Veldherkenning van Maghreb-vinken
De ondersoorten van Vink Fringilla coelebs zijn te rangschikken in een Euraziatische coelebs-groep van c 11 ondersoorten, een Macaronesische canariensis-groep van zes ondersoorten op de Azoren (F c moreletti), Canarische Eilanden en Madeira, en een spodiogenys-groep van twee ondersoorten in de Maghreb (F c africana en F c spodiogenys) op het Noord-Afrikaanse vasteland. Deze drie groepen worden soms als aparte soorten beschouwd, waarbij ook verdere opdelingen in Macaronesië worden voorgesteld (met moreletti als voornaamste kandidaat). Uit genetisch onderzoek komt naar voren dat africana en coelebs niet alleen nauwer aan elkaar verwant zijn dan aan de Macaronesische groep maar ook dat africana minder verwant is aan de Tunesische ondersoort spodiogenys. Dat laatste is verrassend omdat de laatste twee op elkaar lijken en in veldgidsen en handboeken zelden worden onderscheiden. Beide ondersoorten komen voor in Tunesië, africana in het noord-westen in oostelijke uitlopers van de Atlas en spodiogenys langs de gehele oostkust tot in het noordwesten van Libië. Op basis van waarnemingen aan africana in verschillende maanden in Marokko en aan zowel een klein aantal africana als spodiogenys in mei 2005 in Tunesië viel allereerst op dat beide taxa een chep-roep hebben. Deze roep verschilt diagnostisch van de fink-roep van Vinken in Europa. Verder liet spodiogenys een fiuuu-\'regenroep\' horen die niet van africana en coelebs bekend was maar dat is niet opmerkelijk aangezien deze \'regenroep\' bij Vinken in het hele verspreidingsgebied variabel is. De spodiogenys-vinken die op drie plaatsen in het oosten van Tunesië werden bestudeerd en gefotografeerd bleken in verenkleed duidelijk te verschillen van africana. Mannetjes maakten een blauwgrijze, witte en zwarte indruk met het heldergroen beperkt tot een gebied op de bovenmantel en witachtige onderdelen. De lichtere blauwgrijze kop bood een scherper contrast met het zwart van het voorhoofd en de teugel en minder met het wit van kin en keel dan bij africana. Het wit rond het oog leek vager begrensd dan bij africana, die in het algemeen een scherper begrensde onderbroken oogring laat zien. De lichte randen van tertials en handpennen van spodiogenys waren witter en minder geelgroen getint dan bij africana en het wit op de vleugel was gemiddeld breder en scherper begrensd. Mannetjes africana in Marokko waren kleurrijk met meestal zalmkleurig roze onderdelen maar naar het oosten (dus met name in noord-westelijk Tunesië) wordt africana gemiddeld lichter. Vrouwtjes spodiogenys leken grijzer en minder bruin dan vrouwtjes africana en coelebs. De hoop wordt uitgesproken dat in de toekomst meer duidelijkheid komt over de herkenning van beide Maghreb-taxa en in de mate waarin hun kenmerken variëren en dat een beter inzicht wordt verkregen over de situatie in eventuele contactzones.

Arnoud B van den Berg & The Sound Approach, c/o Duinlustparkweg 98, 2082 EG Santpoort-Zuid, Netherlands
(arnoud.vandenbergplanet.nl)

Vale spotvogels in het westelijke Middellandse-Zeegebied en hun herkenning
Over de herkenning en het voorkomen van Westelijke Vale Spotvogel Acrocephalus opacus en Oostelijke Vale Spotvogel A pallidus is meer bekend geworden nadat op basis van genetische en morfologische verschillen enkele jaren geleden werd besloten dat ze als twee soorten dienen te worden beschouwd. Westelijke Vale broedt in het zuiden van het Iberisch Schiereiland en in het noorden van Marokko, Algerije en Tunesië. Saharaanse Vale Spotvogel A p reiseri is de westelijke van vier ondersoorten van Oostelijke Vale en broedt in woestijngebieden zuidelijk van waar Westelijke Vale voorkomt. Saharaanse Vale wordt zelden gezien in het zuiden van Marokko maar is plaatselijk vrij talrijk in oases in zuidelijk Tunesië. Beide taxa zijn trekvogel. Westelijke Vale verblijft bijvoorbeeld van half maart tot eind oktober in Marokko met enkele waarnemingen in begin november. Saharaanse Vale is een korte-afstandstrekker die in ieder geval vanaf april in Noordwest-Afrika voorkomt. De twee soorten verschillen met name in zang; in tegenstelling tot de \'mooie\' zang van Westelijke Vale heeft Saharaanse Vale een monotone en wat schor klinkende zang waarin stukken van enkele seconden lengte \'cyclisch\' worden herhaald. Westelijke Vale is voorts in alle opzichten groter dan Saharaanse Vale, zoals in lengte van vleugel, staart, snavel en poot. In het veld biedt de snavel vaak het beste onderscheid. De snavel van Westelijke Vale is vergeleken met die van Saharaanse Vale iets groter, minder puntig en dikker met bolle zijden; de snavel van Saharaanse Vale heeft rechte zijden die van boven gezien zelfs iets concaaf zijn. Saharaanse Vale laat in tegenstelling tot Westelijke Vale ook vaak een licht vleugelveld zien gevormd door lichte randen van tertials en in mindere mate armpennen. In de hand vormt het verschil in het patroon van het wit in de buitenste staartpennen een goed kenmerk; Saharaanse toont een brede witte rand die vaag begrensd is terwijl Westelijke Vale een smalle witte rand heeft of geen wit. Verder zou de Saharaanse vaak de staart op en neer bewegen en de Westelijke Vale niet. In de praktijk blijkt echter dat een aantal morfologische kenmerken van Saharaanse Vale variabel is; zo hebben sommige een opvallend lange snavel en is bij een aantal het lichte vleugelveld moeilijk te zien. Zulke vogels zijn gemakkelijk met Westelijke Vale te verwarren.

Arnoud B van den Berg & The Sound Approach, c/o Duinlustparkweg 98, 2082 EG Santpoort-Zuid, Netherlands
(arnoud.vandenbergplanet.nl)

Western Black-eared Wheatears on Terschelling in May 2001 and at Eemshaven in October-November 2004
On 11 May 2001, a \'black-eared wheatear\' Oenanthe hispanica/melanoleuca was observed and photographed near Lies on Terschelling, Friesland, the Netherlands. It was seen by just four observers and was identified as a first-summer male Western Black-eared Wheatear O hispanica on basis of the photographs and description. The ageing was mainly based on the not fully black flight-feathers (because of pale tips and edges) and grey in the crown. Its identification as \'pale-throated \'black-eared wheatear\' or Pied Wheatear O pleschanka\' was straightforward because of the tail pattern with extensive black on the outer tail-feathers and more limited black on inner tail-feathers. The main characters pointing towards hispanica were the adult-looking plumage (first-summer male Eastern Black-eared Wheatear O melanoleuca looks more \'juvenile\', especially on the coverts), very limited black on forehead above the bill (broader in melanoleuca), shape of the black ear patch (more extensive in melanoleuca), pale mantle appearing relatively broad (appearing narrower in melanoleuca) and relatively short primary projection (slightly longer in melanoleuca). In the field, the bird appeared slightly warmer buffish than on the accompanying photographs.
On 30 October 2004, a \'black-eared wheatear\' was discovered at Eemshaven, Groningen, the Netherlands. It was identified as a pale-throated female hispanica and attracted 100s of birders on the first day and during the rest of its prolonged stay; it was last seen on 28 November. Identification was based on the typical \'black-eared wheatear\' tail pattern (excluding all other wheatears except melanoleuca and pleschanka), very uniform sandy plumage with almost no contrast between upperparts and underparts (reminiscent of female Desert Wheatear O deserti; more contrasting in melanoleuca, upperparts darker and colder brown in pleschanka), lack of grey on the crown and relatively short primary projection. It was aged as a first-winter (having completed the post-juvenile moult) on the basis of the head pattern with limited dark on the lore, dark-brown (black in adult) and worn flight-feathers (fresher in adults because they moult later in summer/autumn). The greater coverts appeared to be unmoulted and still juvenile; although this is not uncommon, most first-winters have moulted one or more greater coverts and can be easily aged by the resulting moult contrast.
Both records have been accepted as hispanica by the Dutch rarities committee (CDNA); after revision of all \'black-eared wheaters\' on the Dutch list (following the split of hispanica and melanoleuca and the publication of more detailed identification criteria), the CDNA concluded that previous records were no longer acceptable as hispanica. The record on Terschelling therefore becomes the first of this taxon and the record at Eemshaven the second. After the revision, three birds on the Dutch list are accepted as melanoleuca and five as hispanica/melanoleuca.
Enno B Ebels, Joseph Haydnlaan 4, 3533 AE Utrecht, Nederland (ebelswxs.nl)
Mark Zekhuis, Stoevelaar 23, 7414 CA Deventer, Nederland
(catbirdhome.nl)
Jacob G Bosma, Bekemaheerd 116, 9737 PX Groningen, Nederland
(jacobbosmatiscali.nl)
Martin P Olthoff, E Reitsmalaan 2, 9744 DK Groningen, Nederland
(martinolthoffhetnet.nl)

Pine Grosbeaks in the Netherlands in November 2004
In November 2004, at least four Pine Grosbeaks Pinicola enucleator were seen in the northern part of Netherlands. The first was a first-winter male found injured under a window in an urban area at Leeuwarden, Friesland, and taken into care on 15 November; it died the next day. On 16 November, an adult male and probably an adult female (first-winter not excluded) were discovered late in the afternoon in a suburban area in Groningen, Groningen. These birds were still present the next morning and attracted numerous birders and photographers, also from abroad, during their five-day stay until 20 November. On 16 and 17 and again on 20 November, probably a first-winter male (female not excluded) was photographed by two independent observers (non-birders) at Alkmaar, Noord-Holland. Although the photographs show some differences, it was concluded that there was insufficient evidence to accept these sightings as relating to more than one individual (both localities are only a few 100 m apart). The 2004 invasion in the Netherlands therefore concerns at least four individuals. In addition, five individuals were claimed but not photographed in November (three), December (one) and February 2005 (one); these reports were rejected by the Dutch rarities committee (CDNA) because of insufficient (or lack of) documentation.
There are four previous records, all in the south-western part of the country: at Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, on 5 December 1909, 8 December 1909 and early November 1928 (the latter was taken into care and died in May 1931) and at Melissant, Zuid-Holland, on 24 March 1996 (an adult male photographed). The birds in Groningen in November 2004 were the first to be twitchable. Although the identification of the four in 2004 was straightforward, the species is notoriously difficult to sex and age other than in adult male plumage. The bird from Leeuwarden was accepted as a first-winter male on basis of the pointed tail-feathers and deep orange coloration on head and breast. The female-type in Groningen was presumably an adult female, based on the more rounded (but still slightly pointed) tail-feathers and \'clean\' white edges to the flight-feathers, but a first-winter male or female can probably not be excluded with certainty. The female-type from Alkmaar was not documented well enough to be sexed and/or aged.
An overview is given of Pine Grosbeak movements in Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway and Sweden) in autumn 2004. The invasion brought not only large numbers to southern Norway and the southern half of Sweden in October-December but also 35 individuals to Denmark and one to North Yorkshire, England, on 8-10 November. There was one report in Estonia on 19 November and one (of three birds) in northern Germany on 7 November (these reports have to be considered by the relevant rarities committees).
In Denmark, the largest movement of 13 individuals was noted on 14 November; in total, 29 were seen between 7 and 19 November, all in Nordjylland and Sjælland. These dates coincide with the arrival of at least four birds in the Netherlands on 15-16 November indicating that this was the peak period of the southward movements in the 2004 invasion.
Jacob G Bosma, Bekemaheerd 116, 9737 PX Groningen, Nederland (jacobbosmatiscali.nl)
A (Bert) de Bruin, Padangstraat 35a, 9715 CL Groningen, Nederland (tetewxs.nl)
Enno B Ebels, Joseph Haydnlaan 4, 3533 AE Utrecht, Nederland (ebelswxs.nl)

Eurasian Black Vulture of Spanish-French origin in the Netherlands in March-August 2005
On 16-17 March 2005, an adult Eurasian Black Vulture Aegypius monachus was observed near Beers, Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands. The bird was colour-ringed on the right leg (blue ring with white inscription \'CX\') and wore an aluminium ring on the left leg. Four primaries and two secondaries in the left wing were bleached and it had a radio transmitter antenna in its tail. The same bird was briefly seen at Oostvaardersplassen, Flevoland, on 20 and 21 March 2005 and observed again by many birders from 31 March to 12 August. On 15 August, it was killed after a collision with a train. The corpse was taken to the National Museum of Natural History/ Naturalis at Leiden, Zuid-Holland. There, in a session open to press and public, the bird was dissected. The skin will be mounted and deposited in the collection of Naturalis. In the Oostvaardersplassen area, many carcasses of large herbivores were present after a period of strong cold and heavy snowfall in early March, providing ample food for the vulture. In June, the bird reportedly also fed on recently fledged Greylag Geese Anser anser, which it apparently killed itself.
The bird was traced as \'Carmen\', a weakened, poisoned adult female brought into care in Extremadura, Spain, on 2 May 2003, taken to Mallorca, Spain, after recovery on 15 July 2003, and brought to Les Baronnies, Drôme, France (the second location in France where a reintroduction project for this species is operating) on 7 April 2004 with nine other Eurasian Black Vultures. It was released at Les Baronnies on 2 February 2005 and last seen in mid-February. The distance between Extremadura and Les Baronnies is c 1000 km; the flight distance from the re-introduction site to Beers in the Netherlands is c 800 km. Although of presumed wild origin, it is questionable if the bird can be accepted as a genuine vagrant by the Dutch rarities committee (CDNA), given the fact that more than 50% of the travelled distance was covered involuntarily and not under its own steam.
Enno B Ebels, Joseph Haydnlaan 4, 3533 AE Utrecht, Nederland
(ebelswxs.nl)

Low-altitude breeding Ibisbills near Beijing, China
Ibisbill Ibidorhyncha struthersii is the sole member of a monotypic family, presumably most closely related to the oystercatchers Haematopodidae, crab plovers Dromadidae and avocets Recurvirostridae. The species is normally associated with high-altitude shingle bed rivers. Well-known wintering sites for the species south of its Himalayan breeding grounds include Bhutan, Hetauda, Nepal and Ramnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India, whereas known sites in summer include Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Tibet and Qinghai provinces in China. Breeding range maps from various sources indicate that the species could occur in suitable habitat anywhere between south-eastern Kazakhstan and northern Hebei, China. The preferred habitat in both winter and summer are wide shingle beds of fast-flowing rivers with pebbles, cobbles and boulders where these predominantly grey birds merge perfectly with their environment. According to the literature, breeding only takes place \'between 1600 and 4000 m\' (Johnsguard 1981), \'between 1700 and 4400 m\' (Hayman et al 1986, MacKinnon & Phillipps 2000) or \'normally between 2000 and 4000 m, exceptionally as low as 500 m or as high as 4400 m\' (del Hoyo et al 1996).
On 9 January and 17 January 2005, nine and six Ibisbills were found by Björn Anderson, a Swedish birder residing in Beijing, and by Remco Hofland and Chris Quispel from the Netherlands, respectively, at Baihe (\'He\' meaning river in Chinese), near \'road 111\' north of Huairou, Beijing province, China. The birds were actively feeding, calling and sometimes chasing each other, possibly indicating territorial disputes. Parts of the river were frozen and its shores snow-covered but the birds seemed unconcerned. Baihe is a fast-flowing shingle bed river c 100 m wide, flanked by sparsely vegetated mountain sides. On the northern bank, reeds and a line of poplar trees are found, and a small village is located nearby. On 17 January, villagers were cutting reeds along the river but the birds did not seem too disturbed and could be approached to c 40 m.
As the habitat looked right for breeding, the exact location (of which a map will be published on the internet at www.birdtours.co.uk) was forwarded to Bas van den Boogaard, who at that moment was planning a trip to Happy Island, China, in May 2005. On 30 April and 1 May 2005, Jan Bisschop, BvdB, Jeroen de Bruijn, Nils van Duivendijk and Ran Schols observed three Ibisbills, including a pair. Of this pair, one was feeding in the river while the other was faithful to a particular area, indicating that it was probably nesting there. The bird would sit motionless for long periods with open bill because of the heat. Only when disturbed, it would fly off, returning in a secretive manner using ditches to hide in. The probable nest was located on a barren shingle bank, somewhat higher than the river itself (cf Johnsguard 1981). Vegetation closer to the river was less sparse and consisted of a herbal layer interspersed with the occasional tiny tree.
On 23 May 2005, Jens Hansen and Troels Ortvad from Denmark visited the site and found two pairs of Ibisbill, one of which was leading two pulli, estimated 5-10 days old (Jens Hansen pers comm). The Baihe site is located at an altitude of 270 m and is therefore well below the lowest published altitudinal breeding range for the species. As the river flows east towards Miyun reservoir for c 20 km and there is c 30 km river to the west before entering Hebei province, it is likely that Baihe valley holds more Ibisbills. Johnsguard (1981) mentions that \'pairs occupy about 1000 m stream length for their territory\'. Intriguingly, on 23 May 2005, the two territorial pairs were seen at Baihe no more than 300 m apart, suggesting that, at least in this area, Ibisbills may breed closer together than previously known.
Four to five Ibisbills recorded 1.2 km west of Zhang Jia Fen Cun, Baihe valley, Beijing, on 8 june 2002, apparently constitute the first record at this site. Several were seen here again on 1 March 2003, with a single seen near Sihetang on 5 April 2003 (Brian Elder pers comm). Another single was recorded near Yanqing, Beijing, on 20 April 2003 (China Ornithological Society 2004). Also in 2003, displaying Ibisbills were found at Miyun district, presumably further east along Baihe river. On both 11 April 2004 and 27 March 2005, birds were seen and photographed here (Wu Nan in litt). All these sightings were done within a 20-km stretch of river between \'road 111\' and Miyun Reservoir. Other records around Beijing, where wide shingle bed rivers are commonly found, include three at Labagoumen, Huairou, on 7 December 2004, with singles seen at Baihe valley, Yanqing, in March, April and October 2004 (China Ornithological Society 2005). Also worth noting are sightings of four on 4 April 2004 and three on 28 December 2004 in nearby Pingshan county, Hebei province. In 2005, the only Beijing province records so far were from Baihe (Leiyinyu pers comm).
As Baihe is located only a 2-h drive north of Beijing Capital Airport and the birds appear to be resident here, this must surely be one of the easiest places in the world to see the species. Other interesting birds found throughout the year at Baihe include Crested Kingfisher Megaceryle lugubris, Brown Dipper Cinclus pallasii (breeding under the \'road 111\' bridge in May 2005) and Plumbeous Redstart Rhyacornis fuliginosus, while specialities like Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata, Long-billed Plover Charadrius placidus, Chinese Hill Warbler Rhopophilus pekinensis, Vinous-throated Parrotbill Paradoxornis webbianus, Père David\'s Laughingthrush Garrulax davidi, Songar Tit Parus songarus, a single Siberian Accentor Prunella montanella and Godlewski\'s Bunting Emberiza godlewskii were found in May 2005 (Bas van den Boogaard & Jens Hansen pers comm).
Björn Anderson, Bas van den Boogaard, Brian Elder, Jens Hansen and Wu Nan are thanked for sharing their observations of the Ibisbills at Baihe river. Leiyinyu kindly provided information on earlier sightings of Ibisbill in the region. In addition, BvdB is thanked for commenting on an earlier draft of this note.

Remco Hofland, Aert van Neslaan 336, 2341 HN Oegstgeest, Netherlands
(platbuikyahoo.com)

Crested Ibis
\'Toki\' is the Japanese name for Crested Ibis Nipponia nippon. In the past, this magnificent bird could be seen in most parts of Japan but due to excessive hunting and environmental pollution in the early 20th century numbers plunged until only few remained. In 1952, the species was designated a \'Special Natural Monument\' and, in 1960, it was listed as an internationally protected species (cf Stattersfield & Capper 2000). On Sado island in Niigata prefecture, the last breeding site in Japan, numbers dropped from 27 in 1941, 24 in 1952 to 11 in 1957 and the last wild bird was taken in captivity in 1981. Efforts with captive breeding at the Toki Preservation Centre on Sado, established in 1967, have not been successful. In 1986, only two birds survived in captivity on Sado (Brazil 1991). Midori, the sole surviving native male, died in April 1995. The last Japanese bird, a female named Kin taken in captivity in 1968 just one year old, died on 10 October 2003 at the age of 36.
The species - which once occurred in large parts of eastern and central China, in Amurland, Siberia, Russia, in North and South Korea, in most of Japan north to southern Hokkaido and in Taiwan - was believed to have become globally extinct but in 1981 it was confirmed that seven individuals were still surviving in Shaanxi province, China. These birds where found in an area as large as Belgium. Japan and China have since then been working closely to conserve the species. For example, Japan received a Chinese male on loan in 1985 for captive breeding (without success, however), in exchange for the training of Chinese breeding experts and the provision of equipment and materials for China. A pair was flown in from China to Sado in 1994 in an attempt to breed them with the last two Japanese birds but this also failed. The third exchange was finally successful: in 1999, China gave Japan a pair named Youyou and Yangyang. They became the parents of Yuuyuu, Japan\'s first chick hatched by artificial incubation, causing great celebration throughout Japan. Two more chicks hatched in 2000, then 11 more, from two pairs, in 2001. In September 2002, the population at the Toki Preservation Centre had risen to 25. The next step will be to develop a natural environment for them in the wild. However, many problems must be solved before the birds can be returned to the wild, including protecting them from natural enemies like marten and crows, developing feeding grounds, and getting them ready to tend for themselves (Kuniko 2002).
China opened up for foreign travellers in 1983. From that year on, it became possible to go birding in this huge country. Nowadays, birders have more and more freedom and, with a local guide, can visit most places they want. Because of this, the true status of birds breeding in China has become clearer than it was before which resulted in many (re)discoveries of previously undescribed taxa or species feared extinct. Unfortunately, it also became clear that many species are on the verge of extinction. During a Birdquest tour in May 2005, I was able to visit an area called Yangxiang in Shaanxi province, about a day\'s drive south-west of Xi\'an (an expressway is being built so in the near future it will take only a couple of hours to reach). During this visit, local people working with the ibises informed me that the total population in China now stands at more than 400 birds, with an additional c 100 in captivity. At the place visited, 24 birds were present during this breeding season. Three nests were known of which one, near a little village called Caoba, was visited; it contained two young still being fed. In this time of year, adult are in silvery grey breeding plumage, most greyish on head, neck and mantle, with a pink flush on the whiter parts. In the non-breeding season, they are almost completely white with a pink flush. The bare facial skin, iris and legs are red in adults; the two young showed a dark iris and deep yellow facial skin and legs. In winter, c 120 birds can be seen at the communal roosts in this area. The birds are quite shy but are breeding at the edge of villages, making high crying calls when they leave the roost or the nest.
Captive breeding in China has been very successful. There are now three breeding centres in this part of China, all near the natural colonies where breeding is going on. Captive-born birds are released three years after hatching. In the field, these bird seem to mix easily with the wild birds giving the \'wild\' population an extra impulse. During my visit, I saw ringed (in many different ways) and unringed birds mixing and even unringed ones paired with ringed ones.
The main threat for this species seems to be starvation in the winter months because of the absence of accessible rice-fields. Artificial wet rice-fields offering food and where agrochemicals are not being used are created, and nesting sites are patrolled by the people working for the conservation of this species in China.
Max Berlijn, Wilhelminastraat 9, 6285 AS Epen, Netherlands (max.berlijnnn.nl)