This Blog contains Wildlife and Bird Photos from Walks, Safaris, Birding Trips and Vacations. Most of the pictures have been taken with my Nikon P900 and P950X cameras. On the right of the page are labels for each species of Bird/Animal etc. Click on a label to show all of the photos taken for that species. Information for each species is from Wikipedia. Just click on any image for a large picture.
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Sunday, 12 July 2015
Friday, 10 July 2015
10-7-2015 VILLALONGA RIO SERPIS, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN MOORHEN (Gallinula chloropus)
Monday, 6 July 2015
6-7-2015 RIO SERPIS, VILLALONGA, VALENCIA - BROAD SCARLET DRAGONFLY (Crocothemis erythraea)
Sunday, 5 July 2015
5-7-2015 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - HOUSE SPARROW (FEMALE) (Passer domesticus)
Saturday, 4 July 2015
4-7-2015 GANDIA, VALENCIA - SPOTTED FLYCATCHER (Muscicapa striata)
Thursday, 2 July 2015
Wednesday, 1 July 2015
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.
13-6-2015 GANDIA, VALENCIA - EURASIAN BLACKBIRD (MALE) (Turdus merula)
Tuesday, 30 June 2015
Monday, 29 June 2015
30-6-2015 VILLALONGA RIO SERPIS, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN MOORHEN (Gallinula chloropus)
Sunday, 28 June 2015
28-6-2015 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - WOOD LEOPARD MOTH (Zeuzera pyrina)
Thursday, 25 June 2015
Sunday, 21 June 2015
21-6-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - WHITE WAGTAIL (Motacilla alba)
Saturday, 20 June 2015
27-3-2015 GALLE, SRI LANKA - HOUSE CROW (Corvus splendens)
Saturday, 13 June 2015
13-6-2015 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - WHITE PLUME MOTH (Pterophorus pentadactyla)
13-6-2015 GANDIA, VALENCIA - EURASIAN BLACKBIRD (FEMALE) (Turdus merula)
Wednesday, 10 June 2015
10-6-2015 ELS POBLETS, ALICANTE - HOUSE SPARROW (MALE) (Passer domesticus)
Tuesday, 9 June 2015
9-6-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - LITTLE EGRET (Egretta garzetta)
Monday, 1 June 2015
1-6-2015 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - WHITE WAGTAIL (Motacilla alba)
Sunday, 31 May 2015
31-5-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - MALLARD (FEMALE AND YOUNG) (Anas platyrhynchos)
The mallard (/ˈmælɑːrd, ˈmælərd/) or wild duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Falkland Islands, and South Africa. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae. Males have green heads, while the females (hens or ducks) have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Both sexes have an area of white-bordered black or iridescent purple or blue feathers called a speculum on their wings; males especially tend to have blue speculum feathers. The mallard is 50–65 cm (20–26 in) long, of which the body makes up around two-thirds the length. The wingspan is 81–98 cm (32–39 in) and the bill is 4.4 to 6.1 cm (1.7 to 2.4 in) long. It is often slightly heavier than most other dabbling ducks, weighing 0.7–1.6 kg (1.5–3.5 lb). Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are social animals preferring to congregate in groups or flocks of varying sizes.
The female lays 8 to 13 creamy white to greenish-buff spotless eggs, on alternate days. Incubation takes 27 to 28 days and fledging takes 50 to 60 days. The ducklings are precocial and fully capable of swimming as soon as they hatch.
The mallard is considered to be a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Unlike many waterfowl, mallards are considered an invasive species in some regions. It is a very adaptable species, being able to live and even thrive in urban areas which may have supported more localised, sensitive species of waterfowl before development. The non-migratory mallard interbreeds with indigenous wild ducks of closely related species through genetic pollution by producing fertile offspring.
Complete hybridisation of various species of wild duck gene pools could result in the extinction of many indigenous waterfowl. This species is the main ancestor of most breeds of domestic duck, and its naturally evolved wild gene pool has been genetically polluted by the domestic and feral mallard populations.