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

Tuesday 31 January 2017

BLACK CROWNED NIGHT HERON (Nycticorax nycticorax) Albufera Marsh, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain


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The Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), more commonly known as Night Heron, is a medium sized heron in the family Ardeidae which is in the genus Nycticorax. It is the most widespread heron in the world but is absent from large parts of North Africa, Northern Eurasia and Australasia as well as the more northern and colder regions. There are four subspecies or races generally recognised. The northern populations are migratory and winter in the southern parts of the range.

Friday 20 January 2017

LITTLE EGRET (Egretta garzetta) Albufera Marsh, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain


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The Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) is a small member of the heron family Ardeidae which also includes Bitterns and Herons. It is found in the temperate parts of Eurasia and Africa as well as Australia and New Zealand. Over the last 60 years or so this species has greatly expanded its range including recolonising its former breeding areas in Northern Europe. It first bred in the Caribbean in the mid 1990’s and is increasingly being recorded along the North American eastern seaboard.

Text © Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Rawbirds.com

Saturday 31 December 2016

CATTLE EGRET [WESTERN] (Bubulcus ibis) Pollença, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain


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The Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a species of heron of the family Ardeidae which is in the genius Bubulcus. Originally native to parts of Asia, Africa and Europe, it has undergone a rapid expansion and has successfully colonised much of the temperate zones of the world. There are two geographical races which are sometimes classified as full species, the Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis ibis) and the Eastern Cattle Egret (B. ibis coromandus). The eastern subspecies breeds in Asia and Australasia, and the western form occupies the rest of the range, including the Americas. Some authorities recognise a third subspecies, (B. i. seychellarum) which occurs on the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. 

 Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_egret

Saturday 24 December 2016

BALEARIC WARBLER [Male] (Sylvia balearica) Boquer Valley, Formentor Peninsula, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain


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The Balearic Warbler (Sylvia balearica) is a small passerine of the family Sylviidae which is in the genus Sylvia. It is endemic to the Balearic Islands (but is absent from Menorca), Spain. It is very closely related to and is similar in appearance to Marmora's Warbler (Sylvia sarda) who together with Dartford Warbler (Sylvia undata) and Tristram's Warbler (Sylvia deserticola) form a super group within the genus Sylvia. This insectivorous species occurs in open rocky coastal habitat with thorny bushes, broom and heather which provide cover and nesting areas.

Text © Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds.com

Monday 19 December 2016

SQUACCO HERON [Male] (Ardeola ralloides) Palaiochora Harbour, Palaiochora, Crete, Greece


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The Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides) is small heron of the family Ardeidae which is in the genus Ralloides. It 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 Algeria on the North West African coast. In addition, this heron 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 © Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Rawbirds.com

Saturday 17 December 2016

CHUKAR PARTRIDGE (Alectoris chukar subspecies A. c. cypriotes) Akrotiri Peninsula, Crete, Greece

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The Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar) or more commonly called Chukar is in the pheasant family Phasianidae which is in the genus Alectoris. It has a widespread distribution which stretches in a wide band from south eastern Europe to eastern China. There are many subspecies recognised including Alectoris chukar cypriotes which occurs on the islands of Crete, Rhodes, Cyprus as well as in parts of Bulgaria and Syria.This gamebird has been widely introduced, for hunting purposes, in many countries including the USA and New Zealand where feral populations have become established.

Text © Patrick J. O'Keeffe / rawbirds.com

Wednesday 14 December 2016

COMMON CUCKOO or EURASIAN CUCKOO (Cuculus canorus) Akrotiri Peninsula, Crete, Greece


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The Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is of the family Cuculidae which is in the genus Cuculus. It is a summer visitor to Eurasia that spends the winter in sub Saharan Africa as well as parts of southern Asia.  
This species mimics the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) both in size and appearance. It doesn't build a nest of its own but instead it is a brood parasite specialising in laying single eggs in the nests of other species, typicially that of Dunnock (Prunella modularis), Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis) or Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus). Its eggs, although larger, mimic the colour of the hosts eggs.
 
Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds
 
Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) distribution map
 
 
Breeding - summer      Non breeding - winter 
 
SanoAK: Alexander Kürthy, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Saturday 12 November 2016

RED FOOTED FALCON [Male] (Falco vespertinusi) Katholiko Monastory, Akrotiri, Crete, Greece


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The Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus) is a small bird of prey in the family falconidae which is in the genus falco. It's breeding range extends from Eastern Europe eastward to Central Asia. In the autumn it migrates south to spend the winter in Southern Africa and in April/May the following year returns to its breeding grounds. Its scientific species name, vespertinus, is Latin for ‘of the evening’ and probably refers to the time of the day when it can be seen hunting.

Text reference: http://www.arkive.org/red-footed-falcon/falco-vespertinus/

Sunday 6 November 2016

VIOLET CARPENTER BEE (Xylocopa violacea) Techniti Limni Agia, Agia Lake, Agia, Crete, Greece


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The Violet Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa violacea) is a member of the family Apidae which is in the genus Xylocopa. Its range extends from the temperate regions of Western Europe eastward across Asia as far as central China. In recent times, it has greatly expanded its European range northward and by 2006 had reached Britain. This very conspicuous species is the largest European bee. After mating, the gravid female bores tunnels in dead wood, hence the name "carpenter bee".

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylocopa_violacea 

Sunday 30 October 2016

RED FOOTED FALCON [Female] (Falco vespertinusi) Katholiko Monastory, Akrotiri, Crete, Greece


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The Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus) is a small bird of prey in the family falconidae which is in the genus falco. It breeding range extends from Eastern Europe eastward to Central Asia. In the autumn it migrates south to spend the winter in Southern Africa and in April/May the following year returns to its breeding grounds. Its scientific name, vespertinus, is Latin for ‘of the evening’ and may refer to the time of the day when it can be seen hunting.

Text reference: http://www.arkive.org/red-footed-falcon/falco-vespertinus/