LITTLE AUK IN GRANADA

CORRECTION

23 November
The first paragraph of what was written below must be revised as Jorge has come to the conclusion that as the second set of photos and observation was far better than the first, there was indeed only 1 (one) bird present.

What can be considered a rarity within the Mediterranean, two Little Auks - Dovekies if you are American- were seen in the Ensenada de Calahonda, Granada province, this weekend.The first was seen last Friday, 20 November, and the second today, 22 November, and as there were plumage differences these are considered to be two birds. The first picture and accounts of the sightings are in
http://seosierranevada.blogspot.com/ and the lucky observers were Jorge Garzón and Aurora Martín.

I saw one off Benalmádena, way back in February 1988 and there is a single Gibraltar record from March 1986. To the best of my knowledge, these two records are the second and third for Alborán after mineand the first and second for Granada. There are occasional records from Cataluña and all those to 1997 are summarised in Las Aves Marinas de España y Portugal.

Their presence makes me wonder what relationship there might be with the relatively numerous records of Razorbills this autumn after two virtually auk-free winters. What has pushed them into the Mediterranean? The only possible reason must be attributable to weather out in the Atlantic.