Dutch Birding volume 27 (2005) no 3

Lammergeier of presumed wild origin in Noord-Holland in June 2002

 On 2 June 2002, an immature Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus was seen over Castricum and Hargen, Noord-Holland, the Netherlands. A report earlier that day over Almere, Flevoland, was not submitted. In the afternoon, it arrived on Texel, Noord-Holland, where it spent two nights and was seen by many birders. It left the island on 4 June; a report later that day in the evening over Haarlem, Noord-Holland, was not submitted.
This is the first record for the Netherlands of a bird of presumed wild origin after three (possibly four) previous records of project-released birds in 1997 and 1998. It showed no rings and/or tail or wing markings which virtually rules out the possibility of this bird being a project-related bird from the Alps. In addition, there are no indications that it was one of a handful of closely followed wild-born birds in the Alps. (The Dutch rarities committee (CDNA) would accept records of young raised in the wild by project-released parents.) In recent years, c 20 birds turned up in Europe outside the regular areas (see table 1). With a few exceptions, most sightings refer to immature birds in late May and June in (near-)coastal areas. The four birds in the Netherlands were all seen in May-June during periods of good weather and after periods of easterly winds. Table 2 lists 11 observations in France outside the species' breeding ranges in the Alps and the Pyrenees, including those in Charente-Maritime and Allier well away from these mountains and dating from before the start of re-introduction projects.

Rutger J W van Ouwerkerk, Hamontstraat 200, 1066 NE Amsterdam, Nederland
(rutger_vohotmail.com)
Leo J R Boon, Keesomstraat 103, 2041 XD Zandvoort, Nederland
(leocursorius.com)
Enno B Ebels, Joseph Haydnlaan 4, 3533 AE Utrecht, Nederland
(ebelswxs.nl)