BIRDWALKERMONDAY

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 and it will show all of the photos taken for that species. I am adding as much information for each species as I can from sources Wikipedia. To see any pictures at full size just click on the picture.

Tuesday 4 July 2017

12-10-2015 CULLERA, VALENCIA - RED VEINED DARTER DRAGONFLY (MALE) (Sympetrum fonscolombii)

The red-veined darter or nomad(Sympetrum fonscolombii) is a dragonfly of the genus Sympetrum.

There is genetic and behavioural evidence that S. fonscolombii is not closely related to the other members of the genus Sympetrum and it will at some time in the future be removed from this genus.

Sympetrum fonscolombii is a widespread and common species in much of central and southern Europe including most Mediterranean islands, North Africa, the Middle East, Mongolia, south-western Asia, including the Indian Subcontinent, the Indian Ocean Islands and Sri Lanka. In Europe it is resident in the south of its range but in some years it migrates northward. From the 1990s onwards has increasingly been found in northwest Europe, including Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Britain and Ireland. It is the only Libellulidae to be found in the Azores and it is also found on the Canary Islands and Madeira.

It breeds in a wide range of habitats including marshes, lakes, ponds, permanent and seasonal rivers. It is able to recolonize dry areas after a rainfall.

Sympetrum fonscolombii can reach a body length of 38–40 millimetres (1.5–1.6 in). This species is similar to other Sympetrum species but a good view with binoculars should give a positive identification, especially with a male.

Males have a red abdomen, redder than many other Sympetrum species. The frons and the thorax are red-brown. The eyes are brown above and blue/grey below. The wings have red veins and the wing bases of the hind-wings are yellow. The pterostigma is pale yellow with a border of black veins.

Female are similar but the abdomen is ochre yellow, not red, with two black lines along each side. The wings have yellow veins at the costa, leading edge and base, not red veins as found in the males. The legs of both sexes are mostly black with some yellow.

Immature males are like females but often with more red and a single line along each side of the abdomen.

7-9-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - HOUSE SPARROW (FEMALE) (Passer domesticus)

The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of 16 cm (6.3 in) and a mass of 24–39.5 g (0.85–1.39 oz). Females and young birds are coloured pale brown and grey, and males have brighter black, white, and brown markings. One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the house sparrow is native to most of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, and a large part of Asia. Its intentional or accidental introductions to many regions, including parts of Australasia, Africa, and the Americas, make it the most widely distributed wild bird.

The house sparrow is strongly associated with human habitation, and can live in urban or rural settings. Though found in widely varied habitats and climates, it typically avoids extensive woodlands, grasslands, polar regions, and hot, dry deserts far away from human development. For sustenance, the house sparrow routinely feeds at home and public bird feeding stations, but naturally feeds on the seeds of grains, flowering plants and weeds. However, it is an opportunistic, omnivorous eater, and commonly catches insects, their larvae, caterpillars, invertebrates and many other natural foods.

7-9-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - SQUACCO HERON (Ardeola ralloides)

The squacco heron is a migrant, wintering in Africa. It is rare north of its breeding range. The species has been recorded in Fernando de Noronha islands, and more rarely in mainland South America, as a vagrant. This is a stocky species with a short neck, short thick bill and buff-brown back. In summer, adults have long neck feathers. Its appearance is transformed in flight, when it looks very white due to the colour of the wings.

The squacco heron's breeding habitat is marshy wetlands in warm countries. The birds nest in small colonies, often with other wading birds, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. Three to four eggs are laid. They feed on fish, frogs and insects.

The Squacco Heron uses freshwater localities throughout Europe and the Middle East as breeding grounds to later migrate south to the Sub-Saharan African region. Non-breeding Squacco Herons share similar traits with other heron species like the Indian Pond Heron and Malagasy Pond Heron which show tawny color plumage, lighter streaking, smaller bill, and narrower wing tips.

7-9-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - LITTLE EGRET (Egretta garzetta)

The little egret is a small entirely white heron, with yellow facial skin and a rapier-like black bill. Its legs and bill are black, with yellow soles to its long toes. In breeding plumage, a pair of long, slender plumes grow from the back of the head, curving elegantly down to the back, and filamentous plumes develop on the lower back and breast. The facial skin turns bright red or blue when breeding, but this has not been reported in New Zealand. Juvenile birds have greenish-black legs and duller yellow feet.

The little egret is widely distributed throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. It is reasonably common in most states of Australia but is listed as threatened in Victoria. The main threats to little egrets elsewhere are from coastal reclamation and wetland draining, especially in its feeding and breeding areas of Asia. In New Zealand, little egrets occur almost exclusively in estuarine habitats.

30-8-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - SQUACCO HERON (Ardeola ralloides)

Monday 3 July 2017

13-11-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - GREEN SANDPIPER (Tringa ochropus)

The green sandpiper (Tringa ochropus ) is a small wader (shorebird) of the Old World.

The green sandpiper represents an ancient lineage of the genus Tringa ; its only close living relative is the solitary sandpiper (T. solitaria ). They both have brown wings with little light dots and a delicate but contrasting neck and chest pattern. In addition, both species nest in trees, unlike most other scolopacids.

Given its basal position in Tringa, it is fairly unsurprising that suspected cases of hybridisation between this species and the common sandpiper (A. hypoleucos ) of the sister genus Actitis have been reported.

This species is a somewhat plump wader with a dark greenish-brown back and wings, greyish head and breast and otherwise white underparts. The back is spotted white to varying extents, being maximal in the breeding adult, and less in winter and young birds. The legs and short bill are both dark green.

It is conspicuous and characteristically patterned in flight, with the wings dark above and below and a brilliant white rump. The latter feature reliably distinguishes it from the slightly smaller but otherwise very similar solitary sandpiper (T. solitaria ) of North America.

In flight it has a characteristic three-note whistle.

The green sandpiper breeds across subarctic Europe and east across the Palearctic and is a migratory bird, wintering in southern Europe, the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and tropical Africa. Food is small invertebrate items picked off the mud as this species works steadily around the edges of its chosen pond.

This is not a gregarious species, although sometimes small numbers congregate in suitable feeding areas. Green sandpiper is very much a bird of freshwater, and is often found in sites too restricted for other waders, which tend to like a clear all-round view.

It lays 2–4 eggs in an old tree nest of another species, such as a fieldfare (Turdus pilaris ). The clutch takes about three weeks to hatch.

13-11-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - WHITE WAGTAIL (Motacilla alba)

13-11-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - GREY HERON (Ardea cinerea)

13-11-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR - GREY WAGTAIL (Motacilla cinerea)

Grey wagtails (Motacilla cinerea) are slender ground-feeding insectivorous birds of open country. They are always associated with running water when breeding, although they may use man-made structures near streams for the nest. Outside the breeding season, these birds may also be seen around lakes, coasts, and other watery habitats. Like other wagtails, they frequently wag their tail and fly low with undulations and they have a sharp call that is often given in flight.

The Grey 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.

Grey wagtails are widely distributed across the Palearctic region. They are found from western Europe including the British Isles, Scandinavia, and Mediterranean region, and to eastern Europe and northeastern and central parts of Asia. Some populations are migratory and winter in Africa and Asia. Grey wagtails inhabit mountain streams, lakes, and rivers with exposed rocks, canals, farmlands, tea plantations, and even urban areas.

Grey wagtails are active during the day and forage singly or in pairs on meadows or on shallow water marshes. They also use rocks in the water and will often perch on trees. In winter, Grey wagtails often forage along roadsides; when flushed they make a sharp 'chi-cheep' call and fly up further along the road but after some distance turn back to return to the original location. During the winter, these birds also often roost in small groups. They communicate with clear sharp call notes and their song consists of trills.

Grey wagtails are monogamous and form pairs. Their breeding season occurs from April to July. The male performs a display in which he makes short flights up into the air and descends slowly with fluttering flight accompanied by a rapid series of chipping high notes. Grey wagtails place their nests on the ground near fast running streams or rivers on an embankment between stones and roots. In Europe, their nests are often made in holes in manmade structures. The female lays a clutch of 3-6 speckled eggs; these birds may raise multiple broods with declining numbers in the clutch in subsequent broods. The incubation period is about 2 weeks done by both parents. The chicks fledge 2 weeks after hatching but their parents continue to feed them for 2-3 weeks more.