New Cameras
Bird Rarities Committee news
Text: Margus Ots, RC chairman
Photod: Uku Paal
Translation: Liis
The Estonian Rarities Committee (RC) has again made a number of decisions. The updated list of all accepted observations can be read on EOY’s web site http://www.eoy.ee/yhing/hk/hk_aktsept.pdf
Very interesting observations that were officially confirmed are for instance:
Long-billed dowitcher.
Long-billed dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus): 02.10.2009 Põgari, Läänemaa juv. (Uku Paal, Jan Nordblad, Jukka Hauru, Esko Railo and others.). First sighting in Estonia. Photos HERE
Sabine’s gull.
Sabine’s gull (Larus sabini): 18.10.2009 Harilaid, Saaremaa juv. (Andrus Jair, Uku Paal, Jan Nordblad, Tom Nordblad, Tarvo Valker, Sander Sirelbu, Taivo Leesment and others.)
The List of Estonian birds at the moment contains 375 species: http://www.eoy.ee/varamu/lists/estbird.htm
Four species have been added this year:
Water pipit (Anthus spinoletta)
Ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris)
Greater sandplover (Charadrius leschenaultii)
Long-billed dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus)
The RC also revised the list of species to be handled by RC, and made some changes:
1. Little crake (Porzana parva) is a comparatively common and widely spread bird, that our bird observers also have finally learnt to recognise. Because of this, starting 2010 the RC will no longer handle little crake observations; all observations before that are however welcomed as usual.
2. White-winged tern (Chlidonias leucopterus) has become a comparatively frequent visitor in the last years, and has even turned into an irregular nester. Since it is also easy to determine the species, from 2010 onwards the RC will no longer handle white-winged tern observations.
NB! All nesting observations however are noted by the RC as before.
NB! All nesting observations however are noted by the RC as before.
3. The grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) is a relatively frequent migrant here, and has also become an irregular nester in Estonia. The grey wagtail too is comparatively easy to determine, and so the RC has decided not to handle grey wagtail observations from 2010 on.
NB! All nesting information belongs to RC matters as before.
For information: observations of American or black scoter, and other sightings from the Põõsaspea migration project, have not been formally presented to the RC yet. The Põõsaspea data will arrive at the RC at the end of the project (hopefully still in the present year), and then decisions will be made.
This is a good opportunity to remind all that observations of species (and subspecies) that belong to RC’s jurisdiction and that have not been presented to the RC are regarded as not accepted observations, and they are not included in summaries of birds in the respective areas. If for instance someone has come across rarities in connection with Bird Atlas work we ask them to send information to the RC as soon as possible. The observations must in all cases be confirmed by the RC, or they are not counted as valid.
This is a good opportunity to remind all that observations of species (and subspecies) that belong to RC’s jurisdiction and that have not been presented to the RC are regarded as not accepted observations, and they are not included in summaries of birds in the respective areas. If for instance someone has come across rarities in connection with Bird Atlas work we ask them to send information to the RC as soon as possible. The observations must in all cases be confirmed by the RC, or they are not counted as valid.
