Bird, bug, butterfly and a wild variety of photos from Belarus, Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Scotland and Spain by Irish wildlife photographer Patrick J. O'Keeffe and invited guests

Sunday, 30 August 2015

SQUACCO HERON (Ardeola ralloides) Hortobágy National Park - The Puszta, Hortobágy, Debrecen, Hajdú-Bihar megye, Hungary

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The Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides) is resident south of the Sahara Desert in western, eastern and south eastern Africa, including Madagascar. There is also a small population in Morocco and in Algeria on the North West African coast. This small heron also occurs as a summer resident in central and southern Europe as well as in western central Asia. In the autumn, it migrates back to Africa to spend the winter months there. Its diet includes frogs, lizards, small fish and a wide variety of invertebrates. Text © www.rawbirds.com

Thursday, 27 August 2015

BEARDED REELING (Female) (Panurus biarmicus) Hortobágy National Park - The Puszta, Hortobágy, Debrecen, Hajdú-Bihar megye, Hungary

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The Bearded Reedling (Panurus biarmicus) occurs in the temperate parts of Europe and Asia. Alternative names include Bearded Tit and Bearded Parrotbill. This species is found in reed beds and feeds on a wide variety of small invertebrates. In late autumn with the onset of colder weather, it develops a gizzard. This allows it to feed on seeds during the winter months when its normal food source is mainly absent. With the rise in temperature in late spring, invertebrates become more abundant again and its gizzard gradually dissolves. It then reverts back to being a totally insectivorous species.  Text © www.rawbirds.com

Sunday, 23 August 2015

WHITE TAILED SKIMMER DRAGONFLY (Female) (Orthetrum albistylum) Hortobágy National Park - The Puszta, Hortobágy, Debrecen, Hajdú-Bihar megye, Hungary

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The White-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum albistylum) is a Eurasian species of dragonfly. It occurs in a wide band which stretches across central and parts of southern Europe from France in the west to Japan in eastern Asia. This medium sized dragonfly has a patchy distribution but can be locally common. Warmer summers as a result of climate change has seen this species, in common with some other dragonflies, expanded its range further north in Europe.  Care needs to be taken when identifying this species as it can be easily confused with its more common relative and very similar looking Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum). It is on the wing from late May to early September. Text © www.rawbirds.com

Saturday, 22 August 2015

CRESTED LARK (Galerida cristata) Hortobágy National Park - The Puszta, Hortobágy, Debrecen, Hajdú-Bihar megye, Hungary

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The Crested Lark (Galerida cristata) is commonly found across most of the temperate regions of Europe and Asia. It also occurs in northern Africa as far south as Niger. It is sedentary by nature and is only a rare vagrant outside the normal range. 

Tuesday, 18 August 2015

EUROPEAN TREE FROG (Hyla arborea) Hortobágy National Park - The Puszta, Hortobágy, Debrecen, Hajdú-Bihar megye, Hungary


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The European Tree Frog (Hyla arborea) is a widespread species which occurs from Iberia eastwards to western Russia and southwards to the Balkans and Turkey. It reproduces from late March to June. when up to 1000 eggs are laid in clumps the size of a walnut. After 10–14 days, the eggs hatch into tadpoles. Then, after three months, metamorphose into frogs. They can live for up to 15 years
 Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_tree_frog

Distribution map: European Tree Frog (Hyla arborea)



Sunday, 16 August 2015

SEDGE WARBLER (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) Hortobágy National Park - The Puszta, Hortobágy, Debrecen, Hajdú-Bihar megye, Hungary

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The Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) is a summer resident in Europe and in Asia which migrates south to spend the winter in sub-Saharan Africa. It arrives back to it's breeding areas from Africa in late March and remains there until mid September when the return migration begins. Text © www.rawbirds.com

Thursday, 13 August 2015

GREAT EGRET (Ardea alba ) Hortobágy National Park - The Puszta, Hortobágy, Debrecen, Hajdú-Bihar megye, Hungary

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The Great Egret (Ardea alba) is widely distributed across the temperate and the tropical regions of the world. There are four subspecies generally recognised, A. a. egretta is commonly encountered in the Americas, A. a. alba occurs in western, central and southern Europe and has in recent times colonised new areas north of this range,  A. a. melanorhynchos is present in Africa and  A. a. modesta occurs in southern Asia and Australasia which some authorises recognise as a separate species - Eastern Great Egret (Ardea modesta). Text © www.rawbirds.com

HORSE AND CART Hortobágy National Park - The Puszta, Hortobágy, Debrecen, Hajdú-Bihar megye, Hungary

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  Hortobágy National Park was established in 1973 and is located in Hajdú-Bihar, a county in eastern Hungry. It is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and is inscribed on their World Heritage List as an outstanding example for coexistence of Nature and Man. This 82,000 hectare reserve consists of alkaline pastures, grassland plains, meadows and wetlands. Traditional farming practices are carried out in harmony with nature. This, combined with careful management helps make this area one of the most important wildlife refuges in Europe. It is home to a wide variety of fauna and flora and over 340 species of bird have been record there.   Text © www.rawbirds.com

Saturday, 8 August 2015

CREAM COLOURED COURSER (Cursorius cursor ) Pájara, Fuerteventura, The Canary Islands, Spain

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World-wide, there are eight species of Courser and they occur in arid semi desert type habitat. Five are confined to Africa, Burchell’s Courser (Cursorius rufus), Heuglin’s Courser (Rhinoptilus cinctus), Temminck’s Courser (Cursorius temminckii), Two-banded Courser (Rhinoptilus africanus) and Violet-tipped Courser (Rhinoptilus chalcopterus). Two are mainly restricted to the Indian sub-continent, Indian Courser (Cursorius cormandelicus) and Jerdon’s Courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus) which was thought to be extinct but was rediscovered in 1986. The Cream-coloured Courser (Cursorius cursor) has a scattered distribution across North Africa, the Middle East and  South West Asia. It is also resident on the Eastern Canary Islands where some authorities recognise Cursorius cursor bannermanii as an endemic subspecies. Text © www.rawbirds.com


Monday, 3 August 2015

BARBARY GROUND SQUIRREL (Atlantoxerus getulus) Betancuria Marker Mirador, Municipio de Betancuria, Fuerteventura, The Canary Islands, Spain

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The Barbary Ground Squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus) is native to the North West African countries of Algeria, Morocco and Western Sahara. Due to their isolation, less than twenty land mammals which include six species of bat are found on The Canary Islands.  Over 50 years ago Barbary Ground Squirrel was introduced onto Fuerteventura where it is quiet commonly encountered. Text © www.rawbirds.com