  We measure the correlation between the arrival directions of the highest
energy cosmic rays detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory with the position
of the galaxies in the HI Parkes All Sky Survey (HIPASS) catalogue, weighted
for their HI flux and Auger exposure. The use of this absorption-free
catalogue, complete also along the galactic plane, allows us to use all the
Auger events. The correlation is significant, being 86.2% for the entire sample
of HI galaxies, and becoming 99% when considering the richest galaxies in HI
content, or 98% with those lying between 40-55. We interpret this result as the
evidence that spiral galaxies are the hosts of the producers of UHECR and we
briefly discuss classical (i.e energetic and distant) long Gamma Ray Burst
(GRBs), short GRBs, as well as newly born or late flaring magnetars as possible
sources of the Auger events. With the caveat that these events are still very
few, and that the theoretical uncertainties are conspicuous, we found that
newly born magnetars are the best candidates. If so, they could also be
associated with sub-energetic, spectrally soft, nearby, long GRBs. We finally
discuss why there is a clustering of Auger events in the direction on the
radio-galaxy Cen A and an absence of events in the direction of the
radio-galaxy M87.
