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 in the bulrush flooded area in front of the tower hide but it was seen only once around 17hours.

Photo: © Ricard Gutiérrez, 13.8.2008

Twitch directions

To reach the area. From the N & S: AP-7 motorway exit Figueres, then to Castelló d'Empuries and to Camping Nàutic Matà. Park by the entrance to the itinerary and go to the tower hide. Scan the flooded area in front of it, looking to the beach. More directions from the Park staff at the information center 'El Cortalet'.

• See the park website here (English version).
• A compte pdf leaflet on the park (English version) here.
• A detail leaflet on the routes including the twitch area (pdf) here.

Birdwatchers from the Natural Park would thank any communication of observations of birds around the area, please forward any sighting to the information center.


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Resumen: Calamón de Allen en Aiguamolls de l'Empordà. 1ª cita para Catalunya. El 12.8.2008, los ornitólogos del parque natural Aiguamolls de l'Empordà, Jordi Martí-Aledo y Àlex Ollé encontraron un juvenil/1w de calamón de Allen. Después de dar 'la alarma' el 13.8 por la mañana ya pudo ser visto por algunos ornitólogos (incluyendo la fotografía de Ponç Feliu, ver arriba), al mediodía por R.Armada y por la tarde por más de 20 personas de procedencias tan dispares como Tarragona, Osona, Barcelona y Francia (nombres arriba y en rarebirdspain.net). Se detalla como llegar al Parque Natural Aiguamolls (AP7, salida Figueres, luego hacia Castelló d'Empuries y El Cortalet). Se recomienda bajarse el tríptico detallado (último enlace en pdf arriba) y ponerse en contacto con el parque para saber detalles de la cita porque la zona donde está se está secando por momentos.