Blue Grosbeak and a flock of American Passerines!

The last two days have continued along the same theme - carnage. Yesterday in one single wooded valley (Pico/Da Ponte) there were 14 american landbirds of 10 species including 1 Yellow-throated Vireo, 1 Philadelphia Vireo, 3 Red-eyed Vireo,1 Wood Thrush,1 Swainson's Thrush, 1 Grey-cheeked Thrush, 1 Ovenbird, 3 Black-throated Green Warbler, 2 American Redstart and 1 Bay-breasted Warbler.Across the rest of the island there was an additional 11 American species including Northern Parula, Scarlet Tanager, 2 Indigo Buntings and Baltimore Oriole.

 However the rarest bird of yesterday was Lesser Whitethroat- a first for the Azores. This species which migrates south east across the Palearctic to East Africa is a national rarity in Iberia. This is presumably the furthest west this species has ever ventured. 

Today (17th) things got even better with a Blue Grosbeak- a first for the Western Palearctic found by Peter Stronach, Bob Swann, Ernie Davis and Marcin Solowiej. A species that was indeed on many twitchers radar for Corvo (unlike the Western Kingbird on Flores which was totally off anyone's radar as a WP candidate) but nonetheless still very exciting to finally fall. Other new birds included a Yellow-billed Cuckoo and up to 6 Indigo Buntings and 7 Red-eyed Vireos now. 

Blue Grosbeak (Vincent Legrand), Poco d'Agua

Yellow-throated Vireo (Vincent Legrand) Da Ponte 

Wood Thrush (Vincent Legrand) Da Ponte

Bay-breasted Warbler (Peter Alfrey) Da Ponte 

Red-eyed Vireo (Gerbrand Micheilsen), Lighthouse Valley 

For full daily logs of birds see Corvo Birders Facebook HERE