5-7-2017 EL FONDO, ALICANTE - SQUACCO HERON (Ardeola ralloides)

5-7-2017 EL HONDO, ELCHE - SQUACCO HERON (Ardeola ralloides)

The Squacco Heron, Ardeola ralloides, is a diminutive member of the heron family, measuring a mere 44–47 cm in length, with a compact body of 20–23 cm and a wingspan stretching 80–92 cm. This species is adorned with a buff-brown back and, during the summer months, adults boast elongated neck feathers that add to their allure.

In the field, one may identify the Squacco Heron by its stocky build, abbreviated neck, and stout bill. Its back is cloaked in a buff-brown hue. When in flight, the heron undergoes a remarkable transformation, revealing a predominantly white plumage that contrasts starkly with its resting appearance.

The Squacco Heron favors marshy wetlands in temperate regions for its habitat, where the water is warm and inviting.

Originating from the Old World, the Squacco Heron breeds in the southern reaches of Europe and extends into the Greater Middle East. When not breeding, it migrates to winter in the African continent.

This species is migratory by nature, seeking the warmer climates of Africa to spend the winter. It is seldom seen north of its breeding grounds. The Squacco Heron has been observed as a vagrant in the Fernando de Noronha islands and, on rarer occasions, in mainland South America. It nests in modest colonies, often in the company of other wading birds, and constructs its nests from sticks on platforms in trees or shrubs.

The Squacco Heron selects freshwater locales across Europe and the Middle East to breed, later migrating southward to the Sub-Saharan African region. During the breeding season, they lay a clutch of three to four eggs.

Adept at foraging, the Squacco Heron feeds on a diet consisting of fish, frogs, and insects, making the most of its wetland environment.

The IUCN Red List currently classifies the Squacco Heron as Least Concern, indicating a stable population without immediate threats to its survival.

Non-breeding Squacco Herons share certain physical characteristics with other heron species such as the Indian Pond Heron and the Malagasy Pond Heron, including tawny plumage, lighter streaking, a smaller bill, and narrower wing tips.

5-7-2017 EL FONDO, ALICANTE - EURASIAN COOT (Fulica atra)

5-7-2017 EL FONDO, ALICANTE - BLACK WINGED STILT (Himantopus himantopus)

The Black-winged Stilt, Himantopus himantopus, is a slender wader known for its strikingly long, pink legs and contrasting black-and-white plumage. This elegant bird is a member of the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae.

Adult Black-winged Stilts measure 33–36 cm in length. They possess a long, thin black bill and display a distinctive black and white coloration. The head and neck are predominantly white, with variable black markings depending on the sex and subspecies. Males typically have a glossy or greenish sheen on their black backs, while females exhibit a more brownish tinge. During flight, their long legs trail behind, and their wingbeats are steady.

These birds favor marshes, shallow lakes, and ponds as their breeding grounds. They are also known to inhabit coastal areas during migration and in the winter months.

The Black-winged Stilt has a wide range, extending across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Some populations migrate to coastal regions in winter, while others in milder climates may remain resident or engage in short-range movements.

Black-winged Stilts are often seen foraging in shallow waters, gracefully picking insects and crustaceans from the surface. They are known to nest in small groups, sometimes alongside avocets, and exhibit a variety of courtship behaviors, including intricate displays and duets.

5-7-2017 EL FONDO, ALICANTE - MARBLED TEAL (Marmaronetta angustirostris)

The Marbled Duck, or Marbled Teal, is a medium-sized duck adorned with a pale sandy-brown plumage, intricately mottled with off-white markings. Its scientific name, Marmaronetta angustirostris, reflects its marbled appearance and narrow bill. The species is characterized by a distinctive dark eye-patch and a somewhat shaggy head. Adults span approximately 39–42 cm in length, with females typically being slightly smaller than males. Juveniles resemble adults but exhibit more pronounced off-white blotching.

When identifying the Marbled Duck, look for its unique pale coloration and marbled pattern. The lack of a speculum on the secondaries and the pale wings without a marked pattern are key features to note in flight. The dark eye-patch and shaggy head are also distinctive characteristics that aid in identification.

The Marbled Duck favors temporary and shallow fresh, brackish, or alkaline waters with densely vegetated shores. These habitats are often found in otherwise dry regions and may include coastal lagoons, slow-moving rivers, and man-made reservoirs.

Once widespread across the Mediterranean region, the Marbled Duck's range has now contracted to select areas in southern Spain, southern Italy, northwest Africa, and the broader Levant. Its presence extends to the Mesopotamian marshland in southern Iraq, Iran, and isolated pockets in Armenia, Azerbaijan, South European Russia, western India, and western China.

This species exhibits nomadic tendencies, with some populations dispersing from breeding grounds to winter in the Sahel zone, south of the Sahara. The Marbled Duck is gregarious, often forming flocks, which can be small or, in some cases, quite large, particularly in wintering areas like Khuzestan, Iran.

Marbled Ducks breed in habitats with dense vegetation along the water's edge. They lay an average of 12 eggs in nests that are typically on the ground but may occasionally be found among reeds or on reed-made structures.

The diet of the Marbled Duck consists mainly of seeds from plants like Scirpus and Ruppia, invertebrates such as aquatic insect larvae and pupae, tiny crustaceans, and ants. They are equipped with a gizzard to break down seeds and lamellae in their beak for filter-feeding on zooplankton. Juveniles primarily consume invertebrates and small seeds, lacking the developed gizzard of adults.

The Marbled Duck is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN. The species faces threats from habitat destruction and hunting, leading to a decline in its population. It is protected under the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA).

5-7-2017 SANTA POLA, ALICANTE - COMMON GREENSHANK (Tringa nebularia)

The common greenshank (Tringa nebularia) is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae, the typical waders. The genus name Tringa is the Neo-Latin name given to the green sandpiper by Aldrovandus in 1599 based on Ancient Greek trungas, a thrush-sized, white-rumped, tail-bobbing wading bird mentioned by Aristotle. The specific nebularia is from Latin nebula "mist". Like the Norwegian Skoddefoll, this refers to the greenshank's damp marshy habitat.

This is a subarctic bird, breeding from northern Scotland eastwards across northern Europe and east across the Palearctic. It is a migratory species, wintering in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and Australasia, usually on fresh water. It breeds on dry ground near marshy areas, laying about four eggs in a ground scrape.

5-7-2017 SANTA POLA, ALICANTE - RUDDY TURNSTONE (Arenaria interpres)

The ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres ) is a small wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria.

It is now classified in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae but was formerly sometimes placed in the plover family Charadriidae. It is a highly migratory bird, breeding in northern parts of Eurasia and North America and flying south to winter on coastlines almost worldwide. It is the only species of turnstone in much of its range and is often known simply as turnstone.

Ruddy turnstones are small highly migratory wading birds. In all seasons, their plumage is dominated by a harlequin-like pattern of black and white. Breeding birds have reddish-brown upperparts with black markings. The head is mainly white with black streaks on the crown and a black pattern on the face. The breast is mainly black apart from a white patch on the sides. The rest of the underparts are white. The females are slightly duller than the males and have a browner head with more streaking. Non-breeding adults are duller than breeding birds and have dark grey-brown upperparts with black mottling and a dark head with little white. Juvenile birds have a pale brown head and pale fringes to the upperpart feathers creating a scaly impression.

Ruddy turnstones breed in northern parts of Eurasia and North America and fly south to winter on coastlines almost worldwide. Some non-breeding birds remain year-round in many parts of the wintering range, with some of those birds still taking on breeding plumage in the spring and summer. Ruddy turnstones can survive in a wide range of habitats and climatic conditions from the Arctic to tropical. They prefer to breed in open tundra with water nearby. Outside the breeding season, they are found along coasts, particularly on rocky or stony shores, and may venture onto open grassy areas near the coast. They are often found on man-made structures such as breakwaters and jetties. Small numbers sometimes turn up on inland wetlands, especially during the spring and autumn migrations.

17-9-2015 ALCALA DE JUCAR, ALBACETE - MALLARD (FEMALE) (Anas platyrhynchos)

The mallard (/ˈmælɑːrd, ˈmælərd/) or wild duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Falkland Islands, and South Africa. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae. Males have green heads, while the females (hens or ducks) have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Both sexes have an area of white-bordered black or iridescent purple or blue feathers called a speculum on their wings; males especially tend to have blue speculum feathers. The mallard is 50–65 cm (20–26 in) long, of which the body makes up around two-thirds the length. The wingspan is 81–98 cm (32–39 in) and the bill is 4.4 to 6.1 cm (1.7 to 2.4 in) long. It is often slightly heavier than most other dabbling ducks, weighing 0.7–1.6 kg (1.5–3.5 lb). Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are social animals preferring to congregate in groups or flocks of varying sizes.

The female lays 8 to 13 creamy white to greenish-buff spotless eggs, on alternate days. Incubation takes 27 to 28 days and fledging takes 50 to 60 days. The ducklings are precocial and fully capable of swimming as soon as they hatch.

The mallard is considered to be a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Unlike many waterfowl, mallards are considered an invasive species in some regions. It is a very adaptable species, being able to live and even thrive in urban areas which may have supported more localised, sensitive species of waterfowl before development. The non-migratory mallard interbreeds with indigenous wild ducks of closely related species through genetic pollution by producing fertile offspring. Complete hybridisation of various species of wild duck gene pools could result in the extinction of many indigenous waterfowl. This species is the main ancestor of most breeds of domestic duck, and its naturally evolved wild gene pool has been genetically polluted by the domestic and feral mallard populations.

12-10-2015 CULLERA, VALENCIA - RED VEINED DARTER DRAGONFLY (MALE) (Sympetrum fonscolombii)

The red-veined darter or nomad(Sympetrum fonscolombii) is a dragonfly of the genus Sympetrum.

There is genetic and behavioural evidence that S. fonscolombii is not closely related to the other members of the genus Sympetrum and it will at some time in the future be removed from this genus.

Sympetrum fonscolombii is a widespread and common species in much of central and southern Europe including most Mediterranean islands, North Africa, the Middle East, Mongolia, south-western Asia, including the Indian Subcontinent, the Indian Ocean Islands and Sri Lanka. In Europe it is resident in the south of its range but in some years it migrates northward. From the 1990s onwards has increasingly been found in northwest Europe, including Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Britain and Ireland. It is the only Libellulidae to be found in the Azores and it is also found on the Canary Islands and Madeira.

It breeds in a wide range of habitats including marshes, lakes, ponds, permanent and seasonal rivers. It is able to recolonize dry areas after a rainfall.

Sympetrum fonscolombii can reach a body length of 38–40 millimetres (1.5–1.6 in). This species is similar to other Sympetrum species but a good view with binoculars should give a positive identification, especially with a male.

Males have a red abdomen, redder than many other Sympetrum species. The frons and the thorax are red-brown. The eyes are brown above and blue/grey below. The wings have red veins and the wing bases of the hind-wings are yellow. The pterostigma is pale yellow with a border of black veins.

Female are similar but the abdomen is ochre yellow, not red, with two black lines along each side. The wings have yellow veins at the costa, leading edge and base, not red veins as found in the males. The legs of both sexes are mostly black with some yellow.

Immature males are like females but often with more red and a single line along each side of the abdomen.

7-9-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - HOUSE SPARROW (FEMALE) (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.

7-9-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - SQUACCO HERON (Ardeola ralloides)

The squacco heron is a migrant, wintering in Africa. It is rare north of its breeding range. The species has been recorded in Fernando de Noronha islands, and more rarely in mainland South America, as a vagrant. This is a stocky species with a short neck, short thick bill and buff-brown back. In summer, adults have long neck feathers. Its appearance is transformed in flight, when it looks very white due to the colour of the wings.

The squacco heron's breeding habitat is marshy wetlands in warm countries. The birds nest in small colonies, often with other wading birds, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. Three to four eggs are laid. They feed on fish, frogs and insects.

The Squacco Heron uses freshwater localities throughout Europe and the Middle East as breeding grounds to later migrate south to the Sub-Saharan African region. Non-breeding Squacco Herons share similar traits with other heron species like the Indian Pond Heron and Malagasy Pond Heron which show tawny color plumage, lighter streaking, smaller bill, and narrower wing tips.

7-9-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - LITTLE EGRET (Egretta garzetta)

The little egret is a small entirely white heron, with yellow facial skin and a rapier-like black bill. Its legs and bill are black, with yellow soles to its long toes. In breeding plumage, a pair of long, slender plumes grow from the back of the head, curving elegantly down to the back, and filamentous plumes develop on the lower back and breast. The facial skin turns bright red or blue when breeding, but this has not been reported in New Zealand. Juvenile birds have greenish-black legs and duller yellow feet.

The little egret is widely distributed throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. It is reasonably common in most states of Australia but is listed as threatened in Victoria. The main threats to little egrets elsewhere are from coastal reclamation and wetland draining, especially in its feeding and breeding areas of Asia. In New Zealand, little egrets occur almost exclusively in estuarine habitats.

30-8-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - SQUACCO HERON (Ardeola ralloides)

The squacco heron is a migrant, wintering in Africa. It is rare north of its breeding range. The species has been recorded in Fernando de Noronha islands, and more rarely in mainland South America, as a vagrant. This is a stocky species with a short neck, short thick bill and buff-brown back. In summer, adults have long neck feathers. Its appearance is transformed in flight, when it looks very white due to the colour of the wings.

The squacco heron's breeding habitat is marshy wetlands in warm countries. The birds nest in small colonies, often with other wading birds, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. Three to four eggs are laid. They feed on fish, frogs and insects.

The Squacco Heron uses freshwater localities throughout Europe and the Middle East as breeding grounds to later migrate south to the Sub-Saharan African region. Non-breeding Squacco Herons share similar traits with other heron species like the Indian Pond Heron and Malagasy Pond Heron which show tawny color plumage, lighter streaking, smaller bill, and narrower wing tips.

13-11-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - GREEN SANDPIPER (Tringa ochropus)

The green sandpiper (Tringa ochropus ) is a small wader (shorebird) of the Old World.

The green sandpiper represents an ancient lineage of the genus Tringa ; its only close living relative is the solitary sandpiper (T. solitaria ). They both have brown wings with little light dots and a delicate but contrasting neck and chest pattern. In addition, both species nest in trees, unlike most other scolopacids.

Given its basal position in Tringa, it is fairly unsurprising that suspected cases of hybridisation between this species and the common sandpiper (A. hypoleucos ) of the sister genus Actitis have been reported.

This species is a somewhat plump wader with a dark greenish-brown back and wings, greyish head and breast and otherwise white underparts. The back is spotted white to varying extents, being maximal in the breeding adult, and less in winter and young birds. The legs and short bill are both dark green.

It is conspicuous and characteristically patterned in flight, with the wings dark above and below and a brilliant white rump. The latter feature reliably distinguishes it from the slightly smaller but otherwise very similar solitary sandpiper (T. solitaria ) of North America.

In flight it has a characteristic three-note whistle.

The green sandpiper breeds across subarctic Europe and east across the Palearctic and is a migratory bird, wintering in southern Europe, the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and tropical Africa. Food is small invertebrate items picked off the mud as this species works steadily around the edges of its chosen pond.

This is not a gregarious species, although sometimes small numbers congregate in suitable feeding areas. Green sandpiper is very much a bird of freshwater, and is often found in sites too restricted for other waders, which tend to like a clear all-round view.

It lays 2–4 eggs in an old tree nest of another species, such as a fieldfare (Turdus pilaris ). The clutch takes about three weeks to hatch.

13-11-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - WHITE WAGTAIL (Motacilla alba)

13-11-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - GREY HERON (Ardea cinerea)

13-11-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR - GREY WAGTAIL (Motacilla cinerea)

Grey wagtails (Motacilla cinerea) are slender ground-feeding insectivorous birds of open country. They are always associated with running water when breeding, although they may use man-made structures near streams for the nest. Outside the breeding season, these birds may also be seen around lakes, coasts, and other watery habitats. Like other wagtails, they frequently wag their tail and fly low with undulations and they have a sharp call that is often given in flight.

The Grey wagtail has a narrow white supercilium and a broken eye ring. The upperparts are grey and the yellow vent contrasting with whitish underparts makes it distinctive. The breeding male has a black throat that is edged by whitish moustachial stripes. They forage singly or in pairs on meadows or on shallow water marshes. They also use rocks in water and will often perch on trees. They have a clear sharp call note and the song consists of trills.

Grey wagtails are widely distributed across the Palearctic region. They are found from western Europe including the British Isles, Scandinavia, and Mediterranean region, and to eastern Europe and northeastern and central parts of Asia. Some populations are migratory and winter in Africa and Asia. Grey wagtails inhabit mountain streams, lakes, and rivers with exposed rocks, canals, farmlands, tea plantations, and even urban areas.

Grey wagtails are active during the day and forage singly or in pairs on meadows or on shallow water marshes. They also use rocks in the water and will often perch on trees. In winter, Grey wagtails often forage along roadsides; when flushed they make a sharp 'chi-cheep' call and fly up further along the road but after some distance turn back to return to the original location. During the winter, these birds also often roost in small groups. They communicate with clear sharp call notes and their song consists of trills.

Grey wagtails are monogamous and form pairs. Their breeding season occurs from April to July. The male performs a display in which he makes short flights up into the air and descends slowly with fluttering flight accompanied by a rapid series of chipping high notes. Grey wagtails place their nests on the ground near fast running streams or rivers on an embankment between stones and roots. In Europe, their nests are often made in holes in manmade structures. The female lays a clutch of 3-6 speckled eggs; these birds may raise multiple broods with declining numbers in the clutch in subsequent broods. The incubation period is about 2 weeks done by both parents. The chicks fledge 2 weeks after hatching but their parents continue to feed them for 2-3 weeks more.

3-7-2017 RIO SERPIS POTTRIES, VALENCIA - LITTLE RINGED PLOVER (Charadrius dubius)

The little ringed plover (Charadrius dubius ) is a small plover. The genus name Charadrius is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. It derives from Ancient Greek kharadrios a bird found in river valleys (kharadra, "ravine"). The specific dubius is Latin for doubtful, since Sonnerat, writing in 1776, thought this bird might be just a variant of common ringed plover.

Adult little ringed plovers have a grey-brown back and wings, a white belly and a white breast with one black neckband. They have a brown cap, a white forehead, a black mask around the eyes with white above and a short dark bill. The legs are flesh-coloured and the toes are all webbed.

This species differs from the larger ringed plover in leg colour, the head pattern, and the presence of a clear yellow eye-ring.

Their breeding habitat is open gravel areas near freshwater, including gravel pits, islands and river edges across the Palearctic including northwestern Africa. They nest on the ground on stones with little or no plant growth. Both males and females take turns incubating the eggs.

They are migratory and winter in Africa. These birds forage for food on muddy areas, usually by sight. They eat insects and worms.

Delicately built small plover with bright yellow eyerings. Note dull pinkish legs and large white forehead patch (in adults). Plumage much like bulkier Ringed Plover, but white eyebrow continues unbroken across forehead. In flight shows narrow, indistinct whitish wing stripe. Breeds on stony substrates around lakes, gravel pits, and along rivers; migrants occur in wide variety of fresh and brackish wetland habitats, but rarely out on open tidal areas. Clipped “peu” call quite distinct from call of similar Common Ringed Plover.

Even without close scrutiny, spring will see Little Ringed Plover especially being vocal and ostentatious, performing its slow-flapping display flight like a giant butterfly or bat, and chasing rivals around potential habitat with loud harsh prree calls. This contrasts with its more usual pee-oo vocalisation, as well as with Ringed Plover’s poo-eep or peep sounds. The latter also has a quieter, more ground-based display involving the horizontal flattening of its body and tail and raising of the wings.

Both species can share gravelly habitats for breeding, even inland. Little Ringed is a more slender, slightly longer-legged bird with a bright yellow eyering, an all-black beak – bar a small amount of yellow at the base of the lower mandible – and a white line above the black-and-white forehead, as well as the black lores that both species have.

The stockier Ringed Plover has thick, bright orange legs as opposed to Little Ringed’s twig-like dull pink. Ringed also has a much thicker black breast band and an orange base to its black-tipped beak.

In flight, the two are hard to confuse, as Ringed Plover has an obvious thin white wing-bar stretching onto the primaries, whereas ‘LRP’ has a very faint secondary bar at most. Both have white outer tail feathers, but these are more apparent in Ringed.

3-7-2017 ADOR CAMPO, VALENCIA - EURASIAN KESTREL (Falco tinnunculus)

3-7-2017 RIO SERPIS POTTRIES, VALENCIA - WHITE WAGTAIL (Motacilla alba)

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 rraces 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. 

28-6-2017 TANCAT DE MILLIA, VALENCIA - SCARLET DARTER DRAGONFLY (Crocothemis erythraea)