Mallorca 2024 (3 Viewers)

[Pancho44]

Back in May 2017 we made our way up to the Albercutz tower for the first time. We met a friendly couple watching the skies ... it turned out to be Mike and his wife. I remember two things in particular - an Egyptian Vulture passing close by at eye level ... and Mike's wife's ability to see Peregrines miles away!

 

[Geordie Dave]

Following our trip to Albufera yesterday Mike M has confirmed, with a photograph, that the bird we saw at Cibollar was indeed a Little Tern. This morning, alerted by Peter S, I set off to Albufereta in pursuit of a Whimbrel he had seen from the screen. I found it on the far side of the ponds but in the bright sunshine and heat haze it was difficult to get a decent photo or better ID. I went round to the main part of the reserve and on arriving at Sa Barcassa hide found that the bird had moved onto one of the islands directly in front. I watched it for an hour preening and probably getting ready to continue its journey south. Two scarce passage birds confirmed in two days can’t be bad. Elsewhere at Albufereta I had 5 separate sightings of Purple Heron, 2 Hoopoe, dozens of Cattle Egrets and Common Terns, 2 Wood Sandpiper, Little Ringed and Kentish Plover, 4 Stone Curlews, 2 Serin and a family party of 6 Mediterranean Flycatchers. The main pools in front of the platform held 30-40 Flamingo but little else of note. Another very hot day, around 32° in the middle of the afternoon. As expected, It’s been slow going trying to add much to the Big Year and I’m already looking forward to my next trip in late August/early September when return migration is well underway.

 

[StewB]

not forgetting Stewb, who is missing from the group photo.
Thanks lads.
In the words of our Kevin, “it’s been emotional”

I got to know you through this forum (many years ago!), and meeting up with you and Mrs M has become a highlight of every trip for me and Mrs B. Life goes on, but friendships endure - we’re looking forward to seeing you both here in Norfolk for more birding adventures!

Stew

 

[Geordie Dave]

Tonight I took Peter S for a nightjar walk in the Son Bosc area. We called in at the horse paddocks enroute and heard 2 bee eaters before seeing 2 more on the Son Bosc road. The first Nightjar were churring at 9.10pm, 2 different birds from opposite directions. It was around 9.20pm when the first bird appeared but not before we’d had 2,3 or 4 more churring birds. A male flew very close and low down passing us only 20 or so feet away. We saw it once more in the next half hour. We then had both male and female together close to us. A female began hawking just above our heads and remained flying circuits for the next half hour, often landing on the track, wings outstretched, very close by. At times she was within 6 feet of us. With darkness descending rapidly we decided to leave her in peace and walked back to the sound of stone curlew overhead. In between all of this we had a single Eleonoras falcon fly through. On arriving back at Gotmar for a celebratory pint I was immediately met by a calling Scops Owl and our local Barn Owl. All in all a canny night all round.

 

[StewB]

I've written up some notes from our holiday in Puerto Pollenca at the beginning of June. As always, given my technical ability, I'm hoping that this link will work!

June 2024Report PDF.pdf

drive.google.com

 

[StewB]

I've written up some notes from our holiday in Puerto Pollenca at the beginning of June. As always, given my technical ability, I'm hoping that this link will work!

June 2024Report PDF.pdf

drive.google.com

Of course, I didn’t set it up correctly! Hopefully it’s sorted now..

Stew

 

[Ian Pollença]

Of course, I didn’t set it up correctly! Hopefully it’s sorted now..

Stew

I seem to remember last year having a similar problem downloading your report Stew 🤣. Ok, so you're not a tecky but you Do know how to write a report. A good read, well written and illustrated, and especially so for those visiting the north of the island for the first time. I only wish I had a hard copy of this report 18 months ago when I started birding on the island. Cheers, Ian

 

[derban]

I've written up some notes from our holiday in Puerto Pollenca at the beginning of June. As always, given my technical ability, I'm hoping that this link will work!

June 2024Report PDF.pdf

drive.google.com

Thank you so much, Stew. A great read!

 

[Alf King]

Of course, I didn’t set it up correctly! Hopefully it’s sorted now..

Stew

An entertaining read, reminding me of what we have missed this year, having been unable to visit the island. I hope that 2025 holds greater promise for our presence.

 

[Geordie Dave]

I’m back in sunny Northumberland after almost 4 weeks in a hot and dry Mallorca. 103 species and 7 added to my Big Year is a reasonable return from what is usually the quietest time of the year for birding on the island. Highlights have been Moltonis Warbler at Cuber, a Bonellis eagle dive bombing griffon vultures at Cuber and a couple of scarce passage birds in Little Tern at Albufera and Whimbrel at Albufereta. A trip with Peter S to watch very close Nightjars at Son Bosc was a memorable experience as was having 2 Wryneck flying close around us in the woods at Cala San Vicenc. I’ve got a couple of days gardening to do to catch up on being away but my thoughts are already turning to my next visit late August into mid September. By then passage will be underway and a trip to the Cap will be in order. As always great to catch up with friends and spend days out in the field with Mike M, Peter S and Ian Bell. Hasta la proxima amigos and Gan Canny.

 

[CULINFOGFER]

Hi
I was at Muro Depuradora platform earlier this week and cannot ID these upon my return to UK? Any clues please?

 

[Ian Bell]

I’m back in sunny Northumberland after almost 4 weeks in a hot and dry Mallorca. 103 species and 7 added to my Big Year is a reasonable return from what is usually the quietest time of the year for birding on the island. Highlights have been Moltonis Warbler at Cuber, a Bonellis eagle dive bombing griffon vultures at Cuber and a couple of scarce passage birds in Little Tern at Albufera and Whimbrel at Albufereta. A trip with Peter S to watch very close Nightjars at Son Bosc was a memorable experience as was having 2 Wryneck flying close around us in the woods at Cala San Vicenc. I’ve got a couple of days gardening to do to catch up on being away but my thoughts are already turning to my next visit late August into mid September. By then passage will be underway and a trip to the Cap will be in order. As always great to catch up with friends and spend days out in the field with Mike M, Peter S and Ian Bell. Hasta la proxima amigos and Gan Canny.

Was great meeting up again,Dave.Hopefully next year again 👍👍

 

[Josep Manchado]

Hi
I was at Muro Depuradora platform earlier this week and cannot ID these upon my return to UK? Any clues please?

I guess Marsh harrier and red partidge with chick.

 

[Mike Montier]

Sorry about the lack of news. I’m finding it very difficult to come to terms with leaving Mallorca.
Pep gave me a nudge which was the right thing to do as it will help me to deal with it more appropriately.
It’s not so bad thanks to an extremely generous offer from an anonymous British birder (“dont tell ‘em your name Mike!”) of an extended stay after we sell our home.
It’s about 33 degrees most days so few birders have ventured out into the blazing heat.
I’ve been to s’Albufera a couple of times and it was great to meet up with Ian, Kevin and David.
All great company and lots of fun.
I have also called in to the salt pans at Salobrar a few times.
I found a lucky White stork recently, quite difficult to catch up with this year. It was apparently seen the next day too.
There are some returning waders like Curlew sandpiper, Ruff and other common species, appearing at Salobrar and Albufera so it can only get better in the coming weeks.
I also went to my local lighthouse tonight and saw a very reasonable 166 Scopoli’s shearwaters.
I looked back on the place as the sun was setting, and wondered how many times I have been standing there, counting shearwaters.
Hundreds of times.
It was a lovely feeling of satisfaction..
I will be there a few more times I hope.
Mike

 

[Merlin]

Sorry about the lack of news. I’m finding it very difficult to come to terms with leaving Mallorca.
Pep gave me a nudge which was the right thing to do as it will help me to deal with it more appropriately.
It’s not so bad thanks to an extremely generous offer from an anonymous British birder (“dont tell ‘em your name Mike!”) of an extended stay after we sell our home.
It’s about 33 degrees most days so few birders have ventured out into the blazing heat.
I’ve been to s’Albufera a couple of times and it was great to meet up with Ian, Kevin and David.
All great company and lots of fun.
I have also called in to the salt pans at Salobrar a few times.
I found a lucky White stork recently, quite difficult to catch up with this year. It was apparently seen the next day too.
There are some returning waders like Curlew sandpiper, Ruff and other common species, appearing at Salobrar and Albufera so it can only get better in the coming weeks.
I also went to my local lighthouse tonight and saw a very reasonable 166 Scopoli’s shearwaters.
I looked back on the place as the sun was setting, and wondered how many times I have been standing there, counting shearwaters.
Hundreds of times.
It was a lovely feeling of satisfaction..
I will be there a few more times I hope.
Mike

Hi Mike,

Not wishing to influence your decision to return to the UK but to just advise you of a prime area for birds upon your return.

Staffordshire.

Tittesworth Reservoir, Great Crested Grebe, sadly no sign of the recent coot.

Staffordshire Moorlands, dripping with birds today with TWO Meadow Pipits, Linnet, Kestrel and even a Greenfinch on the garden feeders.
I didn't know where to look next, apparently some lucky person had a Stonechat today. Surely this must be worthy of some mild inebriation to celebrate?
(It's a good excuse anyway?)
Good birding.

best regards
Merlin

 

[Mike Montier]

Thanks Merlin
That made me laugh anyway.
I’ve been to Venus Pool a couple of times.
Last time I saw a distant stint flying in, but with only a pair of weedy binoculars, I couldn’t nail it.
It turned out to be a Temminck’s stint!
The first for many years.
Maybe I will take a bit of luck with me and find something special.
No seawatching in Shrewsbury though.
Maybe I will find a few good places and somehow settle back in.
I might even take up twitching again.
My big ambition is to go to Shetland one autumn.
I recently went to Iona and saw some very decent birds so it not all doom and gloom.
Mike

 

[Mike Montier]

Posting some news on here yesterday really fired me up again, so I was up at 6am and straight out the door.
I got to Cap de Ses Salines not long after first light and was greeted by three Turtle doves and two Hoopoes on the approach road.
It was surprisingly windy which seemed to encourage the Scopoli’s shearwaters to have lots of fun, wheeling and shearing just above the waves.
Both Yellow legged and Audouin’s gulls were present and two Balearic flycatchers were doing what they do best.
There was not else much doing so I decided to move up the road to Passatge 5.
As I drove off, an Eleonora’s falcon flashed past, looking really fabulous as it swooped and dived over the fields. Not many raptors are as agile as this one.
At the site, lots of other raptors were in evidence, four Red kite, two Black kite and a Marsh harrier.
Corn bunting, Linnet and Greenfinch all put in an appearance but it’s too early yet for much migration.
Mind you, I have seen both Marsh harrier and Black kite on their way to Africa in early August so it won’t be long before it all gets more serious.
Not a bad morning, certainly enough action to keep me awake.
It’s going to get a lot better too.
Mike

 

[Mike Montier]

Blimey, a Paddyfield warbler trapped and ringed in Staffordshire.
Merlin must have stirred up some magic.
Speaking of rarities, I have been wondering what will turn up in Mallorca next.
Since Pep and Joan found the first Red-flanked bluetail a few years ago, there have been at least three more logged.
I fancy a Pallas’s warbler as Yellow-browed warbler is annual and a Booted warbler was found by Jason last year.
I watch the sea so much and I don’t think anything will happen on that front, except maybe another Brown booby.
I believe a Black-winged kite will make it here soon and maybe an Amur falcon.
About time a Cream-colored courser turned up too.
Just dreaming on a Sunday afternoon.
It’s always fun to have a go. Being an Island, almost anything can end up here. Some records in the UK and here were never predicted but they still made it.
I will look back at the end of the year, if only to see how wrong I was.
Mike

 

[Alexander Rex]

Hello everyone,

I wanna start off by saying that this thread (and the past threads) have been very helpful for me. I recently went on my first trip to Mallorca (June 24th to July 5th) and despite the time of year i was able to see most of my target species within this, something which i dont think wouldve been possible without the amazing amount of information on here! We spent a few days at Albufera and Son Bosc where we were graced by some squacco herons, a woodchat shrike, gull billed tern and a few marbled ducks among other things. The rest of the time was spent in the mountains at Albercutx, Cuber and Mortitx with highlights such as balaeric and moltonis warbler, bonellis eagle and cirl bunting. The amount of birds and the landscape was simply stunning! I will be eager to return in the future, maybe during spring if possible.

 

[Alexander Rex]

When i was at Albufera late June i also came accross this falcon which circled flatly once and then flew past me quickly, i saw multiple obvious eleonoras but have been struggling with this bird and was thinking it may be a young peregrine. Something feels very off for eleonoras, especially the head structure and tail but idk how often peregrines occur at Albufera. I would greatly appreciate any input regarding this bird.