WINTERING LESSER YELLOWLEGS

TRANSLATED BY MARTIN KELSEY

Almost at the very end of 2013, on 30^th December, Fergus Crystal had the good fortune to find a Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) at Puebla de Alcollarín (Badajoz), in the district of Vegas Altas, which straddles the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz. As we posted earlier, this was only the second record in Extremadura of this rare American wader. The first was a bird on autumn passage (08/08/1999, Valdesalor reservoir, Cáceres). This second bird is particularly interesting because it is one of the very few confirmed over-wintering records in the Iberian peninsula. The bird has remained in the same area in which it was first discovered in December. This winter it seems that one or two Lesser Yellowlegs have also stayed on in the Algarve (Portugal). This magnificent photo (above) published by Santiago Avis serves as a deserved excuse to provide you with an update on this bird.

It was first found on 30th December 2013 (F. Crystal), and seen again that same afternoon (Marc Gálvez, José Guerra, José Gómez Aparicio). On 7th January 2014 it was relocated by Martin Kelsey in an adjacent area, where it was seen on 8th (Alberto Gil) and on 11th January (Juan Pablo Prieto, Francisco Montaño, Sergio Mayordomo, César Clemente, Javier Prieta, Eva Palacios, M. Gálvez, J. Guerra, Antonio Calvo, Pepe Guisado, Pilar Goñi and Neil Reinwick) and then on 10th (M. Kelsey) and 18th February (S. Avís).

LESSER YELLOWLEGS: SECOND RECORD FOR EXTREMADURA

After a very poor autumn for rarities in Extremadura, especially compared with the outstanding year of 2012, when between September and December several species of rare geese were found, a White-tailed Eagle, a Pallid Harrier, a Yellow-browed Warbler, a Ruppell`s Vulture and two Buff-breasted Sandpipers. During the same period in 2013 we have not had much to show…until the 30th December 2013, when Fergus Crystal found a Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) in the rice fields close to the village of Puebla de Alcollarín (Villar de Rena, Badajoz). In the same day José Guerra, Marc Gálvez (photos, see link) and José Gómez Aparicio were able to watch it as well and suggested it was an adult; after that the bird flew off and was not relocated.

[NOTE: the bird was found again on 7th January 2014 by Martin Kelsey on another rice field at the same area, Puebla de Alcollarín. On 8th January it was seen by Alberto Gil at the same site. On 11th January seen again by Pablo Prieto, Francisco Montaño, Sergio Mayordomo, César Clemente, Javier Prieta, Eva Palacios, M. Gálvez, J. Guerra, Antonio Calvo, Pepe Guisado, Pilar Goñi y Neil Renwick. On 10th February is seen again in the same place by Martin Kelsey]

This is the second record of this species in Extremadura. The first took place 14 years ago: a probable adult seen by Agustín Mogena on 8th August 1999 at Valdesalor reservoir (Cáceres).

The Lesser Yellowlegs is a New World wader that breeds in the Arctic and Winters from the South of North America to Chile and Argentina. In mainland Spain there have been 57 accepted records up until 2011. On one occasion, two birds were together, otherwise all the records are of single birds. Although it has been recorded in every month of the year, the peak is clearly in autumn (September-December), with a second peak in April-May. It has been recorded throughout the peninsular, as well as on the Caneries and Balearics, but mainly in north-west Spain. This is a typical pattern for neartic waders. As far as we know, there were only autumn records in 2013, from August onwards with five records: Valencia, Navarra, La Coruña and two in the Algarve (Reservoir Birds, Rare Birds in Spain).