24-4-2016 CANAL LES FONTS OLIVA, VALENCIA - LITTLE EGRET (Egretta garzetta)

The Little Egret is a small white heron with attractive white plumes on crest, back and chest, black legs and bill and yellow feet. It first appeared in the UK in significant numbers in 1989 and first bred in Dorset in 1996. Its arrival followed naturally from a range expansion into western and northern France in previous decades. It is now at home on numerous south coast sites, both as a breeding species and as a winter visitor.

With its yellow feet, which are used to flush prey when feeding in shallow water, the Little Egret is a distinctive member of the heron family.

Little Egrets first bred in Britain in 1996 and since then have successfully colonised much of southern Britain and Ireland. Most of the breeding colonies have been established within existing Grey Heron colonies, the two species nesting alongside one another.

The winter distribution is also currently restricted to the southern half of Britain & Ireland, despite the fact that young birds are known to move some distance from their natal site.

The plumage of the Little egret is normally entirely white, although there are dark forms with largely bluish-grey plumage. In the breeding season, the adult has two long plumes on the nape that form a crest. These plumes are about 150 mm (6 in) and are pointed and very narrow. There are similar feathers on the breast, but the barbs are more widely spread. There are also several elongated scapular feathers that have long loose barbs and may be 200 mm (8 in) long. During the winter the plumage is similar but the scapulars are shorter and more normal in appearance. The bill is long and slender and it and the lores are black. There is an area of greenish-grey bare skin at the base of the lower mandible and around the eye which has a yellow iris. The legs are black and the feet yellow. Juveniles are similar to non-breeding adults but have greenish-black legs and duller yellow feet, and may have a certain proportion of greyish or brownish feathers. The subspecies nigripes differs in having yellow skin between the bill and eye, and blackish feet. During the height of courtship, the lores turn red and the feet of the yellow-footed races turn red.

Little egrets are found in southern Europe, the Middle East, much of Africa, and southern Asia. Northern European populations are migratory and mostly travel to Africa although some remain in southern Europe, while some Asian populations migrate to the Philippines. The eastern subspecies is resident in Indonesia and New Guinea, while other populations inhabit Australia and New Zealand, but do not breed in the latter. Little egrets live in various habitats including the shores of lakes, rivers, canals, ponds, lagoons, marshes, and flooded land. These birds prefer open locations to dense cover. On the coast, they inhabit mangrove areas, swamps, mudflats, sandy beaches, estuaries, and reefs. Rice fields are an important habitat in Italy, and coastal and mangrove areas are important in Africa.

Little egrets are sociable birds and are often seen in small flocks. They are diurnal birds and feed mainly in the early morning and in the late afternoon. They use a variety of methods to procure their food; they stalk their prey in shallow water, often running with raised wings or shuffling their feet to disturb small fish, or may stand still and wait to ambush prey. Little egrets also make use of opportunities provided by cormorants disturbing fish or humans attracting fish by throwing bread into the water. On land, they walk or run while chasing their prey, feed on creatures disturbed by grazing livestock and ticks on the livestock, and even scavenge occasionally. Little egrets are silent birds in general, however, at their breeding colonies, they make various croaking and bubbling calls. When disturbed, they produce a harsh alarm call.

Population size

660,000-3.1Mln

Life Span

up to 22 years

Weight

350-550

goz

g oz 

Length

55-65

cminch

cm inch 

Wingspan

88-106

cminch

24-4-2016 CAMI LES FONTS OLIVA, VALENCIA - GREY HERON (Ardea cinerea)

The Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) is a large long-legged wading bird of the heron native to Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It lives in wetland areas and feeds on various aquatic creatures which it catches after standing stationary beside or in the water.

The plumage of the Grey heron is largely ashy-grey above, and greyish-white below with some black on the flanks. Adults have a head and neck white with a broad black supercilium that terminates in the slender, dangling crest, and bluish-black streaks on the front of the neck. The scapular feathers are elongated and the feathers at the base of the neck are also somewhat elongated. Immature birds lack the dark stripe on the head and are generally duller in appearance than adults, with a grey head and neck, and a small, dark grey crest. The pinkish-yellow beak is long, straight, and powerful, and is brighter in color in breeding adults. The iris is yellow and the legs are brown and very long.

Grey herons occur in most parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Over much of their range, these birds are resident, but populations from the more northerly parts of Europe migrate southwards; some remain in Central and Southern Europe, and others travel on to Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Grey herons can be found anywhere with suitable watery habitats that can supply their food. Although most common in the lowlands, they also occur in mountain tarns, lakes, reservoirs, large and small rivers, marshes, ponds, ditches, flooded areas, coastal lagoons, estuaries, and seashore. They sometimes forage away from water in the pasture, and can even be found in desert areas, hunting for beetles and lizards.

24-4-2016 CAMI LES FONTS OLIVA, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN GREENFINCH (Chloris chloris)

Male greenish overall with a rather stout pale pinkish bill, yellow flashes on wing and sides of tail. Female is much drabber, but shares male pattern; especially note the big, dull pinkish bill and yellow wing flash. Inhabits varied wooded and forested habitats, including parks, gardens, and farmland with hedges and scattered trees. Forms flocks in autumn and winter, sometimes moving in more open country. Often visits garden feeders. Listen for chattering song, interspersed with buzzy “dzweeeeee” calls. A Eurasian native, now introduced to southeastern South America, Australia, and New Zealand.

24-4-2016 OLIVA MARJAL - BLACK WINGED STILT (JUVENILE) (Himantopus himantopus)

Black-winged stilts (Himantopus himantopus) are very long-legged wading birds. They are found in both warm and hot climates, feed on small aquatic creatures, and nest on the ground surface in small colonies.

Adult Black-winged stilts have long, pink legs, and a long, rather thin black bill. They are generally black above and white below, with a white head and neck. Males have a black back, often with a greenish gloss or sheen. Females' backs have a brownish hue, contrasting with the black remiges. In populations where the top of the head is normally white (at least in winter), females tend to have less black on the head and neck the entire year round, while males often have much more black, particularly in summer. This difference is not clear-cut, however, and males usually grow all-white head feathers in winter. Immature birds are grey, instead of black, and have a markedly sandy hue on their wings, with light feather fringes appearing as a whitish line in flight.

Population size

450-780 Thou

Life Span

10-20 years

Weight

165-205

goz

g oz 

Length

33-36

cminch

cm inch 

Wingspan

75

cminch

cm inch 

Black-winged stilts are found across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North, Central and South Americas. Some populations are migratory and move to the ocean coasts in winter; those in warmer regions are generally resident or short-range vagrants. Black-winged stilts breed in freshwater and brackish marshes, shallow lakes, ponds, and flooded fields. They can also be found in mountainous areas near lakes, river deltas, estuaries, coastal lagoons and marshes, salt meadows, and mudflats.

Black-winged stilts are very gregarious birds. They often gather in groups of around 20 individuals and may migrate or roost in large flocks of several thousand birds. Black-winged tilts are mainly diurnal; however, they are also adapted to nocturnal vision and may also forage even on moonless nights. Black-winged stilts feed in shallow water, wading slowly picking up their food from the water surface or sand.

Black-winged stilts are serially monogamous; they form pairs and maintain their bonds only during one breeding season. These birds may nest singly or in loose colonies and each pair defends vigorously their nest site and territory around it. The nest is a bare spot on the ground located near water. The female lays up to 4 eggs which are then incubated for about 3-4 weeks by both parents. Chicks hatch well-developed and can leave the nest within 24 hours. They fledge around 1 month after hatching and become independent 2-4 weeks later. Young Black-winged tilts become reproductively mature and start to breed when they are 1 or 2 years old.

There are no known major threats facing Black-winged stilts at present.

24-4-2016 MONTE CORONA - SPECKLED WOOD BUTTERFLY (Pararge aegeria)

22-4-2016 MONTE CORONA - COAL TIT (Periparus ater)

The Coal tit (Periparus ater) is a small passerine bird widespread and common resident breeder throughout the temperate to subtropical Palearctic, including North Africa.

The Coal tit has a distinctive large white nape spot on its black head. The head, throat, and neck of the adult are glossy blue-black, setting off the off-white sides of the face (tinged grey to yellow depending on subspecies) and the brilliant white nape; the white tips of the wing coverts appear as two wingbars. The underparts are whitish shading through buff to rufous on the flanks. The bill is black, the legs lead-colored, and the irides dark brown. The young birds are duller than the adults, lacking gloss on the black head, and with the white of nape and cheeks tinged with yellow.

Population size

90-165 Mlnlnn

Life Span

2-4 years

Weight

8-10

goz

g oz 

Length

10-11.5

cminch

cm inch 

Wingspan

17-21

cminch

Coal tits are found throughout Europe, Asia, and North Africa. They are all-year residents throughout almost all range, making only local movements in response to particularly severe weather; only the Siberian birds have a more regular migration. Coal tits prefer humid conifer forests but also frequent shrubland, conifer plantations, gardens, and urban areas.

Coal tits are social birds and often form small flocks in winter with other tits. They resemble other tits in acrobatic skill and restless activity, though they more frequently pitch on a trunk, and in little hops resemble a treecreeper. Coal tits are active during the day spending most of their time searching for food trees. They also visit gardens to feed on a variety of foods put out, particularly sunflower seeds. While searching for food, Coal tit flocks keep contact with incessant short 'dee' or 'see-see' calls. Their song is a strident 'if-he, if-he, if-he', heard most frequently from January to June, but also in autumn. The song resembles that of the Great tit, but much faster and higher in pitch. North African birds also have a 'currr' call similar to that of the European crested tit which is not found in Africa.

Coal tits breed once per year between March and late July. They prefer to nest in a hole in a rotting tree stump, often low down, and the nest is deep within the hole; holes in the ground, burrows of mice or rabbits, chinks between the stones in walls, old nests of Pica magpies or other large birds, and squirrel dreys are also occupied. The materials, moss, hair, and grass, are closely felted together, and rabbit fur or feathers are added for the lining. The female lays 7 to 11 red-spotted white eggs and incubates them for 14-16 days. The chicks hatch blind and helpless and remain in the nest for about 14 to 19 days.

22-4-2014 GANDIA PLAYA, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN SERIN (FEMALE) (Serinus serinus)

22-4-2014 GANDIA PLAYA, VALENCIA - GREY HERON (Ardea cinerea)

13-4-2016 MONTE CORONA - WAVED UMBER MOTH (Menophra abruptaria)

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 and south-western Germany. 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.

13-4-2016 MONTE CORONA - HOUSE SPARROW (MALE) (Passer domesticus)

The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of 16 cm (6.3 in) and a mass of 24–39.5 g (0.85–1.39 oz). Females and young birds are coloured pale brown and grey, and males have brighter black, white, and brown markings. One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the house sparrow is native to most of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, and a large part of Asia. Its intentional or accidental introductions to many regions, including parts of Australasia, Africa, and the Americas, make it the most widely distributed wild bird.

The house sparrow is strongly associated with human habitation, and can live in urban or rural settings. Though found in widely varied habitats and climates, it typically avoids extensive woodlands, grasslands, polar regions, and hot, dry deserts far away from human development. For sustenance, the house sparrow routinely feeds at home and public bird feeding stations, but naturally feeds on the seeds of grains, flowering plants and weeds. However, it is an opportunistic, omnivorous eater, and commonly catches insects, their larvae, caterpillars, invertebrates and many other natural foods.

19-4-2016 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - WHITE WAGTAIL (Motacilla alba)

The White wagtail (Motacilla alba) is a small insectivorous bird of the open country, often near habitation and water. It prefers bare areas for feeding, where it can see and pursue its prey. In urban areas, it has adapted to foraging on paved areas such as car parks. It is the national bird of Latvia and has been featured on the stamps of several countries.

The White wagtail is a slender bird with the characteristic long, constantly wagging tail of its genus. There are a number of other subspecies, some of which may have arisen because of partial geographical isolation, such as the resident British and Irish form, the pied wagtail M. a. yarrellii, which now also breeds in adjacent areas of the neighbouring European mainland. The Pied wagtail exchanges the grey colour of the nominate form with black (or very dark grey in females), but is otherwise identical in its behaviour. Other subspecies, the validity of some of which is questionable, differ in the colour of the wings, back, and head, or other features. Some races show sexual dimorphism during the breeding season. As many as six subspecies may be present in the wintering ground in India or Southeast Asia and here they can be difficult to distinguish.

White wagtails breed throughout Eurasia, only being absent in the Arctic. They also breed in the mountains of Morocco and western Alaska. These birds are residents in the milder parts of their range such as western Europe and the Mediterranean, but migratory in much of the rest of their range. Northern European breeders winter around the Mediterranean and in tropical and subtropical Africa, and Asiatic birds move to the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia. Birds from the North American population also winter in tropical Asia. White wagtails occupy a wide range of habitats but are absent from deserts. They inhabit grasslands, seashores, rocky shorelines, sand beaches, tidepools, rivers, lakeshores, farmland, gardens, and parks. They are also often found in towns and villages.

White wagtails are usually seen alone or in pairs, but during migration, they often gather in flocks at good feeding areas or roost at night. These birds feed by day on the ground or on the wing. They may also forage in shallow water catching prey in the mud or may hover over water. The most conspicuous habit of White wagtails is a near-constant tail wagging, a trait that has given the birds their common name. The reasons for this behavior are poorly understood but it has been suggested that wagtails may flush prey, or signal submissiveness to other wagtails. The call of these birds is a sharp 'chisick' and their song consists of twittering phrases; the males use a series of contact calls to attract the female.

9-4-2016 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - SPOTLESS STARLING (Sturnus unicolor)

The spotless starling (Sturnus unicolor ) is a passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is closely related to the common starling (S. vulgaris ), but has a much more restricted range, confined to the Iberian Peninsula, Northwest Africa, southernmost France, and the islands of Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia. It is largely non-migratory.

The adult spotless starling is very similar to the common starling, but marginally larger (21–23 cm length; 70–100 g weight), and has darker, oily-looking black plumage, slightly purple- or green-glossed in bright light, which is entirely spotless in spring and summer, and only with very small pale spots in winter plumage, formed by the pale tips of the feathers. It also differs in having conspicuously longer throat feathers (twice the length of those on common starlings), forming a shaggy "beard" which is particularly obvious when the bird is singing. Its legs are bright pink. In summer, the bill is yellow with a bluish base in males and a pinkish base in females; in winter, it is duller, often blackish. Young birds are dull brown, darker than young common starlings, and have a black bill and brown legs. 

Confusion with the common starling is particularly easy during the winter, when common starlings are abundant throughout the spotless starling's range, but also in summer where their breeding ranges overlap in northeastern Spain and the far south of France. It can also be confused with the common blackbird (Turdus merula ), which differs most obviously in its longer tail and lack of plumage gloss.

Like the common starling, it walks rather than hops, and has a strong direct flight, looking triangular-winged and short-tailed. It is a noisy bird and a good mimic; its calls are similar to the common starling's, but louder.

The spotless starling uses a wide range of habitats and can be found in any reasonably open environment, from farmland and olive groves to human habitation. The highest population densities are in open grazed holm oak woods, and in urban habitats such as Gibraltar, where it is common. The population has grown in recent decades with a northward expansion in range, spreading to the whole of Spain (previously absent from the northeast) between 1950 and 1980, and colonising locally along the southern coast of mainland France since 1983. Like its more common relative, it is an omnivore, taking a wide variety of invertebrates, berries, and human-provided scraps. It is gregarious, forming sizeable flocks, often mixed with common starlings, of up to 100,000 in winter.

Like most starlings, it is a cavity-nesting species, breeding in tree holes, buildings and in cliff crevices. It typically lays three to five eggs.