Sunday, 8 November 2020
Saturday, 7 November 2020
7-11-2020 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - GEOMETER MOTH (Compsoptera opacaria)
Compsoptera opacaria is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found in south-western Europe, including Spain, Portugal, France[2] and Italy.
The wingspan is 34–45 mm. Adults are on wing from August to October in one generation per year.
The larvae feed on the leaves of various plants, including Genista, Thymus, Juniperus and Calluna vulgaris.
Key Facts about Compsoptera opacaria
Family: Geometridae (inchworm moths).
Distribution: Primarily southwestern Europe, including Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy.
Habitat & Status: Inhabits well-conserved environments, often serving as an indicator of a healthy ecosystem, such as in the Valencian Community.
Flight Period: One generation per year, with adults active from August to October.
Life Cycle: Eggs hibernate. Larvae are found from early spring until June.
Larval Food Plants: Larvae feed on various shrubs, including broom (Genista), thyme (Thymus), juniper (Juniperus), and heather (Calluna vulgaris).
Wingspan: 34–45 mm.
Synonyms: Historically known as *Geometra opacaria* Hübner, 1819, and sometimes referred to by synonyms like C. hubneri or C. rubra.
Friday, 6 November 2020
6-11-2020 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - BLUE ROCK THRUSH (FEMALE) (Monticola solitarius)
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The blue rock thrush (merill) is Malta's national bird. It is 20-23cm long and has a long slim bill. It nests in rock cavities and buildings near the sea, and usually lays 3-5 eggs. It eats a wide variety of insects in addition to berries.
An omnivore, the Blue Rock Thrush eats a wide variety of insects and small reptiles in addition to berries and seeds. This is a starling-sized bird, 21–23 cm in length with a long slim bill. The summer male is unmistakable, with all blue-grey plumage apart from its darker wings.
The Blue Rock-thrush is very territorial and guards its territory also outside of the breeding season. It chases away birds that invade the territory, even birds from other species. The Blue Rock-thrush is an "old world" bird from Morocco in the west to Japan in the east.
5-11-2020 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - CLICK BEETLE (Genus Cebrio)
Click beetles (family Elateridae) are distinct for their ability to flip themselves upright when on their backs by snapping a thorax spine into a groove, creating an audible "click" to escape predators. Over 7,000–10,000 species exist worldwide, typically measuring 12–40 mm (up to 2.5 inches) with long, slender, dark-colored bodies. Their larvae, known as wireworms, live in soil, feeding on roots and tubers.
Key Facts About Click Beetles
Unique Mechanism: When flipped on their backs, they snap their thorax, launching themselves into the air while making a clicking sound.
Physical Appearance: They have hard, elongated, and often parallel-sided bodies (brown, black, or grey). Some species feature eye-like spots on their pronotum.
Larvae (Wireworms): The larvae are hard-bodied, slender, and yellow to brown, often resembling worms with six small legs. They can spend up to four years in the larval stage.
Diet and Habitat: Adults are primarily herbivorous, feeding on pollen and nectar, while larvae (wireworms) can be significant agricultural pests that damage crop roots, seeds, and tubers.
Behavior: They are nocturnal, often attracted to light, and may enter homes at night.
Defense: In addition to jumping, they may play dead when threatened.
Wednesday, 4 November 2020
2-11-2020 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - PETITE WAVE MOTH (Scopula minorata)
The Petite Wave moth (Scopula minorata) is a small geometer moth (15–20 mm wingspan) found across sub-Saharan Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and Southern Europe. It inhabits warm, dry lowland areas, with larvae being highly polyphagous, feeding on various plants. They are active from April to October.
Key Facts About the Petite Wave (Scopula minorata)
Appearance: Background color varies from light ocher to brown with dark, sometimes blackish, markings. They feature characteristic, often jagged, external transverse lines.
Wingspan: Small, typically 15–20 mm.
Distribution: Primarily Africa, Madagascar, the Arabian Peninsula, and Southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria).
Habitat: Dry and warm lowland, particularly coastal regions.
Flight Period: Generally flies from April to October, producing several generations per year.
Larval Food Plants: Polyphagous (feeds on many plants), including Mentha (mint), Rumex (dock), Tamarix, and others.
Identification: Difficult to distinguish from Scopula lactaria without examining genitalia.
Other Notes: Occasionally found in the UK as an adventive species (imported), particularly through produce.
Tuesday, 3 November 2020
Monday, 2 November 2020
2-11-2020 DEVESA PLAYA, VALENCIA - LITTLE EGRET (Egretta garzetta)
The Little Egret, Egretta garzetta, is a dainty heron adorned in pure white plumage. It is characterized by a slender black beak, long black legs, and, notably in the western race, yellow feet. This elegant bird is a sight to behold with its graceful neck and poised stance.
Adult Little Egrets measure between 55–65 cm in length with a wingspan of 88–106 cm, and weigh 350–550 g. Their plumage is predominantly white, though some may exhibit bluish-grey coloration. Breeding adults boast ornate nape plumes reaching about 150 mm, along with distinctive feathers on the breast and elongated scapulars. The bill and lores are black, with greenish-grey skin at the base of the lower mandible and around the eye, which houses a yellow iris. Legs are black with contrasting yellow feet, though juveniles may have greenish-black legs and duller feet. The subspecies E. g. nigripes is distinguished by yellow skin between the bill and eye, and blackish feet.
The Little Egret frequents a variety of wetland habitats, from the shores of lakes and rivers to marshes and coastal regions. It is often found in open environments, such as mangroves, swamps, mudflats, and sandy beaches, as well as human-altered landscapes like rice fields.
The species has a broad breeding distribution across warm temperate to tropical regions of Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe. Northern populations are migratory, wintering in Africa and southern Asia, while others remain as permanent residents in warmer areas.
Little Egrets are social yet territorial when feeding. They exhibit a range of foraging behaviors, from active chasing to patient ambush. Their movements are often in response to the presence of other animals, which may stir up prey.
The Little Egret's vocalizations include croaking and bubbling sounds at breeding colonies and a harsh alarm call when disturbed. These calls are similar to those of the Black-crowned Night Heron and the Cattle Egret.
Breeding colonies are often mixed with other water birds. Nests are platforms of sticks located in trees, shrubs, or reed beds. Clutches typically consist of three to five bluish-green eggs, incubated by both parents for about three weeks. The young fledge at approximately six weeks old.
The Little Egret can be confused with other white egrets, particularly the Snowy Egret, which shares some of its New World range. However, the Little Egret is larger and has more varied foraging strategies.
The diet is diverse, including fish, amphibians, small reptiles, mammals, birds, crustaceans, molluscs, insects, spiders, and worms. The Little Egret employs various hunting techniques, both in water and on land, to capture its prey.
The Little Egret is classified as "Least Concern" by the IUCN. Conservation measures in the 20th century have allowed populations to recover in Europe, and the species has been expanding its range. It is now successfully colonizing new areas, including the New World.
Its breeding distribution is in wetlands in warm temperate to tropical parts of Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe. A successful colonist, its range has gradually expanded north, with stable and self-sustaining populations now present in the United Kingdom.
In warmer locations, most birds are permanent residents; northern populations, including many European birds, migrate to Africa and southern Asia to over-winter there. The birds may also wander north in late summer after the breeding season, and their tendency to disperse may have assisted in the recent expansion of the bird's range. At one time common in Western Europe, it was hunted extensively in the 19th century to provide plumes for the decoration of hats and became locally extinct in northwestern Europe and scarce in the south. Around 1950, conservation laws were introduced in southern Europe to protect the species and their numbers began to increase. By the beginning of the 21st century the bird was breeding again in France, the Netherlands, Ireland and Britain. Its range is continuing to expand westward, and the species has begun to colonise the New World; it was first seen in Barbados in 1954 and first bred there in 1994.
Sunday, 1 November 2020
Saturday, 31 October 2020
31-10-2020 PARCO NATURALE DELLA LESSINIA, ITALY - EURASIAN NUTCRACKER (Nucifraga caryocatactes)
The spotted nutcracker, Eurasian nutcracker, or simply nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) is a passerine bird slightly larger than the Eurasian jay. It has a much larger bill and a slimmer looking head without any crest. The feathering over its body is predominantly chocolate brown with distinct white spots and streaks (absent from most of the body in southern Asian populations, which are sometimes treated as a separate species, southern nutcracker N. hemispila). The wings and upper tail are virtually black with a greenish-blue gloss.
The spotted nutcracker is one of three currently-recognized species of nutcracker. The Kashmir nutcracker (Nucifraga multipunctata) was formerly considered a subspecies of the spotted. The other member of the genus, Clark's nutcracker (N. columbiana), occurs in western North America.
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