Our February rarities are now posted on the ABS bird forum and include a location map for the Belted Kingfisher in Murcia. We are currently fixing dates for our March and April field meeting. Mick Richardson will be leading the society’s field trip in May and details can be found on this link. If you have any news on migration this spring, please do post it on this thread on the ABS forum, its good to hear what is around and what you are all seeing. David Hird and Peter Jones are currently working on a standard format map of Andalucia for survey purposes and more news will appear here soon!

Birding in Andalucia got off to a reasonable start and rarities for the month can be found by following this thread. Our January field trip was well attended given the extremely wet weather and our thanks to Franky Hair for organising the day. The Belted Kingfisher remained during January and birdwatchers from around Spain made tracks for Almeria to view this first ever record for Europe! Our field trip for February has been organised by Stephen Daly and will meet at Laguna de Medina and will be on the 27th, meeting in the car park 10am in front of the Lagoon, see here for details.

A very healthy and peaceful New Year to all our members and readers! December rarities are now posted on the forum and although the month was very quiet, it produced southern Europe’s first record of Belted Kingfisher observed in Murcia. January began with an American Golden Plover between Osuna and Marchena, where a wintering Booted Eagle was noted in addition to a very healthy wintering population of Red Kite. Please note in your dairies Saturday 23rd January for our next field meeting click here for details. Watch this front page 'Next ABS Meeting' for an exciting field trip in February!

Changes to endangered species list on the Canaries upsets ecologists. The Canary Islands Government have approved a bill which intends to remove 50% of the species and sub-species from the protected list of flora and fauna on the islands. Those who oppose the change blame real estate interests. The new registry will remove 226 protected species, reduce the protection for a further 131 and cover 94 in a way which some experts have described as ‘irrational and perverse’. 

Member’s field trip. ABS met at Fuente de Piedra on Saturday 12th December and enjoyed a day’s birdwatching together and a great lunch in the village. The meeting was again very well attended and we enjoyed good company and birding. We were especially lucky to see so many Common Cranes and large flocks of Stone Curlew, but for many sights of Dartford Warbler and Bluethroat also made the journey worthwhile! A single Sacred Ibis was feeding with a group of Common Crane and some of the members saw 5 Little Bustard on leaving the village. Thanks to all who attended. See ABS Forum