17-6-2023 GANDIA SERPIS, VALENCIA - GREY HERON (Ardea cinerea)

The grey heron (Ardea cinerea) is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia, and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more northern parts migrate southwards in autumn. A bird of wetland areas, it can be seen around lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes and on the sea coast. It feeds mostly on aquatic creatures which it catches after standing stationary beside or in the water, or stalking its prey through the shallows.

Standing up to 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) tall, adults weigh from 1 to 2 kg (2 to 4 lb). They have a white head and neck with a broad black stripe that extends from the eye to the black crest. The body and wings are grey above and the underparts are greyish-white, with some black on the flanks. The long, sharply pointed beak is pinkish-yellow and the legs are brown.

The birds breed colonially in spring in heronries, usually building their nests high in trees. A clutch of usually three to five bluish-green eggs is laid. Both birds incubate the eggs for around 25 days, and then both feed the chicks, which fledge when 7-8 weeks old. Many juveniles do not survive their first winter, but if they do, they can expect to live for about 5 years.

In Ancient Egypt, the deity Bennu was depicted as a heron in New Kingdom artwork. In Ancient Rome, the heron was a bird of divination. Roast heron was once a specially prized dish; when George Neville became Archbishop of York in 1465, 400 herons were served to the guests.

 

17-6-2023 GANDIA SERPIS, VALENCIA - SPOTTED FLYCATCHER (Muscicapa striata)

The spotted flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It breeds in most of Europe and in the Palearctic to Siberia, and is migratory, wintering in Africa and south western Asia. It is declining in parts of its range.

This is an undistinguished looking bird with long wings and tail. The adults have grey-brown upperparts and whitish underparts, with a streaked crown and breast, giving rise to the bird's common name. The legs are short and black, and the bill is black and has the broad but pointed shape typical of aerial insectivores. Juveniles are browner than adults and have spots on the upperparts.

Spotted flycatchers hunt from conspicuous perches, making sallies after passing flying insects, and often returning to the same perch. Their upright posture is characteristic.

Most passerines moult their primary flight feathers in sequence beginning near the body and proceeding outwards along the wing. The spotted flycatcher is unusual in replacing the outer flight feathers before those nearer the body.

The flycatcher's call is a thin, drawn out soft and high pitched tssssseeeeeppppp, slightly descending in pitch.

They are birds of deciduous woodlands, parks and gardens, with a preference for open areas amongst trees. They build an open nest in a suitable recess, often against a wall, and will readily adapt to an open-fronted nest box. 4-6 eggs are laid.

Most European birds cannot discriminate between their own eggs and those of other species. The exception to this are the hosts of the common cuckoo, which have had to evolve this skill as a protection against that nest parasite. The spotted flycatcher shows excellent egg recognition, and it is likely that it was once a host of the cuckoo, but became so good at recognising the intruder's eggs that it ceased to be victimised. A contrast to this is the dunnock, which appears to be a recent cuckoo host, since it does not show any egg discrimination.

17-6-2023 GANDIA SERPIS, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH (Carduelis carduelis)

The European goldfinch or simply the goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) is a small passerine bird in the finch family that is native to Europe, North Africa and western and central Asia. It has been introduced to other areas, including Australia, New Zealand and Uruguay.

The breeding male has a red face with black markings around the eyes, and a black-and-white head. The back and flanks are buff or chestnut brown. The black wings have a broad yellow bar. The tail is black and the rump is white. Males and females are very similar, but females have a slightly smaller red area on the face.

The goldfinch is often depicted in Italian Renaissance paintings of the Madonna and Child.

The European goldfinch is native to Europe, North Africa, and western and central Asia. It is found in open, partially wooded lowlands and is a resident in the milder west of its range, but migrates from colder regions. It will also make local movements, even in the west, to escape bad weather. It has been introduced to many areas of the world. It was introduced to Bermuda, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Chile, the Falkland Islands, Uruguay, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand in the 19th century, and their populations quickly increased and their range expanded greatly. In Australia, they now occur from Brisbane to the Eyre Peninsula, and are also spread throughout New Zealand. In the United States, they have become established in the western Great Lakes region.

The nest is built entirely by the female and is generally completed within a week. The male accompanies the female, but does not contribute. The nest is neat and compact and is generally located several metres above the ground, hidden by leaves in the twigs at the end of a swaying branch. It is constructed of mosses and lichens and lined with plant down such as that from thistles. It is attached to the twigs of the tree with spider silk. A deep cup prevents the loss of eggs in windy weather.

14-5-2023 PULAU UBIN, SINGAPORE - COMMON LEOPARD BUTTERFLY (Phalanta phalantha)

Phalanta phalantha, the common leopard or spotted rustic, is a sun-loving butterfly of the nymphalid or brush-footed butterfly family.

The butterfly is found in Subsaharan Africa and southern Asia (including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar) in a number of subspecies.

14-5-2023 PULAU UBIN, SINGAPORE - COMMON GRASS YELLOW BUTTERFLY (Eurema hecabe)

Eurema hecabe, the common grass yellow, is a small pierid butterfly species found in Asia, Africa and Australia. They are found flying close to the ground and are found in open grass and scrub habitats. It is simply known as "the grass yellow" in parts of its range; the general term otherwise refers to the entire genus Eurema.

The common grass yellow exhibits seasonal polyphenism. The lepidopteran has a darker summer morph, triggered by a long day exceeding 13 hours in duration, while the shorter diurnal period of 12 hours or less induces a fairer morph in the post-monsoon period.

14-5-2023 PULAU UBIN, SINGAPORE - PAGODA FLOWER (Clerodendrum paniculatum)

Clerodendrum paniculatum, the pagoda flower, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Clerodendrum and family Lamiaceae. It is native to tropical Asia and Papuasia (southern China including Taiwan, Indochina, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Borneo, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Philippines, Bismarck Archipelago), Fiji, and French Polynesia. It is introduced in Central America.

14-5-2023 PULAU UBIN, SINGAPORE - CINNABAR BRACKET FUNGHI (Trametes sanguinea)

Pycnoporus sanguineus is a white rot saprobic fungus. It was discovered on Guana Island (part of the Virgin Islands) but occurs throughout the tropics and subtropics, usually growing on dead hardwoods. It grows in the form of a thin dry conk with a lateral attachment to its substrate, or sometimes a very short stipe. The cap is orange-red to orange, lightening to salmon/buff in age. It has concentric zonation, and is finely tomentose to nearly glabrous. The pores on the underside are round, measuring 5-6 per mm with tubes up to 2mm deep. It is inedible due to its tough texture.

It is also a tree pathogen infecting species of Platanus and Mangifera.

 

14-5-2023 PULAU UBIN, SINGAPORE - AMBER WINGED GLIDER DRAGONFLY (Hydrobasileus croceus)

The amber-winged marsh glider, Hydrobasileus croceus, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is a widely distributed species in many Asian countries.

It is a large reddish-brown dragonfly with golden-amber tinted wings. Eyes are reddish-brown above, yellowish below. Its thorax is ohvaceous suffused with golden reddish-brown, Its base of hind-wings have a moderately broad dark reddish-brown mark. Abdomen is olivaceous, changing to ochreous towards anal end, marked with black. Segments 4 to 9 have apical and basal dorsal black wedge-shaped spots.

 

14-5-2023 PULAU UBIN, SINGAPORE - COMMON PARASOL DRAGONFLY (Neurothemis fluctuans)

The Red Grasshawk, also known as Common Parasol, and Grasshawk dragonfly, (Neurothemis fluctuans) is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is widespread in many Asian countries.

14-5-2023 PULAU UBIN, SINGAPORE - SHELL GINGER (Alpinia zerumbet)

Alpinia zerumbet, commonly known as shell ginger, is a perennial species of ginger native to East Asia. They can grow up to 8 to 10 ft (2.4 to 3.0 m) tall and bear colorful funnel-shaped flowers. They are grown as ornamentals and their leaves are used in cuisine and traditional medicine. They are also sometimes known as the pink porcelain lily, variegated ginger or butterfly ginger.

 

14-5-2023 PULAU UBIN, SINGAPORE - CHOCOLATE PANSY BUTTERFLY (Junonia hedonia ssp. ida)

Junonia hedonia, the brown pansy, chocolate pansy, brown soldier or chocolate argus, is a butterfly found in Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and Australia.

14-5-2023 PULAU UBIN, SINGAPORE - FRAGRANT THUNBERGIA (Thunbergia fragrans)

Caesalpinia pulcherrima is a species of flowering plant in the pea family Thunbergia fragrans, the whitelady is a perennial climbing twiner in the genus Thunbergia, native to India and Southern Asia.

Distribution

It is native to India and Southern Asia where it is known as indrapushapa, it is also widespread in the tropics including Florida, Hawaii, Australia, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Caribbean and Indian Ocean islands, southern Africa and Central America.

In many places it is considered as an invasive species.

Usage

In Indian Siddha medicine, the paste made out of tender twigs of the indrapushapa is used to combat fever and sometimes applied on cuts and wounds. The Leaves are used as poultice in skin diseases, their juice can be applied on head to cure headache.

14-5-2023 PULAU UBIN, SINGAPORE - PEACOCK FLOWER (Caesalpinia pulcherrima)

Fabaceae, native to the tropics and subtropics of the Americas. It could be native to the West Indies, but its exact origin is unknown due to widespread cultivation.

It is a shrub growing to 3 m tall. In climates with few to no frosts, this plant will grow larger and is semievergreen. In Hawaii this plant is evergreen and grows over 5 m tall. Grown in climates with light to moderate freezing, plant will die back to the ground depending on cold, but will rebound in mid- to late spring. This species is more sensitive to cold than others. The leaves are bipinnate, 20–40 cm long, bearing three to 10 pairs of pinnae, each with six to 10 pairs of leaflets 15–25 mm long and 10–15 mm broad. The flowers are borne in racemes up to 20 cm long, each flower with five yellow, orange, or red petals. The fruit is a pod 6–12 cm long.

14-5-2023 PULAU UBIN, SINGAPORE - BLUE GLASSY TIGER BUTTERFLY (Ideopsis vulgaris)

 Ideopsis vulgaris, the blue glassy tiger, is a butterfly that belongs to the crows and tigers, that is, the danaid group of the brush-footed butterflies family.

This species can be found in India, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Hainan, South Burma - Sundaland, Sumatra, Java, Lesser Sunda Islands - Alor, Borneo – Palawan.

These butterflies inhabits a range of habitats, but especially occur at the edge of rainforest or plantations and in the coastal mangrove areas.

14-5-2023 PULAU UBIN, SINGAPORE - PEACOCK PANSY BUTTERFLY (Junonia almana)

Junonia almana, the peacock pansy, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in Cambodia and South Asia. It exists in two distinct adult forms, which differ chiefly in the patterns on the underside of the wings; the dry-season form has few markings, while the wet-season form has additional eyespots and lines. It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List.

 

14-5-2023 PULAU UBIN, SINGAPORE - SPOTTED BLACK CROW BUTTERFLY (Euploea crameri)

Euploea crameri, the spotted black crow, is a butterfly found in Asia that belongs to the crows and tigers, that is, the Danaid group of the brush-footed butterflies family.

The spotted black crow is found in the Indomalayan realm. It is known to undertake seasonal migrations.

14-5-2023 PULAU UBIN, SINGAPORE - DARK GLASSY TIGER BUTTERFLY (Parantica agleoides)

Parantica agleoides, the dark glassy tiger, is a butterfly found in India that belongs to the crows and tigers, that is, the danaid group of the brush-footed butterflies family.

North-eastern India, Burma and Indomalaya until Java.

14-5-2023 PULAU UBIN, SINGAPORE - PLAIN TIGER BUTTERFLY (Danaus chrysippus)

Danaus chrysippus, also known as the plain tiger, African queen, or African monarch, is a medium-sized butterfly widespread in Asia, Australia and Africa. It belongs to the Danainae subfamily of the brush-footed butterfly family Nymphalidae. Danainae primarily consume plants in the genus Asclepias, more commonly called milkweed. Milkweed contains toxic compounds, cardenolides, which are often consumed and stored by many butterflies. Because of their emetic properties, the plain tiger is unpalatable to most predators. As a result, its coloration is widely mimicked by other species of butterflies. The plain tiger inhabits a wide variety of habitats, although it is less likely to thrive in jungle-like conditions and is most often found in drier, wide-open areas.

14-5-2023 PULAU UBIN, SINGAPORE - ORCHID (Genus Dendrobium)

Dendrobium is a genus of mostly epiphytic and lithophytic orchids in the family Orchidaceae. It is a very large genus, containing more than 1,800 species that are found in diverse habitats throughout much of south, east and southeast Asia, including China, Japan, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, New Guinea, Vietnam and many of the islands of the Pacific. Orchids in this genus have roots that creep over the surface of trees or rocks, rarely having their roots in soil. Up to six leaves develop in a tuft at the tip of a shoot and from one to a large number of flowers are arranged along an unbranched flowering stem. Several attempts have been made to separate Dendrobium into smaller genera, but most have not been accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.

14-5-2023 PULAU UBIN, SINGAPORE - ASIAN GLOSSY STARLING (Aplonis panayensis)

The Asian glossy starling (Aplonis panayensis) is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan (introduced) and Thailand. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical mangrove forest. There is also a huge number of this species inhabiting towns and cities, where they take refuge in abandoned buildings and trees. They often move in large groups and are considered one of the noisiest species of birds. In the Philippines, it is known as kulansiyang, galansiyang, or kuling-dagat

1-6-2023 GITGIT WATERFALLS, BALI - YELLOW VENTED BULBUL (Pycnonotus goiavier)

The yellow-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier), or eastern yellow-vented bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is a resident breeder in southeastern Asia from Indochina to the Philippines. It is found in a wide variety of open habitats but not the deep forest. It is one of the most common birds in cultivated areas. They appear to be nomadic and roam from place to place regularly.

1-6-2023 GITGIT WATERFALLS, BALI - YELLOW LINED FOREST SKINK (Sphenomorphus sanctus)

The Java forest skink (Sphenomorphus sanctus) is a species of skink found in Indonesia and Malaysia.

The Java forest skink (Sphenomorphus sanctus) is a species of skink found in Indonesia and Malaysia.

1-6-2023 GITGIT WATERFALLS, BALI - RED PERCHER DRAGONFLY (Neurothemis ramburii)

Neurothemis ramburii is a bright red dragonfly found throughout SE Asia.

A deep red dragonfly with clear wingtips. Typically there is only one cross vein in the cubital space of the hind wing (behind the median space) and females are as deeply colored as males.

Wing span = 56mm

Body length = 36mm

Abdomen = 24mm

Hind wing = 26mm

 

9-6-2023 MANDAI BIRD PARADISE, SINGAPORE - FIRE TUFTED BARBET (Psilopogon pyrolophus)

The fire-tufted barbet (Psilopogon pyrolophus) is a species of bird in the Asian barbet family Megalaimidae. It is native to Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra, where it inhabits tropical moist lowland and montane forests. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2004. Its scientific name was proposed by Salomon Müller in 1836, who described a barbet from Sumatra.

The fire-tufted barbet inhabits broad-leaved evergreen montane forests between 1,070 and 2,010 m (3,510 and 6,590 ft) on the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra.

The fire-tufted barbet is a resident bird and feeds on figs, other fruits, arthropods and insects. Its call is very similar to that of cicadas.

The primary threat to this species appears to be illegal capture and trade as a pet.

1-6-2023 GITGIT WATERFALLS, BALI - MEXICAN MARIGOLD (Tagetes erecta)

Tagetes erecta, the Aztec marigold, Mexican marigold, big marigold, cempazúchitl or cempasúchil, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Tagetes native to Mexico. Despite being native to the Americas, it is often called the African marigold. In Mexico, this plant is found in the wild in the states of México, Michoacán, Puebla, and Veracruz.

This plant reaches heights of between 20 and 90 cm (7.9 and 35.4 in). The Aztecs gathered the wild plant as well as cultivating it for medicinal, ceremonial and decorative purposes. It is widely cultivated commercially with many cultivars in use as ornamental plants, and for the cut-flower trade.

 

1-6-2023 GITGIT WATERFALLS, BALI - LONG TAILED MACAQUE (Macaca fascicularis)

The crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis), also known as the long-tailed macaque and referred to as the cynomolgus monkey in laboratories, is a cercopithecine primate native to Southeast Asia. A species of macaque, the crab-eating macaque has a long history alongside humans. The species has been alternately seen as an agricultural pest, a sacred animal, and, more recently, the subject of medical experiments.

The crab-eating macaque lives in matrilineal social groups of up to eight individuals dominated by females. Male members leave the group when they reach puberty. It is an opportunistic omnivore and has been documented using tools to obtain food in Thailand and Myanmar. The crab-eating macaque is a known invasive species and a threat to biodiversity in several locations, including Hong Kong and western New Guinea. The significant overlap in macaque and human living space has resulted in greater habitat loss, synanthropic living, and inter- and intraspecies conflicts over resources.

 

1-6-2023 GITGIT WATERFALLS, BALI - AMARYLLIS (Hippeastrum hybridum)

 Hippeastrum hybridum is a species of plants with 1384 observations.

Amaryllis (Scientific name: Hippeastrum hybridum) is native to Latin America and is a semi-cold resistant bulbous plant (perennial plant) of the family Amaryllidaceae.

1-6-2023 GITGIT WATERFALLS, BALI - HIMALAYAN JESTER BUTTERFLY (Symbrenthia hypselis)

Symbrenthia hypselis, the Himalayan jester, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in South Asia, and some islands in South East Asia (Sumatra, Java)

 

18-5-2023 SEPILOK, BORNEO - BLUE HEADED PITTA (Hydrornis baudii)

The blue-headed pitta (Hydrornis baudii) is a species of bird in the pitta family Pittidae. It is endemic to Borneo.

The species is endemic to the island of Borneo, where it occurs in Brunei, Kalimantan (Indonesia), Sarawak and Sabah (Malaysia). Its natural habitat is tropical lowland evergreen forests. While it does occur in disturbed of secondary forests, it is most common in primary forest. It usually occurs below 600 m (2,000 ft), it has been recorded up to 1,200 m (3,900 ft), but this record has not been verified.