AZORES RARE BIRD REPORT 2019-2020

The Azores Rare Bird Report for 2019 - 2020 is now available to view of download on the link below:

AZORES RARE BIRD REPORT 2019-2020

Corvo 2023- A record breaking season

Mourning Warbler, a first for the Western Palearctic and bird of the season (Vincent Legrand)

53 American species involving 214 individuals on Corvo in 2023 was the best year on record for the Western Palearctic Hotspot. Birdguides reports on the full story in link below :

CORVO 2023- A record breaking Season

Grey Catbird, another highlight of the season (David Monticelli). Click on Birdguides link for more incredible photos from 2023. 

BIRDGUIDES , CORVO 2023- A RECORD BREAKING SEASON

The Azores Rare and Scarce Bird Report 2018

 The latest rare and scarce bird report is now available  HERE  

THE AZORES RARE AND SCARCE BIRD REPORT 2018

Corvo 2021 Round Up

The last of the autumn birders have now left the island since Ferran Lopez Sanz and Mireia Martos departed on 9th November (following a couple of days delay due to flight cancellations and unfavourable weather). The early November coverage was rewarded with up to 3 Great Blue Herons (hunting mice in the village fields), a Myrtle Warbler and a first-winter Killdeer at the airport.

These late autumn birds brought the total number of Nearctic vagrants for Corvo 2021 to 74 individuals of 38 species (22 landbirds and 16 waterbirds) (fig1) .  This is an above average year for the island compared to the latest analysis up to 2017  (see fig 2) with some top quality too with the Western Palearctic's first Warbling Vireo, second Prothonotary Warbler (a stunning male to boot), sixth Chestnut-sided Warbler and seventh Cape May Warbler. 

So on that note, another great year on Corvo has passed (it's like the Beatles, just keeps being epic) and credit to all the birders that made it another great success. To read how it all began, Birdguides recently re-released the original discovery story from 2005 HERE and for previous papers and articles on Corvo and rare bird reports from the Azores see HERE . 

Looking forward to it all happening again next autumn! Please join the Corvo Birders Facebook Community for more information and instant news etc HERE, 

Fig 1. Corvo 2021 Nearctic Vagrant Summary (David Monticelli) 

Fig 2. Extract from Dutch Birding paper, Nearctic Vagrants on Corvo, Azores, 2005-2017 HERE

Male Prothonotary Warbler (Vincent Legrand)

Male Black-throated Blue Warbler (Vincent Legrand) 

The Loural Valley (site of this year's Prothonotary Warbler) 

Monarch and Painted Lady (Vincent Legrand) 

Final week Daily Log: (by Ferran and Mireia)

9th November    2 Great Blue Heron, Semipalmated Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper

7th November    Northern Parula still in Lighthouse Valley, 3 Great Blue Heron still feeding in village fields, American Coot, 4 Ring-necked Duck, White-rumped Sandpiper

6th November    First-winter Killdeer at airport, 3 Great Blue Heron, 1 Great Egret 

5th November    Myrtle Warbler and Northern Parula in Lighthouse Valley, 2 Ring-necked Duck, 1 Peregrine, Great Blue Heron

4th November    2 Great Blue Heron

3rd November    3 Great Blue Heron in area around airport 

2nd November    2 Great Blue Heron

1st November    Great Blue Heron, Great Egret

Ticking Over

A rather steady week which concluded on 29th October with most birders leaving the island to mark the season drawing to a close. There will be coverage next week by a Spanish team. 

New arrivals in the previous week included a Black-and-white Warbler on 25th, a Dicksissel on 28th and a Scarlet Tanager on 21st.  A Northern Harrier could have been the season's second bird or could possibly have been the same bird from earlier on in the month (which may have moved back and forth from Flores) . Stayers from the previous week included Northern Parula, Black-throated Blue Warbler and a hatful of american waterbirds.  

 

First-winter male Black-throated Blue Warbler

First-winter female Scarlet Tanager

First-winter male Northern Parula

First-winter Ring-billed Gull (all photos by Vincent Legrand) 

29th October    Nothing of note.

28th October    1 juv Dickcissel at campsite found by Tobias Epple et al, Northern Harrier, 4 Ring-necked Ducks, 1 American Coot

27th October    Northern Harrier in Caldera, Osprey, 1 Garganey, 4 Ring-necked Duck, American Coot, 1 Lapland Bunting,   1 White-rumped Sandpiper, 

26th October    1 Northern Parula, 1 Ring-billed Gull 

25th October 1 Northern Parula, 1 Black-throated Blue Warbler, 1 Black and white Warbler found in Fojo by Martin Schuk, 1 Lapland Bunting

24th October    1 Black-throated Blue Warbler, 2 Buff-bellied Pipit, 1 Lapland Bunting, 1 Peregrine ('Arctic-type'), 2 Glossy Ibis, Osprey, 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper, 1 Pectoral Sandpiper, 1 White-rumped Sandpiper, 4 Ring-necked Ducks

23rd October     1 Northern Parula, 1 Semipalmated Plover, 1 Lapland Bunting 

22nd October    1 Black-throated Blue Warbler, 2 Buff-bellied Pipit, Pectoral Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, 4 Ring-necked Duck , 1 Blue-winged Teal (from seawatch)

21st October     1 Black-throated Blue Warbler, 1 first-winter female Scarlet Tanager, 2 Red-eyed Vireo, 1 Redwing, 1 Semipalmated Plover, 1 Osprey, Pectoral Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, 2 Glossy Ibis, 4 Ring-necked Duck

Black-throated Blue Warbler

The birding highlight of the last few days was a smart looking first-winter male Black-throated Blue Warbler found by Kris de Rouck in Fojo. The Northern Parula is also still present in the Lighthouse Valley and there are also a couple of Red-eyed Vireos and a Buff-bellied Pipit around. A juvenile Osprey (appears to be of European origin) has also arrived on the island. 

Also a couple of bits of belated news, Magnus Robb recorded a noc-mig Redwing on 17th October and the probable Red-footed Booby from 14th was confirmed following photograph examination. 

Also of interest Magnus's examination of the constant sound recording monitor that has been set up since late September also recorded Monteiro's Storm-Petrel in late September. On speaking to Corvo seabird expert, Tania Pipa, it has recently been confirmed that up to 10 pairs of Monteiro's Storm-Petrel breed on Corvo and are present from June to September on the island. From September onwards the winter breeding Band-rumped Storm Petrels (Grant's Storm-Petrel) are present with up to 40 pairs breeding. These birds have been heard calling at night from around the Windmills this year too.      

First-winter male Black-throated Blue Warbler (Zbigniew Kajzer)

Osprey (Vincent Legrand)

Semipalmated Sandpiper (Vincent Legrand)

Red-footed Booby (Marten Muller) Examination of the photos of the probable bird on 14th October confirm that the bird is indeed an immature Red-footed Booby 

Daily Log:

20th October: Black-throated Blue Warbler still in Fojo, Northern Parula at Lighthouse Valley, 2 Red-eyed Vireo, 1 Buff-bellied Pipit, 1 Semipalmated Plover, Pterodroma sp in new harbour

19th October: 1 1st-winter male Black-throated Blue Warbler found by Kris De Rouck in Fojo, 1 Northern Parula at Lighthouse Valley, 1 Buff-bellied Pipit in Caldera, 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper, 1 Pectoral Sandpiper, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, 2 Glossy Ibis, 4 Ring-necked Duck,  2 Semipalmated Plover, 1 Ring-billed Gull, 1 Red-eyed Vireo, 1 Osprey, 2 Glossy Ibis

18th October: Northern Parula at the Lighthouse Valley, 2 Semipalmated Plover, 2 Red-eyed Vireos at Fojo, Osprey over Fojo, 1 Pterodroma sp from windmills 

A steady week

It's been a steady week with a few new birds and a growing number of long staying American vagrants mid-week. The 13th October had a pretty incredible list of birds that had accumulated on the island (see daily log below). New arrivals include a Gray-cheeked Thrush which appeared in exactly the same spot as a Swainson's Thrush a couple of days before (causing some initial confusion) and Scarlet Tanager on the 14th was also a new arrival. A probable Red-footed Booby on the 14th was also reported.  

Prothonotary Warbler (Vincent Legrand) 

Northern Parula (Vincent Legrand)

The first-winter female Cape May Warbler (David Monticelli above and Vincent Legrand, two photos below) was mist netted on the 16th as part of a long term Nearctic vagrant ringing study 

Gray-cheeked Thrush (Vincent Legrand)

Swainson's Thrush (Daniel Maurus) 

Daily Log:

17th October: 1 Cape May Warbler, 1 Northern Parula, 3 Red-eyed Vireos, 1 Rough-legged Buzzard, 4 Ring-necked Duck, 2 Semipalmated Sandpiper, 1 Pectoral Sandpiper, 2 White-rumped Sandpiper, 1 Glossy Ibis, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 1 Redwing (Sound recorded at night by Magnus Robb) 

16th October: 1 Ring-billed Gull, 1 Cape May Warbler 

15th October: 1 Grey-cheeked Thrush, 1 Red-eyed Vireo, 1 Northern Parula at Lighthouse, 1 Prothonotary Warbler, 3 Glossy Ibis, 2 Semipalmated Sandpiper, 2 White-rumped Sandpiper, 1 Pectoral Sandpiper, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, 1 Ring-necked Duck. 

14th October:  Probable Red-footed Booby off the Windmills , 1 Deserta's-type Petrel off Windmills, 1 Scarlet Tanager, 1 Ring-billed Gull, 1 Semipalmated Plover, 1 Swainson's Thrush, 1 Prothonotary Warbler, 1 Cape May Warbler, 

13th October: 1 Prothonotary Warbler, 1 Cape May Warbler, 2 Cliff Swallow, 1 Swainson's Thrush, 2 Northern Parula, Red-eyed Vireo in the village, 1 Alpine Swift, 2 Glossy Ibis, 2 Semipalmated Sandpiper, 4 White-rumped Sandpiper, 1 Pectoral Sandpiper, 1 Ring-necked Duck, 1 Upland Sandpiper, 1 Semipalmated Plover, 1 Rough-legged Buzzard