Dutch Birding volume 33 (2011) no 3

Rock Bunting on Schiermonnikoog in April 2011

In the early morning of 3 April 2011, a Rock Bunting Emberiza cia was observed for a short time by a single observer on Schiermonnikoog, Friesland, the Netherlands. The bird was feeding at close distance on the outskirts of the only village on the island; it could be photographed and vide­oed. The documentation excludes similar bunting species that could occur as escapes. The white wingbar indicates that the bird belonged to the nominate subspecies E c cia. The brownish colour and streaked character of the lateral crown stripe (the other head stripes being black) fit an adult female or a second calendar-year male, which may be very hard to separate, even in the hand. The head pattern and underparts coloration probably fit an adult female better than a second calendar-year male according to some consulted experts, but the pure ash-grey throat bib, quite whitish-grey chin and cheek areas between black stripes, rather sharp division to the chestnut-ochre breast/belly, and small nearly unstreaked central forecrown patch may favour a male according to another.
If accepted, this is the second record for the Netherlands; the first was on Rottumerplaat, Groningen, on 30 May 2004 (at a distance of slightly more than 20 km from the site in 2011). The species is very rare in north-western Europe outside Germany, with records in Belgium (c 50), Britain (5), Denmark (1), the Netherlands (2), Poland and Sweden (5). This was the third record in the 21st century, after singles in Denmark (2003) and the Netherlands (2004).

Bas Kers, Koekamp 88, 2623 XX Delft, Nederland
(bas.kersrws.nl)
Enno B Ebels, Joseph Haydnlaan 4, 3533 AE Utrecht, Nederland
(ebelswxs.nl)