Rare Birds in Spain Blog

Bob Flood, from Scilly Pelagics has recently posted an interesting video to Youtube ( find it here and embedded above) which shows something previously unknown which, as he comments, represents a discovery that Atlantic Fulmars ( Fulmarus glacialis ) can show dark subterminal tail bands. Something more to look for, beyond finding the interesting ' Blue Fulmar ' for those having Fulmars in their waters and seawatches. He has allowed Rare Birds in Spain blog to reproduce the video and his comments (our capitals): ' A key criteria for separation of Pacific Fulmar from Atlantic Fulmar is that in Pacific Fulmar the tail typically is much darker than the uppertail-coverts and contrasts strongly with them (i.e. visible tail either wholly dark or mainly dark forming a contrasting thick band); but not so in Atlantic Fulmar. This is a striking feature of Pacific Fulmar in all but dark morphs. So, when I saw this intermediate-morph bird in Spitsbergen (North Atlan...

It has been just known that on 10.9.2011 a Black-bellied Storm Petrel ( Fregetta tropica) has been seen at Banco de la Concepción area, c.40 nautic miles N of Lanzarote, Canary Islands. An intrepid bunch of birdwatchers coming from all over Spain leadered by the keen photographer and birdwatcher Juan Sagardía scored what was the 2nd record for the Western Palearctic and the 1st for Spain. Why going to that area and not to another? Why seawatching somewhere and not in another part of the 'rather uniform sea'? Main reason is because sea it's not uniform. That's it. A recent project carried out by a number of institutions and covering 10 sea areas in Spain, the Life Indemares , does focus in the importance of those areas not only for foraging vertebrates but for the whole ecological pyramid. It's not surprising that Banco de la Concepción is one of those areas. There is a detailed factsheet on the area here . Will the map above point out seabird hotspots too? It may...

Wilson's Storm Petrel ( Oceanites oceanicus ) off Cariño, August 2008 © Juan Sagardía. Featured in August 2008 page of Rare Birds in Spain with other observations In the recent years, every August chronicle of Rare Birds in Spain has been crowded with stunning records and photos of rare seabirds recorded off Estaca de Bares and Ortegal capes. One of the best, if not the best, pelagic seawatch in W Europe even outnumbering in target species and numbers those reference venues from Britai, is about to dissapear forever. The ' Aula do Mar ' service offered by Cariño town council, in the A Coruña province, Galicia, just in the Estaca de Bares and Ortegal capes area (NW Spain corner) has been cancelled by the new government of the Cariño town council . Despite arguments on economic sustainability of the service have been argued, it is not clear if the benefits coming from touristic impact, knowledge of the ' Cariño ' name abroad and putting this small 4800 inhabitants ...