Rarest of the rare 2020 [El más raro de los raros 2020]

This is the 11th in-a-row Rarest of the rare bird in Spain contest!. It includes some of the 2020 birding highlights in the country. 
A selection of some of the top rarest sightings obtained in Spain during 2020 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 ceased its monthly updates in September. Major news can be followed through twitter and facebook group and pages. Establishing which 10 candidates were the rarest has been difficult with so many 1st, 2nds and 3rds for the country. Indeed we've got two species with 3rd & 4th records of which here we only feature the 3rd. Others have also very interesting sightings but cannot be included because there will be only one winner.
Please vote the poll (not in this blog: blogger has removed the poll widget) to see which species sighting can be considered the rarest of the rare 2020!. You can choose several choices, not only one, we suggest three is a good number. We are not looking for the best photo, those featured are examples, but the best sighting. Only ten contestants out of the total number of birds seen!
Vote in the Rarebirdspain facebook group here or in twitter @rarebirdspain. 
Happy rarest of the rare 2020 and a better 2021 birdwatching year! 

***

Once años del concurso 'El más raro de los raros'! 

A petición popular e insistencia de los incondicionales, aunque rarebirdspain.net dejó de actualizarse (excepto twitter y facebook) en septiembre, seguimos con la 11ª edición anual consecutiva del más raro de los raros. Se presenta una selección de tal vez las citas más raras que se han obtenido en España durante 2020, escogidas por el webmaster de Rarebirdspain.net de acuerdo con la escasez o singularidad de las citas. 

Había más citas, incluso alguna especie con 3ª y 4ª citas seguidas, pero las que están incluidas más abajo bien pueden representar el conjunto de citas más raras recogidas e incluyen varias adiciones a la lista estatal. Y una de ellas será la más rara de las que se han citado. 

Votad por favor la encuesta (no en el blog: blogger ha retirado incomprensiblemente el widget de encuestas) para ver cual será la especie más rara de 2020 en España. Se puede votar en la página de facebook o en el twitter. Se pueden escoger diversas opciones, no solo una, y suponemos tres como número más adecuado. No se busca la mejor foto, sino la cita más interesante. Las fotos que acompañan los candidatos son ejemplos de las que se han publicado en la web. 

Cada año la selección de especies es impresionante y este año no es ninguna excepción. Solo hay primeras, segundas o terceras citas! Estas especies reflejan el interés de nuestra área para las aves y el birdwatching así como el trabajo de los observadores, o solo encontrando las especies, sino también obteniendo evidencias sobre su presencia para futura referencia. Lo hemos dejado en diez especies tan solo. A ver qué tal sale.

Feliz más raro de los raros 2020 y un mejor y saludable año ornitológico 2021!  

 

  1. C01. Gallinula angulata 3rd
  2. C02. Coracias abyssinicus 2nd
  3. C03. Oenanthe oenanthe seebohmi 2nd
  4. C04. Pterodroma macroptera 1st
  5. C05. Thalassarche chlororhynchos 1st
  6. C06. Phylloscopus borealis 2nd
  7. C07. Falco amurensis 1st
  8. C08. Megaceryle alcyon 2nd
  9. C09. Zoothera aurea 3rd
  10. C10. Melanocorypha bimaculata 1st
 
  •  C01. Gallinula angulata

Two records in 2020, the 1st (3rd for Spain) here featured. A bird was collected on 15.1 when it crashed into a building at Lanzarote (Cabildo Insular de Lanzarote). Once recovered it was released into the wild.

© Cabildo Insular de Lanzarote, 15.1.2020

  

  • C02. Coracias abyssinicus 2nd
A bird was seen on 14.1 at Gran Canaria at (28.1295574, -15.4358242) (Carlos Culebra, Francisco Navarro). It was relocated on 24.1 and remained at Gran Canaria at least until May attracting many birdwatchers.
 
© Jesús García Ubierna, 24.1.2020

On 19.6 a male was found at Garganta de Bohoyo, El Belesar, PN Gredos, Ávila (Antonio Ceballos). The 1st for mainland Spain present at least until July 2020.

 
© Antonio Ceballos 19.6.2020


  •  C04. Pterodroma macroptera 1st
 
On 29.8.2020 a Great-Winged Petrel Pterodroma macroptera, a potential first for Spain and the Western Palearctic, was seen off Estaca de Bares, A Coruña, (Rinse van der Vliet, G.R.Lázaro, R.Hevia, D.L. Velasco, T.Martínez, X.Piñeiro, M.R.Esteban, J.A.Fernández, I. Fernández, P.Manchado, P.Cabrera, M.Rey, R.Berkelder, A.Sandoval).
 
  •   C05. Thalassarche chlororhynchos 1st

On 30.8.2020 an Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross was seen off Estaca de Bares, A Coruña (Guillermo R. Lázaro, Ricardo Hevia, Daniel López Velasco, Toñito Martínez, Xurxo Piñeiro, Juan Carlos e Iker Ugarte, Pep Manchado, Paco Cabrera, Rinde van der Vilet et al, Antonio Sandoval). The 1st accepted for Spain. 

 

  •  C06. Phylloscopus borealis 2nd

On 12.9.2020 a bird was seen and photographed at  Ariant, Pollença, Mallorca, Illes Balears (Jason Moss, Elisa Miquel Riera). The 2nd for Spain. A month later another was ringed at Doñana (the 3rd).


© Jason Moss, 12.9.2020


  • C07. Falco amurensis 1st

On 2.11.2020 an adult female was seen and photographed at Los Rodeos, Tenerife, Canary Islands (J.Antonio Figueroa, V.Cubas, B.Rodríguez). 1st for the Canaries and Spain. 


© Antonio Acedo


  • C08. Megaceryle alcyon 2nd

On 8.11 a bird was seen at Arrecife, Lanzarote (Antonio Unquiles). It sayed until 13.11 when more photos were taken (F.Javier Garcia Vargas, Eugenio Hernández). 2nd for Spain and 1st for the Canary islands. 

 

© F.Javier García Vargas, 13.11.2020

  •   C09. Zoothera aurea 3rd

A bird was shot while hunting Woodcocks at Mallabía, Bizkaia, on 26.12.2020. Photos taken by the hunter were released in the social media and were noticed by basque birdwatchers that released the news. 3rd for Spain after records in Balearics 1912 and 1965.

 


 

  •  C10. Melanocorypha bimaculata 1st

Same observer of the Mallorca Arctic Warbler found the 1st Bimaculated Lark for Spain:  on 31.12.2020 a bird was seen at Sa Barrala, Salobrar de Campos, Mallorca, Balearic Islands (Jason Moss). 

 

© Jason Moss, 31.12.2020

 

Entradas populares de este blog

Ancient Murrelet (Synthliboramphus antiquus ), 1st for Spain, 3rd for the Western Palearctic

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On 24 May 2023, Roland Bekkers, photographed an Ancient Murrelet ( Synthliboramphus antiquus) at the Odiel river mouth , an important wetland in the Huelva province, in the Atlantic coast of Andalucia, S Spain. At 20:22 the same day the news came out and were broadcasted within the Rarebirdspain group. Despite the rarity of the record, a number of local birders decided to give it a try on 25 May morning.  Local birders asked to respect local colonies of Little Terns Sternula albifrons and Collared Pratincoles Glareola pratincola remaining within marked paths in any attempt of twitching the murrelet.  On 25 May, at 10:37 AM the bird was relocated c.400m from the mouth of the Mazagón Marina (José Luís Anguita, Manuel Bárcenas, Juanjo Cirpriano, Alfonso Barragán), UTM 37.138718, -6.841995 . See photos below (José Luís Anguita) and videos (José Manuel Reyes). Some boats flushed the bird c. 2000 m from the initial place and a bit later it flew a further 3000 m to the W remaining near the pl
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Grackles (Quiscalus) in the Iberian peninsula

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Quiscalus mexicanus , Mexico, 31.8.2007 © Ricard Gutiérrez Grackles (genus Quiscalus ) are birds from Icteridae family, typical of Neotropical region, but also present in the Holartic, including USA coast. Typical 'resort' birds known by many as those 'black' birds frequenting the tables of hotels in the Caribbean or Mexican coasts trying to steal food from customer's breakfast or lunch.  Not a typical long-distance migrant group, they are believed to be quite intelligent, in a rather Corvidae mood, so despite they cannot be considered as true vagrants to the Palearctic according to the uncapability of crossing by themselves the Atlantic, it is true that they (presumably) board on ships to do the crossing. And not only one species but, at least, two having been recorded in Gibraltar and mainland Spain.  E-listed in Europe due to the 'current rules', a review of the treatment of what A listing means regarding 'clever' birds such as Corvidae
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Rare Birds in Spain. Bird News 21-31 December 2023

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  Ricard Gutiérrez (editor). Data from eBird, ornitho.cat, observado.es, birdingemporda.com and Rarebirdspain whatsapp group   Ducks & Geese   26.12.2023 Branta bernicla hrota 2 ind, Santoña, Cantabria (Javier Train –photo-)   21.12.2023 Cygnus cygnus   2 ind Ría de Betanzos; A Coruña. Still present (Xabier Vázquez Pumariño; Cristina Soto); 22.12 (Javier Río); 23.12 (Daniel García Novo); 24.12 (Franqui Illanes –photo-; Ramón Ternero); 25.12 (Leticia Miranda); 26.12 (Javier Río; Jorge Vilas); 28.12 (Diego Montenegro);   29.12 (Carlos Durán; Francisco Rodal); 30.12 (Carmen Peñalver, Juno Toni); 31.12 (Xavier Parra).     24.12.2023 Cygnus cygnus 1 ind Urdaibai, Bizkaia. Still present (A.Galache).   30.12.2023 Spatula discors 1 1w Fuerteventura golf club, Antígua, Fuerteventura. Still present (Eliseo Reyes).   21.11.2023 Anas rubripes   1 male. Sada, A Coruña. Still present (Xabier Vázquez Pumariño; Cristina Soto); 22.12 (Javier Río); 28.12 (Diego Monten
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