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View Full Version : Moussier's Redstart on Mallorca


Brian S
January 15th, 2012, 07:43 PM
Some great photos of this find on Mallorca today

http://www.mallorcaweb.net/pnalbufera/IMAGENES/Phmoussieri1gener'12gran.jpg

http://www.mallorcaweb.net/pnalbufera/IMAGENES/Phmoussieri2gener'12gran.jpg

http://www.mallorcaweb.net/pnalbufera/IMAGENES/Phmoussieri3gener'12gran.jpg

...from http://www.gobmallorca.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3229

Brian S
mafting
January 15th, 2012, 10:39 PM
Hmmm, I always take it with a pinch of salt, but that tail is in very poor condition!
Bobolink44
January 16th, 2012, 01:38 AM
Malta has up to 5 birds over past few months:

photos of latest female here:

http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gallery/display.cgi?gallery=gallery11&start=25
mafting
January 16th, 2012, 12:53 PM
Malta has up to 5 birds over past few months:

photos of latest female here:

http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gallery/display.cgi?gallery=gallery11&start=25

Malta's got a massive birdkeeping tradition, probably one of the highest in Europe (they like to cage them as well as shoot them), so on its own that's a bit suspicious too (currently several Moussiers for sale on the dutch marketplace website, both sexes, and there's a big trade through UK-Holland-Malta), but a spread of records across several islands is more positive.

That Mallorca bird does has a very iffy tail though, especially the bent feathers.
Motmot
January 16th, 2012, 01:29 PM
Moussier's, due to its habits, get the tail tip easily worn, I don't think that tail looks especially worn. Compare with another Moussier's from the Balearics posted below, an October 2008 bird from Cabrera island.
Motmot
January 16th, 2012, 02:32 PM
A video of the bird here:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQlPOZOZ2Hg
heuglini
January 16th, 2012, 07:21 PM
There was also one on Linosa island, Italy, in November.
Seems like many birds are moving this year.

cheers
Michele
macrourus
January 17th, 2012, 08:29 AM
why any nice and rare bird outside UK should be always an escape please ???

I'm just back from Tunisia where I use to go 1 or 2 times per year since 1999, and find the highest number of Moussier's Redstart ever seen there. No surprise at all then of an influx into S Mediterranean areas....surpsie is that not one has been found more to the north.
In malta there were so far ca. 8 birds, and it would be far more impressive to got 8 escaped of this species within such a short time... or there were spomebody with a huge cage full of them that went broken ?? :laugh::laugh::realmad:

In pelagie, linosa and Lampedusa, I am sure that if we have been staid there till now we would have found 10 or so....

Ciao

A
mafting
January 17th, 2012, 08:46 AM
why any nice and rare bird outside UK should be always an escape please ???

It always has to be considered, especially when there's obvious feather damage (and especially on the tail), but as accepted there's good evidence for it being wild too. The question is often asked of UK rarities (for many waterfowl the default opinion is 'escape'!).
Alex Lees
January 17th, 2012, 10:59 AM
It always has to be considered, especially when there's obvious feather damage (and especially on the tail), but as accepted there's good evidence for it being wild too. The question is often asked of UK rarities (for many waterfowl the default opinion is 'escape'!).

Can anyone find any comparable photos in-range showing extent of 'normal' feather wear?