Analysis: Western Palearctic
Sam Viles reports on a busy month in the region, with national firsts falling in multiple countries and a range of mouthwatering vagrants pitching up tantalisingly close to Britain.
Several mouth-watering records occurred across the region during May, with Scandinavia enjoying a particularly bumper period.
Three Caspian Plovers headlined proceedings this month. Finland’s third and fourth records were at Pahkaneva and Alavus respectively, with another joining a Eurasian Dotterel flock at Bälinge, Sweden, from 23-26th. In a bustling month for the former country, two White-throated Robins – national firsts and seconds – graced Kimito and Korsören. Elsewhere, a drake Black Scoter was at Söderskär, Greater Sand Plovers were at Sosonpellot and Muhos and a White-tailed Lapwing was at Hirvijärven Tekojärvi.
A male Black-faced Bunting – Sweden’s fourth – was ringed at Nidingen bird observatory on 17th, while a White-tailed Lapwing was at Lökholmen. Greater Sand Plovers were at Rånnesta and Katthammarsvik and a one-day Calandra Lark was at Björkö. Stejneger’s Scoters were at three Swedish sites.
The fifth Oriental Pratincole for Norway was at Orrevatnet on 15th, with the country’s third Bimaculated Lark near Ulvik from 8-14th. A drake Baikal
Teal at Hellesjøvannet was a national first. An Asian Redrumped Swallow was at Larvik, a Steppe Eagle flew over Røst and an adult drake Harlequin Duck visited Yttergård.
Skagen, Denmark, had a decent spell, with a Yellow-billed Kite flying north-east towards Sweden on 3rd, followed by the wintering Sandhill Crane on 8th – the latter relocated to Storsjö, Sweden, from 13th. Meanwhile, a White-throated Needletail was over Vest Stadil Fjord on 17th. Late May brought the Faroe Islands’ sixth American Black Duck to Søltuvík, while a female Steller’s Eider was at Sumba.
Two Short-tailed Shearwaters off Kuwait on 21st – a species unknown from the region until last year – were national firsts and just the fourth and fifth records for the Western Palearctic. Amazingly, a look back through previous records of Sooty Shearwater brought an earlier record to light, at Kuwait Bay on 24 May 2014, which became the earliest Western Palearctic record. The country’s second Masked Booby was photographed on an offshore buoy on 29th.
Israel’s White-backed Vulture was last seen heading north-east towards Syria on 3rd. The Lappet-faced Vulture was again at Hai Bar, while the country’s second Rüppell’s Vulture was taken into care at Tel Aviv on 18th; the Chinese Pond Heron held out at Jerusalem Botanical Gardens too.
The Netherlands’ fourth Dark-eyed Junco – and the second of the spring – was at Maasvlakte on 1st. Impressively, it looks to be a Cassiar Junco, the first regional record of this uncommon form. Meanwhile, a galactotes Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin was at Nordholländisches Dünenreservat on 5-6th.
Towards the month’s end, a singing Eurasian Scops Owl at Delft was well appreciated, as was the Black-winged Pratincole at ‘t Woudt. Two released Bearded Vultures were recorded, too, although one collided with a wind turbine near Wieringerwerf on
26th and was killed.
Belgium’s second Little Swift was at Blokkersdijk, Antwerp, on 15th, with The Netherlands’ fourth – a different individual – at Westkapelle on 18th. A flock of 24 Griffon Vultures roosted near Villers-la-Ville on 10th, with an American Golden Plover at Het Zwin just Belgium’s third. The Baikal Teal was again at Wechelderzande.
In the Spanish Pyrenees of Huesca Province, Aragon, at least one territorial male Eurasian Pygmy Owl was expertly documented on 3-4th. This national first marks a considerable range expansion if they are found to be the tip of the iceberg throughout the Pyrenees. Elsewhere, a Rüppell’s Vulture was near Aldearrubia, with Lesser Flamingos at Ebro Delta NP and Laguna de Fuente de Piedra. In France, a Trumpeter Finch was in the Camargue at Phare de la Gacholle, Saintes-Mariesde-la-Mer, joined by two Lesser Flamingos. A pair of Elegant
Terns was in the Sandwich Tern colony at Polder de Sébastopol; another remained at Salinas de Santa Pola, Spain. In Portugal, a flock of 30 Plain Swifts was photographed over Parque da Cidade, Porto, on the evening of 15th, while the Azores scored a Great Blue Heron at Lajes do Pico, Pico.
The male Red-tailed Shrike at San Filippo del Mela, Sicily, on 17th was Italy’s third; the Semicollared Flycatcher at Ossiach was Austria’s second. Germany’s first Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler was trapped and ringed on Heligoland, the Czech Republic scored its first Greater Short-toed Lark and Latvia’s first Black-winged Kite was at Kolka.
Poland’s first Blackfaced Bunting was at Hel on 29th; the nation’s first Baillon’s Crake since 1928 was singing at Bagna Przemkowskie the previous day. Hungary scored two national firsts – a Trumpeter Finch at Akasztó and a Melodious Warbler at Ócsa. Turkey’s first Western Reef Heron was at Amik Baraj Gölü on 13th and the country’s third Bar-tailed Lark was at Riva. A Long-billed Dowitcher at Syvash, Ukraine, on 7th was another national first. ■