BIRDING IN LANZAROTE (CANARY ISLANDS)

April 2009 started very bad, but we were able to finally add a new species to our list and that will undoubtedly be one of the most spectacular observations of the year: Red-billed Tropicbird (3 birds seen at Puerto del Carmen by Colin Guy, F. J. García Vargas and A. Unquiles Cobos on 26/IV. The birds remained there on 27 and 28/IV (F. J. García Vargas) and only 1 bird was seen there on 30/IV (F. J. García Vargas and J. Sagardía). On 28/IV, 2 birds were seen displaying by Colin Guy in a small cove on a cliff elsewhere on the island that at the moment we prefer to keep confidential, where the birds were seen until at least 02/V (J. Sagardía and M. Rouco). Besides the excellent pictures taken by A. Unquiles that we show in this report, a special photopage of the birds can be seen here).

About rare and scarce migrants, the most interesting was: Northern Gannet (birds were seen in good numbers from Arrecife coast on 17/IV), Eurasian Oystercatcher (1 bird at Janubio salt pans on 14 and 25/IV, remaining there until May), Collared Pratincole (1 bird I saw at Tías golf course on 24/IV), Little Ringed Plover (birds at Janubio and Los Cocoteros salt pans), Great Skua (1 bird seen from Arrecife coast on 17/IV), Gull-billed Tern (1 bird I saw in the farm at Famara plains on 25/IV and 2 birds seen at the same place by A. Unquiles on 26/IV), Wood Pigeon (2 birds that I observed near Teguise golf course on 03/IV), Sand Martin (1 bird at Puerto del Carmen13/IV) and Eurasian Golden Oriole (1 bird seen by J. Sagardía being pursued by a Barbary Falcon near Los Ajaches on 30/IV).

Also noteworthy was the spectacular passage of waders all over the Canary Islands that we detected since 24/IV, which involved spectacular numbers of Dunlins, Whimbrels, Common Redshanks and Common Greenshanks. Curlew Sadpipers were seen in good numbers too and with this passage, 1 Ruff was seen at the farm of Famara plains on 24, 25 and 26/IV, Green Sandpipers were seen at Tías golf course, the farm at Famara and Mala reservoir and 4 Wood Sandpipers at the farm on 24/IV.