Mallorca: 1 st 13 th April 2006 Background & Logistics Despite having travelled quite widely in the UK, this was my first birding trip abroad. It proved to be very productive, resulting in 19 species new to me, and a total of 116 species seen. The weather was extremely good for the time of year, with a great deal of unbroken sunshine most days saw temperatures well up into the mid twenties. However, perhaps these clear conditions were responsible for the relatively low numbers of grounded common migrants (for instance, Redstarts and Willow Warblers)? Throughout the trip, we used Graham Hearl s excellent guide to birding on Mallorca, which is still very accurate on the whole and comes recommended. Suzanne (my girlfriend) and I flew with bmibaby from Birmingham to Palma, costing 125 return per person. We hired an EasyCar for 148 for the entire trip including unlimited mileage. Driving on Mallorca was invariably straightforward (though perhaps not for the faint-hearted in the mountains!) with excellent road surfaces and little traffic. We rented a small apartment (bargain priced at 250 overall) on the edge of Puerto Pollensa, which proved an excellent base the town is ideally located for most birding destinations, and has a wide range of restaurants and shops, plus a new supermarket. Saturday 1 st April After our departure was delayed by about 90 minutes, we finally arrived in Palma at 2250 local time, and collected a hire car without any problem. Despite getting a bit confused (some might say lost ) around an area of roadworks, we found the apartment just after 0100 to hear two Scops Owls calling one in the town somewhere, and another over towards the Bocquer valley. We heard these on most evenings, from about 2115 onwards. The only concern at this stage was the complete lack of running cold water in the apartment but getting some sleep was higher priority than sorting this out! Sunday 2 nd April Woke up to find a beautiful sunny day and a stunning view over the Tramuntana mountains to the northwest. Still no cold water, and no sign of a stopcock anywhere but it was time to go and explore in town. Straight out of the door, we immediately saw an iberiae Yellow Wagtail on the rough ground opposite very smart. A couple of Yellow-legged Gulls were loafing in the bay by the Pine Walk, and the edges of Postage Stamp Wood held singing Serin, Greenfinch and Goldfinch. A Redstart was flicking about by the new main road through to Formentor. After a quick phone call to the apartment s owner, and opening the bizarrely located stopcock (in the bathroom ceiling!), we headed out again, initially to stock up on food, and then to the Llenaire area, south of Puerto Pollensa. We parked along the road by the Torrente Saint Jordi, and were immediately greeted by Sardinian and Fantailed Warblers, another iberiae wagtail and a Woodchat Shrike. At the time, I d
completely forgotten that the latter was likely to be the distinct Balearic subspecies, so didn t pay much attention to the relevant details good job it wasn t the last one we saw! A Hoopoe called persistently to the south, while another one flew across the Torrent before disappearing into tall vegetation. We also saw a Hummingbird Hawkmoth here. A very short drive took us back out to the coast, to the mouth of the Torrent S Albufereta. Both Little-ringed and Kentish Plovers were vocal and showing well here, as we started the walk out to the mound overlooking S Albufereta. A couple of Swallowtail butterflies were unexpected, but 2 distant Audouin s Gulls on the main lake were perhaps more predictable, shimmering in the heat haze. Before we reached the limestone pavement area, a Hoopoe called from the roof of a small building, and gave excellent views flopping away across the fields. We spent quite a while watching the world go by from the viewpoint, checking through numerous waterbirds. Looking back south west over the marsh, several Cattle and Little Egrets were joined by a single Great White Egret stalking about. Blackwinged Stilts were very much in evidence, flying about calling in pairs, and a Corn Bunting was singing almost non-stop. After dinner, a short evening walk to the base of the Bocquer valley didn t offer much apart from great views, but a rather late Robin was the only one of the trip, feeding on the track. Monday 3 rd April The first full day of birding kicked off with a walk through the Bocquer valley, where a Blue Rock Thrush was singing on the crags just beyond the impressive pair of rocks mentioned in Hearl s book. Unfortunately, the view was directly into the sun, so we actually saw little more than a silhouette of a very long-billed thrush! From about 1030 onwards, it was clear that some raptor passage was occurring, with birds rising from the south west and soaring along the ridge north of the valley. This was a real eye-opener you never knew what the next bird of prey to appear on the skyline would be After a couple of hours, we d had excellent views of an Osprey, at least 3 Booted Eagles (probably local resident birds), a stack of 7 Buzzards and, best of all, a Black Kite. Most of these were harassed at some point or another by the local Kestrels, which never seemed to get any peace! After lunch and a bit of touristy shopping, we drove up the road towards Formentor. First stop was the Mirador d Albercutx, which was rather heavily populated with people enjoying the view along the mountainous peninsula. We were hoping for Crag Martin here no luck with these, but several showy Sardinian Warblers rattled out calls. Taking the road opposite the viewpoint proved to be an good decision, since the views from the Atalaya at the top were stunning, over the Formentor peninsula to the north and back over Alcudia Bay to the south-east, and down the Tramuntana mountain range to the south-west. Having descended again, we continued to the end of the road at the Cap Formentor lighthouse parking here mid afternoon was a complete nightmare, definitely best
visited early or late in the day to avoid swarms of people. As we enjoyed a leisurely icecream, a fishing boat came round the headland close inshore followed by about 40 shearwaters most were Cory s (a lifer), with a few Balearics mixed in. This was by far the closest view we got of these species, a real bonus. After finally extricating our vehicle from the carpark unscathed, we headed back via Cases Velles, an area of fig fields by the road. Although it was clear that the site had enormous potential for passerine migrants, it is impossible to leave the road and explore. Consequently, we didn t see much bar some flyover Crossbills, and left rather disappointed. However, things soon improved when we stopped at the Mirador again a Crag Martin was swooping about under the path to the viewpoint, giving grandstand views, white tail panels and all! Tuesday 4 th April While Suzanne caught up on some sleep, I had an early morning at S Albufereta, adding a few more to the trip list. Highlights here were two Purple Gallinules, a singing Quail and rather distant Garganey. After yesterday s successful visit, we decided to go up to the Bocquer yet again. Once again the valley provided superb birding, initially with flyover Red Kite, Marsh Harrier, another 7+ Buzzards and two Peregrines. After being told about Marmora s Warbler (or Balearic, if you like) showing at the far end of the valley, we wandered down, hearing a Stone Curlew en route. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, the wind was quite strong not exactly ideal for picking up elusive warblers in dense vegetation! Ambling back early afternoon produced one of the highlights of the holiday one of the island s few Egyptian Vultures drifting directly overhead, and then being mobbed by a pale phase Booted Eagle. What a bird! After a brief siesta back in the apartment, we decided it was time to pay a visit to the highly-rated S Albufera reserve, south-east of Alcudia. It s no longer possible to drive down to the visitor centre, but the walk in alongside the main canal is no hardship Cattle and Little Egrets are constantly flying over, commuting in and out of the large colony by the road, and acrobatic leaping fish provide entertainment! Up by the visitor centre, another Great White Egret showed very well, and an Osprey hunted in the distance to the south. A Purple Gallinule appeared briefly amongst the juncus before vanishing completely amazing, for such a large brightly coloured bird! We opted for a short walk to the CIM hide and nearby viewing mound, giving ourselves plenty of time to take the birdlife to a background of frogs and crickets. A couple of Wood Sandpipers showed very close, as did several flava race wagtails. Garganey were relatively common, with at least six giving their comb-scraping call from in front of the hide. The walk back to the car produced one more unexpected bird in the shape of a Squacco Heron, flying over the marsh before the trip, I wasn t sure whether these would be back on the island so early in the season. This took the trip list up to 78. Wednesday 5 th April
Another glorious day looked promising for large birds of prey, so where better to go than Cuber Reservoir? The drive there took a while, gingerly weaving around numerous cyclists, but provided fantastic views of the Tramuntana. Once we d parked up, a quick scan over Puig Major (highest point on the island) immediately produced a Black Vulture, right on cue. I watched this enormous bird for several minutes, as it effortlessly soared about over the defence installation on the summit. We enjoyed a lazy wander around the reservoir (which held little more than a large gathering of Yellow-legged Gulls), past the dam to the valley at the far end. Thinking that the habitat here was different to everything we d looked at on previous days, we decided to lengthen the walk by going up the valley a bit. The decision soon paid off while we were having some lunch, as a singing Subalpine Warbler appeared in the scrubby bushes (another lifer). A Nightingale was also singing here. Further up the valley, I was convinced that I could hear a Cirl Bunting s rather nondescript call but after 20 minutes searching, the best I could do was a brief flight view of a probable. Walking back along the other side of the reservoir, we stopped to look for a Blue Rock Thrush singing high above us. After a lot of scanning, we eventually found a female collecting nest material, but never did see the male! Further on, I stopped to look for a calling Blue Tit, of all things, since we hadn t seen one thus far. Looking up at the ridge, all thoughts of parus calls went straight out of the window as three vast silhouettes broke the skyline more Black Vultures, and excellent views this time. Returning to the car, I spent a few minutes getting frustratingly brief views of a pipit on the shoreline I still suspect it was a Tawny, but never got a conclusive look at it, and never did see one during the trip. We had a brief and unsuccessful look for Crag Martins at the mouth of the road tunnel by Es Gorg Blau reservoir, before taking the breathtaking twisty road down to Sa Calobra the novelty of a road turning 270 degrees to pass under itself just had to be seen, and the countless hairpin bends were good value as well! Thursday 6 th April After the brief visit we d paid to the reserve on Tuesday, it was definitely time to go back and do justice to S Albufera we were both sure there was enough there to see for several days! Osprey was one of the star birds of the day we saw one catch a large fish near the main entrance track, and later, one sat eating on a post in front of the Es Colombars hide. Unfortunately, the heat haze prohibited good photos (or at least that s my excuse ) Once again, just walking down the entrance track offered good birding, with a singing Moustached Warbler showing very well, and three Glossy Ibises circling in front of the CIM hide another species I d not expected to encounter. Cetti s Warblers were absolutely everywhere, generally showing better than the ones I m used to at home. The first of the two Bishop hides was a superb spot to spend some time, with Blackwinged Stilts nesting barely two feet outside the window, and a wide selection of breeding and passage waders (Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, Green Sandpiper, Little Stint, Kentish and Little-ringed Plovers, and more). A familiar loud song behind
the hide lured me away from these for a moment: Great Reed Warbler, but not showing. Back in the hide, two Audouin s Gulls had dropped in to rest on the mud. A Woodchat Shrike was much more obliging near the visitor centre; with a stout bill and no primary patch I could happily clinch this one as badius, the Balearic subspecies. I was pleased to see a Crested (AKA Red-knobbed) Coot on the canal near the tower hide this one didn t have a neck-collar, though another remarkably tame individual on the pond near the viewing mound did. I know the population derives from a reintroduction, but are they all countable, collared or not? A couple of terns flew over us, calling loudly without a second thought I called them as commic, and then proceeded to rule out Arctic based on shape and wing pattern. However, after they d disappeared, I had a moment of doubt didn t the book say that Common Tern was a rarity on Mallorca? Convinced that s what they were, I spoke to one of the wardens in the visitor centre later on it turns out that a handful of pairs now breed at S Albufera, and are seen relatively frequently. The only disappointment of the day came late on, as I was looking through the building numbers of hirundines and swifts from the viewing mound. Several times, I thought I d probably got a Pallid Swift (which wouldn t be unusual, but would be a lifer!) but against the light, at middle distance, I couldn t convince myself, and the flock eventually wheeled off higher into the distance. In another bid to find Pallid Swift, we drove round to the deparadora (water treatment works) at the south end of S Albufera, but saw very little a couple of Shelduck, some Yellow Wagtails and a Ruff, plus a fly-past pipit that sounded rather like a Water but didn t stop for me to take a closer look! A brief stop by the Torrent near Llenaire turned up a smart Common Sandpiper bobbing away nice end to the day. Friday 7 th April It was my turn to sleep in, while Suzanne wandered into town shopping. When we eventually made a move, it was to the Arta area, in the north-east of the island. First stop was the village of Betlem, near Colonia de Sant Pere, from where we walked north along the coast. The scenery was magnificent again, one rocky crag in particular enhanced by four or five Crag Martins wheeling to and fro above our heads. An Audouin s Gull sat just offshore, together with several Shag. At the far end of the track, a Booted Eagle soared above us, and we got good views of a Wood Warbler a surprisingly early individual. The return walk was accelerated by the build-up of black clouds, and ominous rumbling of distant thunder after a while, we could see the rain falling over Alcudia Bay, and speeded up ever more! We got back to the car with about five minutes spare before the heavens opened in fine style. I drove a short distance down into Colonia de Sant Pere before deciding that I couldn t see enough to be safe, and parking on the seafront. The rain turned to hail, which turned to super-hail, as huge volumes of water rushed down through the village into the sea we d never seen anything like it. After about 15 minutes, it eventually calmed down again, and (having checked the car for dents!) we drove on to Arta itself. The hail was lying by the road in a white carpet like snow not quite the image you have of a spring break in the Med!
After a slight detour, we negotiated the extremely narrow streets of Arta, heading up for the Ermita de Betlem situated in the mountains. The weather was still looking interesting, so we didn t venture far from the car fortunately a Thekla Lark was singing directly over the recommended viewpoint at K7.2. (And we got even better views of two perched birds from the car window just round the corner). At the Ermita itself, we went for a short walk that finally produced good close views of Cirl Buntings (at least four), and of the Marsh Frogs that we d been hearing all week! Later that evening, as we left a restaurant near the apartment, the Scops Owl was calling very close by. After determining exactly which tree it was in, we popped home to grab binoculars, and went out looking. In the end, it proved completely futile, since wherever the owl went we couldn t see it at all I got one appalling flight view as it flicked from out of a tree above our heads, and decided to call it a day rather irritated! Saturday 8 th April I made another early start, targeting one particular species that had eluded us Marmora s Warbler. Wandering up the Bocquer valley, initially I could hear a Nightingale singing below the finca, and then later saw several Cirl Buntings at very close range but foolishly hadn t got the camera with me! Once I reached the end of the valley, the weather was still perfect still, and warming up quickly. I decided to just sit down and listen, assuming that like most other Sylvia warblers, Marmora s would be fairly vocal. This proved to be spot on, as I quickly located one calling from the top of a bush. Wandering over towards it, it soon became apparent that the original bird was the male of a pair both were feeding close together, and showed very well with some patience. After lunch, and a quick tour of the small peninsula north of Alcudia (halted by a military area with no access), we headed back down to S Albufera, with the intention of staying into the evening. This gave us some of the best birding of the holiday, with numerous highlights. A Night Heron roosting on the far side of the canal started things off, quickly followed by a close but brief view of a Squacco Heron, and two Marbled Ducks from the Bishop hide. As the afternoon drew into evening, we had our first good view of a Purple Heron, feeding with a Great White Egret and numerous Red-crested Pochards on pools near the visitor centre far better than the distant flight view that we d been making do with until then. We walked down the Ses Puntes track, and spent some time on the observation platform midway along. This gave us good views of a Moustached Warbler, a Hoopoe and a couple of Purple Gallinules. Another Purple Heron showed well through a gap in the reeds, this time with a Purple Gallinule good colour coordination! Further down the track, just before the farm, we managed our peak gallinule count of seven, as they emerged onto grassy fields to feed at dusk. A Stone Curlew showed really well here also. Finally, as we returned by the main canal, we discovered the Night Heron roost, and counted 28 birds in the half-light. Superb! Sunday 9 th April
Very much a non-birding day! We explored Pollensa and its weekly market, enjoyed a huge meal at lunchtime at Balaixa restaurant, and eventually found ourselves in Cala St Vicenc for a short walk over the col towards Puerto Pollensa. I saw Booted Eagle and another Woodchat, but little else. In the evening I tried my luck with the Scops Owl in the avenue of pines again this time I got an appalling view of it perched a slight improvement, I suppose! Monday 10 th April Actually set an alarm this morning, so we had time to get down to the south-east corner of the island. The drive to Cap de Ses Selines was uneventful through attractive farmland, and we arrived mid morning to a beautiful turquoise sea, a very showy Audouin s Gull and numerous handsome Black-eared Wheatears. The coastal garrigue habitat was stunning, full of wildflowers and birds I could have happily wandered around here all day. Walking along by the sea, a Hobby came in off, and rather bizarrely, a Purple Heron circled overhead perhaps this was newly arrived from further south as well? Way out to sea, I could pick out a few Cory s Shearwaters really glad I saw them close at Formentor, though, since the views here were pretty awful in truth. A mile or two inland from the point, we saw several larks on the high roadside walls, so I pulled over to investigate. I kept hearing an unfamiliar song amongst all the Corn Buntings, but eventually figured it out and got views of Short-toed Lark a bird I haven t seen for a long time. We drove through Colonia de Sant Jordi, and had a look at the salt pans there a few Audouin s Gulls loafed about, and the ever-present Black-winged Stilts were noisily flying about. Quickly moving on, the next stop was the large area of saltpans at Salinas de Llevante what a fantastic site that turned out to be (though arguably not the most attractive)! It held a considerably wider range of waders than the Albufera, including Grey and Ringed Plover, Avocets, close to 100 Little Stints, Curlew and Redshank. However, the undoubted highlight was a group of ten Greater Flamingos after initially poor views of just their heads in the distance, they were spooked by a Marsh Harrier, and flew about for a while. Coming back in to land, they provided great comedy value, waving long necks, legs and wings in various apparently random directions, looking completely out of control! Two Whiskered Terns showed rather poorly, the only marsh terns of the trip. It s a shame that the Salinas are so far from the main birding areas in the north of the island given more time there, I was sure there was plenty more to see. Tuesday 11 th April Another rather touristy day, heading out to the east coast to visit the Coves del Drach (show caves with spectacular stalactitite and stalagmite formations and dreadfully cheesy classical music by boat). After wandering round the nearby aquarium, we drove down to Porto Colom, another site from Graham Hearl s book, hoping to see Pallid Swifts. Once again, no luck with this species I guess it s too early in the season to find them at breeding sites. However, we did see Thekla Lark here near the carpark, and Cory s and Balearic Shearwaters offshore.
Heading inland on the return, we drove up the tiny lane to the Castel de Santueri, and enjoyed the Crag Martin colony. Suzanne s sharp eyes quckly picked up an Alpine Swift disappearing into the distance, so we waited for quite a while to try and get better views eventually I saw at least four, though never particularly close. A Peregrine was also drifting about here. The next stop, the Ermita de Sant Salvador, was well worth a visit for the stunning 360-degree views you could see almost the entire island from here. A sobering thought at the time concerned if you put London and all its suburbs on Mallorca, what would be left untouched? Answer: not a lot the island is deceptively small (or perhaps London is mind-bogglingly large?) On the way home, it seemed a shame to drive past S Albufera and not call in, so we had a quick wander down to the visitor centre, and were rewarded with at least one Red-rumped Swallow in vast numbers of hirundines. Many were feeding over the Ses Puntes track, and having walked along there, the sight was truly spectacular. The Night Heron counted was stable at 28 alongside the canal on the way back. Wednesday 12 th April We d decided that the last day should be devoted to re-visiting our favourite places from the entire trip the Bocquer valley and S Albufera were easy choices to make! As it turned out, both were rather quiet, though another birder I spoke two had seen a Spectacled Warbler in the valley earlier on. I couldn t find anything to take the trip list on beyond 116, but wandering around these two fantastic sites was enjoyable enough without needing anything spectacular.
Species Notes LITTLE GREBE CORY'S SHEARWATER BALEARIC SHEARWATER CORMORANT SHAG c. 20 off Formentor behind fishing boat, also distantly off Porto Colom and Cap de Ses Salines c. 10 off Formentor behind fishing boat, also distantly off Porto Colom and Cap de Ses Salines 28 roosting by main canal in Albufera - look down the canal from NIGHT HERON the first bend in the entrance track SQUACCO HERON one at Albufera CATTLE EGRET LITTLE EGRET GREAT WHITE EGRET two at Albufera, one at Albufereta GREY HERON PURPLE HERON GLOSSY IBIS three at Albufera until 6/4 at least GREATER FLAMINGO ten at Salinas de Llevante on 10/4 SHELDUCK WIGEON GADWALL TEAL MALLARD GARGANEY SHOVELER MARBLED DUCK two at Albufera many at Albufera - reintroduction appears to have been very RED-CRESTED POCHARD successful! POCHARD BLACK KITE one north east over the Bocquer 3/4 RED KITE one over the Bocquer 4/4 EGYPTIAN VULTURE one at far end of Bocquer 4/4 at least five at Cuber Reservoir - we heard reports of up to 13 BLACK VULTURE together there MARSH HARRIER common at Albufera, also presumed migrant over the Bocquer BUZZARD groups of seven high over the Bocquer on 3/4 and 4/4 up to three seen at Bocquer, plus good views on the cliffs east of BOOTED EAGLE Cala St Vicenc. Also near Betlem and at Cuber one following north ridge of Bocquer on 3/4. Seen frequently at OSPREY Albufera KESTREL HOBBY one in-off at Cap de Ses Salines 10/4 PEREGRINE pair in the Bocquer valley RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE heard in the Bocquer and at far end of Cuber reservoir QUAIL heard from Albufereta viewing mound early morning 4/4 WATER RAIL heard from Albufereta viewing mound early morning 4/4 PURPLE GALLINULE MOORHEN COOT RED-KNOBBED COOT BLACK-WINGED STILT up to 7 at Albufera, plus at least 2 at Albufereta - seemed to show better in the evening Albufera
AVOCET 20+ at Salinas de Llevante STONE CURLEW one seen at Albufera 8/4, also heard at several sites LITTLE-RINGED PLOVER RINGED PLOVER one at Albufera 12/4, and 5 at Salinas de Llevante 10/4 KENTISH PLOVER GREY PLOVER at least one at Salinas de Llevante 10/4 LITTLE STINT close to 100 at Salinas de Llevante, plus a couple at Albufera DUNLIN two at Albufera RUFF one at Deparadora de S'Illot SNIPE CURLEW one at Salinas de Llevante SPOTTED REDSHANK REDSHANK only seen at Salinas de Llevante GREENSHANK GREEN SANDPIPER up to three at Albufera WOOD SANDPIPER ones and twos at Albufera COMMON SANDPIPER one in Torrent de Sant Jordi, plus one at Albufera BLACK-HEADED GULL AUDOUIN'S GULL YELLOW-LEGGED GULL COMMON TERN WHISKERED TERN ROCK DOVE WOODPIGEON COLLARED DOVE SCOPS OWL SWIFT ALPINE SWIFT HOOPOE SHORT-TOED LARK THEKLA LARK SAND MARTIN best seen at Cap de Ses Salines, but also at Albufereta, and on beach opposite Albufera entrance track two over Albufera two over Salinas de Llevante at least two calling from north end of Puerto Pollensa - one on pine walk, one towards Bocquer at least four seen from Castel de Santueri seen at Cap de Ses Salines, and in fields adjacent to Salinas de Llevante seen well from road to Ermita de Betlem, and at Porto Colom good views from track north of Betlem, at Castel de Santueri, and CRAG MARTIN at Mirador d'albercutx SWALLOW RED-RUMPED SWALLOW at least one in huge hirudine flock at Albufera, 11/4 HOUSE MARTIN MEADOW PIPIT one at Torrent de Sant Jordi, 2/4 YELLOW WAGTAIL both flava and iberiae races common PIED WAGTAIL alba race WREN ROBIN one at base of Bocquer, 2/4 NIGHTINGALE REDSTART only one seen! Edge of Puerto Pollensa 2/4 STONECHAT WHEATEAR BLACK-EARED WHEATEAR only seen at Cap de Ses Salines, with c 10 on the rocky coastline BLACKBIRD BLUE ROCK THRUSH seen in Bocquer valley and at Cuber
CETTI'S WARBLER easily seen from viewing mound at Albufereta and at Deparadora FAN-TAILED WARBLER de S'Illot MOUSTACHED WARBLER seen well at Albufera GREAT REED WARBLER seen and heard at Albufera eventually seen well at far end of Bocquer valley, early morning MARMORA'S WARBLER 8/4 SARDINIAN WARBLER at least one seen and heard singing in valley running from the far SUBALPINE WARBLER end of Cuber reservoir BLACKCAP WOOD WARBLER one north of Betlem, 7/4 CHIFFCHAFF WILLOW WARBLER FIRECREST BLUE TIT GREAT TIT WOODCHAT SHRIKE several of balearic race badius seen RAVEN HOUSE SPARROW CHAFFINCH SERIN GOLDFINCH GREENFINCH LINNET CROSSBILL CIRL BUNTING REED BUNTING CORN BUNTING