Wednesday, 28 July 2021
Tuesday, 27 July 2021
28-3-2018 OUDTSHOORN, SOUTH AFRICA - SOUTHERN DOUBLE COLLARED SUNBIRD (FEMALE) (Cinnyris afer)
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The Southern double-collared sunbird, or lesser double-collared sunbird, Cinnyris chalybeus, is a diminutive and vibrant passerine bird endemic to southern Africa. The adult male is particularly striking with a glossy, metallic green head, throat, upper breast, and back. A brilliant red band, edged with a narrow metallic blue stripe, adorns the chest. The underparts are predominantly whitish, and during displays, yellow shoulder tufts may be revealed. Females and juveniles are more subdued in coloration, with the female sporting brown upperparts and yellowish-grey underparts.
When identifying the male Southern double-collared sunbird, look for its smaller stature, narrower red chest band, and shorter bill compared to the similar greater double-collared sunbird. The female can be distinguished from other species by her greyer underparts compared to the orange-breasted sunbird and a darker shade than that of the dusky sunbird.
This sunbird is commonly found in a variety of settings including gardens, fynbos, forests, and coastal scrub. It is a versatile resident of its southern African home.
The species is mainly resident throughout its range, with some partial migration noted in the northeastern areas. It is a familiar sight across its habitat, gracing many a garden and natural landscape with its presence.
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The Southern double-collared sunbird is often observed alone or in small groups. It exhibits a fast and direct flight, utilizing its short wings adeptly. While it primarily feeds on nectar, it also consumes fruit and occasionally insects and spiders, especially when feeding its young. It is capable of hovering like a hummingbird but typically prefers to perch while feeding.
The call of this sunbird is a distinctive hard 'chee-chee', while its song is a high-pitched medley of tinkling notes that vary in pitch and tempo, lasting for several seconds.
Breeding occurs from April to December, varying by region. The species constructs a closed oval nest from grass, lichen, and other plant materials, all bound together with spider webs. The nest features a side entrance, sometimes adorned with a porch, and is lined with soft materials such as wool, plant down, and feathers.
The Southern double-collared sunbird's diet consists mainly of nectar, which it gathers from flowers. It is also known to consume fruit and, particularly when feeding offspring, will hunt for insects and spiders.
The IUCN Red List categorizes the Southern double-collared sunbird as Least Concern, indicating a stable population without significant threats to its survival at present.
26-7-2021 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - SPLENDID HELIX (Pseudotachea splendida)
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/111104-Pseudotachea-splendida
Monday, 26 July 2021
29-3-2018 OUDTSHOORN, SOUTH AFRICA - CAPE SPARROW (FEMALE) (Passer melanurus)
The Cape sparrow, or 'mossie' as it is affectionately known, is a medium-sized bird measuring 14–16 centimeters in length. It boasts a distinctive plumage with large pale head stripes present in both sexes. The male is particularly striking with bold black and white markings on its head and neck, while the female is somewhat duller with a grey head. The plumage across both sexes is a blend of grey, brown, and chestnut hues.
When identifying the Cape sparrow, look for the male's black head with a broad white mark curling from behind the eye to the throat, and a narrow black band connecting the black bib of the breast to the black of the head. The female, though less vivid, shares a similar pattern but with a grey head. Juveniles resemble females, but young males begin to show black head markings early on.
The Cape sparrow is found in semi-arid savannah, cultivated areas, and urban environments. It has adapted well to human settlements and agriculture, often seen in parks, gardens, and other open spaces within towns.
This species ranges from the central coast of Angola through Namibia, Botswana, southern Zimbabwe, and into eastern South Africa and Eswatini. It is less common in the driest parts of the Namib Desert and the wet forests of Limpopo and KwaZulu Natal.
Cape sparrows are highly social, forming large nomadic flocks when not breeding. They typically breed in colonies and exhibit a unique social behaviour in Johannesburg, where groups stand closely together in an unexplained ritual.
The calls of the Cape sparrow are more musical and mellow than those of the house sparrow. The basic call, used in flight and while perching socially, can be transcribed as 'chissip' or 'chirrup'. Males have a loud call to advertise nest ownership, written as 'tweeng' or 'twileeng', which can extend into a repetitive song.
Breeding usually occurs in colonies, with the nest constructed in a variety of sites including trees, bushes, cavities, or even disused nests of other species. Clutches typically contain three or four eggs, with both parents involved in the breeding process from nest building to feeding the young.
The Cape sparrow can be confused with the southern grey-headed sparrow and the house sparrow, but it is distinguished by its unique head markings and the male's distinctive plumage.
Primarily seed-eaters, Cape sparrows forage in trees and on the ground, favoring larger seeds of cereals and wild grasses. They also consume buds, soft fruits, and insects, particularly when feeding nestlings.
Sunday, 25 July 2021
Saturday, 24 July 2021
24-7-2021 GANDIA, VALENCIA - HOUSE SPARROW (MALE) (Passer domesticus)
Male House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) are highly social, noisy urban birds that measure 14–17 cm long and weigh 19–32 g. They are instantly recognizable by their black throat bib, white cheeks, gray crown, and chestnut-colored neck. They thrive in close proximity to humans, feeding primarily on seeds and insects.
Explore the physical traits, habitat, and behavioral facts about the male House Sparrow below:
Distinctive Appearance
Facial Markings: The male features a striking black bib under his beak, bordered by bright white cheeks.
Crown and Neck: Males have a solid grey crown (top of the head) extending to a rich chestnut-brown nape (neck).
Back and Wings: Their backs are chestnut-brown with bold black stripes, and they have rounded wings.
Sexual Dimorphism: Unlike the vividly marked male, females and juveniles are entirely plain dusty-brown with a light eyebrow.
23-7-2021 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - SIERRA NEVADA OCELLATED LIZARD
Timon nevadensis, the Sierra Nevada lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. It is endemic to Spain. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the ocellated lizard.
Formerly, Timon nevadensis had been regarded as subspecies of Timon lepidus but it has been put into species rank in 2013. Its distribution range is limited to the Sierra Nevada and the Spanish east coast, reaching the Alicante Province in the north.
This is a robust and large reptile (up to 65 cm of total head-tail length, sometimes even 80-90 cm). The head is large and very distinct from the body. Like all the saurians, it has four legs that in this species are large and well developed. The eyelids are mobile (this character in addition to its legs, distinguishes a saurian from an ophidian). The body's colour is showy. Although the general tone can be perceived as greenish, the back is covered with yellow and black scales, as well as blue ones on the sides, generally forming ocelli (rounded spots). This ocelli profusion on the animal's body gives name to the species. The belly usually has a uniform tone: whitish, grey or yellowish. Young specimens are very striking because they exhibit a dozen rows of yellowish ocelli surrounded by a dark shade on a greyish, brown or greenish background.
This species is indifferent in terms of habitat. It uses both scrub and forest areas, as well as agricultural land. It is common in open areas, with little vegetative cover and abundant shelter availability (large loose stones, stone heaps, stone walls, tree-holes, etc ...). It can also be present in parks and gardens of towns and small cities, where it climbs trees.
The ocellated lizards are diurnal, although in summer they can have some nocturnal activity avoiding the hot central hours of the day. It hibernates during the coldest months of the year, although it is possible to observe them on the sunny days of autumn and winter. It is a lone and unsociable reptile, which only mates briefly at the copulation moment and only after a somewhat violent approach to his partner. It is very agile and fast racing, being able to climb big trees very quickly. It is very distrustful and flees as soon as it feels threatened. Its diet mainly consists of insects, although it can prey on other smaller reptiles, amphibians, chickens and bird eggs, as well as on small mammals (rodents) and their offspring. They do not waste carrion and also consume wild fruits. Unlike other lizards, ocellated lizards actively search for their prey and hunt. Its bite, if handled, can be painful due to its great mandibular power.
The lizards come into heat in spring; at this moment, the males are very territorial and aggressive with other specimens, driving them out from their territories. When a female enters a male's territory, a kind of harassment situation happens (persecution and biting) to get the female to surrender and impede its escape until she agrees to copulate. Two or three months later the female deposits between 5 and 20 eggs in a small tunnel which she has dug in the ground. In summer, small lizards hatch and become sexually mature by the third year of life, after reaching thrice the size they were when they hatched.
The Sierra Nevada Ocellated Lizard is an impressive but terribly shy Lacertid. In particular, adult specimens may have flight distances of more than 20 meters. These lizards occur in high altitude mountain areas as well as in coastal dunes and agricultural land.
Thursday, 22 July 2021
21-7-2021 SANT ISIDRE, VALENCIA - EURASIAN BLACKBIRD (MALE) (Turdus merula)
The Common Blackbird, Turdus merula, is a true thrush and a familiar sight in gardens and woodlands. The male is distinguished by its all-black plumage, bright yellow eye-ring, and orange-yellow bill, which darkens slightly during winter. Females and juveniles are more demure in their attire, sporting mainly dark brown feathers.
Adult males are entirely black with the exception of the yellow eye-ring and bill. Females are sooty-brown with a duller bill, and juveniles resemble females but have pale spots on their upperparts. The very young may also exhibit a speckled breast.
The Common Blackbird thrives in a variety of habitats including woodlands with dense undergrowth, gardens, parks, and hedgerows. It shows a preference for deciduous trees and areas with thick vegetation.
This species is widespread across Europe, western Asia, and North Africa. It has also been introduced to Australia and New Zealand. Its range varies from resident populations in the milder regions to partially or fully migratory populations in areas with more severe winters.
The Common Blackbird is territorial, especially during breeding season, with males displaying distinctive threat behaviors to ward off rivals. Outside of breeding season, they can be more sociable, often forming small flocks. The species is known for its adaptability to urban environments, where it may overwinter more readily than in rural settings.
The male's song is a melodious and fluted warble, often heard from elevated perches during the breeding season. The Common Blackbird also has a repertoire of calls including a sharp "seee" when agitated and a "pook-pook-pook" to signal ground predators.
Monogamous by nature, the Common Blackbird builds a neat, cup-shaped nest, often in dense shrubbery. The female lays three to five bluish-green eggs adorned with reddish-brown blotches. Both parents are involved in feeding the altricial chicks until they fledge.
An omnivore, the Common Blackbird forages primarily on the ground for insects, earthworms, seeds, and berries. It is adept at pulling earthworms from the soil and foraging through leaf litter for other invertebrates.
21-7-2021 RACO DE OLLA, VALENCIA - SPECKLED WOOD BUTTERFLY (Pararge aegeria)
The speckled wood (Pararge aegeria) is a butterfly found in and on the borders of woodland areas throughout much of the Palearctic realm. The species is subdivided into multiple subspecies, including Pararge aegeria aegeria, Pararge aegeria tircis, Pararge aegeria oblita, and Pararge aegeria insula. The color of this butterfly varies between subspecies. The existence of these subspecies is due to variation in morphology down a gradient corresponding to a geographic cline.
The background of the wings ranges from brown to orange, and the spots are either pale yellow, white, cream, or a tawny orange. The speckled wood feeds on a variety of grass species. The males of this species exhibit two types of mate locating behaviors: territorial defense and patrolling. The proportion of males exhibiting these two strategies changes based on ecological conditions. The monandrous female must choose which type of male can help her reproduce successfully. Her decision is heavily influenced by environmental conditions.
Wednesday, 21 July 2021
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