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Status of Great Grey Shrike (1 Viewer)

Lanius excubitor

Gonçalo Elias said:
Does anyone know what is the status of Great Grey Shrike in mainland Spain?

(I mean excubitor, not meridionalis)
Click to expand...

Hi Gonçalo
You have probably have seen the entry on Lanius excubitor in Birds of the Iberian Peninsula (2015) de Juana and Garcia pp 551-552 and are looking for more recent information?
Best wishes
Graham
 
Graham Moffat said:
Hi Gonçalo
You have probably have seen the entry on Lanius excubitor in Birds of the Iberian Peninsula (2015) de Juana and Garcia pp 551-552 and are looking for more recent information?
Best wishes
Graham
Click to expand...

Hi Graham,

I don't have that book you mention.

As far I know there there is a valid record in Navarra from 2010, is that the same one?

The purpose of my question is because I am trying to understand the likelyhood of some individuals reaching my home country, Portugal.


honeym said:
Where it states "Apparently a very scarce winter visitor to northernmost Spain".
Click to expand...

Is that from the same book? If yes, I wonder how many records were used to reach the conclusion that it is "scarce winter visitor".
 
Helm's 'Birds of Spain' (3rd edition 2016) states under Great Grey Shrike that "Status uncertain but probably a scarce winter visitor to the N(orth)". As you will be aware the species was poorly covered in field guides into the 1990s and even then until Iberian Grey Shrike was 'split' few people bothered to be precise about which "Great Grey Shrike" they saw. I imagine past records are too muddied by these considerations to draw any conclusion from them whilst that the status still remains 'uncertain' suggests they're very scarce or even rare. It's probably worth checking the Rare Birds in Spain website for confirmed records.
 
Lanius excubitor in Spain

Hi Goncalo
Yes, the first accepted record (after the split) seems to be 9 December 2010 in Navarra as you say, but there have been quite a few others from August through to April but with most birds [92%] seen Oct - Feb: October c16 records; November c11; December c12; January c19; February c10 and March c4. The records range from Galicia, Asturias, Catalonia, Comunidad Valenciana and the Balearics (Cabrera). Most records are from the Biscay coastal areas. I think some of these records must be from before the split though, since some extend back to the 1990s when presumably they were identified as northern race birds. No records given for Portugal - yet!
Hope this helps.
Best wishes
Graham
 
Lanius excubitor in Spain

...sorry, meant to say yes, the book summarises status as "Apparently a very scarce winter visitor to northernmost Spain"

BW Graham
 
John Cantelo said:
As you will be aware the species was poorly covered in field guides into the 1990s and even then until Iberian Grey Shrike was 'split' few people bothered to be precise about which "Great Grey Shrike" they saw.
Click to expand...

True. Same with Iberian Chiffchaff, btw

Graham Moffat said:
Hi Goncalo
Yes, the first accepted record (after the split) seems to be 9 December 2010 in Navarra as you say, but there have been quite a few others from August through to April but with most birds [92%] seen Oct - Feb: October c16 records; November c11; December c12; January c19; February c10 and March c4. The records range from Galicia, Asturias, Catalonia, Comunidad Valenciana and the Balearics (Cabrera). Most records are from the Biscay coastal areas. I think some of these records must be from before the split though, since some extend back to the 1990s when presumably they were identified as northern race birds. No records given for Portugal - yet!
Hope this helps.
Best wishes
Graham
Click to expand...

Yes, for those older records I'd say it's impossible to know which (sub)species was involved. Indeed no records for Portugal so far, maybe one day. |;|

Thanks all for your help.
 
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