It is now beyond any doubt that autumn 2017 will set up a new record for Corvo both in terms of quality and quantity of Nearctic rarities encountered at a single location!
While yesterday everyone’s efforts and attention was focusing towards the Bay-breasted Warbler discovered at the Lighthouse Valley, today saw again a seizable number of new discoveries for the season at the favour of a better coverage of the island. And it is certainly Peter Stronach who was the most fortunate birder of the day here, having genuinely opted for a thorough investigation of the north-easternmost areas on the island that had been rather under-explored yesterday. In a couple of hours spent between Cantinho, Lighthouse and their surroundings, he nailed no less than 3 new American landbirds including a Philadelphia Vireo, a Cedar Waxwing and a new Hooded Warbler for the autumn - this time a stunning first-winter male! More than that, he also found and photographed a Short-eared Owl, whose overall appearance did not look right for an individual of Palearctic origin...Thus, overall an interesting tally that is not without recalling the good days he and Bob Swann had had together on Corvo nearly a month earlier when Hurricane Irma and its associated cast of depressions had delivered en masse.
While yesterday everyone’s efforts and attention was focusing towards the Bay-breasted Warbler discovered at the Lighthouse Valley, today saw again a seizable number of new discoveries for the season at the favour of a better coverage of the island. And it is certainly Peter Stronach who was the most fortunate birder of the day here, having genuinely opted for a thorough investigation of the north-easternmost areas on the island that had been rather under-explored yesterday. In a couple of hours spent between Cantinho, Lighthouse and their surroundings, he nailed no less than 3 new American landbirds including a Philadelphia Vireo, a Cedar Waxwing and a new Hooded Warbler for the autumn - this time a stunning first-winter male! More than that, he also found and photographed a Short-eared Owl, whose overall appearance did not look right for an individual of Palearctic origin...Thus, overall an interesting tally that is not without recalling the good days he and Bob Swann had had together on Corvo nearly a month earlier when Hurricane Irma and its associated cast of depressions had delivered en masse.
Other discoveries elsewhere on the island included today a possible third Hooded Warbler for the autumn near Cantinho bridge and the second Surf Scoter of the season. In addition, some of the individuals reported in previous days were also relocated: Blackpoll Warbler above the rubbish dump at Vila do Corvo, Bay-breasted Warbler now present for its second day at Lighthouse Valley together with another Blackpoll Warbler and a Swainson’s Thrush, and the Hooded Warbler in Cancelas still performing well for its fourth consecutive day.
Last but not least, a Spotted Crake of Palearctic origin was found by Mika in the lower part of Ribeira de Cantinho - only the second ever for Corvo and still the kind of record that brings a great feeling of astonishment - how could a crake survive such a long-haul flight over the Atlantic Ocean after all? Surely ornithologists have here some interesting research topics to investigate in order to come up with a plausible explanation of these type of extreme vagrancy behaviour!
Last but not least, a Spotted Crake of Palearctic origin was found by Mika in the lower part of Ribeira de Cantinho - only the second ever for Corvo and still the kind of record that brings a great feeling of astonishment - how could a crake survive such a long-haul flight over the Atlantic Ocean after all? Surely ornithologists have here some interesting research topics to investigate in order to come up with a plausible explanation of these type of extreme vagrancy behaviour!
Nearctic species seen today include:
Surf Scoter: 1 (Seashore at western end of airstrip)
White-Rumped Sandpiper: 5+ (Flying east over airport)
Lesser Yellowlegs: 1 (Flying over Vila do Corvo)
Short-eared Owl: 1 (Grassland fields between Ribeira de Cantinho and Lighthouse Valley)
Swainson’s Thrush: 1 (Lighthouse Valley)
Philadelphia Vireo: 1 (Lighthouse Valley)
Red-eyed Vireo: 1 (Between Ribeira de Cantinho and Lighthouse Valley)
Cedar Waxwing: 1 (Between Ribeira de Cantinho and Lighthouse Valley)
Hooded Warbler: 2+ (Ribeira de Cancelas - 1, Ribeira de Cantinho - 1+)
Bay-breasted Warbler: 1 (Lighthouse Valley)
Blackpoll Warbler: 2 (Lighthouse Valley, Tamarisks above rubbish dump)
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| Hooded Warbler (first-winter male), Between Lighthouse Valley and Cancelas, 23 October 2017 (Mika Bruun) |
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