Rare Birds in Spain Blog

29.11.2020 © Mariano Martínez    El 11 de Noviembre del 2020 observé una gaviota interesante en el Complejo ambiental de Tenerife. Un mes antes me había leído un artículo de identificación de la Cape gull   o gaviota cocinera ( Larus dominicanus vetula ) de primer ciclo y sobre todo, me sorprendió un detalle: que se podían confundir con gaviotas sombrías ( Larus fuscus graellsii/intermedius ) también de primer ciclo. Esas gaviotas que habitualmente miramos por encima... En los vertederos normalmente se tiende a mirar por grupos, no individualmente. Y desde que leí el artículo me puse a observar cada gaviota sombría ( Larus fuscus graellsii/intermedius ) de primer y de segundo ciclo individualmente, teniendo en mente a la Cape gull . Ese día 11 de noviembre de 2020, en los pases que hacía observando con telescopio, enfoqué a este individuo que rápidamente me llamó la atención; manto-escapulares oscuras y muy simples, coberteras planas, pico fuerte y estructura potente. ...

    On 28 October 2020 Jacobo Ramos found a 1w Greater Spotted Eagle Clanga clanga on an alfalfa field by the road from Santa Pola to El Hondo (El Fondo), Elx, Alicante (Alacant).  The bird was seen on the ground and flying around and it was eating something as it is shown in the photos.  The same day an adult was seen while counting birds within El Hondo Park (Adrián Orihuela) but it was not the well known marked Estonian bird ' Tõnn' which, according to its satellite tag was on 31 October on its way to Spain but still in Germany (see map capture below and the online map here ).  In the last years a number of Greater Spotted Eagles and also a number of Lesser Spotted Eagles ( Clanga pomarina ) have been seen in this area in autumn and winter mostly, some to remain the whole season.   El 28.10.2020, Jacobo Ramos (fotos) encontró un primer invierno de águila moteada Clanga clanga en un campo de alfalfa de la carretera que va de Santa Pola a El Hondo, Alican...

  On 16th October 2020 an Arctic Warbler ( Phylloscopus borealis ) , see enclosed photos (J.L.Arroyo) was trapped and ringed at Manecorro ringing station, Espacio Natural Doñana, Almonte, Huelva. The bird was seen by José Luis Arroyo, Antonio Martínez, Manuel Máñez and Francisco Carro. The bird showed somewhat worn greater coverts which formed the strongest wing bar despite the effect of wear. Median coverts formed a much less visible second bar. This wear and other coloration features brought us to the conclusion of the bird being an adult. According to biometrical data, the bird was a female.  This is the 3rd Arctic Warbler for Spain and by late October it was already accepted by the Spanish Rarities Committee. El pasado viernes 16 de octubre capturamos un ejemplar de Phylloscopus borealis en la Estación de Anillamiento de Manecorro (Espacio Natural Doñana), Almonte, Huelva. Los observadores fuimos José Luis Arroyo, Antonio Martínez, Manuel Máñez y Francisco Carro. Las fo...

  Cyanistes cyanus . Lliçà de Munt, Vallès Oriental, Barcelona. 12.10.2020 © Sergi Torné On 12 October 2020 , 10:25 hours, news broke into one of the WhatsApp channels broadcasting rare bird observations in Catalunya: ‘Cat Twitch’. Vittorio Pedrocchi asked for a BOC photo he had received depicting a shocking (bit burnt image of an) Azure tit ( Cyanistes cyanus ) . Soon later, it was learnt that Alfons Hernández had found it and photographed it at Bassa de Can Dunyó , at Lliçà de Munt, Vallès Oriental, Barcelona. The bird had been seen lingering around the reed beds, trees and the nearby stream, apparently behaving normal. A number of local birders from the comarca (a country like division we have in Catalunya) had departed to attempt relocating this dream bird. However, despite the available image depicted a non-suspicious pure individual, many doubts immediately arose within the group and beyond. Namely, the paucity of records elsewhere in Europe away from Finland and Pol...