Eén van de hoogtepunten van reis naar Sao Miguel.

En het druppelt maar door met de steltlopertjes. Nu maar hopen dat Oktober ons niet in de steek laat.

Caspian plover on the beach near Kolkheti NP. Very nice find and best bird of the Batumi Birdwatching Festival 2018! This juvenile was not impressed by the international attention. This strech of beach is generally good for waders and terns in autumn, and chances of finding Broad-billed-sandpipers are high. It was also here where the first Tibetan Lesser Sand Plover (ssp atrifrons) for Georgia was found.

In Azerbaijan hadden we op zo'n 1300 m hoog in de bergen zingende Paapjes. Wat mij daar gelijk opviel, was dat deze er grijzer i.p.v. bruintinten op rug, minder oranje op keel en borst en zelfs ontbrekend op deel van de buik. Kortom het Paapje kwam zelfs wat zwart-wit over ... In het nieuwe 'Handbook of Western Palearctic Birds' kan ik hierover niets vinden. Weet iemand of dit een ondersoort is ?

A scarce but regular wintering bird in the Canary Islands, seen also during migration periods. 

Immature male. 

A rare vagrant to the Canary Islands, but there is an increase of records of this species in recent years. 

Al een paar dagen aanwezig. De vijfde Amerikaanse steltloper soort al voor dit seizoen op São Miguel

Two males and a female, which formed part of a small group of four individuals. This is one of the most common North American vagrant ducks to the Canary Islands, with a good number of records. Sometimes birds stay a long time, usually wintering. 

Juvenile bird. This species is a rare vagrant to the Canary Islands, but in recent years there is an increasing number of records for the archipelago. 

Adult bird. Caspian Tern is rarely observed in the Cape Verde Islands, but it is probably more frequent than inferred by the scarcity of records (less than 20 in total). 

Juvenile bird. This is one of the most frequent North American waders in the Canary Islands, especially during the autumn migration, but sometimes it is also seen in spring. 

A first winter bird, quite tame. It was present in the same site until at least the late spring of 2018, being observed and photographed by many birders. This is the third record of Semipalmated Plover for the Canary Islands. Identification was confirmed by two wader experts, Tony Prater and Guillermo Rodríguez. In this image it is possible to see the bird on the right side and a Common Ringed Plover on the left side for comparison. The noticeably smaller size of the Semipalmated Plover is evident.

A first winter bird, quite tame. It was present in the same site until at least the late spring of 2018, being observed and photographed by many birders. This is the third record of Semipalmated Plover for the Canary Islands. Identification was confirmed by two wader experts, Tony Prater and Guillermo Rodríguez. In this image it is possible to see well the characteristics webbed front toes. 

A first winter bird, quite tame. It was present in the same site until at least the late spring of 2018, being observed and photographed by many birders. This is the third record of Semipalmated Plover for the Canary Islands. Identification was confirmed by two wader experts, Tony Prater and Guillermo Rodríguez. 

Fantastisch moment!

Adult in breeding plumage. Tenerife Blue Chaffinch (Fringilla teydea) is currently considered to be monotypic and endemic to Tenerife Island, since Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch (Fringilla polatzeki) has recently been separated as a full species endemic to Gran Canaria, following morphometric, acoustic and genetic studies published in the last years. Tenerife Blue Chaffinch is quite common in the Canary Pines forests (Pinus canariensis), especially between 1,000 and 2,000 m a.s.l., but it is also found (much more rarely) in other habitats, such as Tree Heath and Laurel forests. 

Juvenile bird. This species is probably one of the most frequent North American waders in the Canary Islands, but it can be confused with the similar Common Sandpiper. In any case, in recent years there are increasing records of Spotted Sandpiper in the archipelago. The bird in the image was present in the same site for several months, being observed and photographed by some local ornithologists and birdwatchers. 

Juvenile bird. This individual was seen together with three White-rumped Sandpipers, in a small influx of vagrant Nearctic waders to the Canary Islands.

Juvenile bird. This individual was seen together with three White-rumped Sandpipers, in a small influx of vagrant Nearctic waders to the Canary Islands. 

Adult male in eclipse, near the end of its moult. This species is one of the most frequent North American ducks in the Canary Islands, where some birds even spend the winter. 

Het wordt niet frequent genoemd in trip reports maar je kan dagelijks een goedkope 2-uur durende walvis & dolfijntour doen vanaf Gran Canaria met kans op goede zeevogels en uiteraard zeezoogdieren, wat het ook een leuk gezinsuitje maakt. Ik had op 1 trip een Madeira Stormvogeltje, vier Stormvogeltjes en een Bulwers Stormvogel.  In het verleden zijn Kleine Pijlstormvogel (winter) en Bont Stormvogeltje hier ook gezien. Overigens, de uitslover op de foto naast de Kuhls Pijlstormvogel is een Atlantisch Gevlekte Dolfijn.

Adult bird active in its breeding area. 

This juvenile Eurasian Dotterel formed part of a small flock of three individuals. The species is seen more or less regularly in the Canary Islands, normally during the autumn migration and winter. In the eastern islands (Fuerteventura and Lanzarote) sometimes it is possible to find important wintering groups in sandy or stony open plains.  

The adult female which formed part of a group of at least four Lesser Kestrels seen in April 2015 around an airport on Tenerife. 

This species is a rare migrant to the Canary Islands, but it may be overlooked between local Common Kestrels. The bird in the image is an adult male which formed part of a group of at least four individuals (two adult males, one immature male and an adult female) seen during April 2015 around an airport. 

An adult male, seen together with the female of the previous photo. 

Black-bellied Sandgrouse is locally common on Fuerteventura Island, both in sandy and stony plains, and also in open valleys. Sometimes is possible to find big flocks of up to 200-250 birds. in any case, it is more usual to see small groups. There are also some records for Lanzarote and La Graciosa, and in the past it was observed on Gran Canaria. The bird in the image is an adult female. 

Two adult birds sitting at the entrance of their nesting hollow. The southern cliffs of Raso islet are probably one of the best places to see the species in the Cape Verdes and the entire Western Palearctic.  

This shearwater, endemic to the Cape Verde Islands, is seen in good numbers during a pelagic trip between S. Nicolau and Raso, mainly in the period spring-autumn. Raso holds its most important breeding colony. In any case, the species is considered endangered, and in the last years there are efforts to protect the breeding sites on this islet, which is a Nature Reserve. On the other hand, there are several records of C. edwardsii (even inside colonies of Cory's Shearwaters) in the Canary Islands, the Selvagens Islands and Madeira, which seems to indicate an increasing presence of this seabird in other Mid-Atlantic or Macaronesian archipelagos. 

White-rumped Sandpiper is one of the most common North American waders in the Canary Islands, where there are many records. The bird in the image was part of a group of three individuals, seen together with a Lesser Yellowlegs in the same locality. 

This Nearctic wader is a very rare vagrant to the Canary Islands, with only 5 records known so far. The bird in the image was very tame, permitting very close approaches.

This Nearctic wader is a very rare vagrant to the Canary Islands, with only 5 records known so far. The bird in the image was very tame, permitting very close approaches. 

This 1st winter Long-billed Dowitcher was very tame, being possible to take photos of the bird at distances of only 2,5-3 m. It was the fourth record of the species for the Canary Islands, where this wader is considered a very rare vagrant.

This 1st winter Long-billed Dowitcher was very tame, being possible to take photos of the bird at distances of only 2,5-3 m. It was the fourth record of the species for the Canary Islands, where this wader is considered a very rare vagrant. 

Cape Verde Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea bournei) is endemic to Santiago Island. It is a highly endangered subspecies, which breeds in the crown of big trees in very few localities. The best site to see the species is the Barragem de Poilao, a big dam with good conditions for aquatic birds. Perhaps in the near future this taxon will be considered a full species, Ardea bournei. 

Red-billed Tropicbird breeds in many of the islands and islets of the Cape Verde archipelago, and one of its main breeding colonies is on Raso. The photo shown here was obtained from a boat close to the southern cliffs of the islet. Landing in this protected area is forbidden without a special permission. 

Corn Bunting is not common in the Canary Islands in recent years, as the species is declining from the last decades of the XX century. Its situation in some islands, like La Palma, is critical, and on Tenerife local populations have reduced considerably. This is due in part to changes in habitat characteristics. 

Cape Verde Warbler is an endemic species to the Cape Verde archipelago, locally common in some areas of Santiago, but it is considered endangered. This bird present also on Sao Nicolau and Fogo islands. The bird in the image was singing after playing registered song and calls in the breeding area. 

Het was iets later dan voorgaande jaren maar vandaag  traditiegetrouw de eerste Amerikaan van het seizoen gevonden

Pikzwarte spreeuwen, in kolonies als oeverzwaluwen broedend in steile wanden.

Op de vraag van Norman Deans van Swelm hierbij de Tapuit uit Azerbaijan.

Bedoel je dat deze van de ondersoort Oenanthe oenanthe libanotica is ... Mij viel het op dat de Tapuiten daar veel grijzer zijn (vooral de gehele borst en buik komen erg grijs over. Op deze foto niet zo goed te zien omdat hij de veertjes wat opzet.

Vanmiddag kreeg ik het prachtige 'Handbook of Western Palearctic Birds' volume I en II binnen. Gelijk bladeren natuurlijk en werkelijk een must voor iedere DB-er !

In Azerbaijan hadden we Spreeuwen waar ik gelijk bij dacht; hè wat een 'zwarte' Spreeuw ! Niet wetende dat het hier om de ondersoort Sturnus vulgaris nobilior ging. Ik kwam er dus pas achter toen ik de foto in deel II op pagina 279 zag en het oud Hollandse kwartje viel ;-)). Moest ook denken aan die maffe donkere spreeuw van Texel toen ...

Zeer late broedvogel met normaal gesproken de eerste juveniels na half Juli.

De karakteristica bedel/locatie roep van de jonge vogel wordt ook door de volwassen vogels gebruikt in deze maand. Na Augustus gaan ze gewoon weer eentonig fluiten tot aan de volgende zomer.

Ijseend in zomerkleed, in de wintertijd kun je ze hier aan de kust of in een haven tegenkomen.

In de Sierra de Boumort regelmatig gezien. Meestal juv. maar ook wel adulten.

Vanavond zat de Arendbuizerd steeds diep in de "Hetter", net in Duitsland. Tegen 22:00 u vloog de vogel naar een meidoorn nét aan de Duitse kant van de Hetterlandwehr, een drievoudige (!) grenssloot. Van daaruit vloog hij zowaar even de berm aan de Nederlandse kant in, tot grote vreugde van de weinige aanwezigen.