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.
TOTAL PAGEVIEWS
TRANSLATE
Friday 19 April 2024
Tuesday 16 April 2024
16-4-2024 PANNA TIGER RESERVE, INDIA - WHITE EYED BUZZARD (Butastur teesa)
Ź
The white-eyed buzzard (Butastur teesa ) is a medium-sized hawk, distinct from the true buzzards in the genus Buteo, found in South Asia. Adults have a rufous tail, a distinctive white iris, and a white throat bearing a dark mesial stripe bordered. The head is brown and the median coverts of the upper wing are pale. They lack the typical carpal patches on the underside of the wings seen in true buzzards, but the entire wing lining appears dark in contrast to the flight feathers. They sit upright on perches for prolonged periods and soar on thermals in search of insect and small vertebrate prey. They are vociferous in the breeding season, and several birds may be heard calling as they soar together.
This slim and small hawk is easily identified by its white iris and the white throat and dark mesial stripe. A white spot is sometimes visible on the back of the head. When perched, the wing tip nearly reaches the tip of the tail. The ceres are distinctly yellow and the head is dark with the underside of the body darkly barred. In flight, the narrow wings appear rounded with black tips to the feathers and the wing lining appears dark. The upper wing in flight shows a pale bar over the brown. The rufous tail is barred with a darker subterminal band. Young birds have the iris brownish and the forehead is whitish and a broad supercilium may be present. The only confusion can occur in places where it overlaps with the grey-faced buzzard (Butastur indicus ), adults of which have a distinctive white supercilium. Fledgelings are reddish brown, unlike most other downy raptor chicks, which tend to be white.
Monday 15 April 2024
15-4-2024 KEN RIVERSIDE, INDIA - CRIMSON BITTERN (Ixobrychus cinnamomeus)
The cinnamon bittern or chestnut bittern (Ixobrychus cinnamomeus ) is a small Old World bittern, breeding in tropical and subtropical Asia from India east to China and Indonesia. It is mainly resident, but some northern birds migrate short distances.
Sunday 14 April 2024
14-4-2024 KHAJURAHO, INDIA - GREY PANSY BUTTERFLY (Junonia atlites)
13-4-2024 KHAJURAHO, INDIA - BEAUTIFUL BOUGAINVILLEA (Bougainvillea spectabilis)
Bougainvillea spectabilis, also known as great bougainvillea,[1] is a species of flowering plant. It is native to Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina's Chubut Province. It is widely grown as an ornamental plant.
Bougainvillea spectabilis grows as a woody vine or shrub, reaching 15 to 40 feet (4.6 to 12.2 m) with heart-shaped leaves and thorny, pubescent stems.The flowers are generally small, white, and inconspicuous, highlighted by several brightly colored modified leaves called bracts. The bracts can vary in color, ranging from white, red, mauve, purple-red, or orange. Its fruit is a small, inconspicuous, dry, elongated achene.
13-4-2024 KHAJURAHO, 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.
13-4-2024 KHAJURAHO, INDIA - SPOTTED DOVE (Spilopelia chinensis)
The Spotted dove (Spilopelia chinensis) is a small pigeon that is a common across its native range on the Indian subcontinent and in Southeast Asia. These birds are also called the Mountain dove, Pearl-necked dove, Lace-necked dove, and Spotted turtle-dove.
The ground color of this long and slim dove is rosy buff below shading into grey on the head and belly. There is a half collar on the back and sides of the neck made of black feathers that bifurcate and have white spots at the two tips. The median coverts have brown feathers tipped with rufous spots in the Indian and Sri Lankan subspecies which are divided at the tip by a widening grey shaft streak. The wing feathers are dark brown with grey edges. The center of the abdomen and vent are white. The outer tail feathers are tipped in white and become visible when the bird takes off. The male and the female are similar, but juveniles are duller than adults and do not acquire the neck spots until they are mature.
14-4-2024 KHAJURAHO, INDIA - COMMON MYNA (Acridotheres tristis)
14-4-2024 KHAJURAHO, INDIA - PURPLE SUNBIRD (Cinnyris asiaticus)
14-4-2024 KHAJURAHO, INDIA - PLUM HEADED PARAKEET (Psittacula cyanocephala)
The Plum-headed parakeet (Psittacula cyanocephala) is a colorful parrot that was once thought to be conspecific with the Bossom-headed parakeet. Plum-headed parakeets spend their time in flocks and fly swiftly with twists and turns accompanied by their distinctive calls.
The Plum-headed parakeet is a mainly green parrot. The male has a red head which shades to purple-blue on the back of the crown, nape, and cheeks, while the female has a blueish-gray head. There is a narrow black neck collar with verdigris below on the nape and a black chin stripe that extends from the lower mandible. There is a red shoulder patch and the rump and tail are bluish-green, the latter tipped white. The upper mandible is orangish-yellow, and the lower mandible is dark. The female has a dull bluish-grey head and lacks the black and verdigris collar, which is replaced by yellow. The upper mandible is corn-yellow and there is no black chin stripe or red shoulder patch. Immature birds have a green head and both mandibles are yellowish. The dark head is acquired after a year. The delicate bluish-red appearance resembling the bloom of a peach is produced by a combination of blue from the optical effects produced by the rami of the feather and a red pigment in the barbules.
14-4-2024 KHAJURAHO, INDIA - BAYA WEAVER (Ploceus philippinus)
The baya weaver (Ploceus philippinus) is a weaverbird found across the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Flocks of these birds are found in grasslands, cultivated areas, scrub and secondary growth and they are best known for their hanging retort shaped nests woven from leaves. These nest colonies are usually found on thorny trees or palm fronds and the nests are often built near water or hanging over water where predators cannot reach easily. They are widespread and common within their range but are prone to local, seasonal movements mainly in response to rain and food availability.
Among the population variations, five subspecies are recognized. The nominate race philippinus is found through much of mainland India while burmanicus is found eastwards into Southeast Asia. The population in southwest India is darker above and referred to as subspecies travancoreensisw.
14-4-2024 KHAJURAHO, INDIA - BRAHMINY STARLING (Sturnia pagodarum)
This passerine is typically found in dry forest, scrub jungle and cultivation and is often found close to human habitations. They especially favour areas with waterlogged or marshy lands.
Saturday 13 April 2024
13-4-2024 KHAJURAHO, INDIA - INDIAN ROBIN (Copsychus fulicatus)
Indian robin (Copsychus fulicatus ) is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae.It is widespread in the Indian subcontinent and ranges across Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The males of the northern subspecies have brown backs whose extent gradually reduces southwards, with the males of the southern subspecies having all-black backs. They are commonly found in open scrub areas and often seen running along the ground or perching on low thorny shrubs and rocks. The long tail is usually held up and the chestnut undertail coverts and dark body make them easily distinguishable from pied bushchats and Oriental magpie-robins.
Friday 12 April 2024
12-4-2024 VARANASI, INDIA - ROSE RINGED PARAKEET (Psittacula krameri)
12-4-2024 VARANASI, INDIA - TAWNY COSTER BUTTERFLY (Acraea terpsicore)
Wednesday 10 April 2024
10-4-2024 VARANASI, INDIA - JUNGLE BABBLER (Argya 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.
11-4-2024 VARANASI, INDIA - FIVE STRIPED PALM SQUIRREL (Funambulus pennantii)
10-4-2024 NEW DELHI, INDIA - COMMON MYNA (Acridotheres tristis) NIKON P950
Common mynas are monogamous and believed to pair for life. They breed through much of the year depending on the location, building their nest in a hole in a tree or wall. Nesting material used in nest construction includes twigs, roots, tow, and rubbish. During the breeding, season mynas become highly territorial, and neighboring pairs often fight furiously. The normal clutch size is 4-6 eggs which are incubated by the female within 17-18 days. The chicks are altricial; they are born helpless, with reddish bodies, and blind. The young usually fledge at 22 to 24 days of age and become independent 3 weeks later.
Tuesday 9 April 2024
9-4-2024 NEW DELHI, INDIA - HOUSE CROW (Corvus splendens) NIXON P950
The House crow is relatively small and slim-bodied, with long legs and plumage that is mostly black or blackish-slate. ‘Shining raven’ is the meaning of its scientific name, referring to its glossy, jet-black feathers around the face, chin, crown, and throat. Males and females are similar in appearance. Juveniles have duller plumage which does not feature the adults’ glossy black sheen.
The House crow is widely distributed throughout southern Asia, from southern Iran through Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh and into south-western China, southern Tibet, and central Thailand, as well as the Maldives. It has been introduced to places in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and several islands, such as Mauritius. A small population is established around St. Petersburg, Florida. It is typically a lowland species, found in both tropical and subtropical areas. Some, however, have been seen in Himalayan military bases. This bird is strongly associated with humans, living in cities, towns, and villages. Interestingly, no populations are known to live in areas where there are no people.
A House crow is very intelligent and is always wary and alert, walking or hopping along while flicking its wings nervously. It is a diurnal, non-migratory, social species and gathers in noisy flocks and forms massive roosts. The flocks may consist of hundreds or thousands of birds, and this species will also gather with parakeets and mynahs in plantations and mangroves. House crows return to their foraging grounds just prior to dawn. It is a very noisy species, with a rather dry, flat, toneless call described as a ‘kaaan-kaaan’ or ‘kaa-kaao’. During social interactions, they also make a wide range of softer, nasal calls.
The House crow is relatively small and slim-bodied, with long legs and plumage that is mostly black or blackish-slate. ‘Shining raven’ is the meaning of its scientific name, referring to its glossy, jet-black feathers around the face, chin, crown, and throat. Males and females are similar in appearance. Juveniles have duller plumage which does not feature the adults’ glossy black sheen.
9-4-2024 NEW DELHI, INDIA - YELLOW FOOTED GREEN PIGEON (Treron phoenicopterus) NIKON P950
The Yellow-footed green pigeon (Treron phoenicopterus) is a species of green pigeon. It is the state bird of Maharashtra. In Marathi, it is called Haroli or Hariyal. It is known as Haitha in Upper Assam and Haitol in Lower Assam.
9-4-2024 NEW DELHI, INDIA - RED VENTED BULBUL (Pycnonotus cafer) NIKON P950
The red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer ) is a member of the bulbul family of passerines. It is a resident breeder across the Indian subcontinent, including Sri Lanka extending east to Burma and parts of Bhutan and Nepal. It has been introduced in many other parts of the world and has established itself in New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga and Fiji, as well as parts of Samoa, Australia, USA and Cook Islands. It is included in the list of the world's 100 worst invasive alien species.
The Red-vented bulbul is a medium-sized songbird that can be found across the Indian subcontinent. It can be easily identified by its short crest giving the head a squarish appearance. The body of this bird is dark brown with a scaly pattern while the head is darker or black. The rump is white while the vent is red. It has a long black tail, tipped in white. The males and the females of this species look similar, but young birds are duller than adults.
Red-vented bulbuls are monogamous and form long-lasting pair bonds. They breed from June to September and lay 2 or 3 eggs in a typical clutch. The eggs are pale-pinkish with spots of darker red denser at the broad end. Red-vented bulbuls build their nests in bushes at a height of around 2-3 m (6.6-9.8 ft). However, they may occasionally nest inside houses, in a hole in a mud bank, or in tree cavities. Their nests are small flat cups made of small dry twigs and spider webs. The eggs hatch after about 14 days and both parents take part in feeding their chicks.
This species is not considered threatened at present. However, fires, heavy rains, and predators are the main causes of fledgling mortality in scrub habitats in southern India.
Monday 8 April 2024
7-4-2024 CASTELLDEFELS, BARCELONA - SAND STOCK (Malcolmia littorea) NIKON P950
7-4-2024 CASTELLDEFELS, BARCELONA - EUROPEAN STARLING (Sturnus vulgaris) NIKON P950
Common starlings are native to Eurasia and are found throughout Europe, northern Africa (from Morocco to Egypt), India (mainly in the north but regularly extending further south and extending into the Maldives) Nepal, the Middle East including Syria, Iran, and Iraq and north-western China. Common starlings in the south and west of Europe are mainly resident, although other populations migrate from regions where the winter is harsh. Most birds from northern Europe, Russia, and Ukraine migrate southwestwards or southeastwards. In the autumn, when immigrants are arriving from eastern Europe, many of Britain's common starlings are setting off for Iberia and North Africa. Common starlings prefer urban or suburban areas, reedbeds, grassy areas such as farmland, grazing pastures, playing fields, golf courses, and airfields where short grass makes foraging easy. They occasionally inhabit open forests and woodlands and are sometimes found in shrubby areas. These birds are also found in coastal areas, where they nest and roost on cliffs and forage amongst the seaweed.
8-4-2024 CASTELLDEFELS, BARCELONA - WHITE WAGTAIL (Motacilla alba) NIKON P950
Sunday 7 April 2024
7-4-2024 CASTELLDEFELS, BARCELONA - EURASIAN MAGPIE (Pica pica) NIKON P950
The Eurasian magpie is glossy black in color with a metallic green and violet sheen; the belly and scapulars (shoulder feathers) are pure white. The graduated tail is black, glossed with green and reddish-purple. The plumage of the sexes is similar but females are slightly smaller. The young resemble the adults but are at first without much of the gloss on the sooty plumage. The young have the malar region pink and somewhat clear eyes. Their tail is much shorter than the adults.
Saturday 6 April 2024
8-11-2015 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - SOUTHERN FIELD CRICKET (Gryllus bimaculatus) NIKON P900
Gryllus bimaculatus is a species of cricket in the subfamily Gryllinae. Most commonly known as the two-spotted cricket, it has also been called the "African" or "Mediterranean field cricket", although its recorded distribution also includes much of Asia, including China and Indochina through to Borneo. It can be discriminated from other Gryllus species by the two dot-like marks on the base of its wings.
The species is popular for use as a food source for insectivorous animals like spiders and reptiles kept as pets or in zoos. They are easy to raise and do not require prolonged exposure to cold in order to complete their life cycle.
In the wild, male crickets do not tolerate one another and will fight until there is a winner. The loser usually retreats without serious injury. The fighting method involves opening the mandibles as wide as possible, gripping the opponent's mandibles and pushing with the hind legs.
Male crickets of this species produce several distinctive chirps, though each sound is made by rubbing the two outer wings together. Loud and steady chirps made throughout the night are to attract females and to warn off other males. Loud fast-frequency chirps are emitted when males encounter one another and are preparing to fight. They are intended to frighten off the rival male. There are two other chirp patterns that can be observed in their mating behaviors. A soft clipping sound, 'calling' song, is made when a female is known to be nearby but in a certain distance, and more rigorous sound, 'courtship' song, is made when a female is close enough to mate (mounting on the male's back). These two songs can be easily distinguished by human ears based on its chirp patterns and frequency components.
Whether cricket song pattern (e.g. frequency spectrum) reflect song-emitter's body size is controversial. A recent study failed to detect body-size effect on both calling and courtship songs of G. bimaculatus.
These crickets hide under logs, in grasses, and in crevices. They also create homes by digging holes in the ground or live in holes created by other animals. Males are territorial and will fight off other males, but allow any number of females to coexist in the same shelter.
Cannibalism is extremely rare, but females have been observed to eat males if there is not enough food to eat.
Females have a tubular organ at the rear, known as an ovipositor, which is used to lay eggs into the ground. They lay their eggs into humid soil or sand and hatchlings emerge from the eggs in about two weeks.
Gryllus bimaculatus exhibit polygamy. Polyandry is the most common form of polygamy practiced in G. bimaculatus. This means that female crickets will mate with more than one male. Male crickets do not exhibit polygyny. The more sperm that is deposited results in greater fertilization success because more eggs are able to hatch. The order in which various males mate with one female before fertilization also affects fertilization success. The last male that mates with a female tends to have the highest fertilization success. Traits that increase the ability of a male's sperm to successfully fertilize a female's egg compared to that of another male are most advantageous. This is because these traits have been selected for over traits that have lower fertilization success.
Females prefer to mate with certain males more than others, with preference for mating with new males. Female G. bimaculatus mate with at least two males before zygote production occurs. These males have to invest even more resources into each reproductive opportunity when a mate competitor is in their environment. The greater the amount of resources a male invests in producing a large amount of sperm, the greater the chances of successful fertilization.
Sperm competition also helps to prevent crickets that have genomes that are too similar from mating. Inbreeding, which is when individuals who have closely related genomes mate, decreases the viability of cricket offspring and results in offspring with lower fitness. As a result, male crickets that are genetically similar to female mates tend to be less effective in producing healthy offspring that have high fitness. Females can avoid the costs of inbreeding by selecting sperm that are not genetically similar to their eggs.
Females of G. bimaculatus species prefer to mate with new, or "novel", mates. The Novel Mate hypothesis states that a female will avoid mating with males they have already mated with. The differentiation between previous mates and novel ones allows females to search for genetically superior males. Females are able to differentiate between novel and previous mates through odor cues. These are left behind by the female on the male to allow for sensory-differentiation. This self-referent chemosensory signaling is both a reliable and simple means for a female to maximize the benefits of polyandry. Females can also use palpation and antennation before mating to deduce whether or not a mate is novel.
6-4-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - BLUE ROCK THRUSH (MALE) (Monticola solitarius) NIKON P950
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.
Blue Rock Thrushes are a resident species that is widespread but localised. They prefer rocky environs and cliffs as a breeding habitat so one can find them on the coast as well as inland, but they will also breed in old ruins, even close to Man, though in these circumstances they are wary and shy.
6-4-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN PAPER WASP (Polistes dominula) NIKON P950
6-4-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN SERIN (MALE) (Serinus serinus) NIKON P950
The European serin, or simply the serin (Serinus serinus ), is the smallest European species of the family of finches (Fringillidae) and is closely related to the Atlantic canary. Its diet consists mainly of a combination of buds and seeds.
The European serin is a small short-tailed bird, 11–12 cm in length. The upper parts are dark-streaked greyish green, with a yellow rump. The yellow breast and white belly are also heavily streaked. The male has a brighter yellow face and breast, yellow wing bars and yellow tail sides. The song of this bird is a buzzing trill, very familiar in Mediterranean countries.
It breeds across southern and central Europe and North Africa. Southern and Atlantic coast populations are largely resident, but the northern breeders migrate further south in Europe for the winter. Open woodland and cultivation, often with some conifers, is favoured for breeding. It builds its nest in a shrub or tree, laying 3–5 eggs. It forms flocks outside the breeding season, sometimes mixed with other finches.
The food is mainly seeds, and, in the breeding season, insects. This small serin is an active and often conspicuous bird.
Friday 5 April 2024
5-4-2024 POTRIES, VALENCIA - COPPER DEMOISELLE DAMSELFLY (FEMALE) (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) NIKON P950
Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis is a species of damselfly in the family Calopterygidae known by the common names copper demoiselle and Mediterranean demoiselle.
This species is native to the western Mediterranean Basin in Europe (Iberia, southern France, Italy, Monaco) and North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia). It is common in much of its range.
It lives along rivers and streams, but also in sunny larger waters. Though it may be affected by habitat changes such as water pollution.
Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis can reach a body length of about 45–48 millimetres (1.8–1.9 in). The abdomen length is of about 34–43 millimetres (1.3–1.7 in) in males, of 31–43 millimetres (1.2–1.7 in) in females. The length of the wings is of 23–32 millimetres (0.91–1.26 in) in males, of 25–37 millimetres (0.98–1.46 in) in the females.
The males have a dark, metallic shining body, the color of which can be red-violet, golden or copper-colored. On the underside of the last three abdominal segments there red area, the so-called "red lantern" (hence the Latin species name haemorrhoidalis, meaning "blood flow"). The wings of males show a large dark area, while the females have a brown band to the wing tip and a metallic-green to bronze-colored body, with a brown belt on the back.