Rare birds in the Netherlands in 2004 Roland E van der Vliet, Jan van der Laan & CDNA his is the 25th annual report on rare birds in report for these. Sequence of the records in the T the Netherlands to be published in Dutch species accounts is from the current year back- Birding. This report comprises records from 2004 wards, with records within one year presented as well as belated and reconsidered records, chronologically. A compilation of most of the dating back to 1892, which have been evaluated birds videoed can be found in Boon (2005) and by the Dutch rarities committee, the Commissie Plomp et al (2005). Numbers after each (sub)spe- Dwaalgasten Nederlandse Avifauna (CDNA). cies’ name refer to the total number of individ- Several 2004 records are still under review or uals 1 from 1 January 1800 to 31 December awaiting submission and could therefore not be 1979, 2 since 1 January 1980 but excluding included. In addition, some records for 2003 and 3 the current year. Taxa marked with an asterisk * earlier years are still under consideration for are new to the Dutch list. various reasons. The following CDNA members voted on some Details included for each record are, if avail- or all of the records in this report: Theo Bakker, able: date(s); location and/or municipality (muni- Max Berlijn, Ruud E Brouwer, A (Bert) de Bruin cipal divisions as on 1 January 2004); province; (secretary), Nils van Duivendijk (archivist), Teus J number of birds if more than one, plumage and C Luijendijk, Laurens B Steijn, Roland E van der sex; type of record if trapped, photographed, Vliet (chairman) and Pim A Wolf. Records can be sound-recorded, videoed or found dead (and submitted through email ([email protected]) where specimen is stored); names of up to three or via the CDNA site on the Dutch Birding web- observers involved in finding, identifying and site (www.dutchbirding.nl), using an electronic recording, and relevant references in the litera- submission form. Records can also be sent by ture, which normally include (inter)national but ordinary mail to CDNA, Postbus 45, 2080 AA not regional journals, and published photo- Santpoort-Zuid, the Netherlands, preferably graphs. Records from 2003 continuing into 2004 using standard forms which can be obtained free that were already published in the 2003 report of charge from the CDNA. On the website, it is (van der Vliet et al 2004) are repeated here with- possible to see which records are currently under out references, for the sake of completeness. review, which were recently accepted and which Observations not (yet) submitted mentioned in were rejected. the 2003 report are not repeated in this report Decisions regarding taxonomy have been and the CDNA recommends consulting the 2003 delegated to the Dutch committee for avian sys- [Dutch Birding 27: 367-394, 2005] 367 Rare birds in the Netherlands in 2004 tematics, the Commissie Systematiek Nederland- Reviews in progress involve records of se Avifauna (CSNA) which on 1 January 2004 Whistling Swan Cygnus columbianus, Siberian consisted of the following members: Arnoud B Chiffchaff P collybita tristis (the first results are pre- van den Berg, André J van Loon, C S (Kees) sented in this report) and Yellow-headed Blackbird Roselaar and George Sangster (secretary). Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus (regarding identi- In 2004, at least 362 species were recorded, fication as well as status). The results of a review almost equal to 2003, when 363 were recorded. of field records of Booted Warbler (to establish if At least two are new to the Dutch list, Rock Sykes’s Warbler is involved) and of all spring Bunting Emberiza cia and Grey-necked Bunting records of Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus are E buchanani. Other possible new species, presented in this report. Marbled Duck Marmaronetta angustirostris, Bufflehead Bucephala albeola and Ashy-headed Systematic list of accepted records Wagtail Motacilla cinereocapilla, are still under consideration for various reasons. Taxa added to Ross’s Goose / Ross’ Gans the Dutch list from previous years are Sykes’s Anser rossii 0,5,0 Warbler Acrocephalus rama from 1986 (pre- 17-18 February and 13-27 April, Ferwerderadeels- viously accepted as Booted Warbler A caligatus), buitenpolder, Ferwerderadiel, Friesland, maximum of African Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs africana/spo- two (on 21-27 April) (R Cazemier et al), and 5-23 diogenys from 1999 (with a subsequent record of March, Oostvaardersplassen, Almere and Lelystad, an Atlas Chaffinch F c africana in 2003), Western Flevoland, and Polder IJdoorn, Durgerdam, Amster- Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica from dam, Noord-Holland, photographed (R E Alma, L B 2001 and Eastern Black Redstart Phoenicurus Steijn, G H Steinhaus et al), and 2 May to 5 June, ochruros phoenicuroides from 2003. Highlights Oostvaardersplassen, Almere, Flevoland, photograph- ed, adult, white morph (M Wielstra et al); 7 May, from 2004 are the second Western Black-eared Ezumakeeg, Dongeradeel, Friesland, adult, white Wheatear, the third Long-legged Buzzard Buteo morph (M P Olthoff et al); 16 October into 2005, rufinus, Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca, Rammegors and Scherpenissepolder, Tholen, and Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus and Baltic Yerseke, Reimerswaal, Zeeland, and Ouddorp, Goede- Gull Larus fuscus fuscus, the fourth Red-necked reede, and Slikken van Flakkee, Dirksland, Zuid- Stint C ruficollis, and the fifth Franklin’s Gull Holland, adult, white morph, photographed (B de L pipixcan, Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus Bruijn, P A Wolf et al); 19 December, Hurwenensche canus and Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler Uiterwaarden, Rossum, Gelderland, adult, white Locustella certhiola. 2004 is a record year for morph, photographed (P van de Braak). 2003 16 February, Mirns, Gaasterlân-Sleat, Friesland, Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus, Lesser photographed (B Steffen, G Sennert); 25 December to Yellowlegs T flavipes, Terek Sandpiper Xenus 8 April 2004, Rammegors and Scherpenissepolder, cinereus (equalling 2003), Red-rumped Swallow Tholen, and Yerseke, Reimerswaal, Zeeland, and Oud- Hirundo daurica, White’s Thrush Zoothera aurea, dorp, Goedereede, and Slikken van Flakkee, Dirksland, River Warbler L fluviatilis, Dartford Warbler Zuid-Holland, adult, white morph, photographed (M van Sylvia undata and Iberian Chiffchaff Phyllo- Dijl et al; Dutch Birding 26: 142, plate 205, 2004). scopus ibericus (equaling 2002, with an addi- A ‘normal’ winter for this Nearctic goose, with the tional report still in circulation). For 2003, two usual small number of returning birds (minimum of two additional records for both Paddyfield Warbler but possibly more); it is hard to establish how many individuals are actually involved. A agricola and Blyth’s Reed Warbler A dumeto- rum make it the best year ever for these two spe- Greenland White-fronted Goose / Groenlandse Kolgans cies, whereas, also for 2003, another accepted Anser albifrons flavirostris 14,53,10 Hume’s Leaf Warbler P humei takes the total for 31 January, Diepenhoek, Someren-Heide, Someren, that year to a record six. On the other hand, for Noord-Brabant, first-winter, photographed (R J Kaste- 2004, no records have been accepted for, eg, lijn, J Kastelijn); 15-17 February, Polder Q, Petten, King Eider Somateria spectabilis, Eurasian Griffon Zijpe, Noord-Holland, eight, adult, photographed (M C Vulture Gyps fulvus, Sociable Lapwing Vanellus Witte, L Stegeman, R E Brouwer et al); 3 April, gregarius and Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola. Garrelsweer, Loppersum, Groningen, adult (M P Olt- hoff, B-J Prak et al). The recovery – and subsequent re-acceptance – The group at Petten is the third-largest ever record- of a mounted specimen of a Cream-coloured ed, after 10 at the same site in January 2002 and nine Courser Cursorius cursor collected in November at Slochteren, Groningen, in February 2002. Reports of 1909 represents, in retrospect, the first record of two birds at Abbegea (Abbega), Friesland, on 3 January, this species. one near Vlaardingen, Zuid-Holland, on 5 March, and 368 Rare birds in the Netherlands in 2004 two near Garrelsweer on 11-17 December have not Surf Scoter / Brilzee-eend (yet) been submitted (cf van Dongen et al 2004, 2005). Melanitta perspicillata 3,10,2 18 January to 7 February, Brouwersdam, Schouwen- Hutchins’s Canada Goose / Hutchins’ Canadese Gans Duiveland, Zeeland, and Goedereede, Zuid-Holland, Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii 0,6,0 first-winter male, photographed, videoed (R van 16-22 March, Anjumerkolken and Ezumakeeg, Don- Ouwerkerk, C Giljam, M Berlijn et al; Dutch Birding geradeel, Friesland, photographed (R Cazemier, A de 26: 142, plate 206, 2004); 10 October, Vlieland, Bruin et al), and 21 March, Lauwersmeer, De Marne, Friesland, adult male (H van Oosterhout). Groningen (M P Olthoff). The Vlieland bird was seen during a sea watch. 2003 17 December to 14 February 2004, Ferwoude, A report at Camperduin, Noord-Holland, on 6 Novem- Wûnseradiel, Friesland, photographed, videoed (S Bot, ber has not (yet) been submitted (cf van Dongen et al M Berlijn, L J R Boon et al; Dutch Birding 26: 71, plate 2004, 2005). 130, 2004). These records are considered to refer to the same Bufflehead / Buffelkopeend bird, constituting the sixth record. Previous records are Bucephala albeola 0,0,0 from 1997 (two) and 1998 (three; cf Berlijn & CDNA Several reports from the winter 2004-05 remain in 2002). circulation to establish the status and number of birds involved (cf Berlijn 2005; Dutch Birding 27: 71, plate Black Brant / Zwarte Rotgans 79, 2005). Branta nigricans 7,89,- 1990 14 October, De Schorren, Texel, Noord-Holland, Falcated Duck / Bronskopeend adult (H R Russer, E P Russer). Anas falcata 0,7,0 This bird is considered to be one of up to two 2003 23 December to 22 May 2004, Harlingen, and present on Texel in March 1991 and following winters Surch (Zurich) and Koarnwert (Cornwerd), Wûnsera- (cf van den Berg & Bosman 2001). This species is no diel, Friesland, male, photographed, videoed.