30-7-2015 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - ANTLION (Neuroleon nemausiensis)

                               

ANTLION (Neuroleon nemausiensis)

The insect order Neuroptera, or net-winged insects, includes the lacewings, mantidflies, antlions, and their relatives. The order consists of some 6,000 species. Neuroptera is grouped together with the Megaloptera (alderflies, fishflies, and dobsonflies) and Raphidioptera (snakeflies) in the unranked taxon Neuropterida (once known as Planipennia).

Adult neuropterans have four membranous wings, all about the same size, with many veins. They have chewing mouthparts, and undergo complete metamorphosis.

Neuropterans first appeared during the Permian period, and continued to diversify through the Mesozoic era. During this time, several unusually large forms evolved, especially in the extinct family Kalligrammatidae, often called "the butterflies of the Jurassic" for their large, patterned wings.

21-7-2015 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - BAND WINGED GRASSHOPPER (Sphingonotus)

Sphingonotus is a genus of grasshoppers in the family Acrididae, subfamily Oedipodinae, found in Europe Africa, Asia and Australia.

4-2-2014 MOROS MARSHES, SAGUNTO - COMMON CHAFFINCH (MALE) (Fringilla coelebs)

20-7-2015 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - PINE CHAFER (Polyphylla fullo)

Polyphylla fullo (Common name Pine Chafer) is a beetle belonging to the family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Melolonthinae.

Polyphylla fullo (Pine Chafer) is the largest of the European Melolonthinae, attaining a length of 38 mm. The body is robust and convex and more or less reddish brown or blackish. It is covered with fine white pubescence which forms marbled spots. Like other members of the genus, males possess an enlarged antennal "fan", which gives a distinctive appearance to these beetles, and gave rise to the scientific name for the genus (Polyphylla = "many leaves"). The adult lives and feed on the foliage of pines, while the larvae live on the roots of grasses and sedges (Graminaceae and Cyperaceae).

Polyphylla fullo is found in North Africa, Europe and middle east. It occurs most frequently in central and southern Europe, but it is almost everywhere rare. Its northern boundary is the south of Sweden, the eastern Balkans, the Caucasus and east of Iran.

It inhabits sandy environments, such as the edge of a sunny pine forests, vineyards, or dunes.

9-6-2014 PEGO MARSHES, ALICANTE - SQUACCO HERON (Ardeola ralloides)

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

18-4-2015 GALILLEE, ISRAEL - DOMESTIC MUSCOVY DUCK (Cairina moschata var. domestica)

The Muscovy or Barbary is the domesticated form of the wild Muscovy duck, Cairina moschata. There are a number of local or regional breeds, and drakes of these are commonly cross-bred with domestic ducks to produce the hybrids called mulards.

The Muscovy had been domesticated by various indigenous peoples of the Americas well before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492.

Domestic Muscovy drakes weigh some 4.5–6.3 kg. The duck is much smaller, typically about half the size of the drake, with a weight of 2.3–3.2 kg.

Recognised colour varieties include five solid colours – black, blue, chocolate, lavender and white: 465  – and eight 'magpie' colours, in which the whole back from the tail to the shoulders and the underside from below the tail to the breast is coloured black, blue, chocolate or lavender, the remainder being white. In the standard magpie colourings the crown of the head is also coloured; in the white-headed magpie colours the head is white.

In commercial production, it is often crossed with a mallard-derived domestic duck such as the Rouen or Pekin to produce the hybrid known as a mulard.  These hatch in about four weeks and grow rapidly like a mallard-type duck, but to about the size and weight of the Muscovy.  The inverse cross – domestic drake with Muscovy duck – is also possible, but infrequent.  The mulard is reared both for its meat and for its liver, much of it as foie gras. The mulard is considered kosher in Jewish dietary law.

3-6-2006 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - RED VEINED DARTER DRAGONFLY (FEMALE) (Sympetrum fonscolombii)

12-7-1015 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - RED VEINED DARTER DRAGONFLY (FEMALE) (Sympetrum fonscolombii)

10-7-2015 VILLALONGA RIO SERPIS, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN MOORHEN (Gallinula chloropus)

A very familiar and widespread bird, the Moorhen can even be found in urban parks where there are streams, lakes or small ponds.

Distributed throughout England Wales, Ireland and south-east Scotland, Moorhens avoid high ground. British and Irish Moorhens are sedentary, occupying their lowland habitats year-round. In winter the population is swelled by birds migrating here from the Continent.

In addition to swimming well on water, Moorhens can often be seen foraging on grassy margins, when their white undertail is flicked as a prominent signal to others. Moorhen courtship and territoriality has been well studied owing to their abundance in and around University towns.

6-7-2015 RIO SERPIS, VILLALONGA, VALENCIA - BROAD SCARLET DRAGONFLY (Crocothemis erythraea)

The scarlet dragonfly (Crocothemis erythraea) is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. Its common names include broad scarlet, common scarlet-darter, and scarlet darter.

The scarlet dragonfly is a common species in southern Europe and throughout Africa. It also occurs across western Asia as far as southern China. It is a very rare vagrant in Britain. Its first record in the country was at Hayle Kimbro Pool, The Lizard, Cornwall, on 7 August 1995. Since then there have been a few further records at scattered locations throughout Britain.

A wide range of both running and standing waters, except those that are shaded. Adults may be found some distance from water in habitats ranging from desert to open woodland; absent from dense forest.

 

Crocothemis erythraea can reach a length of 33–44 millimetres (1.3–1.7 in). These dragonflies haves a flattened and rather broad abdomen. The adult male scarlet dragonfly has a bright scarlet red, widened abdomen, with small amber patches at the bases of the hindwings. Also the veins on the leading edges of the wings are red. Females and immatures are yellow-brown and have a conspicuous pale stripe along the top of the thorax.

5-7-2015 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - HOUSE SPARROW (FEMALE) (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.

4-7-2015 GANDIA, VALENCIA - SPOTTED FLYCATCHER (Muscicapa striata)

More streaked than spotted, this small grey-brown, long-winged flycatcher is a dashing bird of woodland, parks and gardens.

The Spotted Flycatcher is amongst the last of our summer visitors to arrive, often not being seen until late April or even early May. It breeds throughout Britain & Ireland, apart from the very far north and west.

Spotted Flycatchers spend the winter months in Africa and BTO research has shown that some head as far south as Namibia, around 7,000 km from their breeding location. A host of summer migrants are experiencing declines in their breeding populations and the Spotted Flycatcher is one of these. It has been on the UK Red List since 1996.

2001 AUSTRALIA - KOALA BEAR (Phascolarctos cinereus)

2001 AUSTRALIA - SPLENDID FAIRY WREN (Malurus splendens)

 The splendid fairywren (Malurus splendens) is a passerine bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is also known simply as the splendid wren or more colloquially in Western Australia as the blue wren. The splendid fairywren is found across much of the Australian continent from central-western New South Wales and southwestern Queensland over to coastal Western Australia. It inhabits predominantly arid and semi-arid regions. Exhibiting a high degree of sexual dimorphism, the male in breeding plumage is a small, long-tailed bird of predominantly bright blue and black colouration. Non-breeding males, females and juveniles are predominantly grey-brown in colour; this gave the early impression that males were polygamous as all dull-coloured birds were taken for females. It comprises several similar all-blue and black subspecies that were originally considered separate species.

Like other fairywrens, the splendid fairywren is notable for several peculiar behavioural characteristics; the birds are socially monogamous and sexually promiscuous, meaning that although they form pairs between one male and one female, each partner will mate with other individuals and even assist in raising the young from such trysts. Male wrens pluck pink or purple petals and display them to females as part of a courtship display.

The habitat of the splendid fairywren ranges from forest to dry scrub, generally with ample vegetation for shelter. Unlike the eastern superb fairywren, it has not adapted well to human occupation of the landscape and has disappeared from some urbanised areas. The splendid fairywren mainly eats insects and supplements its diet with seeds.

1984 MASAI MARA, KENYA - SPOTTED HYENA (Crocuta crocuta)

1989 NOISE-BE, MOZAMBIQUE - BLACK LEMUR (Eulemur macaco)

1989 EVERGLADES NAT PARK, FLORIDA - AMERICAN GREAT EGRET (Ardea alba ssp. egretta)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/236942-Ardea-alba-egretta

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

The Blackbird is one of our most common and familiar birds. It is particularly numerous in gardens, but can be found almost everywhere in Britain & Ireland, apart from the highest ground.

This species forages on the ground, and is most often seen turning over leaf litter, probing the soil for food, or visiting flat feeders like bird tables. Adult male birds are black with a contrasting yellow bill and eyering, whilst females are browner and streakier. The Blackbird's fluting, melodic song, often performed from a high perch, is a particular feature of summer evenings.

Breeding numbers have increased in the UK since the mid-1990s, following a decline during the 1970s and 1980s. The UK also hosts many additional birds from northern Europe in the winter.