Analysis: Western Palearctic

The Canary Islands enjoyed a suite of mega records, including a first for Spain, while Wallcreepers arrived in northern France. Sam Viles reports.

It was a spectacular month in the Canary Islands where a first for Spain was one of many notable records for the archipelago.

Atrue Canary Islands purple patch early in the month saw megas from all points of the compass, with Spain’s first Amur Falcon – an adult female – at Los Rodeos, Tenerife, on 5th, followed by the first Belted Kingfisher for the Canaries at Arrecife, Lanzarote, from 8th. It didn’t take long before the second Kelp Gull for the Canaries – a first-winter – was found at a landfill near San Miguel de Tajao, Tenerife, on 11th. Like the kingfisher, it stayed until the month’s end.

In the Azores, a Common Yellowthroat was a smart find on Corvo on 2nd, while two American Barn Swallows from

1st and a Taiga Merlin on 2nd were of note: both incredibly rare subspecies on this side of the Atlantic. Other island highlights included Northern Parula, Yellow-billed Cuckoos and Semipalmated Plover. Several Double-crested Cormorants remained, including one on Corvo, three at Horta, Faial, and four at Santa Cruz das Flores, Flores, while a new Green Heron was at Povoação, São Miguel, from 24th.

A female Belted Kingfisher remained on Pico and a Yellowbilled Cuckoo was at Horta,

Faial, on 1st, while on São

Jorge, a Greater Yellowlegs was reported for the first time since February. Most remarkable was the female Red-crested Pochard in the bay off Porto Pim, Faial: a first for the Azores. In Cape Verde, a Red-footed Booby was in the Brown Booby colony at Curral Velho, Boa Vista.

In Spain, an Algerian Grey Shrike lingered at Jerez, Andalucía, until 10th, while a returning fulvescens Greater Spotted Eagle was at Sariñena, the American Herring Gull was back at Muxía, Galicia, and the Sociable Lapwing was still near Puerto Villareal de Olivenza, Extremadura.

The most remarkable find of the month goes to an Icelandic Dark-eyed Junco spotted on a webcam at Helluvatn, on the outskirts of Reykjavik, from 27th, while a young Hermit Thrush was ringed at Höfn on 5th.

A White-headed Duck influx into central Europe centred on Poland, with birds at Zbiornik Jutrosin, Wielikat (two) and Wróblik Szlachecki (two), with another in Austria at Kronstorf. A Sociable Lapwing was at Stawno, Poland, from 1-15th, while Austria’s Bimaculated Lark remained at Tachenberger Moos on 1st. A small influx of Lesser Short-toed Larks to the Baltics included individuals at Varsag, Estonia, on 3rd, Lisalmi, Finland, on 7th and Kupisk, Belarus, on 8th – the latter the nation’s first.

A quadruple of wintering Wallcreepers in northern France once again raised hopes of a long-overdue record on the north

side of the English Channel. Three were on churches – at Coutances Cathedral, Basilique Saint-Sauveur, Dinan, and Cathedral Saint-Pierre, Nantes – with the fourth on sea-cliffs at Cap Fréhel. Another flew north along the coast just outside Jullouville earlier in the month, while Ouessant Island hosted a male Black-throated Thrush on 1st. A late Iberian Chiffchaff was trapped on Alderney, Channel Islands, on 17th.

Kuwait had another fine month, peaking with a Whitebreasted Waterhen at Jahra Pools on 25th, both the second national and regional record.

For the second year running, an immature Purple Sunbird was in gardens at Abdullah Al-Salem and an Indian Roller continued at Sulaibiya Pivot Fields.

In Israel, an immature

Bateleur – thought to be the same individual seen over the Golan Heights back in August – surfaced over the Judean Plains on 19th, remaining until the month’s end. Elsewhere, a Kurdish Wheatear was at Ein Avdat NP, the Greater Painted-snipe was still at HaMa’apil fishponds and an Oriental Turtle Dove was at Hatzuk Beach, Tel Aviv, while the Persian Shearwater was still enjoying the Eilat sunsets until 25th.

A Pale Crag Martin on Malta from 23rd is the first European record of this North African species. Also in the Mediterranean, a female Moussier’s Redstart was on Linosa, Italy, and the second Cypriot Rustic Bunting was at Akrotiri on 12th, alongside two Black-winged Kites.

First picked up heading south-west over Breskens, The Netherlands, on 8th, a Eurasian Crag Martin soon relocated across the border to Ostend, Belgium, where it roosted on an apartment block; another flew south-west through De Panne a few days earlier. Meanwhile, one over Ghent on 22nd relocated to Sint-Denijs-Westrem from 27-29th. Recent weeks have produced a real Belgian purple patch for the species, matching the country’s entire total prior to 2020. Dinant played host to a

Wallcreeper from 29th, possibly the returning individual from last winter.

A first-winter male Eyebrowed Thrush at Paesens, on the Dutch mainland, proved to be one of the country’s few twitchable records – and the ninth overall. Meanwhile, a male Pine

Bunting tracked south along the dunes at Katwijk on 6th was a remarkable vismig record.

Denmark’s first Greater Yellowlegs was at Sønderho from 16th and a Red-tailed Shrike at Lidsø on 8th looks set to become the country’s second. The Dusky Thrush remained at Sorthat at the very start of the month, while the first Eastern Yellow Wagtail for the Faroes was at Sumba on 13th. In Norway, another Dusky Thrush – a first-winter male – was at Karmøy on 4th, with an Oriental Turtle Dove at nearby Svortland on the same date. A Black-throated Thrush was at Savar, with Eastern Yellow Wagtails at Eigersund and Jomfruland; a male Alaskan was at Trelleborg, Sweden.

In Germany, a Pygmy Cormorant was at Alfhausen on 20th; a first-winter drake Falcated Duck at Dechsendorfer Weiher was rather intriguing. An impressive flock of four – three males and a female – Pine Buntings were at Riazzino, Switzerland, with a returning Oriental Turtle Dove at Sulgen on 11th. The Czech Republic’s first-ever Lesser Yellowlegs was at Jistebník on 5th. ■

Spain’s first Amur Falcon was part of an excellent run of records on the Canary Islands, which also included Belted Kingfisher and Kelp Gull.

This Eyebrowed Thrush proved a popular draw in The Netherlands, where the species has proven hard to twitch down the years.

There were still decent North American landbirds arriving in the Azores into November, including this Northern Parula. This Dark-eyed Junco in Iceland was remarkably discovered via webcam footage. Caption

British birders were given their annual reminder that a modern-day Wallcreeper is possible, as four turned up in north-west France, including this bird in Nantes.