Monday 20 October 2014

The haul of American vagrants continues on the Rock!

Owing to the better weather conditions prevailing on the Rock over the last two days, several new discoveries have been made.

First of all, a 1st-winter Black-throated Green Warbler was found yesterday morning by PAC in the lower part of Poço de Agua. The bird performed well for the birders present on the spot within the first hour of its discovery, but thereafter it proved rather elusive, offering only brief views for the rest of the day and today during early morning hours. This finding represents the 7th WP record of this species and is no less than Corvo's fifth, following one in 2008, two in 2009 and one in 2013.

Secondly, a Blackpoll Warbler was found this morning by Mika and Markku close to the rubbish dump above the village. The bird was rather mobile at the time of its discovery, being only observed for less than 5 min by a handful of birders before being lost somewhere in the Lower Fields. Fortunately, several hours later, Jens relocated the Blackpoll in a small garden bordering the road on the northern side of the airstrip. This time, the warbler performed pretty well for the birders and photographers, staying in views for at least 20min before being lost again.

Thirdly, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo was discovered by Jouni in the tamarisks at the western end of the airstrip around mid-afternoon. The bird was rather exhausted, allowing prolonged views at very close range for many hours. This species, which was a regular finding on Corvo during earlier years, had not been found since 2012, so it is a welcome addition to this year's list!

Blackpoll Warbler (Dendroica striata), 20 October 2014 (Photo courtesy of David Monticelli)

No comments:

Post a Comment