July Rarities - 2009

[Peter]

Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus (1,2)
(1) Gibraltar On 9.7 an adult arrived at Gibraltar (Mario Mosquera).
(2) Cádiz. On 16.7 there was an adult around Tarifa, Cádiz (Javier Elorriaga).

Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca (1)
(1) Cádiz On 10.7 an individual was seen at playa de Montijo, Chipiona, Cádiz (Paco Chiclana, Fabio di Pietro).

Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus (1)
(1) Murcia An adult summer plumaged bird was at Salinas of San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, on 20.7 (Richard Howard). Okay not Andalucia but close!

Lesser-Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis (1,2)
(1) Huelva There was an adult at Doñana National Park, Huelva on 16.7 (Carlos Gutiérrez Expósito).

Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii (1-3)
(1-3) Cádiz. On 12.7 three individuals were recorded at La Jara beach, Sanlucar de Barrameda, Cádiz (Paco Chiclana, Fabio di Pietro).

Little Swift Apus affinis (1-6,7-18)
(1-6) Cádiz There were five or six at Bolonia cave, Sierra de la Plata, Cádiz on 1.7 (Javier Gómez Aoiz). At least three were present on 14.7 at the same area (Pablo Fernández García).
(7-18) Cádiz. There were 12 at Chipiona beach, Cádiz on 13.7 (Paco Chiclana, Fabio di Pietro).

Account of the month so far. Source Rare Birds in Spain

Peter

[Derek]

Has Little Swift been recorded inland either a sighting or breeding? Be good if someone can give information.

Derek

[Peter]

Some latest news via Andy Paterson.

Long-legged Buzzard - Busardo Moro - has bred in the La Janda area of Cádiz and raised two young to flying stage, this is the first breeding in Spain. Last time I was down there with Bob Wright we had a probable one.

Little Swift - Vencejo Moro - is now well settled in as a breeding species, with nests at three well spaced out sites, with anything up to a total of 17 birds being seen in this past week (young will be on the wing now).

Rüppell's Vulture - Buitre Moteado - again something to keep an open for anywhere where there are concentrations, but especially in the Strait area. No less than 15 have been seen coming in from Morocco this spring-summer so it might just turn out to be the year that I see one! Generally they hear of me before me of them and shove off at high speed.

White-backed Vulture - one was wiped out by one of those many damned aeolic windmills that stand around on La Janda. Albeit a very dead and mangled one, this is only the third Iberian record.

If anyone is birding in the Chipiona (Cádiz) area, keep an eye on the beach and rocks at low tide as Roseate Tern has been seen, waders are frequent and also Little Swifts overfly. Further south, the first returning Lesser Crested Tern has been seen resting on the beach at Los Lances, Tarifa.

And finally, if anyone is passing through La Mancha and deviates to any of the lagunas in Ciudad Real province to do some birding, do keep an eye pen for Lesser Flamingos as 3 are knocking around the area, two are wearing colour rings and I would be most interested, as a member of the IUCN Flamingo Working Group, to have any news of them, when and where and if any rings were visible. A good way to see is to take a photograph if there is any sort of telephoto capability and then enlarge it to the maximum. Ain't digital wonderful? Many thanks.