with a few trickling into the country from late April and most arriving from mid-May.
Despite arriving relatively late, spotted flycatchers manage to rear two broods of young before departing at the end of August. The success of the second clutch is increased by fewer eggs being laid, meaning less mouths to fill. They will nest in gardens but the nest is usually well hidden on ledges or behind climbing plants.
Spotted flycatchers prefer large flying insects, including flies and butterflies. However, if the weather is cool and insects aren’t flying, they will take smaller invertebrates from leaves and branches. If poor weather persists, many nests fail as these smaller invertebrates tend to be eaten by the parents rather than fed to the young.
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In order to reduce the chances of their invertebrate prey escaping, spotted flycatchers have a series of modified feathers, like bristles, down the sides of the bill. They have also adapted to catch stinging insects. They rub the sting end on their perch to remove it, making the prey safe to eat.
The spotted flycatcher is red listed due to its rapid and consistent population decline with an 89 per cent decrease between 1967 and 2012. Evidence suggests that this is due to poor annual survival rates of first year birds, but conditions in their wintering grounds in Africa may also have contributed to the decline.
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Spotted flycatchers are fairly drab birds, with brown-grey upperparts. Below they have dull white plumage with pale streaking, and there is streaking on the head. Juveniles are similar but have pale spots on their upperparts. Despite their dull appearance, they are easy to spot as they like to perch on exposed posts or branches from which they catch their prey.
As well as looking plain, the spotted flycatcher’s song is pretty unremarkable. It is squeaky, mostly unmelodic and very soft. The squeaky part of the song is part of its territorial defence, and the more musical sequences are aimed at potential mates.
28-5-2020 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - COPPER DEMOISELLE DAMSELFLY (MALE) (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis)
Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis is a species of damselfly in the family Calopterygidae known by the common names copper demoiselle and Mediterranean demoiselle.
This species is native to the western Mediterranean Basin in Europe (Iberia, southern France, Italy, Monaco) and North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia). It is common in much of its range.
It lives along rivers and streams, but also in sunny larger waters. Though it may be affected by habitat changes such as water pollution.
Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis can reach a body length of about 45–48 millimetres (1.8–1.9 in). The abdomen length is of about 34–43 millimetres (1.3–1.7 in) in males, of 31–43 millimetres (1.2–1.7 in) in females. The length of the wings is of 23–32 millimetres (0.91–1.26 in) in males, of 25–37 millimetres (0.98–1.46 in) in the females.
The males have a dark, metallic shining body, the color of which can be red-violet, golden or copper-colored. On the underside of the last three abdominal segments there red area, the so-called "red lantern" (hence the Latin species name haemorrhoidalis, meaning "blood flow"). The wings of males show a large dark area, while the females have a brown band to the wing tip and a metallic-green to bronze-colored body, with a brown belt on the back.
The flight time of this species ranges from May to September. The males have a characteristic mating dance, showing the abdomen end and spreading their wings wide. The male of this species is territorial, defending sites where females may choose to lay eggs.
This species can hybridize with Calopteryx splendens.
Wednesday, 27 May 2020
27-5-2020 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - FUNNEL WEAVER SPIDER (Lycosoides coarctata)
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Textrix is a genus of funnel weavers first described by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1833. They have a mainly European distribution, with one species in Ethiopia. The type species of the genus is Textrix denticulata.
The spiders in the genus Textrix have a strongly recurved posterior row of eyes with the medial eyes larger than the lateral eyes. They have a narrow head which is distinct from the thorax. These spiders may resemble wolf spiders as they are often recorded running about in sunshine, but their long and segmented posterior spinners are very marked and identify them as funnel web weavers.
As of August 2023 it contains six species:
Textrix caudata L. Koch, 1872 – Macaronesia, Northern Africa, Southern Europe, Syria
Textrix chyzeri de Blauwe, 1980 – Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Bulgaria
Textrix denticulata (Olivier, 1789) (type) – Europe, Turkey
Textrix nigromarginata Strand, 1906 – Ethiopia
Textrix pinicola Simon, 1875 – Portugal to Italy
Textrix rubrofoliata Pesarini, 1990 – Spain, France, Italy
Tuesday, 26 May 2020
25-5-2020 VILLALONGA TUNNELS, VALENCIA - IBERIAN GREEN FROG (Pelophylax perezi)
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The Perez's frog (Pelophylax perezi), also known as Iberian waterfrog, Iberian green frog or Coruna frog, is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It is native to southern France, Portugal, Spain, and has been introduced to the Canary and Balearic Islands, Madeira, the United Kingdom, and the Azores. In the Iberian Peninsula it is widespread and common.
Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rivers, intermittent rivers, swamps, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, sandy shores, arable land, and urban areas. It is not considered threatened by the IUCN. A medium-sized, stout frog; snout-vent length is usually from 40 to 70 mm, but sometimes is longer than 10 cm (Docampo and Milagrosa-Vega 1988; González de la Vega 1988). The head is as long as wide, with prominent eyes located in dorsal position very close to each other. The tympanum is well marked, about 1/2 to 3/4 the eye diameter (Salvador and García-París 2001). Toes have well developed webbing. Skin is either smooth or slightly rough, with well-formed dorsolateral folds.
25-5-2020 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - GREAT TIT (Parus major)
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The great tit (Parus major) is a small passerine bird, easily recognized by its black head and neck, striking white cheeks, olive upperparts, and vibrant yellow underparts. This bird is the most widespread species in the genus Parus, found across Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of North Africa.
Males are characterized by their bright plumage, with a black bib that extends down the belly, bordered by a lemon-yellow breast. Females and juveniles are similar but have duller coloration. The black line down the belly is also narrower and sometimes broken in these birds.
Great tits favor a variety of woodland habitats, including deciduous and mixed forests, forest edges, and even urban parks and gardens. They are also found in riverine woodlands and, in some regions, boreal taiga.
This species is resident throughout its range, which extends from the Iberian Peninsula to the Amur Valley, and from Scandinavia to the Middle East. It is generally non-migratory, except in harsh winters when it may move to more temperate areas.
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Great tits are known for their intelligence and adaptability. They exhibit a range of foraging behaviors and can solve problems with insight learning. They are also cavity nesters and are monogamous, with both parents involved in raising the chicks.
The great tit has a repertoire of up to 40 calls and songs, with the male being particularly vocal. A common call resembles the phrase "teacher, teacher," which is used to proclaim territory.
Breeding occurs once a year, with the female laying up to 12 eggs in a cavity nest. The female incubates the eggs alone, but both parents feed the chicks. In most years, the pair will raise two broods.
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The great tit can be confused with other members of the Parus genus, but its distinctive coloration and song usually make it easy to identify.
In summer, the diet is predominantly insectivorous, while in winter, it expands to include seeds and berries. Great tits are adept at handling large food items and are known to visit bird feeders in urban areas.
The great tit is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a stable and widespread population estimated to be between 300 and 1,100 million birds. It has adapted well to human changes in the environment and is not currently at risk.
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