Osprey

Various images of Pandion haliaetus

The Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) breeds in small numbers on Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro, with only sporadic nesting elsewhere in the Canaries. On La Palma reproduction has not been confirmed, but the species is seen from time to time inland, and along sections of the coastline. The presence of old nests at certain points on the sea cliffs suggests that the species formerly bred on the island. (Atlas de las Aves Nidificantes, Ed. J.A.Lorenzo).

Inland, near Los Llanos and Tazacorte, the bird feeds on carp which have been introduced into some of the irrigation basins. From my enquiries, it would seem that some banana plantation workers have occasionally seen the bird fishing in their reservoirs, while others react with disbelief at the mere mention of the bird's name, "Fishing Eagle" in Spanish.

This year, I was lucky to spot an Osprey on 26/03, but unlucky not to have my camera prepared. It wasn't until 23/10 that I had another uncertain, distant sighting. Then Xabier Remirez reported and photgraphed an immature bird in Las Martelas on 24/10. On all three occasions, kestrels were mobbing the visiting raptor mercilessly.

Today, 23/11 I had a further encounter with the species and was able to get a few shots for the record. Close scrutiny of the photos above reveals that the individual was a juvenile, with traces of white on the back feathers and a finely cross-barred tail without the darker trailing band.

Late November 2009

Eurasian Teal (Anas crecca). Male

Shoveler (Anas clypeata). Female

Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus)

Tringa erythropus

Tringa erythropus

On the evening of 21/11 I had my second sighting of a Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus) on the island of La Palma.
A number of identifying features of this attractive wader can be clearly appreciated in the photos: the long bill with its subtly downwards tilting tip - the red being restricted to the lower mandible - and the species' obvious willingness to wade in relatively deep water. The irrigation basin where this scarce migrant was feeding is now being filled with water, so unfortunately this bird will be forced to move on.

22/11: The first ducks of the season! Usually arriving later than the waders, Eurasian Teal (Anas crecca) are fairly common in winter. Small flocks of mostly females and immature birds often spend short periods on the island, moving around in search of suitable basins to dabble in. The flashy male Teal and the female Shoveler (Anas clypeata) shown above were sharing an irrigation basin with two Coots.

In the same area, Tazacorte, there were also three Black-headed Gulls (Larus ridibundus), a fairly regular visitor in winter.

Spotted or Common Sandpiper?

The Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia) is very similar in most plumages to the Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos). There have been several recent records of macularia on the Canaries, including one (17/10/1996) at the Fuencaliente saltpans, precisely where I saw the bird shown in the photos.

This solitary sandpiper has been at its present location for several weeks and has been confidently reported as Actitis macularia by at least one visiting birder. I still haven't seen the bird in flight or heard it call, two important aids to clinching identification, but the general shape, length of tail projection and absence of dark notches on edges of tertials would seem to tip the balance in favour of the Spotted, rather than the Common Sandpiper.

Any comments from birders with experience of the two species would be much appreciated.

Eurasian Spoonbill

Platalea leucorodia

The Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) is described as "scarce on passage and in winter in the Canary Islands" in Birds of the Atlantic Islands (T. Clarke, Helm).

My own records of the species amount to 3-4 birds in mid-October 2008 at the Fuencaliente saltpans, and one bird in late November 2008 at the irrigation basins outside Los Llanos.

There have been several sightings so far this autumn on the islands of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Tenerife of up to 10 individuals (see http://avescanarias.blogspot.com/ for full details).

However, it wasn't until the evening of November 14 that I happened to be in the right place at the right time in order to see my first Spoonbill of 2009 on La Palma. The bird shown in the photograph flew straight over my head while I was checking the Moorhen population in an irrigation basin in the municipality of Tazacorte.

Chats and Wheatears

A Common Stonechat (Saxicola torquatus) discovered in an empty irrigation basin

On La Palma there are no resident species of chat or wheatear, the Canary Islands Stonechat (Saxicola dacotiae) being endemic to Fuerteventura, with sporadic records in recent years on the island of Lanzarote (Atlas de las Aves Nidificantes en el Archipiélago Canario, Ed. J. A. Lorenzo).

However, I have observed migratory Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) a number of times, a species described in Birds of the Atlantic Islands (T. Clarke, Helm) as a "regular passage migrant in the Canaries, with records from all main islands".

The three photos of a Common Stonechat (Saxicola torquatus) were taken recently on 10/11. The bird, a male moulting into winter plumage, was perching and foraging from low vegetation in an empty irrigation basin on the outskirts of Los Llanos. The Helm Guide refers to the species as a " scarce and irregular winter visitor, more common on eastern islands, and not recorded from either La Palma or El Hierro".

A "first" for La Palma?

Early November 2009

Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

So far this month nothing unusual has been reported on the island. Small numbers of White Wagtails (Motacilla alba) can be seen in Las Martelas (see Observing Sites for birding areas), and the wintering Coot (Fulica atra) population has reached a total of 49 birds, all concentrated in a single irrigation basin. This figure compares favourably with winter 2008-2009, when less than 10 were present, but falls well short of typical numbers in previous years, such as the 109 birds in December 2004 (J.M.Castro, cited in "Atlas de las Aves Nidifcantes en el Archipiélago Canario 1997-2003", Ed. Juan Antonio Lorenzo). Although the possibility that some of these migrants may nest on the island cannot be discounted, conclusive evidence for successful breeding on La Palma has yet to be found.

There was a Redshank (Tringa totanus) at the salt-pans on 04/11, in addition to one Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula), a Dunlin (Calidris alpina), and about 10 Turnstones (Arenaria interpres). Water levels are presently high, with very little sand exposed within the basins, and hence limited potential for waders.

I have spotted 2 Snipes in Las Martelas, plus two others in Tazacorte, photgraphed in a basin formerly occupied by a couple of Moorhens and their single chick.

Rare migrants in October 2009

Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus)

Long-billed Dowitcher with Greenshank

(Limnodromus scolopaceus + Tringa nebularia)

Whiskered Terns (Chlidonias hybrida)

American Golden Plover

(Pluvialis dominica)

American Golden Plover

(Pluvialis dominica)

All photographs copyright R. Burton unless otherwise stated