Rare birds in Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg 2021 – Annual report of the AKSH

Abstract

This is the sixth annual report of the Avifaunistic Commission of Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg (AKSH, renamed from AK-SH/HH). It lists records of regional rare bird taxa in the responsibility of the AKSH, and those of national rarities processed by the DAK (German Avifaunistic Commission). For 2021, a total of 135 records of 53 taxa were dealt with by the two commissions, of which 117 were accepted in category A.
Outstanding records were the first Oriental Pratincole Glareola maldivarum for Germany and the first Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra for the reporting area. A Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius (2nd record) was discovered in February and moulted into full breeding plumage during its stay until May, 1st. Other noteworthy records include two Pallid Swifts Apus pallidus (4th & 5th), one Hume’s Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus humei (5th), two Black-winged Kites Elanus caeruleus (5th & 6th) and one Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus (6th). Remarkable was the occurrence of four Long-billed Dowitchers Limnodromus scolopaceus (5th to 8th) in one year, with up to three at one site at the same time. The first ‘Red-spotted Bluethroat’ Luscinia s. svecica was accepted since this taxon was added to our regional rarities list the previous year. Furthermore, rare species with a good showing in 2021 include 16 Little Buntings Emberiza pusilla, five Black-crowned Night Herons Nycticorax nycticorax, three observations each of White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis, Great Snipe Gallinago media, Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus and Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus as well as two records of Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni. Starting with the present report, for each species the number of records since the establishment of rarity committees is given in tabular form.