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Common Tiger ( Danaus genutia )
Family: Nymphalidae. Genus: Danaus.
Wingspan : 75 - 95 mm
Anawilundawa Sanctuary , Sri Lanka .
Mirlo typically refers to the Common Blackbird (Turdus merula), a widespread and well-known bird species belonging to the thrush family (Turdidae).
Here's a quick rundown of some key characteristics:
Appearance:
Males: Distinctive for their entirely black plumage, bright orange-yellow beak, and an orange ring around their eyes.
Females: Are dark brown, often with a paler throat and a slightly mottled breast, and a darker beak.
Young birds: Resemble females but have a reddish-brown, heavily mottled plumage.
Size: A relatively large bird, typically around 23-29 cm in length and weighing 80-135 grams.
Habitat: Highly adaptable, originally a forest bird, but now commonly found in a wide variety of environments, including parks, gardens, agricultural areas, open woodlands, and even city centers.
Diet: Primarily feeds on invertebrates like worms, snails, and insects. In autumn and winter, they also consume berries and fruits.
Vocalization: Famous for its beautiful, melodious, and flute-like song, often heard at dawn and dusk, especially during breeding season (from late winter to summer). They also have distinct alarm calls.
Behavior: Often seen hopping on the ground while searching for food. They build cup-shaped nests using grass, twigs, moss, and mud, typically in dense hedges, bushes, or trees at low to medium heights.
Distribution: Widely distributed across the Paleartic region (Europe, Asia, and North Africa), and also introduced in Australia and New Zealand. It's a common and abundant bird throughout Spain.
The mirlo is not only a familiar sight but also plays an important role in ecosystems by controlling insect populations and dispersing seeds through its diet of fruits.
Common Darter Dragonfly (Sympetrum striolatum). The most common UK dragonfly and there were many of them at Potteric Carr Nature Reserve near Doncaster. (Yorkshire Wildlife Trust)
The Asian house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) is a gecko native to South and Southeast Asia as well as Near Oceania. It is also known as the Asian house gecko, Pacific house gecko, wall gecko, house lizard, tiktiki, chipkali or moon lizard.
Most geckos are nocturnal, hiding during the day and foraging for insects at night. They can be seen climbing walls of houses and other buildings in search of insects attracted to porch lights, and are immediately recognisable by their characteristic chirping.
They grow to a length of between 7.5–15 cm (3–6 in), and live for about 7 years. These small geckos are non-venomous and not harmful to humans. Most medium-sized to large geckos are docile, but may bite if distressed, which can pierce skin. The common house gecko is tropical, and thrives in warm, humid areas where it can crawl around on rotting wood in search of the insects it eats, as well as within urban landscapes in warm climates. The animal is very adaptable and may prey on insects and spiders, displacing other gecko species which are less robust or behaviourally aggressive.
Photo by Nick Dobbs, Khao Sok, Thailand 21-12-2022
The common kingfisher also known as the Eurasian kingfisher, and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but migrates from areas where rivers freeze in winter.
This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed kingfisher profile; it has blue upper-parts, orange underparts and a long bill. It feeds mainly on fish, caught by diving, and has special visual adaptations to enable it to see prey under water. The glossy white eggs are laid in a nest at the end of a burrow in a riverbank.
Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia) female.
Village Creek Drying Beds. Fort Worth and Arlington, Texas.
Tarrant County. 28 April 2019
Nikon D500. Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4 D + TC-14e II teleconverter.
(420mm) f/8 @ 1/5000 sec. ISO 1600.
Egg laying sequence - 1.
We see lots of female Common Mergansers around here and have had lots of opportunities to get shots of them over the years, but the males are hard to come by and tend to be very shy when we do encounter them. Not this guy. He was completely unafraid of me and posed for 15+ minutes in front of my camera at times so close I had to zoom out and back up to keep him in the frame. The only problem is the lighting was so bad today the photos I tried to take were all pretty much unusable. The lighting would have been fine for songbirds in the bush but not for waterfowl with irridescent coloring that is only visible in sunlight and on water that takes on a murky appearance in heavy overcast. It was exciting to see this guy so close like that but also frustrating that the light was just not there for the amazing shots that could have been.
Some shot from a recent and rare sunny (the sun has been rare round here) afternoon safari
A common lizard focus stacked in camera
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata).
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. Alamo, Texas.
Hidalgo County. August 16, 2021.
Nikon D500. Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4E ED PF VR + TC-14e III teleconverter.
(420mm) f/8 @ 1/3200 sec. ISO 1400.
Common Dog-Violet (Wood Violet).
Viola riviniana.
Vicarage Pit NR.
Although usually purple it's not uncommon to find them ranging from lilac to white which sometimes causes confusion with the much rarer Pale Dog-violet.
The leaves of the Common Dog-violet distinguish it from all other wild violas.
"Common sense is not so common."
Voltaire
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This illustration is part of the Illustrated Thought Project.
At last I have managed to get a decent shot of this beautiful bird... after several failed attempts, this one gives some satisfaction.
Shot taken from Thrissur, Kerala.
This is a widely distributed species.
Common Kingfishers are important members of ecosystems and good indicators of freshwater community health. The highest densities of breeding birds are found in habitats with clear water, which permits optimal prey visibility, and trees or shrubs on the banks. These habitats have also the highest quality of water, so the presence of this bird confirms the standard of the water.