Kittiwake wreck in the Pyrenees!

We've just received a report of a bizarre 'wreck' of Kittiwakes in the Spanish Pyrenees. At the end of January foresters in northern Spain reported two groups of around 100 Kittiwakes, and by the start of February, these birds had moved slightly further west, and now included two Little Gulls.


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On 1 February, 113 dead Kittiwakes were found at Sabiñanigo in Huesca province, including one BTO-ringed bird. EL42194 was originally ringed as an adult at the Isle of May Bird Observatory, Fife, in 2004, so these weren't lost young birds.



Such a movement isn't entirely unprecedented, and is the third time such an influx has happened. There have been fewer than 25 BTO-ringed Kittiwakes found in Spain, with most foreign movements involving France and the Netherlands, though there are also nearly 80 records from Canada.

Many thanks to Rafel Vidaller for the details of this wreck, and also for supplying the photos here.