Rare Birds in Spain Blog

    On 28 October 2020 Jacobo Ramos found a 1w Greater Spotted Eagle Clanga clanga on an alfalfa field by the road from Santa Pola to El Hondo (El Fondo), Elx, Alicante (Alacant).  The bird was seen on the ground and flying around and it was eating something as it is shown in the photos.  The same day an adult was seen while counting birds within El Hondo Park (Adrián Orihuela) but it was not the well known marked Estonian bird ' Tõnn' which, according to its satellite tag was on 31 October on its way to Spain but still in Germany (see map capture below and the online map here ).  In the last years a number of Greater Spotted Eagles and also a number of Lesser Spotted Eagles ( Clanga pomarina ) have been seen in this area in autumn and winter mostly, some to remain the whole season.   El 28.10.2020, Jacobo Ramos (fotos) encontró un primer invierno de águila moteada Clanga clanga en un campo de alfalfa de la carretera que va de Santa Pola a El Hondo, Alican...

Por Sergio Arroyo Morcillo / AHSA English abstract below. For full text use translation applet in right sidebar En la primavera de 2016, una pareja de Charrán Rosado ( Sterna dougallii ) ha intentado nidificar, llegando a construir nido y poner huevos, en las salinas de Torrevieja, Alicante. Se trata de la primera pareja pura de la especie que intenta nidificar en el Mediterráneo ibérico en el siglo XXI. El episodio reproductivo empieza el mes de abril de 2016 se había observado una pareja de Charrán Rosado en las salinas del Pinet (Santa Pola, Alicante), llegando incluso a ser observada una cópula (Jacobo Ramos). Así quedaba reflejado en la web Rare Birds in Spain : (1) Alicante. On 15.4 an adult was seen at Salinas de Pinet, Santa Pola, Alicante (Jacobo Ramos). See a photo below and thumbnails here. On 16.4 it was still present. (Jana Marco, Pablo Perales).Seen again on 20.4 (Barry Chambers), see a photo below. On 25.4 there were two adults in the same area (Sergio Arroy...

Ficedula albicollis ♂ 25.4.2013, Delta de l'Ebre, Tarragona © Mariano Cebolla Entre el 25.4 y finales de abril de 2013 se está produciendo una situación de temporal de levante en el NE Ibérico, con fuertes lluvias en la Comunidad Valenciana, Baleares y Catalunya.   Paralelamente, se han registrado números sin precedentes de aves orientales (ver análisis preliminar para Catalunya de ornitho.cat aquí ) aunque las cifras han sido mucho menores en las Baleares y no se han producido más al sur: por ejemplo, no se ha registrado, hasta el 29.4.2013, ningún papamoscas collarino en la Comunidad Valenciana y sólo uno en Mallorca. Aunque otras especies más corpulentas como el aguilucho papialbo ( Circus macrourus ) sí se han citado de forma algo más repartida. La llegada de Ficedula albicollis no tiene precedentes: se han recogido 16 citas entre el 25 y 29.4.2013 por 46 citas homologadas entre 1984 y 2010. Ver el listado en Rare Birds in Spain . ¿Cómo ha sido esto posible?. La in...

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 3.5.2012 Alberto Plata has trapped and ringed a male Marmora's Warbler at Tabarca island, Alicante. See a full report in Spanish in his blog here and a photo provided by him below. Sylvia sarda ♂ 3.5.2012 (Alberto Plata) This is a 4th for Spain of a species that perhaps should not be so uncommon according to its nearby location and migratory character plus already existing records in S France. Previous accepted records in Spain are as follows: 1997 Barcelona. Garraf hills, Singing male. Song tapped 25 May 1997 (X.Bayer, C. Guasch, H.Salvadó). 2004 Barcelona. Delta del Llobregat, El Prat de Llobregat, Ca l'Arana, 1st winter male 14 March 2004 (Xavier Larruy), same site, probably same individual , La Magarola beach, 1st winter male, photo, 16 and 20 March 2004 (X.Larruy and Daniel Burgas).  This record appeared in March 2004 page of Rare Birds in Spain website too and a photo plus two thumbnails were featured there, photo reproduced below. Sylvia sarda 1...

T õ nn at El Hondo, Alicante © Graham Critchell. 3.2.2010 The Estonian Greater Spotted Eagle ' Tõnn' that has been overwintering at El Hondo wetland in Alicante has left north on 2-3 Aprl 2010 (2.4 according to Estonian team, but 3.4 according to local observers which recorded the bird on the afternoon of 2.4) and by 5.4 it was in Catalonia, about to enter in France, at Alt Empordà county, near La Jonquera. The Estonian team in charge of the monitoring of the eagle have built a webpage with a map of its migration which you can follow here . Thanks to all observers reporting its staying in Spain, let's hope to meet you again next winter and good journey Tõnn ! Resumen: Tõnn se va al Norte. El águila moteada estonia conocida con el nombre de Tõnn dejó su zona de invernada en El Hondo, Alicante entre el 2-3.4.2010 y marchó al norte. El 4.4 estaba ya en los puertos de Beceite, Teruel y el 5.4 junto a la frontera el La Jonquera, Alt Empordà, Catalunya. El equipo estonio de segu...