Tuesday 27 December 2011

Azores Review 2011

Here's some personal highlights from the Azores 2011 :


WINTER


A trip in February to see the wintering Yellow-crowned Night Heron also produced a good haul of wintering vagrants.

Ring-billed Gull (one of 30 in the regular wintering flock at Praia da Vitoria)

Aythya selection box with Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Greater Scaup and Tufted Duck. Ring-necked Ducks were just out of view.

Greater Yellowlegs at Lagoa do Junco


Pied-billed Grebe at Angra do Heroismo


Mediterranean Gull. This bird was keeping company with a ringed individual which was ringed as a pullus on the 17/06/2010 at Hellevoetsluis, Slijkplaat, Zuid-Holland


and 2010 here:


SPRING
In June a group of us went on an exploration pelagic from Graciosa investigating the largely unchartered birding waters in search of endemic seabirds and rare pterdromas.
Spring pelagic crew 2011



Azores Bullfinch. One the way to Graciosa we stopped off at Sao Miguel to get the endemic Azores Bullfinch.

Monteiro's Petrel (Richard Bonser). This recently described species was one of the main targets of our trip.


Wilson's Petrel (Richard Bonser). Up to 15 birds were found feeding in the 'Sea of Fortune'.


Common Dolphins (Gareth Knass). Other cetaceans seen included Cuvier's Beaked Whales and Risso's Dolphin.


Large Skua sp. (Tony Blunden)
In addition to the endemic birds we also found a Sooty Tern and several large skuas whose identity are yet to be fully confirmed.

More on the 2011 spring pelagic here:

http://azoresnature.co.uk/?page_id=15

AUTUMN
The ritual pilgrimage to Corvo proved to yet another great year.


Corvo


2011 Corvo birder group


Twitching the White-tailed Tropicbird




Vincent in action


Yellow-crowned Night Heron. (Vincent Legrand)


Northern Parula (Vincent Legrand)


Purple Martin (Vincent Legrand)


White-tailed Tropicbird


White-tailed Tropicbird (Vincent Legrand)


More on autumn 2011 here:



For all Azores Bird News:

No comments: