Mallorca 2023 (6 Viewers)

[Josep Manchado]

It is a male of Marsh harrier.

 

[Richard Prior]

I fiddled with the photo a bit, hope you don’t mind.
With 5 visible primaries, I think it’s the male Marsh harrier.
Mike

Schoolboy error on my part not to notice the 5 primaries, the head pattern and one primary finger apparently not black had me discounting Marsh and wondering even about 2nd year Hen Harrier- ah well, never too old to learn …

 

[Mike Montier]

Phil G. reports the following at Santa Ponça:
50 Alpine swift
30 Pallid swift
20 House martin
15 Yellow wagtail.
I feel sure the area is underwatched. It’s a shame as some great birds have been seen there over the years.
Mike

 

[southernsteve]

Last day birding looked like it was going to be disaster, rain all the way from Palma but thankfully it stopped minutes after I pulled up at Albufereta. Not much about, then I bumped into a British birder who told me about the Caspian Tern seen from the hide.
Next to Albefura and initial hunt for the Plover drew a blank. Things didn't improve as a Pectoral Sand was flushed by a Marsh Harrier as I entered the hide, but thankfully I refound it a little later. Back for the Plover and still no sign, then as I was about to leave I found it on the waters edge.
Finally back to try and get a better view of the Tern, but it had gone. I did get to see a juvenile Purple Heron thanks to a couple just leaving.
Back to the UK tomorrow then another week of birding in Norfolk. Had 4 life ticks here thus trip so going home very happy. Thanks to everyone here who's given out info and help, as always its much appreciated. Hopefully I'll get my photos edited when I'm back and I can get them posted.

 

[Mike Montier]

Safe trip home. Thanks for posting, very entertaining.
Hope to see you here next time.

Adolfo has been at it again at the Cap, with:
2 Montagu’s harriers.
35 Honey buzzard
16 kestrel
5 Booted eagle
18 Marsh harrier
1 Black kite
6 Hobby
1 young Red-footed falcon

 

[Joakim]

White cheeked pintail in sa roca hide? A known individual? Today around 4:30 pm.
Edit: sorry i searched the thread and found some earlier reports

 

[StewB]

After a day off yesterday (significant birthday) it was nice to get out in the field, this time with Mike M. We had a wander around the Albufereta. An adult and two juvenile Night Herons, a Grey Heron and a Purple Heron were off to the right as we reached the trees, 58 Flamingos were on the main pools with a few more on Sa Barcassa. Swifts, Sand Martins, Swallows, Common and Green Sandpipers, Great White Egret, Cormorant and Great Crested Grebe were all in evidence around the reserve.

We then paid a swift visit to the Ternelles approaches to check the pools for dragonflies. It seemed that the temperature had fallen too low, but there were still a couple of Violet Dropwings on the double-pool, and on the upper pool we had a few minutes with an Orange-winged Dropwing before it disappeared. Also on the upper pool were two Violet Dropwings (including an ovipositing female) and a Broad Scarlet.

Stew

 

[Geordie Dave]

Yesterday was my first opportunity to visit Albufera on this trip. Having heard about the pacific golden plover over a week ago I was concerned that it would have left by the time I arrived. Unable to find it at any of Sa Roca hides I moved on to Cibollar 1, still no luck. I did eventually find it lying in the short grass on one of the little islands in front of Cibollar 2. Rested, it began feeding again giving excellent views, a first for me in the island. Water levels were generally quite high and most of the waders quite distant but I did pick out several ruff, dunlin, little stint and about 50-60 spotted redshank. Cibollar 2 had around 100 glossy ibis. I later met up with Mike M and Stew B at Albufereta where we tried but couldn’t find the caspian tern that had been reported earlier in the day.

 

[StewB]

Mike M, Geordie Dave and I nabbed the last three places on this morning’s guided tour into the Ternelles Valley (see Joakim’s earlier post number 1142). We rocked up for a 9.30 start, not really knowing what to expect.

In the event there were 15 participants of varying ages and from Spain, UK and Belgium, with Maria leading (a young Spanish guide from the Vulture Conservation project). Maria was really good, explaining points of interest and answering questions in English and Spanish. It’s a long walk of just over eight miles, with an uphill gradient on the way out until the last few hundred metres down to a point with spectacular views over cliffs and sea. The walk with stops for points of interest and a longer stop to eat lunch took about four and a half hours. We were all pretty tired when we got back!

Bird-wise the vultures were disappointing - a total of only six Black Vultures was very low. The walk out was relatively quiet too, although the calls of Blue Tits and Crossbills were fairly constant. A Wryneck was heard too. When we emerged from the trees onto more open fields with about 2km to go things perked up, and it did seem that birds were arriving as we walked, with more seen on the return leg than the outward leg. We saw at least four different Booted Eagles, an Eleanora’s Falcon, at least four Red Kites, five Pied Flycatchers, seven Redstarts, four Wheatears and a Whinchat.

As we gathered at the gates at the end of the walk a Two-tailed Pasha flew along the ravine.

It’s a real shame that access is made so difficult, when it should be a straightforward right. However, at present this is the only way (other than with a paid authorised guide) to get in, so needs must, and to be fair we enjoyed the day.

Stew

 

[Josep Manchado]

It’s a real shame that access is made so difficult, when it should be a straightforward right. However, at present this is the only way (other than with a paid authorised guide) to get in, so needs must, and to be fair we enjoyed the day.
Stew

It is a Majorcan people's right, it is a public path and we wont stop fighting until we recover this right for all the citizens.

 

[Alf King]

It is a shame about Ternelles - we were due to join the walk last week but the forecast heavy rain, which duly arrived, led to us pulling out. How our aged legs would have coped with such a long walk is also questionable. Whilst I do understand how it should be a right of access path, visits to Boquer Valley lead me to question what condition it would be in if it were open. Boquer used to be an excellent place for an enjoyable birding walk but, sadly, it is much less so now thanks to very heavy foot traffic every day.

On a brighter note we first attempted to use the bus out to Formentor yesterday but ware amongst c15 frustrated tourists who failed to get on, the bus being full. Instead we visited S'Albufereta and had good views of the Caspian Tern, which was loafing on a distant shore for some time before deciding to fly around and provide us with an enjoyable spectacle. Juvenile Night Heron and Purple Heron were also to be seen in addition to the regular spectacle of a fishing Osprey. Water levels were much higher higher than before, thanks to recent rains but thankfully the insects weren't biting this time.

This morning we ambled down to S'Albufera and had fun watching a host of waders, including many Spotted Redshanks, Avocet, Greater Flamingoes etc. We missed the Pacific Golden Plover this time but were rewarded with both Little and Temminck's Stint, a single Ruff, Squacco and the obliging Pectoral Sandpiper. Raptors seemed to be few and far between, for whatever reason. Maybe we will manage to get to Formentor before we return home and fill in a couple of gaps.

 

[Alf King]

As an addendum, we had a short walk up Boquer this evening expecting that the regular tourists would be gone. Most were, apparently, as we were only passed by around 30, some complete with Bluetooth speakers so to share their enjoyment.

Anyway, we were pleased to finally connect with two Booted Eagles, one dark phase one pale, and five Eleanora's high over the ridge. Some magic still remains.

 

[Joakim]

Pretty good day at s'albufera today with great views of squacco heron, decent view of pectoral sandpiper, temic stint along the usual suspects. We didnt get to see the pacific plover though.

Tomorrow we will try Son Real. As i dont se any bus stopp near the finca, we will probably go from the son baulo. Any clues on were to fint the hide from there in case the kids fint the full walk too long in the heat? Found this map as route 4 on all trail, but the hide isnt visible.

Attaching a bird were Having a bit of trouble with. Is it a little stint after all? (Wishfull thinking says white rumped sandpiper)Hanging around withe the temic stint

 

[Scridifer]

Pretty good day at s'albufera today with great views of squacco heron, decent view of pectoral sandpiper, temic stint along the usual suspects. We didnt get to see the pacific plover though.

Tomorrow we will try Son Real. As i dont se any bus stopp near the finca, we will probably go from the son baulo. Any clues on were to fint the hide from there in case the kids fint the full walk too long in the heat? Found this map as route 4 on all trail, but the hide isnt visible.

Attaching a bird were Having a bit of trouble with. Is it a little stint after all? (Wishfull thinking says white rumped sandpiper)Hanging around withe the temic stint

Looks okay for Little Stint to me Joakim.

Chris

 

[StewB]

I didn’t stray far this morning! At the Albufereta there were well over 50 Flamingos around the reserve, a steady movement of Swallows with a few Sand Martins mixed in, a singing Corn Bunting, and a Stone Curlew helped to make up the numbers. A Kingfisher flew towards the Sa Barcassa hide and landed on the roof, before dropping onto a dead branch in front of the hide. There were two Great White Egrets on the main pools. A Skylark flew over calling and heading inland. A juvenile Night Heron and a Purple Heron were in the scrub to the left of the track as I left.

At Maristany the water levels seem to be going down, allowing at least 15 Red-eared Sliders to sunbathe on the muddy lumps. Great White Egret, a Marbled Duck, two Kingfishers, a Greenshank, a Glossy Ibis and three Swifts provided some birds of interest with Broad Scarlets, Lesser Emperors, Violet Dropwings, Black-tailed Skimmers and a Migrant Hawker providing dragonfly back-up.

Cami Volantina (at both ends of the road) was alive with dragonflies, with all of the species I’d seen earlier in the trip. There were many more Blue-tailed Damselflies than previously and at the Llenaire end of the road I got some good views of at least three Willow Emerald Damselflies.

As I pulled up at the beach end of the road, a Kingfisher was sitting on the wall and two Red-eared Sliders were sunbathing on the matted reeds. Two Wrynecks were having a bit of a ding-dong in the trees behind the stream and I had a few glimpses before they made off.

 

[Geordie Dave]

Following our exploits in Ternelles yesterday morning I spent a couple of hours exploring a very quiet Albufereta in the afternoon before going to watch my team win 8-0 on the tv in the local bar. I met Kevin at Albufera this morning. We had 5-6 little stint and 2 purple swamphen on Sa Roca ponds before moving on to Cibollar. There was very little at no 1 hide and we moved on to no 2. Despite our best efforts we couldn’t find the pacific plover that had been showing so well on Saturday. We did however find the pectoral sandpiper at the back of the pond and in decent light we even managed some reasonable photographs proving ID but not our skills with a camera. There were also around 30 each of spotted redshank, flamingo and avocet. I left Kevin and drove to Albufereta stopping first at the screen on Carrer Salvador Dali. I couldn’t believe it when I found a group of 5 caspian terns on a little island in front of the screen. When they took to the air half an hour later there were actually 6 in total all in flight together. They flew off to the west and I couldn’t relocate them for about 20 minutes before they returned to the same spot; still 6 together and the most that I’ve ever seen. A kingfisher flew by very close to the screen and from Sa Barcassa hide first 2 together and then another single bid flew past. All in all a very canny day!!

 

[Mike Montier]

A canny day indeed David. Well done.
It must be a record number.
A Pectoral sandpiper as well can’t be bad.
8-0 must be a record too in my zero-knowledge opinion.
Mike

 

[Joakim]

Good day at son real. We walked from the last busstop at Sao baolo. 5 turnstones and a lot of kentish plovers along the beach. Theklas lark and woodchat shrikes very close. A distant hoepoe, firecrest , bushchats and med flycatchers. Goldfinches and crossbills at the hide.

Wednesday car rental and stops at mortitx and cuber (other places for raptors/vultures? )

 

[Mike Montier]

Hi Joakim
Cúber and Mortitx are probably the best places for raptors. I can’t think of any better ones.
Good luck and let us know what you see.
Mike

 

[Alf King]

A quick call into Maristany gave us the first Swift (Common) of our trip as well as a Marbled Duck.

A lovely walk down to the Necropolis at Son Real gave good views of a couple of Woodchat, Thekla Larks and a Stonechat as well as innumerable Mediterranean Flycatchers. A flock of 12 Oystercatchers flying over the sea were a welcome surprise and an immature male Pied Flycatcher on the walk back capped off an enjoyable morning.

Slowly but surely the island delivers.