28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - LACED WOODPECKER (MALE) (Picus vittatus)

The laced woodpecker (Picus vittatus) is a species of bird in the family Picidae.

It is found throughout Southeast Asia in the countries of Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. A sole specimen recorded for Bangladesh has since been reidentified as a streak-breasted woodpecker.

Typical green woodpecker, with a tea-green back, gray face, and solid black moustache stripe. Male has a bright red crown while female has a dull black one. Strikingly striped wings most readily seen in flight. Gives sharp, loud “kip” calls and more strident two-note calls during confrontations. In southwestern Thailand and southern Myanmar, look out for the similar Streak-breasted Woodpecker, which has a faded, indistinct moustache stripe in both sexes. Also compare with Streak-throated Woodpecker, which, as the name suggests, has noticeable streaking on the throat, as well as a more indistinct moustache stripe.

28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - CHESTNUT MUNIA (Lonchura atricapilla)

The chestnut munia or black-headed munia (Lonchura atricapilla ) is a small passerine. It was formerly considered conspecific with the closely related tricoloured munia, but is now widely recognized as a separate species. This estrildid finch is a resident breeding bird in Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, Nepal, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Hawaii. It also has been introduced to all the Greater Antilles and Martinique in the Caribbean.

Before 1995, it was the national bird of the Philippines, where it is known as mayang pula ("red maya") because of its brick red patch on the lower back which is visible only when it flies. (This distinguishes it from other birds locally called maya, notably the predominantly brownish "mayang simbahan" (tree sparrow) which is more common in urban areas.)

14-5-2016 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR - GREY WAGTAIL (Motacilla cinerea)

This slim 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.

The breeding season is April to July and the nest is placed near fast running streams or rivers on an embankment between stones and roots. The male in display, makes short flights up into the air and descends slowly with fluttering flight accompanied by a rapid series of chipping high notes. In Europe the nests are often made in holes in manmade structures. The clutch consists of 3–6 speckled eggs and multiple broods may be raised with declining numbers in the clutch in subsequent broods. The usual clutch size is five in Ireland and the breeding success is about 80% with predation of eggs or chicks being the main cause of breeding failure. The Canary Islands population typically have smaller clutches and the breeding season is not as short and well marked as in populations at higher latitudes. The incubation period is about two weeks with chicks fledging within a fortnight. They live for a maximum of 8 years in the wild.

The grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) is a member of the wagtail family, Motacillidae, measuring around 18–19 cm overall length. The species looks somewhat similar to the yellow wagtail but has the yellow on its underside restricted to the throat and vent. Breeding males have a black throat. The species is widely distributed, with several populations breeding in Eurosiberia and migrating to tropical regions in Asia and Africa. The species is always associated with running water when breeding, although they may use man-made structures near streams for the nest. Outside the breeding season, they 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.

16-3-2018 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - TYPICAL CRANE FLY (Superfamily Tipuloidea)

19-3-2017 TARCOLES RIVER, COSTA RICA - RINGED KINGFISHER (MALE) (Megaceryle torquata)

The ringed kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata) is a large, conspicuous, and noisy kingfisher bird commonly found along the lower Rio Grande Valley in southeasternmost Texas in the United States through Central America to Tierra del Fuego in South America.

Ringed kingfishers can be identified by sex due to differences in coloration. The males possess rusty-brown underparts with white undertail coverts and a white throat. Females have a bluish-gray band seen on upper breast and a whitish band.

16-3-2018 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - GREEN HAIRSTREAK (Callophrys rubi)

16-3-2018 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - OLD WORLD SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY (Papilio machaon)

11-5-2016 ALCOY, ALICANTE - PLANTAIN FAMILY (Antirrhinum controversum)

Flower Color: Pale pink.

Flowering: February to November.

Ecology: Ruderal and rock-covered vegetation. It grows in fissures and rocky landings, on walls, on the edge of roads and in stony areas. It is indifferent to the substrate, with a marked preference for limestone. It grows in places with disturbed, rocky or stony soils, slightly nitrified, preferably in sunny to semi-shaded areas and in areas with mild winters.

Altitude range: 10 – 1,600 m.

Distribution: Iberian endemism . Dispersed throughout the southeastern third of the Iberian Peninsula.

11-5-2016 ALCOY, ALICANTE - SMOOTH GOLDEN FLEECE ( Urospermum dalechampii)

Urospermum dalechampii, the smooth golden fleece or simply the golden-fleece, is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the genus Urospermum of the family Asteraceae.

Urospermum dalechampii reaches on average 25–40 centimetres (9.8–15.7 in) of height, with a minimum height of 10 centimetres (3.9 in) and a maximum height of 50 centimetres (20 in). This plant is quite hairy, with a single or branched stem. Basal leaves are usually arranged in a rosette of toothed leaves, while cauline leaves are just a few and smaller, more or less undivided and amplexicaul. The flowers are hermaphrodite. The flower heads are yellow sulfur, about five centimeter wide. Involucral bracts vary from seven to eight. Blooms are abundant throughout the Spring. The flowering period extends from March through August. The long, beaked fruit is an achene, and has a feathery, slightly reddish pappus.

This plant occurs in Western and Central Mediterranean from Spain to Dalmatia and North Africa.

These plants can be found on roadsides, dry grasslands or wastelands at 0–1,200 metres (0–3,937 ft) above sea level. They are commonly grown in drained soil and sunny places throughout the year.

11-5-2016 ALCOY, ALICANTE - MALLOW BINDWEED (Convolvulus althaeoides)

Convolvulus althaeoides is a species of morning glory known by the common names mallow bindweed and mallow-leaved bindweed. This flowering plant is native to the Mediterranea Basin, but it is occasionally seen in other areas of similar climate, such as California in the United States, where it has been introduced. This is a climbing perennial plant with solitary flowers on long peduncles. The flower is a funnel-shaped pink bloom three or four centimeters wide. The leaves are deeply divided into narrow, fingerlike lobes.

11-5-2016 ALCOY, ALICANTE - BROWN GARDEN SNAIL (Cornu aspersum)

Cornu aspersum (syn. Helix aspersa, Cryptomphalus aspersus), known by the common name garden snail, is a species of land snail in the family Helicidae, which includes some of the most familiar land snails. Of all terrestrial molluscs, this species may well be the most widely known. It was classified under the name Helix aspersa for over two centuries, but the prevailing classification now places it in the genus Cornu.

The snail is relished as a food item in some areas, but it is also widely regarded as a pest in gardens and in agriculture, especially in regions where it has been introduced accidentally, and where snails are not usually considered to be a menu item.

9-5-2016 PEGO MARSHES, ALICANTE - ZITTING CISTICOLA (Cisticola juncidis)

The zitting cisticola or streaked fantail warbler (Cisticola juncidis ) is a widely distributed Old World warbler whose breeding range includes southern Europe, Africa (outside the deserts and rainforest), and southern Asia down to northern Australia. A small bird found mainly in grasslands, it is best identified by its rufous rump; as well, it lacks any gold on the collar and the brownish tail is tipped with white. During the breeding season, males have a zigzagging flight display accompanied by regular "zitting" calls that have been likened to repeated snips of a scissor. They build their pouch nest suspended within a clump of grass.

The zitting cisticola is 10 to 12 cm (3.9 to 4.7 in) in length. It is brown above, heavily streaked with black markings. The underparts are whitish, and the tail is broad, white-tipped and flicked frequently, giving rise to the alternative name for the species. The adult males have less crown streaking and more back marking than the females, but there are no great difference between the sexes or the eighteen geographical races. The absence of a nuchal collar separate it from the golden-headed cisticola (Cisticola exilis ). In the non-breeding season, they tend to skulk within the grass and can be hard to spot

More than one brood may be raised. Females change their mates frequently and rarely stay within the same territory, while males are less mobile, maintaining non-overlapping song-territories which shift from day to day. Females can sometimes breed in their first year.

It is very small in size and has a characteristic, short and rounded tail, with striking terminal points. The body is sand-colored below and striped on upper parts. Breeding males have a dark beak and crown. It is found in open grasslands, meadows and agricultural areas. Very often it can be seen in the sky uttering its monotonous and repetitive song "tchip...tchip....tchip..." in an undulating flight.

Zitting cisticolas are very small insectivorous birds, sometimes found in small groups. The breeding season is associated with the rains. Two broods a year occur in many regions. Males are generally polygynous, but some are monogamous. The male builds the initial nest structure deep in the grasses, and invites females using a special display. Females that accept the male complete the nest. The nest is made by binding living leaves into the soft fabric of felted plant-down, cobwebs, and grass. The zitting cisticola's nest is a cup shape with a canopy of tied-together leaves or grasses overhead for camouflage; 3–6 eggs are laid. The female incubates the egg. The eggs hatch after about 10 days.

15-3-2018 OLIVA PLAYA, VALENCIA - MALLARD (FEMALE) (Anas platyrhynchos)

15-3-2018 OLIVA PLAYA, VALENCIA - MALLARD (FEMALE) (Anas platyrhynchos)

15-3-2018 OLIVA PLAYA, VALENCIA - STONE PLANT (Family Aizoaceae)

15-3-2018 OLIVA PLAYA, VALENCIA - EURASIAN HOOPOE (Upupa epops)

2-12-2015 JURONG SINGAPORE - YELLOW BILLED CARDINAL (Paroaria capitata)

The yellow-billed cardinal (Paroaria capitata ) is a bird species in the tanager family (Thraupidae). It is not very closely related to the cardinals proper (Cardinalidae).

It occurs in Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, and northern Argentina and has been introduced on the island of Hawai'i. It breeds in moist shrubland. The yellow-billed cardinal could be easily confused with the red-crested cardinal. The yellow-billed cardinal does not have a crest.

14-3-2018 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - GREY HERON (Ardea cinerea)

14-3-2018 PEGO MARJAL, ALICANTE - WHITE WAGTAIL (Motacilla alba)

14-3-2018 PEGO MARJAL, ALICANTE - LITTLE EGRET (Egretta garzetta)

14-3-2018 PEGO MARJAL, ALICANTE - LITTLE EGRET (Egretta garzetta)

14-3-2018 ONDARA, ALICANTE - MUSKOVY DUCK (Cairina moschata)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscovy_duck

28-3-2017 TARCOLES RIVER COSTA RICA - YELLOW HEADED CARACARA (Milvago chimachima)

The yellow-headed caracara (Milvago chimachima) is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae, the falcons and caracaras. It is found in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, every mainland South American country except Chile, and on Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The yellow-headed caracara is 40 to 45 cm (16 to 18 in) long. Males weigh 277 to 335 g (9.8 to 12 oz) and females 307 to 364 g (11 to 13 oz). Their wingspan is 74 to 95 cm (29 to 37 in). The sexes' plumages are alike. Adults of the nominate subspecies have buff to creamy yellowish white heads, necks, and underparts with a thin dark streak through the eyes. Their back and wings are blackish brown with a whitish patch at the base of the primaries that shows in flight. Their uppertail coverts and tail are buff with dusky bars and the tail has a black band near the end. Their iris is reddish brown surrounded by bare bright yellow skin and their legs and feet are pea green. Immature birds have browner upperparts than adults and their underparts have brown streaks. Subspecies M. c. cordata is a darker buff on the head and underparts than the nominate and has narrower bars on the tail.

Subspecies M. c. cordata is found in southwestern Nicaragua, western Costa Rica, and most of Panama, and in mainland South America from Colombia east through Venezuela and the Guianas, south through Ecuador and Peru east of the Andes, and across Brazil north of the Amazon River. The Nicaragua records are only since 2008, and there are also scattered eBird records as far north as Guatemala and Belize. Off the north coast of the South American mainland, it occurs on Aruba, Trinidad, and Tobago, and has visited Bonaire and Curaçao as a vagrant. The nominate M. c. chimachima is found from eastern Bolivia south through Paraguay into northern Argentina and east through northern Uruguay and Brazil south of the Amazon River. Its range overlaps with that of the chimango caracara in southern Brazil, northern Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

The yellow-headed caracara is a bird of lightly-treed open landscapes, like savannas with palms and scattered trees, ranchlands and pastures, gallery forests, and the edges of denser forests. In elevation, it mostly ranges from sea level to 1,000 m (3,300 ft), though it has been recorded at about 2,500 m (8,200 ft) in Colombia's Cauca River valley.

14-3-2018 ONDARA, ALICANTE - MALLARD (MALE) (Anas platyrhynchos)

15-3-2016 BARX, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN EAGLE OWL (Bubo bubo)

The Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) is also called the Uhu and it is occasionally abbreviated to just the eagle-owl in Europe. These birds are found in many habitats where they hunt a majority of their prey. Eurasian eagle-owls are one of the most widely distributed. With a total range in Europe and Asia of about 32 million km2 (12 million sq mi) and a total population estimated in millions. Sometimes tame eagle-owls have been used in pest control because of their size to deter large birds such as gulls from nesting.

The Eurasian eagle-owl is one of the largest living species of owl. This bird has distinctive ear tufts, with upper parts that are brown-black to tawny-buff to pale creamy gray. A narrow buff band, freckled with brown or buff, often runs up from the base of the bill, above the inner part of the eye, and along the inner edge of the black-brown ear tufts. The facial disc is tawny-buff, speckled with black-brown, so densely on the outer edge of the disc as to form a "frame" around the face. The chin and throat are white with a brownish central streak. The feathers of the upper breast generally have brownish-black centers and reddish-brown edges except for the central ones which have white edges. The chin and throat may appear white continuing down the center of the upper breast. The lower breast and belly feathers are creamy-brown to tawny buff to off-white with a variable amount of fine dark wavy barring, on a tawny-buff ground color. The tail is tawny-buff, mottled dark grey-brown with about six black-brown bars. The bill and feet are black. The eyes are most often orange in color.

14-3-2018 ONDARA, ALICANTE - EUROPEAN MOORHEN (Gallinula chloropus)

8-8-2017 NUREMBERG, GERMANY - BLACK GROUSE (FEMALE) (Tetrao tetrix)

Black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) are large game birds found across the Palearctic. They spend the winter perched in dense forests and females of this species take all responsibility for nesting and caring for the chicks, as typical with most galliforms.

The male's fancy plumage is predominantly black with deep-blue hues on his neck and back, which contrasts the white wingline and undertail coverts, as well as red bare skin above each eye. The female is much drabber and cryptically colored to blend in easily with the dense undergrowth, especially when nesting. The Black grouse, along with the Caucasian grouse, has long outer rectrices (tail feathers) that curl outward and are arranged in a way it resembles the frame of a Greek lyre, hence the genus name, Lyrurus.

Black grouse are found across Europe (Swiss-Italian-French Alps especially) from Great Britain through Scandinavia, Estonia, and across Russia. In Asia, they also inhabit parts of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, and possibly Korea. Black grouse inhabit transitionary zones between forests and open clearings, especially steppe, heathland, grassland, and pasture when near agricultural fields. Depending on the season, they will overwinter in dense forests with coniferous and broadleaf trees, such as Scots pine, Siberian larch, silver birch, and Eurasian aspen. Throughout the spring and summer, they favor open spaces. They avoid the most extreme of desert and polar regions.

14-3-2018 OLIVA MARJAL, VALENCIA - CATTLE EGRET (Bubulcus ibis)