Autumn 2010 sightings

Tringa glareola and Calidris alpina

The Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola), shown above accompanied by a Dunlin (Calidris alpina), has been sighted several times in Las Martelas in recent weeks; in fact, there might actually be two birds in the area at present. This passage migrant is a much less frequent visitor than both the Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus) and the Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos).

Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

Solitary examples of Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) are recorded on the island of La Palma almost every year, and are considered "regular passage migrants" by T. Clarke (2006, "Birds of the Atlantic Islands").

Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)

The Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) featured in two previous posts, was still on the island on Oct 12, but had moved from the Tazacorte area to a group of irrigation basins in Las Martelas, where the above photograph was taken.

Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

The Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) often winters in small groups on La Palma. So far this year numbers have been low, since hardly any suitable habitat is available for a species which forages in basins with muddy or soft sandy bottoms. The bird's diagonal probing, rather than vertical stitching, can be appreciated in the photo above.

Above: two images of the juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis), which was still at the Fuencaliente saltpans on Oct 3.

Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia), also at the saltpans on the same date