Rare Birds in Spain Blog

This is the 9th in-a-row Rarest of the rare bird in Spain contest. It includes some of the 2018 birding highlights.  A selection of some of the top rarest sightings obtained in the country during 2018 and chosen by the webmaster of Rarebirdspain.net according to scarcity or singularity of the records are presented below.  This year, Rare Birds in Spain, in its 18 to 19 year-in-a-row online period has published news on 722 rarities (585 in 2017). Rarebirdspain.net web has published 454 large (720 pixels wide) original photos in 2018 (504 in 2017 with a larger list of rarities and rear-rarities, 608 in 2016, 501 in 2015), 11 videos (2 in 2017, 14 in 2016, 8 in 2015) and 173 (344 in 2017, 362 in 2016, 368 in 2015) small sized (thumbnails) supporting photos all kindly sent by the authors. It therefore has not been easy to build a selection of the rarest birds recorded amongst those 722 records and 638 media featured, but once again a choice of may be the rarest of the rar...

© Chris Wilding 4 October 2015 A previously unknown record of Hoopoe Lark Alaemon alaudipes in the Canary Islands has been made public in November 2018. The author, Chris Wilding, took two photos of an odd bird at El Médano, Tenerife on 4 October 2015. Both photos are enclosed. The observer sent the record to Rare Birds in Spain once he realised the bird was rare and once former BBRC member Colin Bradshaw reccomended to contact Rare Birds in Spain to publish the record. Chris original words are included: I am a birdwatcher who lives in England. Whilst reviewing some of my old holiday photos from Tenerife I came across the two pictures attached. I had forgotten about the sighting of the bird and had not fully satisfied myself as to the species. A contact, Colin Bradshaw, who is a very experienced birdwatcher, confirmed the bird as a rare visitor to the Island of Tenerife and that I should possibly contact the Rare birds of Spain in case the sighting was of inte...

© Paco Chiclana 1 .7.2017 Después de una votación que parecía había de ser más reñida pero que tuvo un líder indiscutible desde el principio, el nuevo ‘más raro de los raros’ 2017 es el correlimos de Bering Calidris tenuirostris , primero para España, visto primero en Doñana, Huelva el 30.6.2017 por Jorge García Cuevas y luego relocalizado en Montijo, Chipiona, Cádiz el 1-2.7 (Paco Chiclana). Con 75 votos y el 65% de los sufragios, ha adelantado y mucho al segundo clasificado, el zarapito de Hudson Numenius hudsonicus que se ha pasado el 2017 en Santoña, Cantabria (23 votos, 20%). En tercer lugar ha quedado una megarareza del tamaño del avetorillo plomizo Ixobrychus sturmii visto en Fuerteventura, Canarias, en diciembre de 2017 (19 votos, 16%). Un año más, felicidades a todo el mundo y gracias por participar en este concurso único y original de rarebirdspain que sirve un poco para rememorar las efemèrides rarornitológicas más relevantes del año que nos ha dejado. Hasta final...