Sharp-tailed Sandpipers at Ezumakeeg in August 1998 and August 2000

From 6 to 23 August 1998, a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata was observed at Ezumakeeg, Lauwersmeer, Friesland, the Netherlands. On 6 August, another Sharp-tailed Sandpiper was briefly seen at the same site; this bird was identified with certainty as a second adult individual on 7 August and was last seen on 8 August. The birds could be recognized individually on the basis of their plumage and feeding behaviour. The first bird was an adult in summer plumage which was feeding very slowly; the second was an adult already moulting to winter plumage on the underparts and feeding more actively. Identification of the second individual initially caused some problems because the chevrons on the breast and flanks were less obvious, thus creating the impression of a breast band. In the evening hours of 16 August 2000, an adult Sharp-tailed Sandpiper was again present at the same site. These observations constituted the second, third and fourth Sharp-tailed Sandpipers for the Netherlands. The first was an adult at Philippine, Zeeland, on 14-21 September 1989 (this bird was considered to be the same individual as the first for Belgium at Longchamps, Namur, on 3-5 September 1989). Remarkably, the fifth for the Netherlands, also an adult, was in exactly the same Ezumakeeg area as the previous three from 24 July 2002 onwards.

Rudy Offereins, Grote Kerkstraat 109, 8911 EB Leeuwarden, Nederland
calidris@xs4all.nl
A (Bert) de Bruin, Albertine Agnesplein 8a, 9717 EV Groningen, Nederland
tete@wxs.nl
Ferdy G S M Hieselaar, Meijerslaan 32, 2105 PB Heemstede, Nederland
f.hieselaar@sfb.nl
Eric Koops, Elzenlaan 54, 9741 NG Groningen, Nederland
eric.koops@ahold.com
Roy Slaterus, Patiëntiestraat 3, 2011 DL Haarlem, Nederland
rslaterus@hotmail.com

Witkruintapuit in Algarve, Portugal, in maart 2001  Op 25 maart 2001 werd gedurende een aantal uren een Witkruintapuit Oenanthe leucopyga waargenomen en gefotografeerd bij Mexilhoeira Grande, Algarve, Portugal. De vogel werd gedetermineerd aan de hand van het overwegend zwarte verenkleed met een witte voorhoofdsband, witte anaalstreek, onderstaartdekveren en onderstaart, en overwegend witte staart waarop de karakteristieke zwarte tapuiten-T nauwelijks aanwezig was op de toppen van de buitenste staartpennen. Waarschijnlijk betrof het een vogel in eerste-zomerkleed, door de combinatie van dof zwart verenkleed, vlekkerige witte tekening op de bovenkop en bruine tint op de slagpennen en grote dekveren.

Het betreft het eerste geval voor Portugal en het vierde geval (en vijfde exemplaar) voor West-Europa; eerdere gevallen waren in Duitsland (13-15 mei 1986; geplaatst in categorie D), Engeland (4-5 juni 1982) en Spanje (28 mei 1977, twee). Buiten West-Europa is deze overwegend standvogel uit Noord-Afrika en het Midden-Oosten binnen het West-Palearctische gebied als dwaalgast vastgesteld in Cyprus (5), Griekenland, Koeweit, Malta (1) en Turkije (1).

Mixed pair of Dark-bellied Brent Goose and Black Brant with two hybrid young on Terschelling in April-May 2000

In April 2000, a mixed pair of Black Brant Branta nigricans and Dark-bellied Brent Goose B bernicla with two hybrid young was observed on Terschelling, Friesland, the Netherlands. This is the second record of a mixed pair with young in the Netherlands; in the winter of 1991/92, a mixed pair with two young was present and photographed in Zuid-Holland and Zeeland. The only Dutch record of a pure pair of Black Brants with (two) young was in February-March 1998 on Texel, Noord-Holland. In England, at least two mixed pairs of Black Brant and Dark-bellied Brent Goose have been observed with four and six young, respectively. In March 2002, a pure pair of Black Brants with one young was reported in England.

Theo Bakker, Eemsgolaan 24, 9727 DW Groningen, Nederland
theojbakker@hetnet.nl
Enno Ebels, Joseph Haydnlaan 4, 3533 AE Utrecht, Nederland
ebels@wxs.nl

Lesser Spotted Eagle wintering in Sicily, Italy, in 2000-01

Between late September and late October 2000, c seven juvenile Lesser Spotted Eagles Aquila pomarina, all migrants, were recorded between Siracusa and Gela, south-eastern Sicily, Italy. On 31 October 2000, a juvenile Lesser Spotted Eagle flew off from the semi-dried ponds in the northern saltpans. The next day, it was seen again. After an absence of a couple of days, the bird was relocated in the Saline di Siracusa area. The rest of the month, it was seen there almost daily. During the early morning, the bird was hunting in nearby fields or along reed-beds and from c 12:00 it used to perch on dead trees (enabling a detailed study of the plumage). Its range became gradually larger and after a month, the bird not only frequented the Saline di Siracusa area but also more distant areas. In fact, it was often seen arriving from the direction of Mount Climiti and Val d\'Anapo, Mount Iblei, an area of low mountains behind Siracusa. Possibly, the bird roosted overnight in the woods of this area and hunted in the valleys and the Saline di Siracusa area during the day. It remained in the area until 13 December. After 13 December, the Lesser Spotted Eagle could not be found anymore. However, on 26 December, it was relocated at Vendicari NR, a wetland 45 km south of Saline di Siracusa. The last record was on 18 January 2001.

Andrea Corso, Via Camastra 10, 96100 Siracusa, Italy
voloerrante@yahoo.it

Giuseppe Consoli, Viale Teracati 50, 96100 Siracusa, Italy

Presumed escaped White-winged Crossbill at De Zilk in 1963

In van den Berg & Bosman (1999), one of the photographs for Two-barred Crossbill Loxia leucoptera shows a bird of which several features struck us as odd, namely the one showing a female photographed on 7 October 1963 at De Zilk, Noordwijkerhout, Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands. The slender bill with a particularly long upper mandible and the small round head seemed to point towards identification as White-winged Crossbill L l leucoptera from North America rather than Two-barred Crossbill L l bifasciata from Eurasia (cf van den Berg & Bosman 2001). Alan Knox (in litt) agreed that the bill and other structural features clearly indicated leucoptera.

Magnus S Robb, Barentszstraat 126, 1013 NS Amsterdam, Netherlands
robb@chello.nl
Arnoud B van den Berg, Duinlustparkweg 98, 2082 EG Santpoort-Zuid, Netherlands
arnoud.vandenberg@inter.nl.net

Forster\'s Tern on Terschelling in November 1999

On 13-14 November 1999, an adult-winter Forster\'s Tern Sterna forsteri was seen and photographed at Boschplaat, Terschelling, Friesland, the Netherlands. On the second day, it was last seen close to the shore of Ameland, Friesland. This was the third record for the Netherlands. Previous records were in Zeeland on 1-2 November 1986 and in Zuid-Holland on 5 January 1995.

Erik van Winden, Heideparkseweg 526, 6532 TA Nijmegen, Nederland
erik.vanwinden@sovon.nl
Enno Ebels, Joseph Haydnlaan 4, 3533 AE Utrecht, Nederland
ebels@wxs.nl