Dear Arne Kiis:

You have put a photo of a House Bunting, dated 16 October, in Netfugl which was taken in Nerja Malaga. Could you send more details as to exactly when and where it was and any more photos and any other information as this is a major rarity in Spain and the Spanish rarities committee will be interested.

Andy Paterson
Torremolinos, España
http://birding-the-costa.blogspot.com
http://guiri-pajarero-suelto.blogspot.com
http://e-gulls.org/

Dear Andy
The bird was seen by me alone on October 13th this year (not the 16th: I’ll ask netfugl.dk to correct this error of mine) for about 5 min around 14:35 in the afternoon.
It was sitting on the edge of a roof of a house (having 2 floors I believe) in one of the cozy narrow streets downtown the city of Nerja (Malaga province) approximately inland 100 m from the famous Balcón de Europa. I didn’t bring my binoculars but I managed to shoot half a dozen of images of the bird using my Canon DSLR with a 400mm lens. All images show the bird from basically the same angle, approximately 45 degrees upwards from the opposite pavement. As I recall it now the distance to the bird was probably about 8-10m. The bird was silent and stayed in the same spot until I left.
FYI enclosed is another image of the bird.
Perhaps I should also mention that I realized when watching it that it was a bunting but I was able to identify it until I got back to my hotel
Browsing thru my field guide I quickly realized that the bird was a Striped Bunding, ssp. sahari, although the book states that this species is only to be found in North-western Africa and not in Europe.

You mention that this is a major rarity. To your knowledge: How many obs are known there in Spain?

Best Regards,
Arne Kiis

Dear Arne:

Many thanks indeed for the information, most useful. There was another House Bunting in Tarifa in August and early September. To the best of my knowledge this is of yours only the second record for Spain which looks like a wild one,although I believe that there was a record put in category D/E about 30 years since, that being in Algeciras, it was felt that it had come on a boat, as some (including myself) feel about the Tarifa bird.

If you wish, I will send the record, along with a copy of the photo that you have sent me and your mail with the details to Spanish Rarities Committee, on your behalf. Would you give permission of the photo to be published in www.rarebirdspain.net also?

With best regards,

Andy Paterson
(ex member of Spanish rarities Committee)

Dear Andy,
Please proceed with the Spanish RC, using my images for this and the website you list.
Keep me update if possible.
Thank you very much!
Regarding D/E vs A let me add that nothing in the behavior of “my” bird made me suspicious that it was an escape.

Best Regards,

Arne Kiis

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=30041 viser samme fugl.

Very interesting record!!! Congratulations!!! In the last decades this species has expanded north an now it can be found in Tanger (N Morocco). So maybe in few years will colonize South of Spain like some other North African species?!?!

Hi Cristian,

Compelling theory....would love to hear that lovely song echoeing through the narrow streets of Tarifa....perhaps with a Ruppels Vulture or a Longlegged Buzzard soaring overhead....?
Regards
Peter