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NEW RECORDS 2008
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius; Northern Parula Parula americana; Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons
10th Oct: All three species discovered by a small Birdwatch magazine contingent of Dominic Mitchell, Alan Gibson, John Lloyd, and Richard Ek and Olof Jonsson from southern Sweden.- House Bunting Emberiza striolata A male was seen and photographed at close range by Adrian Drummond Hill. The bird was seen again during the morning by myself but only at 50m or so. For the full story and a look at the images visit the link below
- Steller's Eider Polysticta stelleri, Some years ago, in 2000 or 2001, a duck with a US ring was shot in Belarus and in 2005 the ring was sent to the national ringing center. Only now the bird turns out to have been a female Steller's Eider, ringed in Alaska on Sept 22, 1996, more than 7,000 km from where it was shot. If accepted, this constitutes the first record of the species for the country. It is unclear whether there are any pictures of the dead bird.
Source: http://ptushki.org//index.php?area=1&p=news&newsid=541 NOT IN ENGLISH, via Geert Groot Koerkamp e-mail: koerkamp@co.ru- Boat-tailed Grackle Quiscalus major, The (probable ship-assisted) bird at Kieldrecht - Antwerp harbour, that was seen on the 8th March has been refound today, 28th March
- Spectacled Finch Callacanthis burtoni, 18th May, A female found on the slopes of Cheli La. Duly photographed and notes taken. A short note documenting this observation will be submitted shortly for publication.
Source: K. David Bishop, P. O. Box 1234, Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia. e-mail: kdbishop@ozemail.com.au- Amur Falcon Falco amurensis; A second calendar year male was present for its 33rd day at Tophill Low, East Yorkshire on 16th October 2008. Though there have been many photographs on several websites and the bird has been well-watched, the photograph (posted today and taken on 15th) at http://www.birdguides.com/pictures/default.asp?v=1&f=183405&r=0&st=0&q= - makes the identification relatively straightforward. If accepted, it will constitute the first record of this species for Britain.
- Mottled Duck Anas fulvigula 1st record for Canada and the 385th species for the Point Pelee checklist of Birds, originally found by Dean Ware on May the 1st, in Ontario, Essex County, Hillman Marsh Conservation Area, the Shorebird cell...2.5 miles North-NE of Point Pelee National Park.
Source: Andy Adcock e-mail : andyadcock@ntlworld.com Photograph at http://stevepike.com/rarities.html- Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis Today, January 11,2008, the first for Crete and the second for Greece (if accepted) was at Mallia marsh.
Source: Michalis Dretakis e-mail : dretakmi@yahoo.com Photograph at http://gullsofcrete.blogspot.com/2008/01/southern-grey-shrike.html- Ross's Gull Rhodostethia rosea (1st winter) was at Esbjerg Harbour, Vestjylland during 27th-31st December onwards.
Source: Rolf Christensen, Batterivej 7, DK-9990 Skagen, Denmark- Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura, 19th May, recorded from Skagen.
Source: Tommy Frandsen Photograph at http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=21608- Swinhoe's Snipe Gallinago megala 16 Jun: reported from Tohmajärvi, E Finland. The bird has apparently been present (according to laymen) since the 3rd Jun, but was identified / observed by birdwatchers only now. Last night the bird was widely twitched and was still present this morning, apparently well seen displaying also on a barn roof. The bird is displaying actively and there is a sound recording of the bird made on a mobile phone (link below)
Source: Martin Helin, martin.helin@koti.fimnet.fi Recording at: http://www.tarsiger.com/sounds/index.php?sp=&lang=eng- Rustiv Bunting Emberiza rustica 16 Oct: A juvenile female was caught yesterday in the western part of the country, Zala county
- Eastern Olivaceous Warbler Hippolais pallida elaeica 17 Sep, found near Höfn in the south-east of the country on 15 Sept. Still present (16 Sept) and showing well this morning. Photos taken yesterday can already be seen on www.fuglar.is , more photos and a sound-recording will be added to www.birdingiceland.com shortly.
- Arctic Warbler Phylloscopus borealis 03 May, reported by Nikola and Markus Craig from the K20 saltpans, right on the eastern border fence. The record is tentative and is still pending acceptance by the Israeli Rarities and Distribution Committee.
Source: Avner Cohen, Israbirding.com Photograph at http://www.israbirding.com/reports/rarity_alerts/arctic_warbler_eilat_08- Willet Catoptrophorus semipalmatus 2nd Feb, near Vasto, Abruzzo, if accepted
Source: Maurizio Sighele, EBN Italia, Via Lungolorì 5a, 37127 Verona Photograph at http://www.ebnitalia.it/gallery/piropiro_se.htm - Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica, on 5th Jan. 2007 Rashed Al-Hajji found and photographed a new species for Kuwait and the Western Palearctic as defined by BWP by Cramp & Simmons 1977. The birds were at Subiya feeding on Ausaj, Lycium shawii shrubs.
- Slender-billed Gull Larus genei 30th Apr, observed and photographed at Kopgalis (Neringa)
Source: Ventes Ragas, e-mail : vros@takas.lt Photographs at http://www.birdpix.lt/displayimage.php?pos=-2409#nav_pic - Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus 29th Sept, on the Nemunas River delta. A new species for Lithuania if accepted.
- Slaty-backed Gull Larus schistisagus 17th Nov, observed at Klaipeda rubbish dump (West Lithuania), and observed and photographed in the same place today (20th) by Vytautas Pareigis.
Source: Ventes Ragas, e-mail : vros@takas.lt Photographs at http://www.birdpix.lt/displayimage.php?pos=-4647#nav_pic- Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides plumbeitarsus 29th Apr, observed and photographed on Madeira
Source: Thijs Valkenburg, e-mail : thys_valkenburg@yahoo.com Photographs at http://www.flickr.com/photos/thys_valkenburg/ - American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica at Ponta de São Lourenço on 17th September. If accepted this is the first known record for Madeira.
Source: Niklas Holmstrom, e-mail : niklas.holmstrm@gmail.com Photographs at http://madeira.seawatching.net/- Sykes's Nightjar Caprimulgus mahrattensis 06th Jun, A team of ornithologists affiliated with Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN) has recorded this new species for Nepal at Koshi Tappu, a famous bird sanctuary in the southeastern part of the country.
Source: Surendra Gautam, e-mail : gautamsuren@yahoo.com Full Story: http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=149151 - Trumpeter Finch Bucanetes githagineus 02nd May, observed and photographed 40 km south of Cagliari province.(Back hills of Forte
Village Resort). First record for the Island if accepted.Source: Emin Yogurtcuoglu Photographs at http://www.trakus.org/kods_bird/uye/?fsx=2fsdl22@d&sxc=1&id=237- Citril Finch Serinus citrinella: 06th Jun: Rare Bird Alert (www.rarebirdalert.co.uk) is this afternoon reporting news of a bird on Fair Isle, Shetland - the first for Scotland & Britain if accepted.
- Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle: 26th Oct: On 11 and 12th October a French seawatching team recorded a Black Guillemot from the Calao terrace. As far as I know this should be the first record for Senegal. perhaps even for whole West Africa. if accepted.
- Fork-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus savana The last report of the Spanish RC (CR-SEO) published in Ardeola 54(2) includes a report of a bird in Spain (El Rocio, Donana, 19/10/2002) that has been accepted into cat A of the Spanish list. This is also a first for the Western Palearctic. Ardeola has more information on other species accepted onto the Spanish list.
Source: Ricard Gutiérrez , http://www.rarebirdspain.net/ More info at : http://www.ardeola.org/pubs/54(2)/405-446- Egyptian Plover Pluvianus aegyptius: 05th Jul: Unknown origin but potential 1st for Spain. A bird of this African species was seen and photographed at close distance on the 29th May at the stonebeach of Albir, in southern Altea, between Benidorm and Calpe, Alicante (Jesper Thomelius).
Source: Ricard Gutiérrez , http://www.rarebirdspain.net/ More info at : http://www.rarebirdspain.net/- Asian House Martin Delichon dasypus: 21st Aug: Seen this morning at Falsterbo c.11.30 by, among others, the Swedish Rarities Committee chairman. Photos are posted here... Asian House Martin? . First for Sweden of course if accepted, not seen during the afternoon despite searches.
Source: Erik Hirschfeld, Malmö, Sweden- Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis was confirmed in central Thailand over the new year. It is reportedly the third record for South-east Asia and first for the Thai list. And just yesterday (6th Jan), a Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis was seen at Chiang Saen Lake in the north. If proved and accepted by the records committee, the duck will be a first for Thailand as well.
- Buff-bellied Pipit Anthus rubescens japonicus This is the mega bird of the last days, at Antakya first found by Ali Atahan and still there after 3 weeks. This is first record for Turkey.
- White-crested Elaenia Elaenia albiceps of the Chilean race, found yesterday (8th Feb) at the Sheepshead Valley Land Fund lot on South Padre Island, Texas. When accepted this will be a first US record.
- Sungrebe Heliornis fulica: Sally King, a New Mexico photographer, spotted the bird while photographing along the Marsh Loop on Nov. 13. Knowing she'd found something unique, she headed to the Bosque del Apache Visitors Center and attempted to identify her find.
The Sungrebe was originally misidentified as a Red-necked grebe. But within a few days, one of King's co-workers had correctly identified it as a Sungrebe, the first for the USA.- Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans found by Nathan Casburn on the 15th February, at Llandegfedd reservoir, will be the first for Gwent and Wales if confirmed.
- Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea; a juvenile seen at Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire on Friday 24th October and again on the 27th, will also be the first for Carmarthenshire and Wales if accepted.
