Sunday, 30 August 2020
Saturday, 29 August 2020
Friday, 28 August 2020
28-8-2020 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - SARDINIAN WARBLER (FEMALE) (Sylvia melanocephala)
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The Sardinian warbler, Curruca melanocephala, presents itself as a charming and distinctive bird of the Mediterranean. The males are adorned with a sleek grey back and pristine whitish underparts, crowned with a striking black head, a pure white throat, and captivating red eyes. The females, on the other hand, exhibit a more subdued palette, with brown upperparts and buff underparts, complemented by a subtle grey head.
When attempting to identify the Sardinian warbler, look for the male's black head and red eyes, which contrast with the white throat and grey back. Females can be recognized by their brown and buff coloration with a greyish head. The variability in plumage, including the presence or absence of a reddish hue, can be a helpful clue in distinguishing between subspecies.
This typical warbler favors open landscapes and cultivated areas, where it can find bushes suitable for nesting. Its preference for such environments makes it a familiar sight in the Mediterranean countryside.
The Sardinian warbler is a resident of the southernmost regions of Europe, extending its range into Asia in Turkey and the eastern Mediterranean. While not extensively migratory, some individuals do venture to North Africa for the winter, and the species has been known to appear as a vagrant as far as Great Britain.
28-8-2020 CREU DE LONGA, VALENCIA - GREY HERON (Ardea cinerea)
The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) is a statuesque wading bird belonging to the family Ardeidae. It is a familiar sight in both rural and urban settings, often seen standing stoically along the water's edge. An adult Grey Heron is a large bird, reaching up to 100 cm in height, with a wingspan between 155 to 195 cm. It weighs between 1 to 2 kg. The plumage is predominantly ashy-grey above, with a greyish-white underbelly and some black on the flanks. A striking feature is the white head and neck adorned with a broad black stripe that extends from the eye to the black crest. The beak is pinkish-yellow, long, and sharply pointed, while the legs are a brown hue.
When identifying the Grey Heron, look for the white head with the black supercilium and crest, the long grey neck, and the ashy-grey wings and back. The underparts are lighter, and the legs are long and brown. Juveniles can be distinguished by their duller grey neck and smaller crest. The beak is a useful indicator of age, being brighter in breeding adults.
Grey Herons are highly adaptable and can be found in a variety of watery habitats including lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes, and coastal environments. They require shallow waters for foraging or areas with shelving margins where they can wade.
Native to temperate Europe and Asia, as well as parts of Africa, the Grey Heron has a broad range. Northern populations may migrate southwards in autumn, while others remain resident year-round. Vagrant sightings have occurred in the Caribbean, Bermuda, and parts of North America.
The Grey Heron exhibits a slow, deliberate flight with its neck retracted in an S-shape. It is known for its solitary foraging habits, often standing motionless or stalking prey through shallow waters. It is also a communal rooster, often found in trees or cliffs at night.
The primary call of the Grey Heron is a loud croaking "fraaank." At breeding colonies, a variety of guttural and raucous noises can be heard, including greeting calls between mates and alarm calls when predators are nearby.
Breeding takes place in colonies, or heronries, typically in high trees near water. Nests are reused and added to each year. The breeding season sees a clutch of three to five bluish-green eggs laid, which both parents incubate. Chicks fledge at 7-8 weeks old.
Grey Herons are apex predators within their ecosystem, feeding on a variety of aquatic creatures such as fish, amphibians, crustaceans, and insects. They have also been known to consume small mammals and juvenile birds.
28-8-2020 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - BLACK PINE SAWYER BEETLE (Monochamus galloprovincialis)
Monochamus galloprovincialis, the pine sawyer beetle, also referred to as the black pine sawyer beetle, is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It was described by Olivier in 1795, originally under the genus Cerambyx. It has a wide distribution, occurring naturally throughout Europe and the Caucasus. It has also been introduced into the Canary Islands. It serves as a vector for the parasitic nematode species Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, and also acts as a host to the parasitoid wasp species Dolichomitus tuberculatus.
Adult beetles are strong fliers, and in flight mill experiments were, on average, able to fly 16 km over the lifetime of the beetle. The adult male produces an aggregation pheromone to attract females.
Thursday, 27 August 2020
27-8-2020 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - MEDITERRANEAN SPINY FALSE WOLF SPIDER (Zoropsis spinimana)
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Males of Z. spinimana reach a length around 10–12 mm (0.39–0.47 in), while females are 15–18 mm (0.59–0.71 in) long. This spider resembles a wolf spider, as its eyes are of the same configuration, but unlike wolf spiders, the eyes of Zoropsis spiders are more spread out along the front third of the cephalothorax. The front body (prosoma) is brownish with broad darker markings. The abdomen (opisthosoma) has median black markings. The legs are mainly a speckled brown color.
The brown and light marking on the upper side of the front body evokes the face of the vampire of the 1922 German silent film Nosferatu, which led to the common German name of the spider, Nosferatu-Spinne.
Zoropsis spinimana is distributed widely in the Mediterranean, but reaches into Russia, and was introduced to the United States, primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the United Kingdom, primarily the London area.
Wednesday, 26 August 2020
26-8-2020 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - WAVED UMBER MOTH (Menophra abruptaria)
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Menophra abruptaria, the waved umber, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Peter Thunberg in 1792. It is found in south-western North Africa, southern Europe and Anatolia; in the north, it is found from England to Switzerland, south-western Germany, Bangladesh . The wingspan is 36–42 mm. Adults are on wing from April to June. Normally, there is one generation per year, although there can be a partial second generation in summer.
The larvae feed on Ligustrum ovalifolium and Syringa vulgaris.
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