Thursday, 9 July 2020
8-7-2020 L'ESTANY DE CULLERA, VALENCIA - MALLARD (MALE) (Anas platyrhynchos)
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The Mallard, or wild duck (Anas platyrhynchos), is a familiar and widespread dabbling duck with a presence across temperate and subtropical regions of the Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has also been introduced to parts of the Southern Hemisphere. The male is renowned for its iridescent green head and white collar, while the female sports a brown-speckled plumage. Both sexes boast a speculum—a patch of feathers with iridescent purple or blue hues bordered by white. The Mallard's length ranges from 50 to 65 cm, with a wingspan of 81 to 98 cm, and it typically weighs between 0.7 and 1.6 kg.
Males during the breeding season are unmistakable with their glossy green heads, white collars, and purple-tinged brown breasts. Females are mottled brown with buff cheeks and an eye-stripe. Both sexes have the distinctive speculum on their wings. The male's bill is yellowish-orange tipped with black, while the female's is darker, ranging from black to mottled orange and brown.
Mallards are found in a variety of wetlands, including parks, small ponds, rivers, lakes, and estuaries. They prefer water depths less than 0.9 meters and are drawn to areas with aquatic vegetation.
8-7-2020 L'ESTANY DE CULLERA, VALENCIA - EURASIAN COOT (FEMALE AND JUVENILE) (Fulica atra)
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.
This species is known for its noisy demeanor, producing a variety of crackling, explosive, or trumpeting calls, which are often heard at night.
Coots build bulky, sometimes floating nests, concealed in vegetation or in the open. Both sexes construct the nest, with the male gathering materials. Clutches typically contain 6-10 buff-colored eggs speckled with black or dark brown. Both parents incubate the eggs, which hatch after 21-24 days. Chicks are precocial and nidifugous, with distinctive orange-red tips on their down.
Tuesday, 7 July 2020
2-7-2020 ROSSELL, CASTELLON - GREAT BANDED GRAYLING BUTTERFLY (Brintesia circe)
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/334385-Brintesia-circe
These butterflies fly in one generation from June to September feeding on nectar of flowers. Larvae feed on various herbaceous plants (mainly on Anthoxanthum, Bromus, Festuca and Sesleria species). The young larvae overwinter.
The species can be found in central and southern Europe (Spain, France, Italy, Greece, southern Germany and Poland), in Anatolia and the Caucasus up to Iran.
These butterflies prefer light woodland, grasslands bordering forest edges and generally dry and bushy environments, at an altitude of 0–1,600 metres (0–5,249 ft) above sea level.
30-6-2020 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - MEDITERRANEAN PALE GLOW-WORM (Nyctophila reichii)
Nyctophila reichii (Mediterranean firefly/glow-worm) is a common Lampyrid beetle found in the Mediterranean region (Iberia, France, Italy, Balkans). Known for, sexual dimorphism, females are flightless, larger, and glow green to attract flying males in summer. Larvae are predatory, feeding on snails and slugs, and can emit light.
Key Facts about Nyctophila reichii:
Appearance & Dimorphism: Females are roughly 4 cm long, larvae-like (larviform), and wingless, while males are smaller and winged.
Luminescence: Both larvae and adult females glow to attract mates, producing a cold green light from the last abdominal segments.
Habitat: Commonly found in Mediterranean, mountainous, and semi-arid regions.
Diet: Larvae are specialized predators of snails and slugs.
Activity Period: Adults are active from the second half of June to the second half of August.
Defense: They possess eversible organs that help protect them against predators.
Commonality: They are among the most common glow-worms in Catalonia and the southern/eastern Iberian Peninsula.
Interaction: They are non-toxic to humans.
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