Kentish Plover

 Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)

The first interesting bird of the 2018 (post-breeding) migration season, this Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) was discovered at the saltpans (Las Salinas) in Fuencaliente on August 15. I was unable to get any decent photos on that occasion, so I returned to the location on the evening of August 16, to capture all the images in the present post.

 Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)

The Kentish Plover breeds on La Graciosa, Lanzarote, Lobos, and Fuerteventura, where perhaps 95% of the Canary Island population of this species is concentrated.  It also nests in small numbers on Gran Canaria, but is in serious decline on Tenerife due to habitat loss and disturbance. Migrants have also been observed on the remaining islands, possibly on passage from northern Europe, or birds dispersing from breeding populations elsewhere in the Canaries.

 Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)

Most of the key identification features of C. alexandrinus are visible in the photos shown here, but the bird warranted especially close inspection: in August 2003, a Lesser Sand Plover (Charadrius mongolus) was observed at the same spot, and was accepted as the first record for the Canary Islands and only the second for Spain as a whole.

 Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)

Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)