I've been sorting through some old Azores photos recently for a contribution to a new book on Nearctic Vagrancy and found a few unsolved birds and unpublished pics in the process.
I'll stick them live on this blog so I can access it from anywhere to follow it up and also anyone reading this who can weigh in before please do.
Adult Dunlin, September 2009, Cabo da Praia Quarry. The best candidate for a Hudsonian Dunlin that I can think of for the Azores. I meant to research this further at the time but forgot about it. Pictured with a Long-billed Dowitcher (below). Update 031223- there's not a lot online about the identification of this subspecies, a bit here on first-winters. The main features are the relatively long bill (reminiscent of Curlew Sandpiper), curved towards the end and often blob-tipped and markings from the black belly that extend along the flanks and the underbelly. Additionally (see link in this post) the supercilium is confined mainly above the lores. This bird is very worn on the upperparts, an early moult is also indicative of Hudsonian Dunlin.
One of the best birds I've ever found (with Simon Buckell)- a first-summer Hudsonian Godwit, Cabo da Praia, July 2007 (before I started this blog).
This richly coloured Teal sp (right) with a Blue-winged Teal raised alarms of being a Cinnamon Teal but I did some research on this and got some feedback from Sebastian Reber ' I am quite sure that this is a Eurasian/Green-winged Teal, due to several features : size compared to blue-winged Teal, pattern of the outer tertials (diagnostic), head pattern, whitish patch at the base/sides of the tail, grey rump (picture where the bird stretches its wings) and even finely grey feathers at the rear of the flanks well visible in some pictures. The latter are pale finely vermiculated blackish, which of course rules out a Cinnamon Teal and matches a male crecca/carolinensis. The overall warm colour fits better crecca than carolinensis (adults males) but it would be better to base this on views of the upperwing.'
A flight shot of the Lapa, White-throated Sparrow on Corvo October 2018.
The Hermit Thrush on Corvo in 2019 that Paul French found. My own photo (I only published a few of Vincent's on this blog previously)
Common Scoters on Terceira, Azores. I think we checked them for Black Scoter but will add them here to remind me to check again.
The Terra Nostra Park Wood Duck on Sao Miguel, Azores. It was resident for years and taken for granted but has gone now.
A couple of Azores micromoths to identify . The only similar looking moth (above) on lepiforum is Oegoconia novimundi but not sure see here
Looks like one of the scops, there are several species on the Azores several of which are endemic. See here
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