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Pine grosbeak, Kabli bird station 24.10.2012

 

As it happens somehow I haven’t managed to get out on any birding trips for 2 whole weeks. Such a long pause hasn’t occurred earlier this year and will not be repeated either. November is actually one of the most boring bird months and I did not have any plans for long trips, but some interesting things have happened in the meantime all the same. Reports from all Estonia continued to arrive about pine grosbeaks  (Pinicola enucleator), it has been the greatest invasion of the last decades. Mostly birds passing overhead have been observed, only in a few cases the birds have stayed for some longer time, as for instance at the Kabli bird station, where I myself went to twitch them in October. As winter arrives some bird may be stopping somewhere for longer, then all interested parties can get it down as a life-time first observation. The pine grosbeak observations can be seen in the e-Biodiversity database and on the Estbirding web page list of interesting observations.

One of the most interesting observations of the last few weeks came from Haldi in Hiiumaa on November 3rd, when an Isabelline shrike (Lanius isabellinus) from Asia was seen. This species has been seen only 2 times before in Estonia earlier. While the two first birds had the subspecies phoenicuroides characteristics the Hiiumaa bird had the subspecies isabellinus features. Since in all probability a splitting awaits the Isabelline shrike – that is, the two subspecies are set up as distinct separate species – it may be that with the latest observation the Estonian species list may even get another species some time in the future. A photo  of the Isabelline shrike from Hiiumaa is in the Estbirding gallery.

In Tahkuna on Hiiumaa a  black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) was seen on November 6th; I have tried to find it myself in October/November but in vain. This autumn the species has been seen in Estonia only 2 times. Theoretically the black-legged kittiwake I may still come across the black-legged kittiwake this year, they have been seen even in December, but the best time is already past. Nothing to be done about it, I cant unfortunately twitch all the species that have been seen in Estonia. A photo of the Tahkuna blacklegged kittiwake is in the Estbirding gallery.

Today afternoon a report came from The Kihnu island about a possible observation of a  Naumann’s thrush (Turdus naumanni). Unfortunately the bird disappeared and before dark it could not be found again so the identification remained without a final confirmation. If the bird should be found again tomorrow morning and the identification will be confirmed then all the hottest twitchers will rush to the island because this Siberian species has not been seen in Estonia earlier.