Rare birds in Croatia. The fifth report of the Croatian Birds Rarities Committee

This is the 31st annual report from the Norwegian Rarities Committee (NSKF). The majority of records treated here are from 2006, but some older records are also included. The Norwegian rarities committee follow advises given by the Taxonomic Advisory Committee (TAC) of the Association of European Record and Rarities Committees (AERC) on issues concerning taxonomy and nomenclature. The systematic list of accepted records is set out in the following system: (1) The bird’s Norwegian name, (2) scientific name, (3) the numbers in brackets, e.g. (2, 30/32, 1), refers respectively to the ( i ) total number of records/total number of individuals up to and including 1974, ( ii ) total number of records/total number of individuals from 1975 (the foundation year of NSKF), except ( iii ) records/individuals in 2006, (4) any breeding, (5) year, (6) county, (7) number of individuals, age (1K = first calendar year etc.), sex (if known) and sometimes circumstances («rm» means that the bird was ringed), (8) site and municipality, (9) date, (10) * indicates if the record was complemented by positive evidence, and type of the evidence (F = photo, V = video-recorded, L = tape-recorded, DNA = DNA-analysis, D = found dead), (11) observers’ names in brackets, main observer(s) is specified first and emphasized with *, (12) roughly gives the species’ distribution and (13) comments concerning the records. Species, subspecies and hybrids new to the Norwegian list: With 245 accepted records presented in this report, 2006 was another good year for rare birds in Norway. A total of 42 accepted records from previous years complete the status of rare birds on the Norwegian list. There are five records presented that have been shelved. Also presented are 26 records that for some reason have not been accepted. All previous records of Booted Warbler Hippolais caligata ssp. and Bonelli’s Warbler Phylloscopus bonelli ssp. have been reassessed following the recent split of these two species. The two formerly accepted records of Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis of the subspecies vlasowae have also been reassessed based on new knowledge on the variation within the nominate subspecies. Three new species to the Norwegian category A list are presented in this report. This brings the official Norwegian list to 477 species. Included in this list are accepted records in category A-C. The new species in 2006 were Masked Shrike Lanius nubicus (Utsira, Rogaland 2nd to 15 th October) and Blackpoll Warbler Dendroica striata (Reve, Rogaland 2nd to 12th November). In addition the first two Sykes’s Warblers Hippolais rama (Forus, Rogaland 11th September 1983 and Monstermyr, Vest-Agder 20th September 1997) were accepted during the reassessment of older records. A Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena collected at Traena, Nordland 28th January 1949 has been accepted as the first Norwegian record of the holboellii subspecies. Two records of hybrid Blue-winged Teal Anas discors x Northern Shoveler A. clypeata (Aheim, More og Romsdal 7th – 9th June 2003 and Lista fyr, Vest-Agder 31 st July – 5th August 2006) have also been accepted as the national first and second records. General trends: Record numbers for Norway was recorded for the following species during 2006: Great Bittern Botaurus stellaris (eight records), Black Kite Milvus migrans (nine records), Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus (ten records), Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola (nine records) and Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor (three records). Also, 2006 saw the highest number (six records of eleven birds) for Corn Bunting in recent times, including the first successful breeding since 1939. Six records involving ten birds of Arctic Redpoll Carduelis hornemanni of the nominate subspecies was also an all time high. Also published here are the 4th & 5th Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca for Norway, 4 th American Black Duck Anas rubripes , 3rd Piedbilled Grebe Podilymbus podiceps , 2nd Little Shearwater Puffinus [assimilis] baroli , 3rd Swinhoe’s Storm-petrel Oceanodroma monorhis , 5th Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola , 4 th American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica , 8th & 9th Bonaparte’s Gull Larus philadelphia , 4th, 8th & 9th Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis , 10th & 11th Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans , 7 th Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica , 4th Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina , 2nd Eastern Orphean Warbler Sylvia crassirostris and 2 nd Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala (cat. D).

Rare birds in Slovenia in 2018 – Slovenian Rarities Committee Report

Rare birds in Croatia. The fourth report of the Croatian Birds Rarities Committee

Summary This report by the Slovenian Rarities Committee presents records of rare bird species in Slovenia in 2017, with some addenda for previous years. The numbers in brackets refer to the number of records (first number) and individuals (second number) recorded between 1 Jan 1950 and 31 Dec 2016. Since 1 Jan 2013, submission to the Committee has been required for 37 additional species, 17 of which are regional rarities. Records of these species are not numbered, since records from previous years were not collected by the Committee. The Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis was first recorded in Category A, in addition to previous Category D and E records. Other notable observations were the third record of Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis, fifth records of Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus and Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus, and seventh records of Greater Blackbacked Gull Larus marinus and Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius. The list of birds recorded in Slovenia (as of 31 Dec 2017) contains 390 species (375 in Category A, 6 in Category B, 9 exclusively in Category C; 4 species are both in Categories A and C). Category D contains 7 species, while Category E contains 39, two of which are classified into Subcategory E*. These two categories are not part of the list.

Summary. Report on rare birds in Spain 2009. This is the 26th annual report of the Spanish rarities committee (Comite de Rarezas de SEO/BirdLife). This report includes 291 records on the presence of 84 rare bird taxa, with an acceptance rate of 75%. The report contains nine additions to the Spanish Bird List: Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica, white-backed vulture Gyps africanus, African purple swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio of the race madagascarensis, hudsonian whimbrel Numenius phaeopus of the race hudsonicus, bridled tern Onychoprion anaethetus, belted kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon, Naumann's thrush Turdus naumanni and black-and-white warbler Mniotilta varia. Having agreed acceptance criteria, the first accepted records of Caspian gull Larus cachinnans registered since 2005 are also included in this report. Second records for Spain of hooded merganser Mergus cucullatus, white wagtail Motacilla alba of the race subpersonata, house bunting Emberiza sahari and of a petrel assigned to the species pair Zino's/Fea's...

Rare birds in Slovenia in 2019 – Slovenian Rarities Committee’s Report

Summary This report by the Slovenian Rarities Committee presents records of rare bird species in Slovenia in 2016, with some addenda for previous years. The numbers in brackets refer to the number of records (first number) and individuals (second number) recorded between 1 Jan 1950 and 31 Dec 2015. Since 1 Jan 2013, submission to the Committee has been required for 37 additional species, 17 of which are regional rarities. Records of these species are not numbered, since records from previous years were not collected by the Committee. Two new species, Scopoli’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea and Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea, were added to Category A. Other notable observations were the second record of Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes, third and fourth records of Pallid Swift Apus pallidus, fifth to seventh records of Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus and the sixth and seventh records of Gannet Morus bassanus. Twelve records of Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus are an all-time annual high. Among Category E species, the Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus was recorded for the second time. The list of birds recorded in Slovenia (as of 31 Dec 2016) contains 388 species (373 in Category A, 6 in Category B, 9 exclusively in Category C; 4 species are both in Categories A and C). Category D contains 6 species, while Category E contains 38, two of which are classified into Subcategory E*. These two categories are not part of the list.

This is the 30th annual report and the 31 st announcement from the Norwegian Rarities Committee (NSKF). The majority of records treated here are from 2005, but some older records are also included. Norway follows taxonomic advises given by the Taxonomic Advisory Committee (TAC) in the Association of European Record and Rarities Committees (AERC). The systematic list of accepted records is set out in the following system: (1) The bird's Norwegian name, (2) scientific name, (3) the numbers in brackets, e.g. (2, 30/32, 1), refers respectively to the ( i ) total number of records/total number of individuals up to and including 1974, ( ii ) total number of records/total number of individuals from 1975 (the foundation year of NSKF), except ( iii ) records/individuals in 2005, (4) any breeding, (5) year, (6) county, (7) number of individuals, age (1K = first calendar year etc.), sex (if known) and sometimes circumstances («rm» means that the bird was ringed), (8) site and municipality, (9) date, (10) * indicates if the record was complemented by positive evidence, and type of the evidence (F = photo, V = video-recorded, L = tape-recorded, D = found dead), (11) observers' names in brackets, main observer(s) is specified first and emphasized with *, (12) roughly gives the species' distribution and (13) comments concerning the records. General trends With 260 accepted records presented in this report, 2005 was one of the best years in the his- tory of NSKF. A total of 62 accepted records from previous years complete the status of rare birds on the Norwegian Bird list. There are 17 records presented that have been shelved. Two thirds of these concerns presumed hybrid Herring x Glaucous Gulls or first year «Eastern Yellow Wagtails». These records have been shelved due to the lack of identification knowledge in the literature for such birds. Also presented are 46 records that for some reason have not been accepted. Record numbers for Norway was recorded for the following species during 2005: White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis (four records involving five birds), Barn Owl Tyto alba (three records), Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti (five records), Black-throated Thrush Turdus ruficollis atrogularis (four records) and Arctic Warbler Phylloscopus borealis (11 records involving 15 birds). Also, 2005 was the first year ever with multiple records of Ross's Gull Rhodostethia rosea (two records), Pallid Swift Apus pallidus (two records involving three birds) and Steppe Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis pallidirostris (two records). Four records of «Eastern» Stonechat Saxicola torquatus maurus/stejnegeri were also an all time high. Species and hybrids new to the Norwegian list Two new species to the Norwegian category A list are presented in this report. This brings the official Norwegian bird list to 474 species. Included in this list are accepted records in category A-C. The new species were Siberian Rubythroat Luscinia calliope and Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus . Both were found at Utsira, Rogaland in early October. Hybrid Mallard Anas platyrhynchos x Gadwall Anas strepera at Innfjorden, Rauma, More og Romsdal and Mallard x American Black Duck A. rubripes at Surnadal, More og Romsdal were also new for Norway. Also published here are the 2nd & 3rd Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca for Norway, 3 rd American Black Duck Anas rubripes , 3rd American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica , 3rd Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii , 3rd Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda , 6th Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius , 5th Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor , 3rd Laughing Gull Larus atricilla , 5th Franklin's Gull Larus pipixcan , 1st-2nd & 5th-6th Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis , 9th Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans , 4th Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii , 10th Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra , 5th-7th Blyth's Pipit Anthus godlewskii , 10th Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler Locustella certhiola , 2nd Thick-billed Warbler Acrocephalus aedon , c. 8th Booted Warbler Hippolais caligata , c. 3rd Western Bonelli's Warbler Phylloscopus bonelli , 9th & 10th record of Penduline Tit Remiz pendulinus and 4th & 5th Steppe Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis pallidirostr is .

Summary This report by the Slovenian Rarities Committee presents records of rare bird species in Slovenia in 2015, with some addenda for previous years. The numbers in brackets refer to the number of records (first number) and individuals (second number) recorded between 1 Jan 1950 and 31 Dec 2014. Since 1 Jan 2013, submission to the Committee has been required for 37 additional species, 17 of which are regional rarities. Records of these species are not numbered, since records from previous years were not collected by the Committee. One new species, the Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti, was added to category A. Other notable observations were the first record of Parrot Crossbill Loxia pytyopsittacus after 1909, the second record of Baillon’s Crake Zapornia pusilla, the third and fourth records of Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra, the fourth of Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus, the fifth of Richard’s Pipit Anthus richardi and the sixth of Grey Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius. Four species were added to category E: Bahama Pintail Anas bahamensis, Rosy-billed Pochard Netta peposaca, Harris’s Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus and Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria. The list of birds recorded in Slovenia (as of 31 Dec 2015) contains 386 species (371 in category A, 6 in category B, 9 exclusively in category C; 4 species are both in categories A and C). Category D contains 6 species, while category E contains 38, two of which are classified into subcategory E*. These two categories are not part of the list.

Summary This report by the Slovenian Rarities Committee presents records of rare bird species in Slovenia in 2013, with some addenda for previous years. The numbers in brackets refer to the number of records (first number) and individuals (second number), recorded between 1 Jan 1950 and 31 Dec 2012. Since 1 Jan 2013, submission to the Committee is required for 37 additional species, 17 of which are regional rarities. Records of these species are not numbered, since records from previous years were not collected by the Committee. Four new species were recorded in category A: White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala, Baillon’s Crake Porzana pusilla, Audouin’s Gull Larus audouinii and Siberian Rubythroat Calliope calliope. Three species, Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris, Chukar Alectoris chukar and Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus, were added to category E. Other notable observations were the second and third records of Bewick’s Swan Cygnus columbianus and fourth record of Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus. The list of birds recorded in Slovenia (as of 31 Dec 2013) contains 384 species (369 in category A, 7 in category B, 8 exclusively in category C; 4 species are both in categories A and C). Category D contains 6 species, while category E contains 33. These two categories are not part of the list

The British List: A Checklist of Birds of Britain (9th edition)

THE NORWEGIAN BIRD REPORT 2000 - a report on locally uncommon and scarce birds in Norway in 2000, by the Norwegian Bird Records Committee (NFKF) The basis of this report is the annual reports produced by the county rarities committees. For 2000 all the counties, with the exception of Finnmark and Sogn og Fjordane counties contributed to the report. Only limited information for some species was received from Troms. The Svalbard archipelago and Jan Mayen are not represented in this report. With the exception of the northernmost counties the report thus reflects fairly well the observations reported from Norway in 2000. Readers should take care to note the geographical and time delimitation of the records stated for the different species, as stated in codes immediately after the scientific name of the species. This report details records of locally uncommon and scarce birds only, and not national rarities. National rarity records are treated by the Norwegian Rare Bird Committee (NSKF) and are published separately (e.g. Mjolsnes et al . 2005). Notable observations in 2000 were influxes or higher numbers than usual of different species, such as Corncrake Crex crex , Spotted Crake Porzana porzana , Snowy Owl Nyctea scandiaca and Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros . New arrivals of Guillemot Uria aalge in the larger freshwater lakes in southern parts of Norway were notable. This influx follows the larger influx in 1997 from which birds still remain in these freshwater bodies. The growth of the recently established colonies of Cormorant of the subspecies sinensis continued, with 482 nests at Ora (OF) (first confirmed breeding in 1997). The status of the colony at Orrevann (RO) in 2000 is unknown, but contained more than 100 nests in 1999 (first confirmed breeding with 6 nests in 1996). In addition many birds have been recorded from other freshwater sites in Southern Norway. The Norwegian population of Lesser White-fronted Goose (the last remaining wild population of this species in Europe) still lingers on, with 64 individuals recorded during spring migration. Breeding failure prevailed this year with only one pair with 2 juveniles recorded (compared to 17 successful breeding pairs in 1999). The partly introduced population of Barnacle Goose in the Oslofjord-area continued to increase (59 pairs in 1999). White-tailed Eagles also continued their range expansion in the southernmost regions, e.g. 5 birds recorded at Ora (OF), where the last breeding record stems from 1882. The Peregrine also increases strongly in Norway, with now around 500 breeding pairs (up from a low of ca. 50 pairs in the 1950’s and 1960’s). The aid of playback of sound recordings has revealed more Water Rails during late autumn and winter than hitherto known, suggesting that many birds migrate to the western coasts of Norway. The Corncrake had another good year with a new record of 131-137 individuals in 2000. The first wintering record of Common Crane from 2.1-12.3 at Jaeren (RO) was notable and as with other species indicate that the climate is changing towards milder winters. Many new lekking sites of Great Snipe were also detected this year, and one unusual late record of a specimen at Ostensjovann, As (OA) was made 3.12. Woodcock also occurred in unusually high wintering numbers with 134 individuals. An influx of Iceland Gull was noted in the southern parts of Norway with 58 individuals, including one inland observation from Mjosa (OP). One of the birds in Trondheim (ST) was a possible kumlieni . Readers should note that both Glaucous Gull and Iceland Gull are common and occur in larger numbers (hundreds) in the northernmost counties. An influx of Snowy Owl during the autumn was noted in all parts of the country, with 57-58 individuals. The trend towards milder winter climate has brought a significant increase in the breeding population of Grey Wagtail, and the numbers of wintering White Wagtail and Dunnock have increased. The numbers of White Wagtail subspecies yarrellii occurring during the summer months are steadily increasing. A spring influx of Stonechat brings back hope for a re-establishment of the western coast breeding population. The autumn migration of Yellow-browed Warbler resulted in a new national record in one year with 64 individuals. Also notable was a winter record of a Willow Warbler in December. Bearded Tits continued to occur in good numbers following the influx of 1999. The influx of Nutcrackers in 1995 helped establish a thriving breeding population outside their normal breeding areas in Norway (such as in ST), while the remnants of the influx of Two-barred Crossbill in 1996 finally seem to fade away. The Hawfinch is still spreading northwards and is now recorded more frequently, including as far north as TR.

This report by the Slovenian Rarities Committee presents records of rare bird species in Slovenia in 2014, with some addenda for previous years. The numbers in brackets refer to the number of records (first number) and individuals (second number) recorded between 1 Jan 1950 and 31 Dec 2013. Since 1 Jan 2013, submission to the Committee has been required for 37 additional species, 17 of which are regional rarities. Records of these species are not numbered, since records from previous years were not collected by the Committee. One new species was added to category C5: Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus. One species, Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis, was added to category E. Breeding was confirmed for Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata and Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus; the two species were thus transferred to subcategory E*. Other notable observations were the third and fourth records of Black Vulture Aegypius monachus, fourth and fifth records of Gannet Morus bassanus, fourth record of Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus and fourth record of Richard’s Pipit Anthus richardi. The flocks of four Gannets and 23 Flamingos Phoenicopterus roseus have been the largest recorded in Slovenia to date. The list of birds recorded in Slovenia (as of 31 Dec 2014) contains 385 species (369 in category A, 7 in category B, 9 exclusively in category C; 4 species are both in categories A and C). Category D contains 6 species, while category E contains 34, two of which are classified into subcategory E*. These two categories are not part of the list.

British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee: 28th Report (October 2001)