BIRDWALKERMONDAY

Tuesday, 9 April 2019

8-11-2017 HANNINGFIELD RESERVOIR, ESSEX - EURASIAN BULLFINCH (FEMALE) (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)

The Eurasian bullfinch, also known simply as the bullfinch in its native range, is a robust bird with a distinctive bull-headed appearance. It is a member of the finch family, Fringillidae, and is recognized by its grey upper parts and black flight feathers. The male is particularly striking with his rich red underparts.

Adult males can be identified by their black cap and face, contrasting with their bright red underparts. Females and juveniles are more subdued, with grey-buff underparts. All ages have a white rump and wing bars that are quite noticeable in flight. The bill is short and thick, suited to their seed-eating habits.

The Eurasian bullfinch prefers mixed woodlands with a good proportion of conifers. It is also commonly found in parklands and gardens, where it can nest and forage.

This species is widespread across Europe and temperate Asia. While largely resident, northern populations may migrate southward during winter months.

Outside of breeding season, the Eurasian bullfinch is not known to form large flocks, typically seen in pairs or small family groups.

The call of the Eurasian bullfinch is a soft, melancholic whistle, often transcribed as “peeu” or “pew.” Its song, which is a mix of scratchy warbles and soft whistles, is usually only heard at close range. Remarkably, with patience, these birds can be trained to mimic specific melodies.

Nests are constructed in bushes or trees, with a preference for vegetation that is at least four meters in height and breadth. The female lays a clutch of four to seven pale blue, red-brown mottled eggs. The species is notable for its unusual spermatozoa structure and can produce multiple broods from early May to mid-July.

The Eurasian bullfinch has a diet consisting mainly of seeds and buds from fruit trees, which can sometimes lead to conflicts with orchard keepers. In autumn and early winter, they show a preference for ash and hawthorn seeds. When provided with wild bird cover, they favor kale, quinoa, and millet.

The Eurasian bullfinch is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating that it is not at immediate risk of population decline.

Monday, 8 April 2019

18-11-2017 HANNINGFIELD RESERVOIR, ESSEX - COMMON CHAFFINCH (MALE) (Fringilla coelebs)

The Common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) is a common and widespread small passerine bird in the finch family. The English name of this species comes from the Old English ‘ceaffinc’, where ceaf is ‘chaff’ and finc ‘finch’. Chaffinches were likely given this name because after farmers thresh their crops, these birds sometimes spend weeks picking through heaps of discarded chaff for grain.

Common chaffinches have a herbivorous and carnivorous (insectivorous) diet. Outside the breeding season, they mainly eat seeds and other plant material that they find on the ground. During the breeding season, their diet switches to invertebrates, especially defoliating caterpillars. The young are entirely fed with invertebrates which include caterpillars, aphids, earwigs, spiders, and grubs (the larvae of beetles).

The adult male Common chaffinch has a black forehead and a blue-grey crown, nape and upper mantle. The rump is a light olive-green; the lower mantle and scapulars form a brown saddle. The side of the head, throat and breast are a dull rust-red merging to pale creamy pink on the belly. The central pair of tail feathers are dark grey with a black shaft streak. The rest of the tail is black apart from the two outer feathers on each side which have white wedges. Each wing has a contrasting white panel on the coverts and a buff-white bar on the secondaries and inner primaries. The flight feathers are black with white on the basal portions of the vanes. The secondaries and inner primaries have pale yellow fringes on the outer web whereas the outer primaries have a white outer edge. After the autumn moult, the tips of the new feathers have a buff fringe that adds a brown cast to the coloured plumage. The ends of the feathers wear away over the winter so that by the spring breeding season the underlying brighter colours are displayed. The eyes have dark brown irises and the legs are grey-brown. In winter the bill is a pale grey and slightly darker along the upper ridge or culmen, but in spring the bill becomes bluish-grey with a small black tip. The adult female is much duller in appearance than the male. The head and most of the upperparts are shades of grey-brown. The underparts are paler. The lower back and rump are a dull olive green. The wings and tail are similar to those of the male. The juvenile resembles the female.

The breeding range of Common chaffinches includes northwestern Africa and most of Europe and extends eastwards across temperate Asia to the Angara River and the southern end of Lake Baikal in Siberia. There are also distinctive populations in the Azores, the Canary Islands, and the Madeira Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Common chaffinches are partial migrants; birds that breed in warmer regions are sedentary, while those breeding in the colder northern areas of their range winter further south. These birds prefer wooded areas and inhabit mixed and conifer forests and lower montane deciduous forests. They are also common in parks, gardens, orchards, agricultural areas, and hedgerows.

Common chaffinches are social birds. Outside the breeding season, they form flocks, sometimes mixed with bramblings, and forage for seeds on the ground. They feed by day, often in open country but also in trees, and also occasionally make short sallies to catch insects in the air. They seldom take food directly from plants and only very rarely use their feet for handling food. Common chaffinches communicate using various types of calls and songs. The males have a strong voice and typically sing two or three different song types, and there are regional dialects also. They sing from exposed perches to attract a mate and their song may be heard from far. The common call of these birds is a sharp 'pink-pink' sound. During the flight chaffinches often produce 'yup-yup' and when alarmed they emit a 'seee' call.

Common chaffinches are monogamous and often form long-lasting pair bonds. The time of breeding usually depends on the spring temperature and is earlier in southwest Europe and later in the northeast. A male attracts a female to his territory through song. Nests are built entirely by the female and are usually located in the fork of a bush or a tree several meters above the ground. The nest has a deep cup and is lined with a layer of thin roots and feathers. The female lays a clutch of 4-5 eggs, which are smooth and slightly glossy, but very variable in color. They range from pale-blueish green to light red with purple-brown blotches, spots, or steaks. The eggs are incubated for 10-16 days by the female. The chicks are altricial, hatching nearly naked with closed eyes, and are fed by both parents but mainly by the female, who broods them for around 6 days. The nestlings fledge 11-18 days after hatching and leave the nest; however, they are then still assisted with feeding by both parents for a further 3 weeks. The parents only very rarely start a second brood, but when they do so it is always in a new nest. Young chaffinches are able to breed when they are 1 year old.

8-4-2019 GANDIA MARJAL, VALENCIA - MALLARD (FEMALE) (Anas platyrhynchos)

8-4-2019 GANDIA MARJAL, VALENCIA - MALLARD (JUVENILE) (Anas platyrhynchos)

8-4-2019 GANDIA MARJAL, VALENCIA - MALLARD (FEMALE AND YOUNG) (Anas platyrhynchos)

8-4-2019 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - NORTHERN YELLOW SAC SPIDER (Cheiracanthium mildei)

Cheiracanthium mildei is a species of spider from the family Cheiracanthiidae. C. mildei is commonly known as the northern yellow sac spider, a name it partially shares with many other spiders of its genus. Alternatively its also called the long-legged sac spider.

C. mildei is native to Europe and North Africa through the Caucasus to Central Asia. It is introduced to the United States and parts of South America. It widespread across the northeastern United States and eastern Canada, and can be found outside, or more commonly inside houses. It is thought to have been introduced into America from Europe by English colonists.[citation needed]

C. mildei is a dominant predator of S. littoralis (a moth species) in Africa and Mid Eastern regions. The mechanism of predation include causing direct death by consuming the larvae and causing indirect death by dispersing larvae from its host plants.

8-4-2019 GANDIA MARJAL, VALENCIA - YELLOW IRIS (Iris pseudacorus)

8-4-2019 GANDIA MARJAL, VALENCIA - MEDITERRANEAN SPOTTED CHAFER (Oxythyrea funesta)

8-4-2019 GANDIA MARJAL, VALENCIA - PURPLE HERON (Ardea purpurea)

8-4-2019 GANDIA MARJAL, VALENCIA - BERMUDA BUTTERCUP (Oxalis pes-caprae)

Sunday, 7 April 2019

18-11-2017 HANNINGFIELD RESERVOIR, ESSEX - BRITISH BLUE TIT (Cyanistes caeruleus ssp. obscurus)

The blue tit is a delicate little bird, weighing in at around 11g – half the size of a robin. Often considered our most attractive garden bird, the blue tit is extremely colourful, with a bright blue cap, white face, black stripes across the eyes, bright yellow breast and blue, green and white wings.

Caterpillars are a favourite for blue tits, but they also eat other insects, spiders, fruit and seeds. They are regular visitors to garden bird feeders, feasting on mixed bird seed, whole shelled peanuts, fat balls and sunflower hearts. Extremely acrobatic, they will often hang upside down from branches to access food. During the winter, blue tits join up with other tit species in search of food.

Blue tits are found in deciduous and mixed woodland, hedges, gardens and parks across the UK. They are one of our most common birds, with an estimated population of around 3.4 million pairs.

Like all birds, blue tits can see ultra-violet light – the front of their head glows brightly under UV light, and this is how females are thought to choose their partners.

Blue tits start looking for a place to nest as early as January, usually beginning to build their nest by late March. They favour cosy cavities: rot holes and cracks in trees, old woodpecker nests, crevices in walls and nest boxes.

Once a nest site is located, blue tits will begin building a nest out of moss, hair, leaves, feathers and spider webs. Unlike many other birds, blue tits will usually only raise a single brood each spring. They lay around 7–14 eggs, and won’t begin incubating until all of the eggs have been laid.

The clutch is usually laid from late April to early May, and incubation takes round 15 days. The male will bring the female food during this period. Once hatched, the chicks spend approximately three weeks in the nest before fledging.

A sure sign of the start of spring is the sight of blue tits zipping back and forth to nest boxes, beaks full of moss. Find out when, where and how long blue tits nest, when their chicks fledge, and how important it is that they time things just right.

The blue tit’s colourful feathers make this bird easy to spot. Look out for it perched on trees in woodland or foraging for a bite to eat on garden bird feeders, and listen for its high-pitched ‘tsee-tsee-tsee-chu-chu-chu’ song.

The blue tit is a common, widespread species. Its population has grown by 21% since 1970. You can lend these birds a helping hand by placing bird feeders in your garden, particularly during the winter when food is scarce.

8-11-2017 HANNINGFIELD RESERVOIR, ESSEX - BRITISH DUNNOCK (Prunella modularis ssp. occidentalis),

When seen at a distance, dunnocks appear a drab brown. Get a closer view and you will notice a grey breast and head and dark streaks on the wings. They are roughly the same size as a robin.

Not to be confused with: the house sparrow. These birds can look similar from a distance, but the easiest way to tell them apart is the beak. A dunnock’s bill is thin and pointy, while a sparrow’s is much broader and powerful looking. Sparrows also live in flocks, while dunnocks are rarely seen in more than pairs.

Dunetimes, may join foraging flocks. Dunnocks are territorial, especially during the breeding season, and maynocks are active during the day typically feeding on the ground. They are usually seen alone, but som engage in conflict with other birds that encroach upon their nests. Males sometimes share a territory and exhibit a strict dominance hierarchy; older birds tend to be the dominant males and first-year birds are usually sub-dominant. Female territorial ranges are almost always exclusive. However, sometimes, multiple males may cooperate to defend a single territory containing multiple females. The main call of dunnocks is a shrill, persistent 'tseep' along with a high trilling note, which betrays the bird's otherwise inconspicuous presence. The song is rapid, thin, and tinkling, a sweet warble that can be confused with that of the Eurasian wren but is shorter and weaker.

Dunnocks have variable mating systems. Females are often polyandrous, breeding with two or more males at once, which is quite rare among birds. Other mating systems also exist, depending on the ratio of male to females and the overlap of territories. When only one female and one male territory overlap, birds will form monogamous pairs. Sometimes, two or three adjacent female territories overlap one male territory, and so polygyny is favored, with the male monopolizing several females. Polygynandry also exists, in which two males jointly defend a territory containing several females. Polyandry, though, is the most common mating system of dunnocks found in nature. Dunnocks typically breed between March and July, however, in Russia, their breeding season occurs from May to August. These birds prefer to build their nests low in a bush or conifer. The nest is made from twigs and moss and lined with soft materials such as wool or feathers. The female lays 3 to 5 unspotted blue eggs and incubates them for about 12-13 days.

The chicks hatch partially covered with blackish down and remain in the nest for about 12 days. Broods, depending on the population, can be raised by a lone female, multiple females with the part-time help of a male, multiple females with full-time help from a male, or by multiple females and multiple males. In pairs, males and females usually invest parental care at similar rates.

Dunnocks are native to large areas of Eurasia, inhabiting much of Europe including Lebanon, northern Iran, and the Caucasus. They are partially migratory; some populations are resident while birds in northern and eastern parts of the range are migratory. Dunnocks favor habitats that include forests, woodlands, shrubs, gardens, parks, and hedgerows.

Saturday, 6 April 2019

18-11-2017 HANNINGFIELD RESERVOIR, ESSEX - EURASIAN BULLFINCH (MALE) (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)

The Eurasian bullfinch prefers mixed woodlands with a good proportion of conifers. It is also commonly found in parklands and gardens, where it can nest and forage.

This species is widespread across Europe and temperate Asia. While largely resident, northern populations may migrate southward during winter months.

Outside of breeding season, the Eurasian bullfinch is not known to form large flocks, typically seen in pairs or small family groups.

The Eurasian bullfinch is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating that it is not at immediate risk of population decline.

18-11-2017 HANNINGFIELD RESERVOIR, ESSEX - EUROPEAN ROBIN (Erithacus rubecula)

The European robin (Erithacus rubecula), known simply as the robin or robin redbreast in Great Britain and Ireland, is a small insectivorous passerine bird that belongs to the chat subfamily of the Old World flycatcher family. It is found across Europe, east to Western Siberia and south to North Africa; it is sedentary in most of its range except the far north.

It is about 12.5–14.0 cm (4.9–5.5 in) in length, the male and female are similar in colouration, with an orange breast and face lined with grey, brown upper-parts and a whitish belly.

The robin occurs in Eurasia east to Western Siberia, south to Algeria and on the Atlantic islands as far west as the Central Group of the Azores and Madeira. It is a vagrant in Iceland. In the southeast, it reaches Iran the Caucasus range. Irish and British robins are largely resident but a small minority, usually female, migrate to southern Europe during winter, a few as far as Spain. Scandinavian and Russian robins migrate to Britain and western Europe to escape the harsher winters. These migrants can be recognised by the greyer tone of the upper parts of their bodies and duller orange breast. The continental European robins that migrate during winter prefer spruce woods in northern Europe, contrasting with its preference for parks and gardens in Great Britain.

In southern Iberia, habitat segregation of resident and migrant robins occurs, with resident robins remaining in the same woodlands where they bred.

6-4-2019 PARQUE DE SERPIS, GANDIA - EUROPEAN SERIN (MALE) (Serinus serinus)

6-4-2019 PARQUE DE SERPIS, GANDIA - HOUSE SPARROW (MALE) (Passer domesticus)

6-4-2019 PARQUE DE SERPIS, GANDIA - EURASIAN BLACKBIRD (MALE) (Turdus merula)

Friday, 5 April 2019

18-11-2017 HANNINGFIELD RESERVOIR, ESSEX - GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER (Dendrocopos major)

The great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) is a medium-sized woodpecker with pied black and white plumage and a red patch on the lower belly. Males and young birds also have red markings on the neck or head. This species is found across the Palearctic including parts of North Africa. Across most of its range it is resident, but in the north some will migrate if the conifer cone crop fails. Some individuals have a tendency to wander, leading to the recolonisation of Ireland in the first decade of the 21st century and to vagrancy to North America. Great spotted woodpeckers chisel into trees to find food or excavate nest holes, and also drum for contact and territorial advertisement; like other woodpeckers, they have anatomical adaptations to manage the physical stresses from the hammering action. This species is similar to the Syrian woodpecker.

This woodpecker occurs in all types of woodlands and eats a variety of foods, being capable of extracting seeds from pine cones, insect larvae from inside trees or eggs and chicks of other birds from their nests. It breeds in holes excavated in living or dead trees, unlined apart from wood chips. The typical clutch is four to six glossy white eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs, feed the chicks, and keep the nest clean. When the young fledge they are fed by the adults for about ten days, each parent taking responsibility for feeding part of the brood.

The species is closely related to some other members of its genus. It has a number of subspecies, some of which are distinctive enough to be potential new species. It has a huge range and large population, with no widespread threats, so it is classed as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Breeding involves excavation of holes in living or dead trees, with both parents sharing the duties of incubation, feeding the chicks, and nest sanitation. The typical clutch consists of four to six glossy white eggs, and fledglings are fed by the adults for about ten days post-fledging.

The great spotted woodpecker is similar to the Syrian woodpecker but can be differentiated by the absence of a black cheek bar and paler red underparts in the latter.

An omnivorous feeder, this woodpecker's diet includes seeds, insect larvae, eggs, and chicks of other birds. It is adept at extracting seeds from pine cones and insect larvae from within trees.

With a large population and extensive range, the great spotted woodpecker is classified as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It faces no widespread threats and has a stable or slightly increasing population trend.