Rare Birds in Spain Blog

As in 2011 edition, we enclose a selection of perhaps the rarest sightings obtained in the country during 2012. Please vote  the poll (right side of the blog) to see which species sighting can be considered the rarest of the rare 2012!. You can choose several choices, not only one. If interested in the different sightings, follow the links to the original report of the species in the Rare Birds in Spain website. Happy rarest of the rare 2012 and a better 2013 year! [Como en la edición de 2011, se incluyen una selección de las citas tal vez más raras que se hayan obtenido en el país durante 2012. Por favor, votad en la encuesta (en el lado derecho del blog) para ver qué cita puede ser considerada la más rara de entre las raras de 2012!. Podeis escoger diferentes opciones dado que la elección es complicada. Si estais interesados en obtener más información de las citas en cuestión podeis seguir los enlaces a las páginas originales de la web Rare Birds in Spain. Feliz raro de los rar...

On 5.12.2012 a believed-to-be Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti was found at Gola de Puçol, near Marjal dels Moros, Valencia. The bird had an obvious all black tail and showed a proper combination of whitish underparts and mantle combined with brown cap, blackish face and bib plus slender black bill. Some pictures were taken and a report was sent to Spanish Rarities Committe (CR-SEO/BirdLife). When seen the (distant) images, it was quickly felt that something was wrong with the expected Wheatear shape, particularly in terms of proportions. After acknowledging the authors and telling them that we were thinking in an aberrant (probably leucistic) Stonechat ( Saxicola rubicola ) rather than a Desert Wheatear, an alert was sent to local birdwatchers. On 6.12.2012 Miguel Tirado and others went to the site of the observation only to confirm the initial suspicions: the bird was indeed an amazing lecistic Stonechat, which almost matched the colour pattern of Desert Wheatear!. Unlike 5.12, ...

On 16:30 hours of 13th November 2012, Todor Todorov was having a tea with his boss. He nevertheless spotted a raptor in the distance. It seemed a Buzzard. To his surprise, the raptor headed directly towards them, perhaps unable to spot both humans shaded by a tree and canvas. A couple of  Kestrels ( Falco tinnunculus ) attacked the raptor and Todor could quickly mount his camera to take the above shot before the raptor left the area. That happened at Mijas Costa, Málaga, close to the Calaburras lighthouse. After some initial surprise, the bird was identified with the collaboration of more people as a juvenile Harris' Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus , a species of American origin unlikely to have been recorded in the wild in the area as it is commonly kept as a falconry species. Some individuals of this species have been seen in the wild in Spain and it's in the E3 list of the birds of Spain. However to our knowledge this is the 1st juvenile reported. The bird might be confus...

Photo above:© Jacobo Ramos y Manuel Carrascosa 19.11.2011 As shown in the Estonian interactive map, the Greater Spotted Eagle ( Aquila clanga ) Tonn is coming to Spain on 23.9.2012 when it was crossing mid France. Have a look to the map and the previous posts in this blog regarding this species . We'll keep you informed as in the previous years. *** Como se ve en el mapa interactivo estonio, el águila moteada Tonn se acerca a España en fecha 23.9.2012, cuando estaba cruzando Francia. Se pueden consultar los posts previos a esa especie en este blog. Y se continuará informando sobre este caso en la web y este blog.

Portada de la presentación de la lista española que se efectuó en las Jornadas celebradas en Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Tarragona el 8.9.2012, efectuada en base a un collage de fotografias enviadas a www.rarebirdspain.net por diferentes autores Saber cuántas especies hay en un determinado territorio siempre ha sido un indicador de biodiversidad del mismo. Aunque todo el mundo puede señalar   algunas o hasta algún centenar de especies frecuentes en un territorio, determinar exactamente cuando una especie pasa a formar parte de nuestro catálogo, y puede gestionarse como especie establecida, no es tan sencillo y requiere de un análisis pormenorizado. Algunos casos corresponden a especies raras, que llegan ocasionalmente a nuestro país traídas por fenómenos climatológicos extremos como huracanes, olas de frío o incluso de calor africanas. En otros casos se trata de especies asilvestradas en países europeos que, asociadas por ejemplo a patos invernantes, vienen llegando a ...