30-11-2017 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR , VALENCIA - EUROPEAN MOORHEN (JUVENILE) (Gallinula chloropus)

30-11-2017 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR , VALENCIA - EURASIAN GREAT CORMORANT (Phalacrocorax carbo)

The great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), a robust seabird, is cloaked in predominantly black plumage. It is a member of the cormorant family, with a widespread distribution. The species exhibits considerable size variation across its range, with males generally larger than females. Notable features include a longish tail and a distinctive yellow throat-patch. During the breeding season, adults boast white patches on their thighs and throat.

To identify the great cormorant, look for its large size, heavy build, and thick bill. It lacks a crest and its plumage does not have a green tinge, distinguishing it from the common shag. In North America, it is bulkier than the double-crested cormorant and has less yellow on the throat and bill. The white thigh patches are a key identifier.

Great cormorants are found in a variety of aquatic environments including seas, estuaries, freshwater lakes, and rivers. They often nest in colonies close to these water bodies.

This species has a broad distribution, breeding across the Old World, Australia, and the Atlantic coast of North America. Northern populations tend to migrate southward in winter, seeking coasts rich in fish.

28-11-2017 LA FONT EN CARROS, VALENCIA - COMMON CHIFFCHAFF (Phylloscopus collybita)

27-11-2017 ADOR CAMP, VALENCIA - EURASIAN KESTREL (Falco tinnunculus)

18-11-2017 HANNINGFIELD RESERVOIR, ESSEX - EASTERN GRAY SQUIRREL (Sciurus carolinensis)

The Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is a tree squirrel native to eastern North America; there it is the most prodigious and ecologically essential natural forest regenerator. Widely introduced to certain places around the world, the Eastern gray squirrel in Europe, in particular, is regarded as an invasive species.

The Eastern gray squirrel is a squirrel of medium size, and both males and females are of the same size and color. Its fur is mainly black or gray, the gray color being grizzled and often banded with gray and black guard hairs, tinged white, with the underside being white. Its tail is quite bushy and sometimes reddish in color and is used for maintaining balance while it leaps between branches. The overall fur color may change with different seasons, with the grayish fur being tawnier during summer, and the tail whiter.

Eastern gray squirrels are aggressive, alert, and inquisitive rodents, very fast when moving and jumping amongst the treetops. These squirrels are scatter-hoarder; they hoard huge quantities of food for the future and can make several thousand caches per season. They are more active in the daytime than at night, particularly at dawn and during the afternoon. Males and females may share the same nest during the breeding season, which they build in the forks of trees, and during cold winters, squirrels may also share these dreys to stay warm. The dens are usually lined with moss plants, thistledown, dried grass, and feathers. Females nest alone during pregnancy, and lactating females are particularly aggressive and left alone by other squirrels. These squirrels do not hibernate. To communicate with each other they use both vocalizations and posturing. They have a quite varied repertoire of vocalizations, including a squeak similar to that of a mouse, a low-pitched noise, a chatter, and a raspy "mehr mehr mehr". Other methods of communication include tail-flicking and other gestures, including facial expressions. Squirrels also make an affectionate coo-purring sound that biologists call the "muk-muk" sound. This is used as a contact sound between a mother and her kits and in adulthood, by the male when he courts the female during mating season.

Eastern gray squirrels are native to the eastern and mid-western parts of America, and to the south of the eastern parts of Canada. They range from Manitoba to New Brunswick, and south to Florida and East Texas. They inhabit large areas of mature, dense woodland ecosystems. These forests usually contain large mast-producing trees such as oaks and hickories, providing ample food sources. Close to human settlements, Eastern gray squirrels are found in parks and backyards of houses within urban environments and in the farmlands of rural environments.

Eastern gray squirrels eat mostly the nuts, buds, and flowers of at least 24 types of oak trees, 10 species of hickory, beech, walnut tree species, pecans, and truffles. Corn, wheat, and other crops are eaten, particularly in the winter. In the summer insects are eaten and are probably particularly important for young squirrels.

Eastern gray squirrels have a polygynndrous (promiscuous) mating system. Males compete among themselves for the ability to mate with female eastern grey squirrels. Females may mate with more than one male as well. Breeding occurs in December-February and May-June and is slightly delayed in more northern latitudes. After a gestation period of 40-44 days, the female bears her litter of 1 to 9 (average 2 or 3) in a den or leafy nest. They are cared for in the nest by their mother until they reach independence. The young are weaned around 10 weeks, though some may wean up to 6 weeks later in the wild. They begin to leave the nest after 12 weeks, with autumn-born young often wintering with their mother. Most females begin their reproductive life at 1.25 years but can bear young as early as 5.5 months. Males usually are able to breed at 11 months.

18-11-2017 HANNINGFIELD RESERVOIR, ESSEX - CARRION CROW (Corvus corone)

The carrion crow (Corvus corone) is a passerine bird of the family Corvidae and the genus Corvus which is native to western Europe and the eastern Palearctic.

The plumage of the Carrion crow is black with a green or purple sheen, much greener than the gloss of the rook. The bill, legs, and feet are also black. There is frequent confusion between the Carrion crow and the rook, another black corvid found within its range. The beak of the crow is stouter and in consequence looks shorter, and whereas in the adult rook the nostrils are bare, those of the crow are covered at all ages with bristle-like feathers. As well as this, the wings of a Carrion crow are proportionally shorter and broader than those of the rook when seen in flight. Juvenile Carrion crows can be identified by their brownish plumage and blue eyes, both of which darken to black and brown as the crow grows older.

Carrion crows are native to western Europe and much of Asia. Birds that live in colder areas may migrate south to spend the winter months. Carrion crows live in a variety of habitats including parks and gardens, cultivated areas, wetlands, forest clearings, woodlands, moors, inshore islands, coastal cliffs, and tidepools.

18-11-2017 HANNINGFIELD RESERVOIR, ESSEX - CANADA GOOSE (Branta canadensis)

The Canada goose (Branta canadensis) is a large wild goose species with a distinctive black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is well-known for its black head and neck with a white 'chinstrap' that distinguishes it from all other goose species, except for the cackling goose and barnacle goose.

Adult Canada geese feature a black head, neck, and bill with a contrasting white cheek and throat patch. Their bodies are largely brown with paler underparts. They have a long neck and a large body relative to other geese. The sexes are similar in appearance, but males are generally larger. Juveniles are duller and lack the white chinstrap.

Canada geese are highly adaptable and can be found in a variety of habitats, including lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes, and estuaries. They thrive in both wild and human-altered environments, often seen in urban parks, golf courses, and agricultural fields.

Native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, Canada geese have a wide distribution that includes much of Canada and the United States. They have also been introduced to parts of Europe, New Zealand, and other regions.

Canada geese are known for their migratory habits, although some populations have become non-migratory. They are social birds, often found in flocks, and exhibit strong territorial behavior. They are also known for their aggressive defense of nesting sites.

The male's call is a loud honk, while the female emits a shorter, higher-pitched hrink. Canada geese have a variety of vocalizations used for communication, including honks, hisses, and grunts.

Canada geese are monogamous and typically mate for life. They build their nests on the ground near water and the female lays 2-9 eggs. Both parents protect the nest, but the female spends more time incubating the eggs. Goslings are precocial and able to walk, swim, and feed shortly after hatching.

Primarily herbivorous, Canada geese feed on grasses, grains, and aquatic plants. They are known to graze on lawns and agricultural fields, and in water, they may upend to reach submerged vegetation.

23-11-2017 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - BROAD NOSED WEEVIL (Subfamily Entiminae)

23-11-2017 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - NETTED PUG MOTH (Eupithecia venosata)

24-11-2017 PEGO MARJAL, ALICANTE - 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.

24-11-2017 PEGO MARJAL, ALICANTE - LITTLE EGRET (Egretta garzetta)

The little egret (Egretta garzetta) is a species of small heron in the family Ardeidae. It is a white bird with a slender black beak, long black legs and, in the western race, yellow feet. As an aquatic bird, it feeds in shallow water and on land, consuming a variety of small creatures. It breeds colonially, often with other species of water birds, making a platform nest of sticks in a tree, bush or reed bed. A clutch of three to five bluish-green eggs is laid and incubated by both parents for about three weeks. The young fledge at about six weeks of age.

Its breeding distribution is in wetlands in warm temperate to tropical parts of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. A successful colonist, its range has gradually expanded north, with stable and self-sustaining populations now present in the United Kingdom.

24-11-2017 PEGO MARJAL, ALICANTE - GREY HERON (Ardea cinerea)

The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) is a statuesque wading bird belonging to the family Ardeidae. It is a familiar sight in both rural and urban settings, often seen standing stoically along the water's edge. An adult Grey Heron is a large bird, reaching up to 100 cm in height, with a wingspan between 155 to 195 cm. It weighs between 1 to 2 kg. The plumage is predominantly ashy-grey above, with a greyish-white underbelly and some black on the flanks. A striking feature is the white head and neck adorned with a broad black stripe that extends from the eye to the black crest. The beak is pinkish-yellow, long, and sharply pointed, while the legs are a brown hue.

When identifying the Grey Heron, look for the white head with the black supercilium and crest, the long grey neck, and the ashy-grey wings and back. The underparts are lighter, and the legs are long and brown. Juveniles can be distinguished by their duller grey neck and smaller crest. The beak is a useful indicator of age, being brighter in breeding adults.

Grey Herons are highly adaptable and can be found in a variety of watery habitats including lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes, and coastal environments. They require shallow waters for foraging or areas with shelving margins where they can wade.

Native to temperate Europe and Asia, as well as parts of Africa, the Grey Heron has a broad range. Northern populations may migrate southwards in autumn, while others remain resident year-round. Vagrant sightings have occurred in the Caribbean, Bermuda, and parts of North America.

The Grey Heron exhibits a slow, deliberate flight with its neck retracted in an S-shape. It is known for its solitary foraging habits, often standing motionless or stalking prey through shallow waters. It is also a communal rooster, often found in trees or cliffs at night.

The primary call of the Grey Heron is a loud croaking "fraaank." At breeding colonies, a variety of guttural and raucous noises can be heard, including greeting calls between mates and alarm calls when predators are nearby.

Breeding takes place in colonies, or heronries, typically in high trees near water. Nests are reused and added to each year. The breeding season sees a clutch of three to five bluish-green eggs laid, which both parents incubate. Chicks fledge at 7-8 weeks old.

The Grey Heron can be confused with the larger North American Great Blue Heron or the South American Cocoi Heron. However, it can be distinguished by its size and the coloration of its flanks and thighs.

Grey Herons are apex predators within their ecosystem, feeding on a variety of aquatic creatures such as fish, amphibians, crustaceans, and insects. They have also been known to consume small mammals and juvenile birds.

The Grey Heron is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, indicating a stable and widespread population.

24-11-2017 PEGO MARJAL, ALICANTE - EUROPEAN STARLING (FLOCKING) (Sturnus vulgaris)

24-11-2017 PEGO MARJAL, ALICANTE - CATTLE EGRET (Bubulcus ibis)

Compared with other herons, Western Cattle Egrets are noticeably small and compact. They have relatively short legs and a short thick neck. The straight, daggerlike bill is shorter and thicker than other herons. They have medium-length, broad, rounded wings.

Adult Western Cattle Egrets are all white with a yellow bill and legs. In breeding plumage they have golden plumes on their head, chest, and back. Juveniles have dark legs and bill.

Western Cattle Egrets stalk insects and other small animals on the ground in grassy fields. They are much less often seen in water than other herons. They nest in dense colonies of stick nests in trees or emergent wetlands, often mixed with other species of herons.

They forage in flocks in upland areas such as pastures and fields, generally focusing on drier habitats than other species of white herons.

The Western Cattle-Egret is a gregarious, white, upland heron ( Ardeidae ), easily recognized by its foraging association with grazing animals and its exaggerated head strut. It is distinguished from the Eastern Cattle-Egret (Ardea coromanda) by having breeding plumage less buff-orange in the head and neck regions. Its preference for grasslands, lawns, pastures and grazing animals is very different from that of other herons and egrets which tend to feed in or near water rather than in close association with livestock. In Britain and Europe it is also known as the buffalo heron in reference to the colour of its breeding plumes; but in many languages ​​it is simply called the cow crane, cow heron or cow bird, or is named after the wild grazing animal with which it is usually associated; for example, elephant bird, rhinoceros egret or hippopotamus egret. The Western Cattle-Egret's Arabic name, Abu Qerdan, means "father of ticks" and refers to the abundance of ticks on Egyptian herons. Other names that include the word tick, such as Tick-eating Bird, refer to the mistaken belief that they pick up ticks attached to grazing animals; instead, most of their prey are insects disturbed by grazing animals. Derivation of scientific name:Bubulcus(the previous genus) from Latin "belonging to cattle" andibisfrom the Greek in reference to its slightly curved beak like that of the ibis.

This species began its remarkable range expansion in the late 19th century: spreading across the African continent, Madagascar and the Comoro Islands from 1900; into southern France and the Volga Delta in the 1950s; and, in the Americas, northeastern South America in the late 19th century, the Antilles in the mid-1950s, most of South America between the 1940s and 1970s, and Central and North America between the early 1950s and early 1970s. Its rapid expansion is well documented and studied, encouraging speculation about which aspects of its life history and ecology have most favoured the growth of its range and numbers. Indeed, this uncommon bird has provided a rare opportunity for global-scale comparative studies of its population dynamics and interactions with native colonial waterbirds as well as people.

Of particular interest are the economic aspects of the species' feeding habits and diet, medical and veterinary concerns, breeding colonies considered nuisances, and its status as a bioindicator of environmental conditions. The apparent keys to its spread and success are its dispersing tendencies, gregariousness, diet, adaptability to foraging - especially as humans convert ever larger tracts of landscape to pasture for livestock production and crop fields for rice agriculture - and its reproductive adaptability and success. Although numerous studies have been conducted in many parts of the world, data for its study in its original range are lacking.

24-11-2017 PEGO MARJAL, ALICANTE - BARN SWALLOW (Hirundo rustica)

The barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is a migratory passerine bird, recognized as the most widespread species of swallow in the world. It is a distinctive bird with blue upperparts and a long, deeply forked tail, known for its graceful flight and agile maneuvers. The adult male of the nominate subspecies is 17–19 cm in length, including elongated outer tail feathers, and has a wingspan of 32–34.5 cm. It is adorned with a rufous forehead, chin, and throat, which are set apart from the off-white underparts by a broad dark blue breast band. The outer tail feathers are elongated, contributing to the iconic "swallow tail."

The barn swallow can be identified by its steel blue upperparts, a rufous face, and a dark blue breast band that separates the rufous from the off-white underparts. The deeply forked tail is a key characteristic, with a line of white spots across the upper tail's outer end. Females resemble males but have shorter tail streamers and less glossy blue coloring. Juveniles are browner with paler rufous faces and whiter underparts, lacking the adult's long tail streamers.

The barn swallow favors open country with low vegetation, such as pastures, meadows, and farmland, often near water. It avoids heavily wooded or steep areas and densely built-up locations. The species typically nests in man-made structures like barns and stables, or under bridges and wharves.

This bird has a vast global range, breeding across the Northern Hemisphere and wintering in much of the Southern Hemisphere. Its distribution spans Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Barn swallows are semi-colonial and may settle in groups. They exhibit site fidelity, often returning to the same location annually for breeding. The species is known for its aerial insectivory, catching insects in flight with remarkable agility.

The barn swallow communicates with a variety of calls, including a "witt or witt-witt" and a loud "splee-plink" when excited or deterring intruders. Alarm calls include a sharp "siflitt" for terrestrial predators and a "flitt-flitt" for avian predators. The male's song, used for territory defense and mate attraction, consists of a twittering warble followed by a series of musical notes.

Barn swallows are monogamous and often mate for life, with the male arriving first at the breeding grounds to select a nest site. They build cup-shaped mud nests lined with soft materials, frequently in colonies where each pair defends a territory. The female typically lays two to seven spotted white eggs, with the clutch size varying by latitude.

The barn swallow can be confused with other Hirundo species and the welcome swallow in overlapping ranges. However, its red face and blue breast band distinguish it from African species, and it differs from the welcome swallow by its deeply forked tail and white tail spots.

The diet consists mainly of flying insects, which the barn swallow captures in open areas or follows animals and humans to catch disturbed prey. It may also pick insects from water surfaces, walls, and plants. The species drinks and bathes by skimming over water bodies.

The barn swallow is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, with an extensive range and large global population. While not endangered, local declines may occur due to specific threats, such as habitat loss or pesticide use. However, the species has benefited from human expansion and the availability of nesting sites.

24-11-2017 PEGO MARJAL, ALICANTE - WESTERN SWAMPHEN (Porphyrio porphyrio)

The western swamphen (known as Purple Swamphen) (Porphyrio porphyrio ) is a swamphen in the rail family Rallidae, one of the six species of purple swamphen. From the French name talève sultane, it is also known as the sultana bird. This chicken-sized bird, with its large feet, bright plumage and red bill and frontal shield is easily recognisable in its native range. It used to be considered the nominate subspecies of the purple swamphen, but is now recognised as a separate species. The western swamphen is found in wetlands in Spain (where the largest population lives), Portugal, southeastern France, Italy (Sardinia and Sicily) and northwestern Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia).

The species makes loud, quick, bleating and hooting calls which are hardly bird-like in tone. It is particularly noisy during the breeding season. Despite being clumsy in flight, it can fly long distances and is a good swimmer, especially for a bird without webbed feet.

The western swamphen prefers wet areas with high rainfall, swamps, lake edges and damp pastures. The birds often live in pairs and larger communities. It clambers through the reeds, eating the tender shoots and vegetable-like matter. They have been known to eat eggs, ducklings, small fish and invertebrates such as snails. They have even been known to attack large eels; however, there is no consensus amongst ornithologists if they actually eat eel. They will often use one foot to bring food to their mouth rather than eat it on the ground. Where they are not persecuted they can become tame and be readily seen in towns and cities.

Western swamphens are generally seasonal breeders, correlating with peak rainfall in many places, or summer in more temperate climes. The purple swamphen breeds in warm reed beds. The pattern of social behaviour tends to be monogamy.

Pairs nest in a large pad of interwoven reed flags, etc., on a mass of floating debris or amongst matted reeds slightly above water level in swamps, clumps of rushes in paddocks or long unkempt grass. Each bird can lay 3–6 speckled eggs, pale yellowish stone to reddish buff, blotched and spotted with reddish brown. The incubation period is 23–27 days, and is performed by both sexes. The precocious chicks are feathered with downy black feathers and able to leave the nest soon after hatching, but will often remain in the nest for a few days. Young chicks are fed by their parents (and group members) for between 10–14 days, after which they begin to feed themselves.

Today the western swamphen is locally common, with the largest population in Spain. It was formerly listed as "Rare" by the European Union, but has been delisted to "Localised".

The species declined drastically in the first half of the 20th century due to habitat loss and hunting. It was relatively widespread until 1900, but by the 1960s it was seriously threatened and its range in the Iberian Peninsula was limited to a few locations in the Guadalquivir basin. As a result of reintroduction schemes and protection of both the species and its habitat, the western swamphen has since recovered. By the 1990s it was locally common, and by 2000 its range in the Iberian Peninsula was similar to its range in 1900. The center is in Spain where the population increased from 600–900 breeding pairs in 1992 to 3500–4500 breeding pairs in 1999. From Spain it has continued its expansion into southeastern France where small numbers now breed. It remains rare and local in Portugal where there were 49–67 breeding pairs in 2002, but this population is also recovering. It was extirpated from Sicily in 1957, effectively restricting its Italian range to Sardinia where the population was 450–600 breeding pairs in 1999. Beginning in 2000, it was reintroduced to Sicily. A small "purple swamphen" population in central Italy is the result of grey-headed swamphens that escaped from a zoo.

Little is known about the status of the western swamphen in Africa, but northeastern Algeria is considered one of its strongholds in this region.

When protected, western swamphens are able to thrive in human-managed habitats, and in some places they live in paddy fields, resulting in conflicts with farmers as they can be destructive to the rice.

23-11-2017 VILLALONGA, VALENCIA - MEADOW PIPIT (Anthus pratensis)

The Meadow Pipit, Anthus pratensis, is a small, unassuming bird of the passerine family. It measures between 14.5 to 15 cm in length and weighs a mere 15 to 22 grams. Its plumage is predominantly brown above and buff below, with darker streaks adorning most of its body. The tail is brown with narrow white edges, and it stands on pale pinkish-yellow legs. A distinctive feature is its notably long hind claw, surpassing the length of its other hind toes.

When identifying the Meadow Pipit, look for its streaked appearance and listen for its weak "tsi-tsi" call. In flight, observe its song, which is a simple, repetitive tune that increases in pace towards the end. The bird's small size and long hind claw are also key identification markers.

The Meadow Pipit favors open spaces such as pastures, bogs, and moorlands. It can also be found in low-intensity agricultural areas and, during winter, in saltmarshes and occasionally open woodlands.

This species breeds across the Palearctic, from Greenland and Iceland to the Ural Mountains, and south to central France and Romania. An isolated population resides in the Caucasus Mountains. While migratory over most of its range, wintering in southern Europe, North Africa, and southwestern Asia, it remains resident year-round in western Europe.

The Meadow Pipit is a terrestrial bird, feeding on the ground and using elevated perches to scan for predators. It is known to move to the coast or lowlands during winter, even in areas where it is considered resident.

The call of the Meadow Pipit is a soft "tsi-tsi." Its song, delivered during a short song flight, is a simple melody that quickens as it progresses.

Nests are well-concealed on the ground in dense vegetation. Clutches typically contain two to seven eggs, which hatch after 11 to 15 days. Fledging occurs 10 to 14 days post-hatching, and the species often raises two broods per year. The Meadow Pipit is a frequent host for the cuckoo's parasitic breeding strategy.

Its diet consists mainly of insects and other invertebrates, favoring prey less than 5 mm in length. During winter, it also consumes seeds from grasses, sedges, rushes, heather, and crowberry berries.

The Meadow Pipit is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. However, there has been a noted decline in populations, particularly in French farmland, where numbers have dropped by 68% over the past 17 years.

20-11-2017 LAKESIDE THURROCK, ESSEX - MUTE SWAN (Cygnus olor)

Mute Swans form strong pair bonds and have few natural predators. They will vigorous defend nests and attack human intruders. The male is properly called a "cob," the female a "pen." Young Mute Swans are called cygnets.

Mute Swans form long-lasting pair bonds. Their reputation for monogamy along with their elegant white plumage has helped establish them as a symbol of love in many cultures. The Mute Swan is reported to mate for life. However, changing of mates does occur infrequently, and swans will remate if their partner dies.

Hearing the wail and unable to make it stop, Apollo struck down Cycgus, forcing him to live the rest of his life as a Mute Swan. As the myth would have it, Mute Swans continue to live their life in absolute silence to this day until, just moments before their death, they wail one last mournful song.

The total native population of mute swans is about 500,000 birds at the end of the breeding season (adults plus young), of which up to 350,000 are in Russia. The largest single breeding concentration is 11,000 pairs in the Volga Delta.

If a mate is lost then the surviving mate will go through a grieving process like humans do, after which it will either stay where it is on its own, fly off and find a new stretch of water to live on (where a new mate may fly in and join it) or fly off and re-join a flock.

Mute swans are large and aggressive birds. As adults they are not often preyed on unless they are old or ill. Eggs and hatchlings are vulnerable to nest predation by raccoons, mink, and a wide variety of other medium to large-sized predators. But swan parents are typically present to protect their young.

The mute swan's name comes from the fact that it's less vocal than other swan species, such as the whooper swan that makes the distinctive 'whooping' call in flight. The mute swan is also the largest of the swan species in the UK, and in fact the second largest species of waterfowl in the world. Mute swans do not migrate and are a permanent resident all year round, unlike the Bewick and Whooper swans who are winter visitors to these shores. The male swan is called a cob and a female is called a pen and group of swans is called a herd. Swans are highly intelligent and have sharp vision and impeccable hearing.

The mute swan (Cygnus olor) is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae. It is native to much of Eurasia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America, home to the largest populations outside of its native range, with additional smaller introductions in Australasia and southern Africa. The name "mute" derives from it being less vocal than other swan species. Measuring 125 to 160 cm (49 to 63 in) in length, this large swan is wholly white in plumage with an orange beak bordered with black. It is recognisable by its pronounced knob atop the beak, which is larger in males.

Mute swans nest on large mounds that they build with waterside vegetation in shallow water on islands in the middle or at the very edge of a lake. They are monogamous and often reuse the same nest each year, restoring or rebuilding it as needed. Male and female swans share the care of the nest, and once the cygnets are fledged it is not uncommon to see whole families looking for food. They feed on a wide range of vegetation, both submerged aquatic plants which they reach with their long necks, and by grazing on land. The food commonly includes agricultural crop plants such as oilseed rape and wheat, and feeding flocks in the winter may cause significant crop damage, often as much through trampling with their large webbed feet, as through direct consumption. It will also feed on small proportions of aquatic insects, fish and frogs.

20-11-2017 LAKESIDE THURROCK, ESSEX - EURASIAN GREAT CORMORANT (Phalacrocorax carbo)