3-6-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY (Vanessa cardui)

Vanessa cardui is the most widespread of all butterfly species. It is commonly called the painted lady, or formerly in North America the cosmopolitan.

V. cardui occurs in any temperate zone, including mountains in the tropics. The species is resident only in warmer areas, but migrates in spring, and sometimes again in autumn. It migrates from North Africa and the Mediterranean to Britain and Europe in May and June, occasionally reaching Iceland, and from the Red Sea basin, via Israel and Cyprus, to Turkey in March and April. The occasional autumn migration made by V. cardui is likely for the inspection of resource changes; it consists of a round trip from Europe to Africa.

For decades, naturalists have debated whether the offspring of these immigrants ever make a southwards return migration. Research suggests that British painted ladies do undertake an autumn migration, making 14,500 km (9,000 mi) round trip from tropical Africa to the Arctic Circle in a series of steps by up to six successive generations. The Radar Entomology Unit at Rothamsted Research provided evidence that autumn migrations take place at high altitude, which explains why these migrations are seldom witnessed. In recent years, thanks to the activity of The Worldwide Painted Lady Migration citizen science project, led by the Barcelona-based Institute of Evolutionary Biology (Catalan: Institut de Biologia Evolutiva), the huge range of migration has begun to be revealed. For example, some butterflies migrated from Iceland to the Sahara desert, and even further south.

V. cardui is known for its distinct migratory behaviour. In California, they are usually seen flying from north to north-west. These migrations appear to be partially initiated by heavy winter rains in the desert where rainfall controls the growth of larval food plants. In March 2019, after heavy rain produced an abundance of vegetation in the deserts, Southern California saw these butterflies migrating by the millions across the state.

Similarly, heavier than usual rain during the 2018-2019 winter seems to have been the cause of the extraordinarily large migration observed in Israel at the end of March, estimated at a billion individual butterflies. Painted lady migration patterns are highly erratic and they do not migrate every year. Some evidence suggests that global climatic events, such as el Niño, may affect the migratory behaviour of the painted lady butterflies, causing large-scale migrations. The first noticeable wave of migration in eastern Ukraine was noted in the 20s of April 2019. From May 15, numbers began to grow and it was possible to observe hundreds of this species in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, including in the city streets of Kharkiv.

3-6-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - GARDEN NASTURTIUM (Tropaeolum majus)

Tropaeolum majus, the garden nasturtium, nasturtium, Indian cress or monk's cress, is a species of flowering plant in the family Tropaeolaceae, originating in the Andes from Bolivia north to Colombia. An easily-grown annual or short-lived perennial with disc-shaped leaves and brilliant yellow, orange or red flowers, it is of cultivated, probably hybrid origin. It is not closely related to the genus Nasturtium (which includes watercress).

The species was originally called Nasturtium indicum ("Indian nasturtium") but the plant is not related to the true Nasturtium genus.

The current genus name Tropaeolum, coined by Linnaeus, means "little trophy". Tropaeolum is the diminutive form of the Latin tropaeum, itself borrowed from Ancient Greek τρόπαιον : trópaion "trophy".

The Latin specific epithet majus means "larger" (the neuter form of major).

It is a fast-growing plant, with trailing stems growing to 0.9–1.8 m (3–6 ft). The leaves are large, nearly circular, 3 to 15 cm (1 to 6 in) in diameter, green to glaucous green above, paler below; they are peltate, with the 5–30 cm long petiole near the middle of the leaf, with several veins radiating to the smoothly rounded or slightly lobed margin.

Nasturtium leaves, like some other species, demonstrate the lotus effect, whereby rainwater falling on the surface gathers into globular droplets which roll off the leaf, leaving it dry and clean.

3-6-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - MOORISH GECKO

Tarentola mauritanica, known as the common wall gecko, is a species of gecko (Gekkota) native to the western Mediterranean area of North Africa and Europe. It has been introduced to Madeira and Balearic Islands, and the Americas (in Montevideo, Buenos Aires and California). A nocturnal animal with a predominantly insectivorous diet, it is commonly observed on walls in urban environments in warm coastal areas; it can be found further inland, especially in Spain where it has a tradition of cohabitation with humans as an insect hunter. A robust species, up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in) long, its tubercules are enlarged and give the species a spiny armoured appearance.

The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is also known as moorish gecko, crocodile gecko, European common gecko, and, regionally, as osga (in Portuguese), salamanquesa (in Spanish) and dragó (in Catalan).

Adults can measure up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in), tail included. Robust body and flat head. Back, legs and tail with prominent conic tubercles. Its regenerated tail is smoother and doesn't have tubercles. Obtuse mouth, big eyes with no eyelids and vertical pupil. Fingers with big lateral growths and adherent division less laminae in the bottom face. Only the third and fourth fingers end in union. Brownish grey or brown coloration with darker or lighter spots. These colours change in intensity according to the light. When they are active by day their colour is darker than during the night. It can be found on many construction sites, ruins, rock fields, tree trunks, etc.

2-6-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - BLUE ROCK THRUSH (MALE) (Monticola solitarius)

The blue rock thrush (Monticola solitarius ) is a species of chat. This thrush-like Old World flycatcher was formerly placed in the family Turdidae. It breeds in southern Europe, northwest Africa, and from Central Asia to northern China and Malaysia. The blue rock thrush is the official national bird of Malta and was shown on the Lm 1 coins that were part of the country's former currency.

The blue rock thrush is a starling-sized bird, 21–23 cm (8.3–9.1 in) in length with a long slim bill. The breeding male of the nominate subspecies is unmistakable, with all blue-grey plumage apart from its darker wings. Females and immatures are much less striking, with dark brown upperparts, and paler brown scaly underparts. The male of the subspecies M. s. philippensis has rufous-chestnut plumage from the mid-breast down to the undertail. Both sexes lack the reddish outer tail feathers of rock thrush.

The male blue rock thrush sings a clear, melodious call that is similar to, but louder than the call of the rock thrush.

The European, north African and southeast Asian birds are mainly resident, apart from altitudinal movements. Other Asian populations are more migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa, India and southeast Asia. This bird is a very uncommon visitor to northern and western Europe.

Blue rock thrush breeds in open mountainous areas. It nests in rock cavities and walls, and usually lays 3-5 eggs. An omnivore, the blue rock thrush eats a wide variety of insects and small reptiles in addition to berries and seeds.

2-6-2024 BUFALI, VALENCIA - ZITTING CISTICOLA (Cisticola juncidis)

The zitting cisticola or streaked fantail warbler (Cisticola juncidis ) is a widely distributed Old World warbler whose breeding range includes southern Europe, Africa (outside the deserts and rainforest), and southern Asia down to northern Australia. A small bird found mainly in grasslands, it is best identified by its rufous rump; as well, it lacks any gold on the collar and the brownish tail is tipped with white. During the breeding season, males have a zigzagging flight display accompanied by regular "zitting" calls that have been likened to repeated snips of a scissor. They build their pouch nest suspended within a clump of grass.

The zitting cisticola is 10 to 12 cm (3.9 to 4.7 in) in length. It is brown above, heavily streaked with black markings. The underparts are whitish, and the tail is broad, white-tipped and flicked frequently, giving rise to the alternative name for the species. The adult males have less crown streaking and more back marking than the females, but there are no great difference between the sexes or the eighteen geographical races. The absence of a nuchal collar separate it from the golden-headed cisticola (Cisticola exilis ). In the non-breeding season, they tend to skulk within the grass and can be hard to spot.

2-6-2024 BUFALI, VALENCIA - ARTICHOKE THISTLE (Cynara cardunculus)

The cardoon (Cynara cardunculus /ˈsɪnərə kɑːrˈdʌnkjʊləs/), also called the artichoke thistle, is a thistle in the family Asteraceae. It is a naturally occurring species that also has many cultivated forms, including the globe artichoke. It is native to the Mediterranean region, where it was domesticated in ancient times and still occurs as a wild plant.

The wild cardoon is a stout herbaceous perennial plant growing 0.8 to 1.5 m (31 to 59 in) tall, with deeply lobed and heavily spined green to grey-green tomentose (hairy or downy) leaves up to 50 cm (20 in) long, with yellow spines up to 3.5 cm long. The flowers are violet-purple, produced in a large, globose, massively spined capitulum up to 6 cm (2 in) in diameter.

It is adapted to dry climates, native across a circum-Mediterranea area from Morocco and Portugal east to Libya and Greece and north to Croatia and Southern France; it may also be native on Cyprus, the Canary Islands and Madeira. In France, the frost-tender cardoon only occurs wild in the Mediterranean south (Gard, Hérault, Aude, Pyrénées-Orientales, Corsica). It has become an invasive weed in the pampas of Argentina,[8] and is also considered a weed in Australia and California.

The "giant thistle of the Pampas" reported by Charles Darwin has been identified as cardoon.

Cardoons are used as a vegetarian source of enzymes for cheese production. In Portugal, traditional coagulation of the curd relies entirely on this vegetable rennet. This results in cheeses such as the Serra da Estrela and Nisa.

The cardoon is also grown as an ornamental plant for its imposing architectural appearance, with very bright silvery-grey foliage and large flowers in selected cultivars.

Cardoon has attracted recent attention as a possible source of biodiesel fuel. The oil, extracted from the seeds of the cardoon, and called artichoke oil, is similar to safflower and sunflower oil in composition and use. Cardoon is the feedstock for the first biorefinery in the world converting the installations of a petrochemical plant in Porto Torres, Sardinia, providing biomass and oils for the building blocks of bioplastics.

1-6-2024 GANDIA RIO SERPIS, VALENCIA - SARDINIAN WARBLER (MALE) (Sylvia melanocephala)

The Sardinian warbler (Curruca melanocephala ) is a common and widespread typical warbler from the Mediterranean region. Like most Curruca species, it has distinct male and female plumages. The adult male has a grey back, whitish underparts, black head, white throat and red eyes. Plumages are somewhat variable even in the same locality, with the intensity of a reddish hue on upper- and/or underside that varies from absent to (in some subspecies) pronounced. The female is mainly brown above and buff below, with a grey head. The Sardinian warbler's song is fast and rattling, and is very characteristic of the Mediterranean areas where this bird breeds.

It breeds in the southernmost areas of Europe and just into Asia in Turkey and the eastern end of the Mediterranean. This small passerine bird, unlike most "warblers", is not particularly migratory, but some birds winter in north Africa, and it occurs as a vagrant well away from the breeding range, as far as Great Britain. 

1-6-2024 GANDIA RIO SERPIS, VALENCIA - EURASIAN BLACKBIRD (MALE) (Turdus merula)

The Common blackbird (Turdus merula) is a species of true thrush. It is also called the Eurasian blackbird (especially in North America, to distinguish it from the unrelated New World blackbirds), or simply the blackbird where this does not lead to confusion with a similar-looking local species. This common and conspicuous species has given rise to a number of literary and cultural references, frequently related to its song.

The adult male has glossy black plumage, blackish-brown legs, a yellow eye ring, and an orange-yellow bill. The bill darkens somewhat in winter. The adult female is sooty-brown with a dull yellowish-brownish bill, a brownish-white throat, and some weak mottling on the breast. The juvenile is similar to the female but has pale spots on the upperparts, and the very young juvenile also has a speckled breast. Young birds vary in the shade of brown, with darker birds presumably males. The first-year male resembles the adult male but has a dark bill and weaker eye ring, and its folded wing is brown, rather than black like the body plumage.

Common blackbirds breed in Europe, North Africa, India, and southern China. Populations in the north and east migrate to winter in Egypt and the west and southeast of Asia. Depending on latitude, Common blackbirds may be resident, partially migratory, or fully migratory. These birds live in very varied habitats, including mountainous regions and big city centers, where they inhabit open forests and forest edges, woodlands, cultivated areas, gardens, and parks if the cover is dense enough for hiding.

Common blackbirds are diurnal and eat mainly on the ground, turning the leaf litter to find the invertebrates hidden below. The bird runs for a short distance and stops suddenly to turn its head sideways to detect its prey and hops while it digs the ground with its bill to attract worms. It will feed in trees and bushes on the fruits and berries that it prefers. These birds will often take sunbaths, while flattened on grass or warm ground, with their beak open and their head inclined, and wings and tails spread. Common blackbirds are territorial, strongly defending their territory, mostly in urban areas where each pair does not have much space. Females may also fight, in defense of a good nest site. While winter food is available, Common blackbirds will stay within their territory for the year, although they will occupy different areas. Migrating birds are more gregarious, flying in small flocks and eating in loose groups at the wintering grounds.

31-5-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - MOORISH GECKO (JUVENILE)

Tarentola mauritanica, known as the common wall gecko, is a species of gecko (Gekkota) native to the western Mediterranean area of North Africa and Europe. It has been introduced to Madeira and Balearic Islands, and the Americas (in Montevideo, Buenos Aires and California). A nocturnal animal with a predominantly insectivorous diet, it is commonly observed on walls in urban environments in warm coastal areas; it can be found further inland, especially in Spain where it has a tradition of cohabitation with humans as an insect hunter. A robust species, up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in) long, its tubercules are enlarged and give the species a spiny armoured appearance.

The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is also known as moorish gecko, crocodile gecko, European common gecko, and, regionally, as osga (in Portuguese), salamanquesa (in Spanish) and dragó (in Catalan).

The Common wall gecko is a small lizard native to the western Mediterranean area of North Africa and Europe. It is commonly observed on walls in urban environments, mainly in warm coastal areas. However, the Common wall gecko can be found further inland, especially in Spain where it has a tradition of cohabitation with humans as insect hunter. This little creature is brownish-grey or brown in color with darker or lighter spots. These colors change in intensity according to the light. When geckos are active by day their color is darker than during the night.

30-5-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - TOOTHED WEAVER SPIDER Textrix denticulata)

Textrix denticulata, the toothed weaver, is a funnel web spider of the family Agelenidae found in much of Europe. It was described by the French entomologist Guillaume-Antoine Olivier in 1789. An older name coined by Martini & Goeze in 1778, Aranea cruciger, has been declared a nomen oblitum, allowing Olivier's later name to stand.

The male Textrix denticulata is similar to the female in general appearance. The carapace is dark brown with a light median band. The head is narrow, with steep sides, not unlike wolf spiders of the genus Pardosa. The abdomen is dark brown with a light horse-shoe shaped marking towards the anterior which breaks down into a series of light spots towards the posterior. There are vague, somewhat reddish chevrons due to the relatively thinner coating of hairs between the horseshoe mark and the posterior spotting which causes the background colour of the abdomen to be visible. The legs are yellow-brown with dark annulations and rings of white hairs. The body length of the female is 7–8 mm, that of the slightly smaller male 6–7 mm.

Textrix denticulata builds small funnel webs that end in a tube where the spider sits until it detects its prey touch the web when it leaves the tube and subdues the prey. It is mostly active at night. Both sexes are mainly found from early to mid-summer but females can be found at most times of the year and males have also been recorded in September. The yellow egg sac contains 50-60 eggs and is covered with soil particles and stones and secured under rocks and in crevices.

Textrix denticulata is found in sunny edges of forests, on rocks and on walls and sometimes in houses. In Great Britain it is found on stony ground, in rocky crevices, on low bushes and under bark, both inland and in coastal areas. Here too it is equally common in houses and on some disused stony industrial sites.

Textrix denticulata is widespread in Northern Europe, except the northern and eastern part. In Great Britain this spider is common in the north, less so in the south, and very rare in the southeast. 

30-5-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - FALSE BLISTER BEETLE (Oedemera marmorata)

The very rare beetle Oedemera ( Oncomera ) marmorata (Erichson, 1841), for which there are few references.

This beetle is an oedemeridae ( Oedemeridae ) with a Palearctic distribution. The chorological aspects are quite unknown due to the scarcity of citations. Its distribution is western-Mediterranean, perhaps of Betic-Rifian origin, spread through Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and the south of the Iberian Peninsula. It is a species with twilight and nocturnal habits, which is attracted by light and frequents the flowers of trees and bushes.

28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - LACED WOODPECKER (MALE) (Picus vittatus)

The laced woodpecker (Picus vittatus) is a species of bird in the family Picidae.

It is found throughout Southeast Asia in the countries of Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. A sole specimen recorded for Bangladesh has since been reidentified as a streak-breasted woodpecker.

The laced woodpecker (Picus vittatus) is a species of bird in the family Picidae.

It is found throughout Southeast Asia in the countries of Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. A sole specimen recorded for Bangladesh has since been reidentified as a streak-breasted woodpecker.

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical mangrove forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

Typical green woodpecker, with a tea-green back, gray face, and solid black moustache stripe. Male has a bright red crown while female has a dull black one. Strikingly striped wings most readily seen in flight. Gives sharp, loud “kip” calls and more strident two-note calls during confrontations. In southwestern Thailand and southern Myanmar, look out for the similar Streak-breasted Woodpecker, which has a faded, indistinct moustache stripe in both sexes. Also compare with Streak-throated Woodpecker, which, as the name suggests, has noticeable streaking on the throat, as well as a more indistinct moustache stripe.

The laced woodpecker (Picus vittatus) is a species of bird in the family Picidae.

It is found throughout Southeast Asia in the countries of Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. A sole specimen recorded for Bangladesh has since been reidentified as a streak-breasted woodpecker.

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical mangrove forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

28-5-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - MOLECRICKET (Gryllotalpa vineae)

 

Gryllotalpa vineae is a species of mole cricket in the family Gryllotalpidae. It is found in southwestern Europe and was first described by the entomologists H. C. Bennet-Clark and Blaine H. Goodposts in 1970 after having realised that it must be a different species from the European mole cricket because of its distinctive song.

Gryllotalpa vineae is believed to produce a louder sound than any other insect. The male stridulates by raising and lowering his wing cases repeatedly while scraping the rear edge of the left forewing, which forms a plectrum, against the lower edge of the right forewing, which has a ratchet-like series of teeth. The vibrations that these rapid movements make are produced at a frequency of 3500 per second, and the "harp" (part of the wing) vibrates at the same frequency and acts to amplify the sound. The male stridulates in his burrow, which is Y-shaped with two horn-shaped openings on the ground surface, and a smooth-walled bulb on the stem of the "Y". This is just larger than the mole cricket, and he faces into the bulb with his tail near the tunnel fork. The bulb acts as a resonator and augments the sound dramatically so that one metre from the entrances, the sound intensity is ninety decibels, and can be heard 600 m (2,000 ft) away.

The burrow is dug by the powerful front legs of the mole cricket. The song is issued in short pulses and is higher pitched and louder than that of the European mole cricket (Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa) because G. vineae has more powerful wing muscles, larger wings and deeper teeth on the file part of the mechanism. The purpose of the song is to attract a female, and it is usually uttered about half an hour after sunset.

26-5-2024 CREU DE LONGA, ALBUFERA - GREY HERON (Ardea cinerea)

The Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) is a large long-legged wading bird of the heron native to Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It lives in wetland areas and feeds on various aquatic creatures which it catches after standing stationary beside or in the water.

The plumage of the Grey heron is largely ashy-grey above, and greyish-white below with some black on the flanks. Adults have a head and neck white with a broad black supercilium that terminates in the slender, dangling crest, and bluish-black streaks on the front of the neck. The scapular feathers are elongated and the feathers at the base of the neck are also somewhat elongated. Immature birds lack the dark stripe on the head and are generally duller in appearance than adults, with a grey head and neck, and a small, dark grey crest. The pinkish-yellow beak is long, straight, and powerful, and is brighter in color in breeding adults. The iris is yellow and the legs are brown and very long.

26-5-2024 LAGUNA DE SILLA, ALBUFERA - BLACK WINGED STILT (Himantopus himantopus)

Black-winged stilts (Himantopus himantopus) are very long-legged wading birds. They are found in both warm and hot climates, feed on small aquatic creatures, and nest on the ground surface in small colonies.

Adult Black-winged stilts have long, pink legs, and a long, rather thin black bill. They are generally black above and white below, with a white head and neck. Males have a black back, often with a greenish gloss or sheen. Females' backs have a brownish hue, contrasting with the black remiges. In populations where the top of the head is normally white (at least in winter), females tend to have less black on the head and neck the entire year round, while males often have much more black, particularly in summer. This difference is not clear-cut, however, and males usually grow all-white head feathers in winter. Immature birds are grey, instead of black, and have a markedly sandy hue on their wings, with light feather fringes appearing as a whitish line in flight.

Black-winged stilts are found across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North, Central and South Americas. Some populations are migratory and move to the ocean coasts in winter; those in warmer regions are generally resident or short-range vagrants. Black-winged stilts breed in freshwater and brackish marshes, shallow lakes, ponds, and flooded fields. They can also be found in mountainous areas near lakes, river deltas, estuaries, coastal lagoons and marshes, salt meadows, and mudflats.

Black-winged stilts are very gregarious birds. They often gather in groups of around 20 individuals and may migrate or roost in large flocks of several thousand birds. Black-winged tilts are mainly diurnal; however, they are also adapted to nocturnal vision and may also forage even on moonless nights. Black-winged stilts feed in shallow water, wading slowly picking up their food from the water surface or sand. 

28-5-2016 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - GREY WAGTAIL (Motacilla cinerea)

This slim wagtail has a narrow white supercilium and a broken eye ring. The upperparts are grey and the yellow vent contrasting with whitish underparts makes it distinctive. The breeding male has a black throat that is edged by whitish moustachial stripes. They forage singly or in pairs on meadows or on shallow water marshes. They also use rocks in water and will often perch on trees. They have a clear sharp call note and the song consists of trills.

The breeding season is April to July and the nest is placed near fast running streams or rivers on an embankment between stones and roots. The male in display, makes short flights up into the air and descends slowly with fluttering flight accompanied by a rapid series of chipping high notes. In Europe the nests are often made in holes in manmade structures. The clutch consists of 3–6 speckled eggs and multiple broods may be raised with declining numbers in the clutch in subsequent broods. The usual clutch size is five in Ireland and the breeding success is about 80% with predation of eggs or chicks being the main cause of breeding failure. The Canary Islands population typically have smaller clutches and the breeding season is not as short and well marked as in populations at higher latitudes. The incubation period is about two weeks with chicks fledging within a fortnight. They live for a maximum of 8 years in the wild.

20-5-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - EGYPTIAN BIRD GRASSHOPPER (Anacridium aegyptium)

Anacridium aegyptium, the Egyptian grasshopper or Egyptian locust, is a species of insect belonging to the subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae.

A fairly common species, the Egyptian grasshopper is present in most of Europe, the Afrotropical realm, eastern Palearctic realm, the Near East, and North Africa, and has recently been observed in Cape Town, South Africa.

These grasshoppers inhabit trees and shrubs, scrub land, maquis, and orchards in warm and bright environments, at an elevation from sea level to 1,500 m.

Anacridium aegyptium is one of the largest European grasshoppers. Adult males grow up to 30–56 mm (1.2–2.2 in) long, while females reach 46–70 mm (1.8–2.8 in) in length. Their bodies are usually gray, brown, or olive-coloured, and their antennae are relatively short and robust. The tibiae of the hind legs are blue, while the femora are orange. The hind femora have characteristic dark marks. They are also easily identified by their characteristic eyes, which have vertical black and white stripes. Their pronota show a dorsal orange stripe and several small white spots. The wings are clear with dark marks.

This species is a folivore, essentially feeding on leaves of various plants. It is a solitary species, harmless to crops. Adults are mainly seen in August and September, but they are active throughout the year. After mating, these grasshoppers overwinter as adults. Spawning occurs in spring just under the soil surface and the nymphs appear in April. These grasshoppers undergo several molts. Nymphs differ from adults in appearance; their color varies from yellow to bright green and ocher and the wings are absent or small, as they are gradually developed after each molt.

20-5-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - ROUGH HAIRED LAGRIA BEETLE (Lagria hirta)

Lagria hirta is a species of beetles in the family Tenebrionidae.

The species name hirta comes from the Latin hirtus meaning rough hair or rough wool, referring to the coarse, fuzzy appearance of the beetle.

This species is present in Europe, in North Africa (Algeria, Morocco), in Russia (Western and Eastern Siberia), in Israel, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Paraguay, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

It prefers areas with sandy soils. It can be found in open woods, in deciduous forests, in forest clearings, forest edges, in grasslands and wet meadows, but also in dry valleys and wet areas.

Lagria hirta can reach a length of 7–8 millimetres (0.28–0.31 in). These beetles have a soft and elongated body and a head and thorax brown or shiny black. The relatively elongated elytra are yellowish-brown and covered by dense fine light yellowish-brown hairs. The rest of the body is also hairy, but they are less clearly visible. Antennae, underside of body and legs are black. The eyes are remarkably large and round. Antennae are composed with eleven segments.

The elytra of the females are more extended backward than in the males and the female's abdomen looks from above wider than in the males. The male, in addition to its slimmer body, is distinguished from the females by their larger eyes and by the length of the last segment of the antennae, which is nearly twice the corresponding segment in the female. The hind wings are transparent.

The fully formed beetles can be seen from late May to September. The adult beetles feed on nectar and pollen. Females lay the eggs in the soil where they hatch after about eight days. The larvae live in the humus where they feed on decaying vegetables. After having overwintered larvae pupate in early summer of the next year and a new generation of beetles will then develop.

26-5-2024 CREU DE LONGA, ALBUFERA - BLACK WINGED STILT (Himantopus himantopus)

Black-winged stilts (Himantopus himantopus) are very long-legged wading birds. They are found in both warm and hot climates, feed on small aquatic creatures, and nest on the ground surface in small colonies.

Adult Black-winged stilts have long, pink legs, and a long, rather thin black bill. They are generally black above and white below, with a white head and neck. Males have a black back, often with a greenish gloss or sheen. Females' backs have a brownish hue, contrasting with the black remiges. In populations where the top of the head is normally white (at least in winter), females tend to have less black on the head and neck the entire year round, while males often have much more black, particularly in summer. This difference is not clear-cut, however, and males usually grow all-white head feathers in winter. Immature birds are grey, instead of black, and have a markedly sandy hue on their wings, with light feather fringes appearing as a whitish line in flight.

Black-winged stilts are found across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North, Central and South Americas. Some populations are migratory and move to the ocean coasts in winter; those in warmer regions are generally resident or short-range vagrants. Black-winged stilts breed in freshwater and brackish marshes, shallow lakes, ponds, and flooded fields. They can also be found in mountainous areas near lakes, river deltas, estuaries, coastal lagoons and marshes, salt meadows, and mudflats.

Black-winged stilts are very gregarious birds. They often gather in groups of around 20 individuals and may migrate or roost in large flocks of several thousand birds. Black-winged tilts are mainly diurnal; however, they are also adapted to nocturnal vision and may also forage even on moonless nights. Black-winged stilts feed in shallow water, wading slowly picking up their food from the water surface or sand. 

26-5-2024 MUNTANYETA DEL SANS, ALBUFERA - LITTLE EGRET (Egretta garzetta)

The Little egret (Egretta garzetta) is small elegant heron in the family Ardeidae. As an aquatic bird, it feeds in shallow water and on land, consuming a variety of small creatures. At one time common in Western Europe, the Little heron was hunted extensively in the 19th century to provide plumes for the decoration of hats and became locally extinct in Northwestern Europe and scarce in the south. Around 1950, conservation laws were introduced in southern Europe to protect the species and their numbers began to increase.

The plumage of the Little egret is normally entirely white, although there are dark forms with largely bluish-grey plumage. In the breeding season, the adult has two long plumes on the nape that form a crest. These plumes are about 150 mm (6 in) and are pointed and very narrow. There are similar feathers on the breast, but the barbs are more widely spread. 

There are also several elongated scapular feathers that have long loose barbs and may be 200 mm (8 in) long. During the winter the plumage is similar but the scapulars are shorter and more normal in appearance. The bill is long and slender and it and the lores are black. There is an area of greenish-grey bare skin at the base of the lower mandible and around the eye which has a yellow iris. The legs are black and the feet yellow. Juveniles are similar to non-breeding adults but have greenish-black legs and duller yellow feet, and may have a certain proportion of greyish or brownish feathers. The subspecies nigripes differs in having yellow skin between the bill and eye, and blackish feet. During the height of courtship, the lores turn red and the feet of the yellow-footed races turn red.

26-5-2024 LAGUNA DE SILLA, ALBUFERA - BLACK TAILED SKIMMER DRAGONFLY (Orthetrum cancellatum)

Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey (Turkey-in-Europe), Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and in part of United Kingdom.

The black-tailed skimmer is abundant throughout its range and is one of the most commonly seen dragonflies in Europe. It holds a stable population and has no known major threats.

This species has expanded its range, assisted by the creation of gravel pits which give it the extensive open unvegetated areas it prefers. It was first recorded in Great Britain in Essex in 1934. It is decreasing rapidly in the Maltese Islands.

26-5-2024 EL SALER, ALBUFERA - ZITTING CISTICOLA (Cisticola juncidis)

The zitting cisticola or streaked fantail warbler (Cisticola juncidis ) is a widely distributed Old World warbler whose breeding range includes southern Europe, Africa (outside the deserts and rainforest), and southern Asia down to northern Australia. A small bird found mainly in grasslands, it is best identified by its rufous rump; as well, it lacks any gold on the collar and the brownish tail is tipped with white. During the breeding season, males have a zigzagging flight display accompanied by regular "zitting" calls that have been likened to repeated snips of a scissor. They build their pouch nest suspended within a clump of grass.

The zitting cisticola is 10 to 12 cm (3.9 to 4.7 in) in length. It is brown above, heavily streaked with black markings. The underparts are whitish, and the tail is broad, white-tipped and flicked frequently, giving rise to the alternative name for the species. The adult males have less crown streaking and more back marking than the females, but there are no great difference between the sexes or the eighteen geographical races. The absence of a nuchal collar separate it from the golden-headed cisticola (Cisticola exilis ). In the non-breeding season, they tend to skulk within the grass and can be hard to spot.

10-4-2024 VARANASI, INDIA - JUNGLE BABBLER (Turdoides striata)

Jungle babblers (Argya striata) are gregarious birds, members of the laughingthrushes family. Jungle babblers often forage in small groups of 6 to 10 individuals, and this habit has given them the popular name of "Seven Sisters" in urban Northern India, and Saath bhai (seven brothers) in Bengali, with cognates in other regional languages which also mean "seven brothers".

Jungle babblers are drably coloured in brownish grey with a yellow bill. The upper parts are usually slightly darker in shade and there is some mottling on the throat and breast. The race T. s. somervillei of Maharashtra has a very rufous tail and dark primary flight feathers.

Jungle babblers are found in the Indian subcontinent. They do not migrate and live year-round in forests in most parts of the Indian subcontinent and are often seen in gardens within large cities as well as in forested areas.

Jungle babblers are diurnal and very social birds. They live in flocks of 7 to 10 individuals or more. They are noisy, and the presence of a flock may be heard at some distance by the harsh mewing calls, continual chattering, squeaking, and chirping produced by its members. They sometimes form the core of a mixed-species foraging flock. When foraging, some birds take up a high vantage point and act as sentinels. They may also gather and mob potential predators such as snakes. The groups maintain territories and will defend them against neighbors, which are nevertheless sometimes tolerated. Birds within a group often indulge in allopreening, play chases, and mock fights. When threatened by predators, Jungle babblers have been said to sometimes feign death.

11-4-2024 VARANASI, INDIA - LAUGHING DOVE (Spilopelia senegalensis)

The laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis) is a pigeon widespread in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. It was introduced to Perth in 1889 and has become established around Western Australia. Birds that land on ships may be introduced to new regions.The Laughing dove is a long-tailed, slim pigeon. It is pinkish brown on the underside with a lilac-tinged head and neck. The head and underparts are pinkish, shading to buff on the lower abdomen. A chequered rufous and grey patch is found on the sides of the neck of adults and is made up of split feathers. The upper parts are brownish with a bluish-grey band along the wing. The back is uniform and dull brown in the South Asian population. The African populations have a bluish-grey rump and upper tail coverts but differ in the shades of the neck and wing feathers while S. s. aegyptiaca subspecies is larger and the head and nape are vinous and upper wing coverts are rufous. The tail is graduated and the outer feathers are tipped in white. The sexes are indistinguishable in the field. Young birds lack the chequered neck markings. The legs are red. The populations vary slightly in plumage with those from more arid zones being paler.

Laughing doves are found in much of Sub-Saharan Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. It is also found in Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the UAE, and Turkey. They are mostly sedentary but some populations may make movements. Laughing doves inhabit dry scrub, wooded savannas, grasslands, dry farmlands, and areas of human habitation.

11-4-2024 VARANASI, INDIA - SWAN GOOSE (Anser cygnoides var. domesticus)

The Chinese is an international breed of domestic goose, known by this name in Europe and in North America. Unlike the majority of goose breeds, it belongs to the knob geese, which derive from Anser cygnoides and are characterised by a prominent basal knob on the upper side of the bill. It originates in China, where there are more than twenty different breeds of knob goose.

Unlike the majority of goose breeds, which derive from the greylag goose (Anser anser), the Chinese belongs to the knob geese, which derive from the swan goose (Anser cygnoides) and are characterised by a prominent basal knob on the upper side of the bill. As the name suggests, it is believed to have originated in China, where there are more than twenty different breeds of knob goose. 

It was seen in Britain from the early eighteenth century if not before,  and was present in the United States in the latter part of that century – George Washington is believed to have kept some on his plantation at Mount Vernon. 

It was included in the first Standard of Perfection of the American Poultry Association in 1874.  

In the twenty-first century it is an endangered breed: it is reported to DAD-IS by seven countries – Australia, Lithuania, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Slovenia, Suriname and the UK – but none of them report population data. Population data was last reported by the United Kingdom in 2002, when there were between 150 and 1000 birds. The Livestock Conservancy in the United States lists it as watch, its third level of concern.

It appears in two varieties: the grey-brown, with colouring similar to that of the wild swan goose (Anser cygnoides), and the white.  The bill and the knob are black in the grey-brown variety, and orange in the white; the shanks and feet are always orange. In birds bred for showing the neck is long and slender. 

As a layer of eggs it is the most prolific of any breed of goose, usually laying some 50–60 eggs in a season of about five months, but sometimes reaching 100 eggs during that time.  The eggs weigh about 120 g, rather less than those of other geese.  Flocks of the geese may be used to guard property or to keep down weeds.

11-4-2024 VARANASI, INDIA - ORIENTAL GARDEN LIZARD (Calotes versicolor)

The Oriental garden lizard (Calotes versicolor) is an agamid lizard found in indo-Malaya. It has also been introduced in many other parts of the world. The Oriental garden lizard is an insectivore and the male gets a bright red throat in the breeding season.

The coloration of this lizard is very variable, sometimes uniform brownish or greyish-olive or yellowish. There are usually broad brown bands across the back, interrupted by a yellowish lateral band. Black streaks radiate from the eye, and some of them are continued over the throat, running obliquely backward, belly frequently with greyish longitudinal stripes, one along the median line being the most distinct; young and half-grown specimens have a dark, black-edged band across the inter-orbital region. During the breeding season, the male's head and shoulders turns bright orange to crimson and his throat black. Males also turn red-headed after a successful battle with rivals. Both males and females have a crest from the head to nearly the tail, hence their other common name, "crested tree lizard".

Oriental garden lizards occur in SE Iran, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China (South) (Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Hainan Island), India (including the Andaman Islands), Indonesia (Sumatra), Malaysia (Western), Maldives, Mauritius (Reunion, Rodrigues), Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Thailand, Vietnam (including Pulo Condore Island). These lizards are found in a wide range of habitats and appear to adapt well to humans. They are commonly found among the undergrowth in open habitats including highly urban areas.

Oriental garden lizards spend most of their time in low shrubs and tree trunks trying to stay undetected. They are solitary and diurnal; on a hot sunny day may often be seen on a twig or on a wall, basking in the sun, with mouth wide open. After a shower of rain numbers of these lizards may come down on the ground and pick up the larva and small insects that fall from the trees during the showers. Oriental garden lizards have teeth that are designed for gripping prey and not tearing it up. So they swallow their catch whole after it is stunned by shaking it about.

12-4-2024 VARANASI, INDIA - RHESUS MACAQUE (MALE) (Macaca mulatta)

The Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is a species of Old World monkey. It lives both in trees and on the ground. It mainly eats fruit, but will also include 100 different plant species in its diet. It spends most of its day feeding and resting, the rest is occupied with traveling, grooming, and playing.

Rhesus macaques are either pale brown or gray, usually with pink faces. Their tails are quite long, they have a rib cage that is wider than average, with dorsal scapulae, and they have thirty-two teeth. They are charismatic monkeys and like to have fun and can be cheeky. Their coats have faded undertones on the underside. Their faces are furless and in adults - bright red, and adults also have bright red rumps. They have large cheek pouches for storing food while out foraging.

Rhesus macaques are native to India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Afghanistan, Vietnam, southern China, and some neighboring areas. They have the widest geographic ranges of any non-human primate, occupying a great diversity of altitudes throughout Central, South, and Southeast Asia. Rhesus macaques may be found in forests, mangroves, scrub, grasslands, and mountainous regions. They also adapt well to human presence and form larger troops in human-dominated landscapes than in forests.

Rhesus macaques are social, diurnal, and both terrestrial and arboreal animals. They walk using four limbs, walking on the ground on both their toes and on the soles of their feet. They are very active and loud. They like being in the water and can swim well. They form groups of as many as 200 individuals, and when the size of a group reaches 80 to 100, a subgroup of females can split off to create a new group. Generally, groups are made up of several unrelated males, with many closely related females. Males and females within a group demonstrate a preference for high-ranking individuals of the opposite sex. Rhesus monkeys are not territorial. Every group of individuals generally has its own sleeping area. Confrontations between different groups are rare. When groups meet, usually the weaker group avoids the stronger one.

12-4-2024 VARANASI, INDIA - RED WATTLED LAPWING (Vanellus indicus)

The Red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus) is large wader native to Asia. Like other lapwings, they are ground birds that are incapable of perching. This bird has many local names such as titahri (Hindi), titawi (Marathi), tittibha (Kannada), tateehar (Sindhi), titodi (Gujarati), hatatut (Kashmiri), balighora (Assamese), yennappa chitawa (Telugu), aal-kaati (Tamil, meaning "human indicator").

Red-wattled lapwings are large birds. Their wings and back are light brown with a purple to green sheen, but the head, a bib on the front, and the back of the neck are black. Prominently white patch runs between these two colors, from the belly and tail, flanking the neck to the sides of the crown. The short tail is tipped black. A red fleshy wattle in front of each eye, a black-tipped red bill, and long legs are yellow. In flight, prominent white wing bars formed by the white on the secondary coverts. Males and females are similar in plumage but males have a slightly longer wing and tend to have a longer carpal spur.

Red-wattled lapwings breed from West Asia (Iraq, SW Iran, Persian Gulf) eastwards across South Asia (Baluchistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the entire Indian subcontinent up to Kanyakumari and up to 1800m in Kashmir/Nepal), with another sub-species further east in Southeast Asia. These birds may migrate altitudinally in spring and autumn (e.g. in N. Baluchistan or NW Pakistan) and spread out widely in the monsoons on the creation of requisite habitats, but by and large, the populations are resident. Red-wattled lapwings inhabit almost any wetland habitat throughout their range including well-watered open country, flooded grasslands, marshes, rivers, pools, cultivated areas, ploughed fields, grazing land, and rural gardens. Red-wattled lapwings are monogamous and form pairs. They breed mainly from March to August. The courtship involves the male puffing its feathers and pointing its beak upwards. The male then shuffles around the female.

12-4-2024 VARANASI, INDIA - LARGE GREY BABBLER (Argya malcolmi)

The large grey babbler (Argya malcolmi ) is a member of the family Leiothrichidae found across India and far western Nepal. They are locally common in the scrub, open forest and gardenland. They are usually seen in small groups and are easily distinguished from other babblers in the region by their nasal call and the whitish outer feathers to their long tail. It is one of the largest babblers in the region.

This long-tailed and large babbler has a brown body with creamy white outer tail feathers which are easily visible as they fly with fluttery wing beats low over the ground. The lores are dark and forehead is grey with white shaft streaks on the feathers. The rump and uppertail covers are pale grey. The mantle has dusky blotches and no shaft streaks. The three outer tail feathers are white and the fourth pair has the outer web white. The wings are darker brown. The iris is yellow and the upper mandible is dark brown while the lower mandible is yellowish. The tail is faintly cross barred. Abnormal specimens showing albinism or leucism have been reported.

The species was first described from the Deccan Plateau region. The scientific name was given by Colonel W H Sykes in appreciation of support that he received from Major-General Sir John Malcolm.

Found throughout the Indian subcontinent, south of the Himalayas, east of the Thar desert until Bihar. The species is not found in Kerala and records from the Sind area are not confirmed. It is found mainly in open dry scrub forest and cultivated areas. It is not found in the eastern dry zone of Tamil Nadu; however, an exhausted specimen has been observed in Pondicherry.