1984 MOUNTAIN LODGE, KENYA - SOUTHERN RED BILLED HORNBILL (Tockus rufirostris)

30-6-2015 VILLALONGA RIO SERPIS, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN MOORHEN (Gallinula chloropus)

The Common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) is a bird species in the rail family (Rallidae) found across many parts of the Old World. These birds live around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals, and other wetlands. The word 'moor' as a part of their name is an old sense meaning marsh.

Common moorhens have predominantly black and brown plumage, with the exception of a white under-tail, white streaks on the flanks, yellow legs, and a red frontal shield. The bill is red with a yellow tip. The young are browner and lack the red shield. The frontal shield of the adult has a rounded top and fairly parallel sides; the tailward margin of the red unfeathered area is a smooth waving line.

28-6-2015 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - WOOD LEOPARD MOTH (Zeuzera pyrina)

Zeuzera pyrina, the leopard moth or wood leopard moth, is a moth of the family Cossidae.

It is considered a pest by fruit growers, as the larvae feed on branches of many kinds of fruit trees (see list below). Olive trees in particular are very susceptible and can be killed by the larvae burrowing within them.

This species can be found primarily in Europe (excluding Ireland) but also in northern Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco) and Asia (Taiwan, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkey). It was introduced into the northeastern United States prior to 1879 and has a range extending from Maine, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.

These moths are associated with woodland, gardens and orchards.

Zeuzera pyrina has a wingspan of 35–60 mm. This is a highly distinctive species. The male is slightly smaller than the female. The length of the abdomen of the female is about 45–50 mm. These moths have a white head, with a black forehead and a very furry white thorax marked with six black spots. The abdomen is black, with short white hair-like scales on the posterior edge of each segment and a flat brush of scales on the apex. Forewings are whitish, long and narrow, with numerous black spots or black spots with white interior spots, arranged in rows along the veins. Hindwings are translucent, except in the anal area, with small black spots. In addition to the dimensions, the two sexes differ in the shape of the antennas, thinner in the female, while in the male they are markedly bipectinate, with the exception of terminals articles.

The moth flies from June to September depending on the location. The caterpillars are xylophagous. They feed on the wood of various deciduous trees and shrubs (see list below), feeding internally for two or three years in the stems and branches before emerging to pupate under the bark. It can be a pest of fruit production.

25-6-2014 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - LITTLE RINGED PLOVER (Charadrius dubius)

21-6-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - WHITE WAGTAIL (Motacilla alba)

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

27-3-2015 GALLE, SRI LANKA - HOUSE CROW (Corvus splendens)

The house crow (Corvus splendens), also known as the Indian, greynecked, Ceylon or Colombo crow, is a common bird of the crow family that is of Asian origin but now found in many parts of the world, where they arrived assisted by shipping. It is between the jackdaw and the carrion crow in size (40 cm (16 in) in length) but is slimmer than either. The forehead, crown, throat and upper breast are a richly glossed black, whilst the neck and breast are a lighter grey-brown in colour. The wings, tail and legs are black. There are regional variations in the thickness of the bill and the depth of colour in areas of the plumage.

The nominate race C. s. splendens is found in Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh and has a grey neck collar. The subspecies C. s. zugmayeri is found in the dry parts of South Asia and Iran and has a very pale neck collar. The subspecies C. s. protegatus is found in southern India, the Maldives (sometimes separated as maledivicus) and Sri Lanka and is darker grey. C. s. insolens, found in Myanmar, is the darkest form and lacks the grey collar.

It has a widespread distribution in southern Asia, being native to Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Laccadive Islands, southern Myanmar, south Thailand, and coastal southern Iran. It was introduced to East Africa around Zanzibar (about 1897) and Port Sudan. It arrived in Australia via ship but has up to now been exterminated. Recently, it has made its arrival in Europe and has been breeding in the Dutch harbour town Hook of Holland since 1998.

A population between 200 and 400 birds has been present in Sham Shui Po, New Kowloon, Hong Kong, in particular Lai Kok Estate and Sham Shui Po Park, as well as Kowloon Tsai Park in Kowloon Tsai. An individual has been present in Cork Harbour on the south coast of Ireland since early September 2010.

In the New World, a small population of house crows is established in the area around St. Petersburg, Florida. As of April 2009, the introduced population of house crows in Socotra Island, Yemen, has been eradicated to avoid negative ecological effects to endemic species of Socotra.

It is associated with human settlements throughout its range, from small villages to large cities. In Singapore, there was a density of 190 birds/km2 in 2001 with efforts to suppress the population in planning.

Due to a human population explosion in the areas it inhabits, this species has also proportionately multiplied. Being an omnivorous scavenger has enabled it to thrive in such circumstances.

13-6-2015 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - WHITE PLUME MOTH (Pterophorus pentadactyla)

This moth is found over much of Europe and the Middle East, as far east as Iran, also North Africa. In Britain, it is common in England and Wales but more local in southern Scotland and in the coastal parts of western, southern and eastern Ireland. It is typically found in rough grassland, on road verges and in gardens. The larva feeds on leaves and flowers of field bindweed, hedge bindweed and other members of the family Convolvulaceae. It hibernates, overwintering as a small larva.

The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a member of the family Convolvulaceae, and in Nigeria, the larvae of the white plume moth feed on the plant. The moth is considered a pest species along with the sweet potato butterfly (Acraea acerata), leaf folders (Brachmia and Helcystogramma spp.), and sweet potato army worms (Spodoptera spp.).

13-6-2015 GANDIA, VALENCIA - EURASIAN BLACKBIRD (FEMALE) (Turdus merula)

The common blackbird (Turdus merula) is a species of true thrush. It is also called the Eurasian blackbird (especially in North America, to distinguish it from the unrelated New World blackbirds), or simply the blackbird where this does not lead to confusion with a similar-looking local species. It breeds in Europe, western Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to Australia and New Zealand. It has a number of subspecies across its large range; a few former Asian subspecies are now widely treated as separate species. Depending on latitude, the common blackbird may be resident, partially migratory, or fully migratory.

The adult male of the common blackbird (Turdus merula merula, the nominate subspecies), which is found throughout most of Europe, is all black except for a yellow eye-ring and bill and has a rich, melodious song; the adult female and juvenile have mainly dark brown plumage. This species breeds in woods and gardens, building a neat, cup-shaped nest, bound together with mud. It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, earthworms, berries, and fruits.

Both sexes are territorial on the breeding grounds, with distinctive threat displays, but are more gregarious during migration and in wintering areas. Pairs stay in their territory throughout the year where the climate is sufficiently temperate. This common and conspicuous species has given rise to a number of literary and cultural references, frequently related to its song.

25-2-2015 PEGO MARJAL, ALICANTE - COMMON CHIFFCHAFF (Phylloscopus collybita)

10-6-2015 ELS POBLETS, ALICANTE - HOUSE SPARROW (MALE) (Passer domesticus)

The House sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a small passerine bird found in most parts of the world. The extent of its range makes it the most widely distributed wild bird on the planet. Because of its numbers, ubiquity, and association with human settlements, the House sparrow is culturally prominent. It is extensively, and usually unsuccessfully, persecuted as an agricultural pest. It has also often been kept as a pet and was a food item. Though it is widespread and abundant, its numbers have declined in some areas.

The plumage of the House sparrow is mostly different shades of grey and brown. The sexes exhibit strong dimorphism: the female is mostly buffish above and below, while the male has boldly colored head markings, a reddish back, and grey underparts. The male has a dark grey crown from the top of its bill to its back, and chestnut brown flanking its crown on the sides of its head. It has black around its bill, on its throat, and on the spaces between its bill and eyes (lores). It has a small white stripe between the lores and crown and small white spots immediately behind the eyes (postoculars), with black patches below and above them. The underparts are pale grey or white, as are the cheeks, ear coverts, and stripes at the base of the head. The upper back and mantle are a warm brown, with broad black streaks, while the lower back, rump, and upper tail coverts are greyish brown. The male is duller in fresh nonbreeding plumage, with whitish tips on many feathers. Wear and preening expose many of the bright brown and black markings, including most of the black throat and chest patch, called the "bib" or "badge". The male's bill is dark grey, but black in the breeding season. The female has no black markings or grey crowns. Its upperparts and head are brown with darker streaks around the mantle and a distinct pale supercilium. Its underparts are pale grey-brown. The female's bill is brownish-grey and becomes darker in breeding plumage approaching the black of the male's bill. Juveniles are similar to adult female, but deeper brown below and paler above, with paler and less defined supercilia. Juvenile males tend to have darker throats and white postoculars like adult males, while juvenile females tend to have white throats. The bills of young birds are light yellow to straw, paler than the female's bill.

9-6-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - LITTLE EGRET (Egretta garzetta)

The Little egret (Egretta garzetta) is small elegant heron in the family Ardeidae. As an aquatic bird, it feeds in shallow water and on land, consuming a variety of small creatures. At one time common in Western Europe, the Little heron was hunted extensively in the 19th century to provide plumes for the decoration of hats and became locally extinct in Northwestern Europe and scarce in the south. Around 1950, conservation laws were introduced in southern Europe to protect the species and their numbers began to increase.

1-6-2015 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - WHITE WAGTAIL (Motacilla alba)

The white wagtail (Motacilla alba) is a small passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which also includes pipits and longclaws. The species breeds in much of Europe and the Asian Palearctic and parts of North Africa. It has a toehold in Alaska as a scarce breeder. It is resident in the mildest parts of its range, but otherwise migrates to Africa. In Ireland and Great Britain, the darker subspecies, the pied wagtail or water wagtail (M. a. yarrellii) predominates; this is also called in Ireland willie wagtail, not to be confused with the Australian species Rhipidura leucophrys which bears the same common name. In total, there are between 9 and 11 subspecies of M. alba.

The white wagtail is an insectivorous bird of 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 nests in crevices in stone walls and similar natural and human-made structures.