Allen's Gallinule at Aiguamolls de l'Empordà: 1st for Catalonia [Calamón de Allen en Aiguamolls de l'Empordà: 1º para Catalunya]
Photo: © Ricard Gutiérrez, 13.8.2008 On 12th August 2008, Aiguamolls de l'Empordà Natural Park birdwatchers' Jordi Martí-Aledo and Àlex Ollé found a juvenile/1w Allen's Gallinule (Porphyrio alleni) at El Matà area (see map below), within the Aiguamolls Natural Park. This is the 1st for Catalonia and the northwesternmost sighting of the species in Spain. News were broadcasted and on 13th August morning at least 3-4 birders (including Sergi Sales, Aleix Comas and Ponç Feliu, who took pictures, see below) could manage to see the species. Photo: © Ponç Feliu, 13.8.2008 Around midday Rafael Armada saw the bird briefly. By early afternoon at least 20 people had gathered in the tower hide in the area to attempt the twitch, including people from Tarragona (Albert Cama), Osona county (R. Jutglà, Martí Rodríguez and others), Barcelona (F.López, J.L.Copete; Oriol Clarabuch; A.Ramal and R.Gutiérrez) and France (!) (Pierre-André Crochet and three more observers. The bird showed briefly...