by Francisco Javier García Vargas

 

On 26/I I could observe a beautiful adult Glaucous Gull at Arrecife. The bird was roosting into a big flock of Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gulls on a reef  at about 200 meters from where I was. The distance, the strong wind and my clumsiness with digiscoping (it´s not made for me!!!) made me only get these horrific pics. I´m going to try to relocate this superb bird to take better photos of it. It is a first for our personal list of birds observed in Lanzarote. There is only a previous record (not submitted) of Glaucous Gull at Lanzarote, so it will be (if accepted) the second record for the island.

Very close to the Glaucous Gull, I could detect an adult Herring Gull, a vagrant to the Canary Islands with only a few records. This is another first for our list and the first record for Lanzarote too.

 

JANUARY 2009: A GOOD MONTH FOR GULLS IN LANZAROTE

by Francisco Javier García Vargas and Juan Sagardía Pradera

 

Besides the Glaucous and the Herring Gulls, some interesting observations on gulls have been made at Lanzarote on January 2009.

The Mediterranean Gulls (at least 5 birds) have been all winter at Arrecife. 2 birds are ringed, one with a red ring (we could not read it yet) and the other with a green ring with the white chapters "1X5". This is the history of the bird:

1X5               Left      pullus       Paris                 FS63212          03/07/2008  Barbâtre, Polder de Sebastopol, Vendée, FRANCE  46,56N 2,09W

ringed by team Matthieu Vaslin

vv     17/01/2009            1X5  Arrecife, Lanzarote Canary Islands, SPAIN  28,57N 13,33W                                                           Sagardia Pradera, Juan

On 09/I, a first-winter Ring-billed Gull was seen at Arrecife (F. J. García Vargas) and relocated there on 17/I by Juan Sagardía Pradera. This is only our second record of this species in Lanzarote. Details and pics of the first record can be seen here.

 

Finally, a spectacular flock of 9 Audouin´s Gulls was detected at Puerto del Carmen on 14/I. The birds have been moving around the east coast and for example, 2 birds were at Puerto del Carmen and 7 birds were seen at Arrecife few minutes later on 18/I.

 

 

Glaucous Gull. Arrecife. Photo: F. J. García Vargas

 

Glaucous Gull. Arrecife. Photo: F. J. García Vargas

 

 Glaucous Gull. Arrecife. Photo: F. J. García Vargas

 

Glaucous Gull. Arrecife. Photo: F. J. García Vargas

 

 Glaucous Gull. Arrecife. Photo: F. J. García Vargas

 

Glaucous Gull. Arrecife. Photo: F. J. García Vargas

 

Herring Gull (with Glaucous Gull and Yellow-legged Gull). Arrecife. Photo: F. J. García Vargas

 

Mediterranean Gull. Arrecife. Photo: J. Sagardía

 

 Mediterranean Gull. Arrecife. Photo: F. J. García Vargas

 

Audouin´s Gull. Puerto del Carmen. Photo: F. J. García Vargas

 

 Audouin´s Gull. Puerto del Carmen. Photo: F. J. García Vargas

 

Audouin´s Gull. Puerto del Carmen. Photo: F. J. García Vargas

 

 Audouin´s Gull. Puerto del Carmen. Photo: J. Sagardía

 

Audouin´s Gull. Arrecife. Photo: J. Sagardía

 

Ring-billed Gull. Arrecife. Photo: F. J. García Vargas

 

 

 

 

 

by Francisco Javier García Vargas

 

On a December month without remarkable surprises, we haven´t added any new species to our list.

About rarities, the most interesting was the Mediterranean Gulls (at least 5 birds) detected at Arrecife on November and seen last time there on 12/XII. Probably all the birds or part of them have stayed there into January. A Fieldfare was seen at El Bosquecillo on 07 and 08/XII.

About rare and scarce migrants, Black-necked Grebes have been observed at Janubio salt pans (4 birds on 22/XII, 3 birds on 25/XII, 6 birds (the highest number ever seen) observed by J. Sagardía on 28/XII and again 4 birds on 29/XII), Common Teals were seen at Janubio salt pans too (3 birds on 05/XII, 3 birds on 13/XII, 2 birds on 25/XII, 4 birds on 28/XII and 2 birds on 29/XII), Eurasian Marsh Harrier (1 bird at Haría on 07/XII), Lesser Kestrel (1 bird near Los Cocoteros salt pans and 1 bird at Famara plains (J. Sagardía) on 04/XII and 8 birds at Montaña Blanca (J. Sagardía) on 26/XII), Common Coot (the bird at Tías golf course have remained there into January), Eurasian Oystercatcher (1 bird at Janubio on 22/XII), Red Knot at Janubio, Little Stint (birds at Los Cocoteros and Janubio), Curlew Sandpiper (birds at Janubio), Eurasian Curlew (1 bird at Janubio on 22/XII), Green Sandpiper (1 bird at Arrecife on 07/XII), Great Black-backed Gull (1 1st. c.y. bird observed by J. Sagardía at Arrecife on 05/XII), Meadow Pipits have been observed in low numbers at Tías golf course, Grey Wagtails at Arrecife, Black Redstarts at El Bosquecillo on 07/XII and 3 birds that I observed at Caleta de Sebo-La Graciosa on 21/XII, Redwings at El Bosquecillo, Teguise and Los Valles, European Serin (2 or 3 birds at El Bosquecillo on 07/XII) and European Greenfinch (7 birds near Teguise golf course on 04/XII).

About breeding birds, is interesting the observation made by J. Sagardía of about 30 nests of Little Shearwater and about 60 nests of Madeiran Storm-petrel near El Golfo coast.

 

DECEMBER 2008 COMPLETE LIST

Black-necked Grebe

Black-necked Grebe. Janubio salt pans. Photo: F. J. García Vargas

 

Black-necked Grebe. Janubio salt pans. Photo: F. J. García Vargas

 

Little Shearwater

Madeiran Storm-petrel

Cattle Egret

Little Egret

Grey Heron

Common Teal

Common Teal. Janubio salt pans. Photo: J. Sagardía

 

Common Teal. Janubio salt pans. Photo: J. Sagardía

 

Eurasian Marsh Harrier

Lesser Kestrel

Common Kestrel

Barbary Falcon

Barbary Partridge

Common Coot

Houbara Bustard

Eurasian Oystercatcher

Black-winged Stilt

Ringed Plover

Ringed Plover (partially albino bird). Janubio salt pans. Photo: J. Sagardía

 

Ringed Plover (partially albino bird). Janubio salt pans. Photo: J. Sagardía

 

Kentish Plover

Grey Plover

Grey Plover. Janubio salt pans. Photo: J. Sagardía

 

Red Knot

Sanderling

Little Stint

Little Stint. Janubio salt pans. Photo: J. Sagardía

 

Curlew Sandpiper

Dunlin

Bar-tailed Godwit

Whimbrel

Eurasian Curlew

Common Redshank

Common Greenshank

Green Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Ruddy Turnstone

Mediterranean Gull

Mediterranean Gull. Arrecife. Photo: J. Sagardía

 

Mediterranean Gull. Arrecife. Photo: F. J. García Vargas

 

Mediterranean Gull. Arrecife. Photo: F. J. García Vargas

 

Black-headed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Great Black-backed Gull. Arrecife. Photo: J. Sagardía

 

Sandwich Tern

Eurasian Collared Dove

Laughing Dove

Ring-necked Parakeet

Hoopoe

Lesser Short-toed Lark

Berthelot´s Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Grey Wagtail

White Wagtail

European Robin

Black Redstart

Black Redstart. El Bosquecillo-Haría. Photo: J. Sagardía

 

Fieldfare

Fieldfare. El Bosquecillo-Haría. Photo: F. J. García Vargas (only record shot)

 

Fieldfare. El Bosquecillo-Haría. Photo: F. J. García Vargas (only record shot)

 

Song Thrush

Song Thrush. El Bosquecillo-Haría. Photo: J. Sagardía

 

Redwing

Redwing. El Bosquecillo-Haría (bird at flight: near Teguise golf course). Photos: J. Sagardía

 

Spectacled Warbler

Spectacled Warbler. El Bosquecillo-Haría. Photo: J. Sagardía

 

Sardinian Warbler (many singing males that I observed at Caleta de Sebo-La Graciosa on 21/XII)

Blackcap (including 1 female that I observed at Caleta de Sebo-La Graciosa on 21/XII)

Blackcap. Uga. Photo: J.Sagardía

 

Common Chiffchaff

Common Chiffchaff. Uga. Photo: J. Sagardía

 

Willow Warbler

Shouthern Grey Shrike

Common Raven

Common Raven. Famara plains. Photo: J. Sagardía

 

Common Starling

Spanish Sparrow

European Serin

Canary

European Greenfinch

Common Linnet

Trumpeter Finch