Rare Birds in Spain Blog

The 26th official annual report of rare birds in Spain as published regularly in the scientific journal Ardeola is already in print. As usual it will contain a number of photographs, over 30, of particularly important records for that year. Its summary is included below Summary . - Report on rare birds in Spain 2009 . This is the 26th annual report of the Spanish rarities committee (Comité de Rarezas de SEO/BirdLife). This report includes 291 records on the presence of 89 rare bird taxa, with an acceptance rate of 75 %. The report contains nine additions to the Spanish Bird List: Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica , White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus , African Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio of the race madagascarensis , Hudsonian Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus of the race hudsonicus , Bridled Tern Onychoprion anaethetus , Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon , Naumann's Thrush Turdus naumanni and Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia . Having agreed acceptance criteria, the fi...

On 27.9.2011, a Buff-bellied Pipit ( Anthus rubescens ) was found at Parque de Bens, Western A Coruña city, Galicia, in NW Spain (Cosme Damián Romai). The news spread through rarebirdspain yahoogroups where the author published three photos here , here and here . Soon the bird, one of the first transatlantic passerine vagrants recorded in mainland Spain caused expectation and was seen and photographed by other observers: Fernando Pereira's blog here or Pablo Gutiérrez blog here . The bird remained on 28.9.2011 (Daniel López Velasco, Nacho Castelao, Pablo Fernández García and Cosme Damián Romai; Ricardo Hevia and José Miguel Alonso later) whilst on 29.9.2011 some video footage was obtained and reproduced here (Jose R. Bugallo, David Díaz, David Martínez y David Calleja), courtesy of David Calleja. The Buff-bellied pipit is a rare vagrant to Europe from its American breeding grounds (see enclosed map from Avibase ). Interestingly, the day previous to the Galician arrival there ...

El correlimos canelo ( Tryngites subruficollis ) es un ave limícola holártica, rareza nacional, que sin embargo cada año se observa más regularmente en otoño en la Península. El año 2011 no ha sido una excepción. En la página Rare Birds in Spain se han recogido 74 citas en los meses de Septiembre de 2000 a 2011 (véase gráfica) siendo 2010 y 2011 los que muestran un aumento de citas en este més más relevante. Citas de Tryngites subruficollis en Septiembre 2000-2011 según la web Rare Birds in Spain (P/B Península y Baleares, C: Canarias). Records of Buff-breasted Sandpiper in September 2000-2011 according to Rare Birds in Spain website (P/B: mainland Spain and Balearics, C: Canary Islands), Sin embargo, llama la atención la concentración de 11 aves registrada el 24.9.2011 en Migjorn, Delta de l'Ebre, Tarragona (J.Tantull, R.Solé, A.Tantull, R.Gutiérrez), aves que partian de dos observadas a principios de mes en la zona y que paulatinamente fueron creciendo en número hasta esa cifra ...

Javier Elorriaga, the ornithologist based on Tarifa and working for Fundación Migres studying mainly birds of prey has kindly provided us a video footage including two vulture species: Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) and ... Rüppell's Vulture (Gyps rueppellii), a rarity in Spain. Besides the interest of having both vultures in the same frame, what is amazing is the behaviour of the 'pair'. Both birds seem to be conducting pre-mating behaviour. As explained by Javier: 'el Ruppel es de aproximadamente un año de edad, el fulvus creo que de 4 año calendario....entre fulvus es normal, pero siempre se ha interpretado como un síntoma de emparejamiento...lo que se ve en el video duró casi media hora y también incluia a los dos bichos cogiendo piedritas con el pico, etc...es la segunda vez que veo este comportamiento...en el informe que mandé al CR con fotos de Ruppel, hay una foto, en el mismo sitio,en la que se el mismo comportamiento....' [The Ruppell's is c. 1 y...

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...

Distribution map of Junco hyemalis in N America ( Source: Birds of North America online ) On 27.7.2011, Stephen Chorley, an UK based birder saw a Slate-coloured Junco ( Junco hyemalis ) in Mallorca. He posted a few days after this message to the rarebirdspain facebook page : Whilst visiting Mallorca last week I saw a Dark-eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis of the race Slate-coloured Junco. Seen on Wednesday, 27th July 2011, at 1330 adjacent to the last house and scrub land at the south end of Cala Morlanda, East Mallorca. Many other good birds seen whilst on the island but this was the one rarity worthy of mentioning, so that others might benefit from visiting this area. This bird is rare in the UK, so must be pushing the boundaries here. Stephen Chorley He kindly sent us three photos of the site he saw the bird and a request to broadcast the news to see if anyone can attempt relocating the bird. Regarding the location, he added as follows: On the road between the road signs of Cala M...

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 ...