28-10-2024 CAMI 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.

28-10-2024 CAMI LES FONTS OLIVA, VALENCIA - PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY (Vanessa cardui)

Vanessa cardui is the most widespread of all butterfly species. It is commonly called the painted lady, or formerly in North America the cosmopolitan.

V. cardui is one of the most widespread of all butterflies, found on every continent except Antarctica and South America. In Australia, V. cardui has a limited range around Bunbury, Fremantle, and Rottnest Island. However, its close relative, the Australian painted lady (V. kershawi, sometimes considered a subspecies) ranges over half the continent. Other closely related species are the American painted lady (V. virginiensis) and the West Coast lady (V. annabella).

Larvae feed on Asteraceae species, including Cirsium, Carduus, Centaurea, Arctium, Onopordum, Helianthus, and Artemisia.

The painted lady uses over 300 recorded host plants according to the HOSTS database.

Adult butterflies feed on flower nectar and aphid honeydew.

NTE CORONA, VALENCIA - VESTAL MOTH (Rhodometra sacraria)

Rhodometra sacraria, the vestal, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1767 12th edition of Systema Naturae.

It can be found throughout Europe, in the Near East, in North Africa, in the Afrotropical realm and in large parts of Asia. It is also found in South America (Chile and Argentina).

Rhodometra sacraria inhabits meadows, forest clearing, paths, gardens and urban environments.

Rhodometra sacraria has a wingspan reaching 22–28 mm, while the length of the forewings is 12–14 mm. The late generations are smaller and the wingspan has an average of 16–26 mm. These moths are easily distinguishable from the mahogany or pink stripe, located on yellowish or cream background, crossing diagonally the dorsal sides of the upperwings from the posterior margin up to the apex. Discal spots are usually present and have the same colour as the postmedial line.

The dorsal sides of the hindwings are whitish and unmarked. The fringes on the wings are mostly in the basic colour. The abdomen is pure white. Head and thorax are straw yellow. In males the antennae are bipectinated to three-fourths length. The hind tibiae bear two pairs of spurs.

The intensity and the extent of the pink pigmentation is rather variable, depending on the seasonal temperature in the development of the pupae.

25-10-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - OLEANDER SEED BUG (Caenocoris nerii)

Caenocoris nerii, common name oleander seedbug, is a species of ground bugs in the insect family Lygaeidae.

The species name nerii refers to the main host plant Nerium oleander.

This species is present in part of Europe (Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy and Spain), in the Afrotropical realm and in the Indomalayan realm.

Females usually lay eggs on the leaves of Nerium oleander (hence the common name of the species). All stages of nymphs suck almost exclusively the milky juice of the main host plant (Nerium oleander), but they may also feed on Asclepiadaceae species. Nynphs overwinter. Adults normally feed on the Oleander's fruits and seed. These aposematic bugs are usually rejected by predators because of their toxins derived from the host plant.

26-10-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - BARBARY HARVESTER ANT (Messor barbarus)

Messor barbarus is a species of harvester ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae. It is found In Southern Europe and Northern Africa.

Messor barbarus causes 50–100% of the seed losses and is the most common ant in arable fields in northeastern Spain (Westerman et al. 2012). These ants in particular made news headlines all over Spain when farmers believed they were stealing their seeds and began a cull only to realise they actually play a massive part of the ecosystem and benefit the production for crop farmers completely. Messors will carry the seeds on their own roads back to the colony, sometimes up to 100ft away.

Messor barbarus is found to act in accordance with the optimal foraging theory, which predicts that selectivity in ants increases with increasing richness of resources in an area, as well as with increasing distance from starting location. Trails were likewise differentially favored according to the relative abundance of resources provided to the ant populations. Highly frequented trails had a higher mean rate per worker, meaning the harvesters returned higher rates of resources more efficiently along these trails. These trails drew more foraging ants to retrieve seeds on the whole, and the foraging ants returned seeds at a higher rate per capita. This foraging pattern indicates that relative food abundance along varying trails impacted the patterns of trail foraging behavior in Messor barbarus. For trails spanning long distances, ants exhibit behavior of strong chemical marking on preferred seeds to allow for the creation and maintenance of the route.

26-10-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - RUSTY DOT PEARL MOTH (Udea ferrugalis)

Udea ferrugalis, the rusty dot pearl, is a moth of the family Crambidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1796.

This species can be found in central and southern Europe, Asia Minor, Africa, India and Japan.

The wingspan is 18–22 mm. The forewings of these small moths have yellow, brown or ferruginous ground colour and prominent indistinct dark brown or blackish markings towards the edge. Hindwings are brownish grey.[4] Legs are whitish.[5] Caterpillars can reach a length of 10–15 millimetres (0.39–0.59 in). They are greenish with yellowish head.

These moths are bivoltine or trivoltine. The moth flies through the year, but mainly in the autumn, depending on location. The larvae feed on various herbaceous plants, such as Stachys, Arctium, Lycopus, Mentha, Eupatorium cannabinum and Fragaria vesca. They overwinter in the soil as a chrysalis. This species is sometimes considered a pest, as the larvae attack various crop plants. 

Wingspan 18-22 mm.

The ferruginous ground colour and blackish markings on the forewing help to identify this species. Like several of its congeners, it shows distinctively whitish legs.

In Britain this moth is mainly a migrant species, but can occur at almost any time of the year, sometimes in large influxes with other migrants.

The adult flies at night and comes to light.

25-10-2024 RACO DE OLLA, ALBUFERA - GREATER FLAMINGO (Phoenicopterus roseus)

The Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. It was described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1811. The Greater flamingo was previously thought to be the same species as the American flamingo, but because of coloring differences of its head, neck, body, and bill, the two flamingos are now most commonly considered separate species.

Greater flamingos have an attractive coloration and appearance. Their feathers are pinkish/white, the wing coverts are red and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black. They have long pink bills with a black tip, yellow eyes and long pink legs. The male is bigger than the female, and juveniles have a gray-brown coloration, with some pink on their underparts, tail and wings, with the legs and beak being mainly brown.

The Greater flamingo inhabits Africa, the Middle East, southern Europe, and the Indian subcontinent. They occur in relatively shallow water bodies, such as saline lagoons, salt pans, large alkaline or saline lakes, and estuaries. Breeding takes place on sandbanks, mudflats, sandy or rocky islands, or open beaches.

25-10-2024 CREU DE LONGA, ALBUFERA - EUROPEAN STARLING (Sturnus vulgaris)

The Common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is a noisy bird, especially in communal roosts and other gregarious situations, with an unmusical but varied song. Its gift for mimicry has been noted in literature including the Mabinogion and the works of Pliny the Elder and William Shakespeare.

 The Сommon starling is a medium-sized bird. It has glossy black plumage with a metallic sheen, which is speckled with white at some times of the year. The legs are pink and the bill is black in winter and yellow in summer. Juveniles are grey-brown and by their first winter resemble adults though often retaining some brown juvenile feathering, especially on the head. They can usually be sexed by the color of the irises, rich brown in males, mouse-brown, or grey in females.

Common starlings are native to Eurasia and are found throughout Europe, northern Africa (from Morocco to Egypt), India (mainly in the north but regularly extending further south and extending into the Maldives) Nepal, the Middle East including Syria, Iran, and Iraq and north-western China. Common starlings in the south and west of Europe are mainly resident, although other populations migrate from regions where the winter is harsh. Most birds from northern Europe, Russia, and Ukraine migrate southwestwards or southeastwards. In the autumn, when immigrants are arriving from eastern Europe, many of Britain's common starlings are setting off for Iberia and North Africa. Common starlings prefer urban or suburban areas, reedbeds, grassy areas such as farmland, grazing pastures, playing fields, golf courses, and airfields where short grass makes foraging easy. They occasionally inhabit open forests and woodlands and are sometimes found in shrubby areas. These birds are also found in coastal areas, where they nest and roost on cliffs and forage amongst the seaweed. 

25-10-2024 CREU DE LONGA, ALBUFERA - WESTERN CATTLE EGRET (Bubulcus ibis ssp. ibis)

The Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a cosmopolitan species of heron named for its association with cattle. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western cattle egret and the Eastern cattle egret. Despite the similarities in plumage to the egrets of the genus Egretta, it is more closely related to the herons of Ardea.

The Cattle egret is a stocky bird. It has a relatively short, thick neck, a sturdy bill, and a hunched posture. The nonbreeding adult has mainly white plumage, a yellow bill, and greyish-yellow legs. During the breeding season, adults of the nominate western subspecies develop orange-buff plumes on the back, breast, and crown, and the bill, legs, and irises become bright red for a brief period prior to pairing. The sexes are similar, but the male is marginally larger and has slightly longer breeding plumes than the female; juvenile birds lack coloured plumes and have a black bill.

Cattle egrets are native to parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe but they have undergone a rapid expansion in their distribution and successfully colonized much of the rest of the world in the last century. Many populations of Cattle egrets are highly migratory, while others are dispersive, and distinguishing between the two can be difficult. In many areas, populations can be both sedentary and migratory. In the Northern Hemisphere, migration is from cooler climes to warmer areas, but Cattle egrets nesting in Australia migrate to cooler Tasmania and New Zealand in the winter and return in the spring. Migration in western Africa is in response to rainfall, and in South America, migrating birds travel south of their breeding range in the non-breeding season. Populations in southern India appear to show local migrations in response to the monsoons. Cattle egrets inhabit wetlands, dry grassy habitats, semi-arid steppes, floodplains, freshwater swamps, shallow marshes, and mangroves. They are often found in fields, croplands, and pastures with poor drainage. When nesting, Cattle egrets are found in woodlands near lakes or rivers, in swamps, or on small inland or coastal islands.

25-10-2024 MUNTANYETA DEL SANS, ALBUFERA - 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 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.

25-10-2024 EL SALER, ALBUFERA - HAWAIIAN BEET WEBWORM MOTH (Spoladea recurvalis)

Spoladea recurvalis, the beet webworm moth or Hawaiian beet webworm moth, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. It is found worldwide, but mainly in the tropics.

The wingspan is 22–24 mm. The moth flies from May to September depending on the location.

The larvae feed on spinach, beet, cotton, maize and soybean. When fully grown, they are about 19 mm long.

Distribution is Worldwide. Asia, Africa, North, South and Central America, the Caribbean, Europe (restricted), Oceania. It is recorded from Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji1, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Tonga, Wallis and Futuna.

1-3-2016 - VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - COMMON KINGFISHER (MALE) (Alcedo atthis)

As with all kingfishers, the Common kingfisher is very territorial, mainly because each day it has to eat about 60% of its body weight. They even defend their territory against their mates and offspring. Individuals are solitary for most of the year, roosting in heavy cover beside their favorite hunting spot. When another kingfisher comes into its territory, the birds will both sit on a perch at some distance from one another and perform territorial displays, usually the display of beaks and plumage. Fights occasionally occur, one bird grabbing the other one’s beak and trying to hold their opponent under the water. Their flight is very fast, causing their wings to seem like a blue haze. These birds communicate vocally and are well known for a long, trilling call like a repetition of the sound “chee”. During mating, the male whistles loudly to a female and will chase her through and above the trees. When diving for prey, their eyes are covered by a membrane and they rely on touch alone to know when they should snap their jaws shut.

The Common kingfisher in most parts of its range is indeed common, but it is under threat from river pollution, disturbances, and human developments. It is also vulnerable to bouts of severe winter weather, as it is unable to feed when bodies of water freeze over.

Common kingfishers serve as a good indicator of the health of an ecosystem. As they feed on small aquatic animals, toxins in the water affect them severely. A strong kingfisher population therefore usually means a healthy habitat. Common kingfishers are also important predators throughout their range of small fish from freshwater habitats, thus controlling their populations.

20-10-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - SEED BUG (Spilostethus pandurus)

Spilostethus pandurus is a species of "seed bugs" belonging to the family Lygaeidae, subfamily Lygaeinae.

It is present in Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Israel, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Lebanon, in the Afrotropical realm.[3] and in the southern Asia to India and China.

Spilostethus pandurus can reach a length of 13–15 millimetres (0.51–0.59 in). Body shows a red-black coloration with a white spot in the center of the membrane.

Two wavy, broad, black, longitudinal stripes run from the front to the rear edge of the pronotum. Scutellum is black, sometimes with a small red spot at the end.[4][5]

The nymphs are bright red, with black markings.

These bugs have two dorsolateral prothoracic glands capable of secreting substances repugnant to predators.

These polyphagous bugs feed on flowers and seeds of many plants. They preferentially feed on the plants of the family Apocynaceae. In Europe, they are present on various toxic plants such as jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) and oleander (Nerium oleander).

They can cause serious damage to the crops of Sesamum indicum (Pedaliaceae) and to Calotropis gigantea and Calotropis procera (Apocynaceae).

It can also attack sorghum crops (Sorghum bicolor), Eleusine coracana, Pennisetum americanum, Phaseolus mungo, Arachis hypogaea, Lycopersicon esculentum, tobacco, sunflowers etc.

20-10-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - PUG MOTH (Eupithecia cf. semigraphata)

Eupithecia semigraphata is a moth in the family Geometridae. It is found from most of Europe (except the Netherlands, Ireland, Great Britain, Denmark, Fennoscandia, the Baltic region and Portugal) to the Caucasus and Armenia. It is also present on the Canary Islands and North Africa.

The wingspan is about 18–20 mm.[3] Adults are on wing from late June to August in one generation per year.

The larvae feed on the flowers of Calamintha (including Calamintha nepeta and Calamintha sylvatica), Hypericum, Origanum and Thymus species. The species overwinters in the pupal stage.

21-10-2024 BENICOLET, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN STONECHAT (MALE) (Saxicola rubicola)

The European stonechat (Saxicola rubicola ) is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a subspecies of the common stonechat. Long considered a member of the thrush family, Turdidae, genetic evidence has placed it and its relatives in the Old World flycatcher family, Muscicapidae.

The stonechat is 11.5–13 cm (4.5–5.1 in) long and weighs 13–17 g (0.46–0.60 oz), slightly smaller than the European robin. Both sexes have distinctively short wings, shorter than those of the more migratory whinchat and Siberian stonechat. The summer male has black upperparts, a black head, an orange throat and breast, and a white belly and vent. It also has a white half-collar on the sides of its neck, a small white scapular patch on the wings, and a very small white patch on the rump often streaked with black. The female has brown upperparts and head, and no white neck patches, rump or belly, these areas being streaked dark brown on paler brown, the only white being the scapular patch on the wings and even this often being buffy-white.

The two subspecies differ in colour intensity following Gloger's rule, with S. r. rubicola paler and with larger white patches in the drier European continental and mediterranean climates, and S. r. hibernans darker brown with less white in the humid Atlantic oceanic climate. They intergrade broadly where their ranges meet, from southeastern England south through France and Spain, and many individuals are not identifiable to subspecies. Extreme examples of S. r. rubicola from the driest southern areas of its range such as the Algarve and Sicily are particularly pale and with a large white rump, and can be very similar to Siberian stonechats in appearance. nDNA microsatellite fingerprinting reveals a very small degree of separation between the two subspecies.

6-10-2024 TARBERT ISLAND, IRELAND - COMMON REDSHANK (JUVENILE) (Tringa totanus)

The common redshank or simply redshank (Tringa totanus ) is a Eurasian wader in the large family Scolopacidae.

Common redshanks in breeding plumage are a marbled brown color, slightly lighter below. In winter plumage they become somewhat lighter-toned and less patterned, being rather plain greyish-brown above and whitish below. They have red legs and a black-tipped red bill, and show white up the back and on the wings in flight.

The spotted redshank (T. erythropus ), which breeds in the Arctic, has a longer bill and legs; it is almost entirely black in breeding plumage and very pale in winter. It is not a particularly close relative of the common redshank, but rather belongs to a high-latitude lineage of largish shanks. T. totanus on the other hand is closely related to the marsh sandpiper (T. stagnatilis ), and closer still to the small wood sandpiper (T. glareola ). The ancestors of the latter and the common redshank seem to have diverged around the Miocene-Pliocene boundary, about 5–6 million years ago. These three subarctic- to temperate-region species form a group of smallish shanks with have red or yellowish legs, and in breeding plumage are generally a subdued light brown above with some darker mottling, and have somewhat diffuse small brownish spots on the breast and neck.

18-10-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - DESERT SAND GRASSHOPPER (Sphingonotus rubescens)

Sphingonotus rubescens is a species of band-winged grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is found in the Palearctic.

Sphingonotus rubescens inhabits rocky, stony or sandy terrain of all kinds, such as rocky slopes, dunes or ravines.

The adults can be observed almost all year round. Eggs are laid in the ground.

Sphingonotus rubescens is difficult to separate from related species, such as Sphingonotus caerulans. The distribution ranges from the Canary Islands and Madeira across the northern half of Africa and the Mediterranean to India.

8-10-2024 BLENNERVILLE, IRELAND - NORTHERN LAPWING (Vanellus vanellus)

The northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) is a wading bird common through temperate Eurasia. The name lapwing has been variously attributed to the "lapping" sound the wings of these birds make in flight; from the irregular progress in flight due to their large wings or from their habit of drawing potential predators away from their nest by trailing a wing as if broken.

Population size

5.6-105 Mlnlnn

Life Span

3.5-10 years

Weight

128-330

goz

g oz 

Length

28-33

cminch

cm inch 

Wingspan

67-87

mft

The northern lapwing has rounded wings and a crest. It is also the shortest-legged of the lapwings. It is mainly black and white, but the back is tinted green. The male has a long crest and a black crown, throat, and breast contrasting with an otherwise white face. Females and young birds have shorter crests and less strongly marked heads, but plumages are otherwise quite similar.

Northern lapwings are found throughout temperate Eurasia. They are highly migratory over most of their extensive range, wintering further south as far as North Africa, northern India, Nepal, Bhutan, and parts of China. However, lowland breeders in the westernmost areas of Europe are residents. Northern lapwings inhabit wet grasslands, meadows, swampy heaths, bogs, marshes, other wetlands, and cultivated areas.

Outside of the breeding season, Northern lapwings are very gregarious birds. They feed in mixed flocks with Golden plovers and Black-headed gulls and often migrate in large flocks. In winter, these birds like to form huge flocks on open land, particularly arable land, and mud flats. Northern plovers prefer to feed at night when there is moonlight. They are very vocal birds in the breeding season, constantly calling during the crazed tumbling display flight performed by the male. The typical contact call of these birds is a loud, shrill ‘pee-wit’ from which they get their other name of peewit. Displaying males usually make a wheezy ‘pee-wit, wit wit, eeze wit’ during their display flight; these birds also make squeaking or mewing sounds.

18-10-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - TYPICAL GREEN LACEWING (Chrysopa formosa)

Chrysopa is a genus of green lacewings in the neuropteran family Chrysopidae.

Members of this genus and the genus Chrysoperla are common in much of North America, Europe and Asia. They share similar characteristics and some species have been moved from one genus to the other and back again. Their larvae are predatory and feed on aphids and members of this genus have been used in biological pest control.

William Elford Leach first described this genus in 1815 in Brewster's Edinburgh Encyclopædia. Albert Koebele introduced species of Chrysopa to New Zealand in the 1890s, as a method to combat aphids, however no Chrysopa species were able to establish.

The green lacewing is more than just a beautiful insect; it is a symbol of transformation, protection, purity, and balance. Its presence in your life may be a reminder to appreciate the small things, embrace change, and maintain a pure heart.

The green lacewing Chrysopa formosa is a promising polyphagous predator that is widely used in the biocontrol of various pests in China, but information on the control efficiency of this predator against the seriously invasive pest Spodoptera frugiperda and native Spodoptera litura is limited.

Larvae impale their prey, inject an enzyme that dissolves the body contents, and then use their jaws to suck out the digested material. One lacewing may consume up to 150 aphids per week. Lacewing larva feeding on green aphids.

2-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - ORION CECROPIAN BUTTERFLY (Historis odius}

Historis odius, the orion cecropian, is a species of crescents, checkerspots, anglewings, etc. in the butterfly family Nymphalidae.

This species can be found in North America.This captivating, large butterfly has a wingspan of 11 cm (4 in.) and calls attention with its bright orange upperparts when flying. However, at rest, they fold their wings up, revealing their leaf-like brown underside, even showing a vertical line reminiscent of the vein of a leaf, providing excellent camouflage.

They are very closely associated with cecropia trees—from laying their eggs on its leaves to perching high on its branches, all life stages of this species associates with cecropia trees. From the treetops, it flies down to the ground to feed on fermenting forest fruits, earning this species its nickname, the “Stinky Leafwing.” Males are attracted to rocky overhangs, riverbanks and muddy wallows to pick up dissolved minerals in the water. Keep an eye out for this common butterfly at eye level from the Observation Deck of the Canopy Tower, and at the fruit feeders at the Canopy Lodge and Canopy Camp.

Strange defenses: The larval caterpillars produce frass-chains, which they dangle off the edges of cecropia leaves where they are resting to avoid being eaten by the resident Azteca ants.

8-10-2024 BLENNERVILLE, IRELAND - EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER (Haematopus ostralegus)

The Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) also known as the common pied oystercatcher, or (in Europe) just oystercatcher, is a wader in the oystercatcher bird family Haematopodidae. It has striking black and white plumage, a long straight orange-red bill, red eyes and relatively short dull pink legs. The sexes are similar in appearance but the bill of the female is longer than that of the male.

It is the most widespread of the oystercatchers, with three races breeding in western Europe, central Eurosiberia, Kamchatka, China, and the western coast of Korea. No other oystercatcher occurs within this area.

The Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) is a wading bird with striking black and white plumage. It is a noisy plover-like bird, and despite its name, oysters do not form a large part of its diet. The bird still lives up to its name, as few if any other wading birds are capable of opening oysters.

16-10-2024 CREU DE LONGA, VALENCIA - GREY HERON (Ardea cinerea)

Raising a nest full of baby herons is hard work! During the breeding season, some Gray Herons spend up to 23 hours per day foraging and some travel up to 38 km (24 miles) from their nest in search of food.

Gray Herons usually feed on smaller fish, 10–25 cm (4–10 inches) long, but some ambitious individuals take fish weighing up to 500 grams (1.1 pounds) and eels that are up to 60 cm (24 inches) long.

Gray Herons live in Eurasia and Africa, but rare individuals stray from their normal range to places like the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. Despite the Gray Heron's similarity to Great Blue Heron, some observers have also documented this species from the Atlantic Coast of mainland North America, from Newfoundland to Virginia, and also from Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.

16-10-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - WAVE MOTH (Idaea cervantaria)

1.4 to 2.2 cm wingspan. Straw-coloured, with yellowish wings with scattered dark, brown or greyish scales. On each wing it has a wavy line with small pointed spots, pointing backwards. Sometimes these details are barely noticeable. Between these lines and the rear edge, it has dark spots that may have a  light wavy stripe. It has a spot on each wing but those on the front wings may go unnoticed.

There are other similar species that are impossible to distinguish externally, so for a correct and safe identification, genital analysis must be used. Several of them have been found in the province of Malaga, although I. cervantaria is currently the most common and the only one that has been observed in urban environments.

The caterpillars feed on dry leaves of herbaceous plants and in captivity on petals of different Asteraceae and sea alder (Lobularia maritima), the latter common in our province, especially in sunny areas of the limestone mountains, and occasionally used in gardening for the showiness of its inflorescences.

It frequently visits urban lights, resting for hours or even days around them if they are in a shaded place.

Wingspan 1.4 to 2.2 cm. Straw-like in appearance, with yellowish wings with scattered dark, brown or grayish scales. On each wing it has a wavy line with small pointed dots, pointing backwards. Sometimes these details are not noticeable. Between these lines and the rear edge, it has dark spots that may have a  light wavy stripe. It has a point on each wing but the ones on the front can go unnoticed.

There are other similar species that are impossible to distinguish externally, so for correct and secure identification it is necessary to resort to genital analysis. Several of them have been found in the province of Malaga, although I. cervantaria is currently the most common and the only one that has been observed in urban environments.

In the province of Malaga, individuals determined by genital analysis were found in January, February and May, while those suspected of being so can be found in all months of the year.

16-10-2024 RACO DE OLLA, VALENCIA - LARGE MARSH HORSEFLY (Tabanus autumnalis)

Tabanus autumnalis, the large marsh horsefly, is a medium-sized species of biting horse-fly. It is somewhat scarce compared to T. bromius and T. bovinus. This species shows slightly more of a preference for coastal marsh than some of the other European Tabanus, sometime even found in saltmashes. Wing length is 13–16 mm and about 16–22 mm in body length.

Wing length is 13 to 16 mm and  16 to 22 mm in body length. A fairly large horse-fly. The dark abdomen has a central row of pale triangles and a dark and broad central stripe on the underside. The eyes lack stripes.

Its habitat is normally wet grassland and marshy areas, especially when cattle are present. Often seen sunning on fences, not hovering.

16-10-2024 SUECA, VALENCIA - WESTERN CATTLE EGRET (Bubulcus ibis ssp. ibis)

The western cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. Most taxonomic authorities lump this species and the eastern cattle egret together (called the cattle egret), but some (including the International Ornithologists' Union) separate them. Despite the similarities in plumage to the egrets of the genus Egretta, it is more closely related to the herons of Ardea. Originally native to parts of Asia, Africa and Europe, it has undergone a rapid expansion in its distribution and successfully colonised much of the rest of the world in the last century.

It is a white bird adorned with buff plumes in the breeding season. It nests in colonies, usually near bodies of water and often with other wading birds. The nest is a platform of sticks in trees or shrubs. Western cattle egrets exploit drier and open habitats more than other heron species. Their feeding habitats include seasonally inundated grasslands, pastures, farmlands, wetlands and rice paddies. They often accompany cattle or other large mammals, catching insect and small vertebrate prey disturbed by these animals. Some populations of the cattle egret are migratory and others show post-breeding dispersal.

The adult cattle egret has few predators, but birds or mammals may raid its nests, and chicks may be lost to starvation, calcium deficiency or disturbance from other large birds. This species maintains a special relationship with cattle, which extends to other large grazing mammals; wider human farming is believed to be a major cause of their suddenly expanded range. The cattle egret removes ticks and flies from cattle and consumes them. This benefits both species, but it has been implicated in the spread of tick-borne animal diseases.

16-10-2024 EL SALER, VALENCIA - GREY HERON (Ardea cinerea)

 Population size

790,000-3.7Mln

Life Span

15-20 years

Top speed

64

km/hmph

km/h mph 

Weight

1-2

kglbs

kg lbs 

Height

84-102

cminch

cm inch 

Length

84-102

cminch