beaker
Saturday 7th May 2005, 09:01
Majorca – 23rd to 30th April 2005
Last year I (Andy Firth), two other Sandbach Flashes regulars (Ian Barber and Mark Stubbs) and a vagrant to Sandbach Flashes (Lee Greenhough) decided to spend a spring week birding in Majorca.
Ian had birded abroad several times, including Majorca, and arranged for an apartment in Puerto de Alcudia in the North of the Island. I arranged flights through Thomas Cook and arranged car hire through Europa Goldcar. The apartment was ideal and flights and car hire went to plan.
After checking in at our apartment we immediately headed for an afternoon visit to the Albufera. In five hours birding this site we saw 60 species, highlights being introduced Red Knobbed Coot and Purple Swamp Hen, a brief Little Bittern, pair of Slender Billed Gulls and two Whiskered Terns. An array of Herons, Egrets and Waders were also seen. Access to Albufura is from the C712 road where parking is limited but we always found a space and extra parking is available across the main road.
Day 2 produced the first of many sightings of Audouin’s Gull on the coast by the road connecting Alcudia and Port De Pollenca. We then parked at Postage Stamp Wood and spent an hour birding, seeing only Pied, Spotted Flycatchers, Wood and Sardinian Warblers. A kilometre or so from here is the start of the Boquer Valley. On the walk up the valley we saw Wryneck, Stone Curlew and the first of many Blue Rock Thrushes. A Melodious Warbler was found in some scrub further up the valley. On the return journey down the valley, whilst searching through an apparent fall of Wheatears, Whinchat and Flycatchers, two Mamora’s Warblers were located.
At the bottom of the valley a birder pointed out a distant perched Black Vulture which took to the air and was immediately joined by two Egyptian Vultures. The first of many Booted Eagles followed.
We then called at the Albafureta Marsh which is accessed from the Port de Pollenca, Puerto de Alcudia road. A two hour visit produced two Collared Pratincoles with many Zitting Cisticola, Osprey, Marsh Harrier and another Stone Curlew.
Another visit to the Albufera followed producing the first Alpine Swift and the first of the surprisingly elusive Moustached Warblers.
On day 3 we drove to the Cuber Reservoir a site well documented in the books available on Majorca. The hoped for Spectacled Warbler and Rock Thrush defied us (is this site still good for these species?). However Black and Egyptian Vultures, Red Kite, Osprey and Tawny Pipit were seen well.
An afternoon visit to Casas Vevas (access off the Cap de Formentor road) was excellent, highlights including Turtle Dove, Ortolan Bunting, Crossbill, Black Redstart and the first sighting of Eleonoras Falcon.
An elusive Scops Owl in Port de Pollenca brought the holiday list to 101 after two and a half days birding.
The morning of day 4 was spent at the Albufera where four more species were added including 2 or 3 obliging Squacco Herons. A party of six Eleonoras Falcons hunted above us at the site which was very impressive.
The afternoon was spent at the Arta Peninsula where Thekla Larks were seen feeding young. This drive is quite arduous and Thekla Lark can be found easily elsewhere as we found later in the week.
Formenter was the venue for the morning of day 5. Corys Shearwater, Blue Rock Thrushes, Eleonoras Flacons and an escaped Bateleur were recorded. A brief visit to the Boquer Valley produced another Blue Rock Thrush. The day ended on a high with a party of 6 Bee Eaters back at the East end of Albufera.
On day 6 we drove about an hour and a half to the Ses Salines, the salt pan on the Southern tip of the island. Here we were greeted with Short Toed Lark and also Thekla Lark (one birder insisted these birds at the lower levels were in fact Crested Larks).
The next two hours produced 3 Gull Billed Terns, 5 Collared Pratincoles, a flock of Greater Flamingos and an impressive array of Waders, including the fist Termmincks Stints of the trip. Spoonbill and Ruddy Shelduck were also recorded.
A drive to the Cap Salines produced Corys and Balearic Shearwaters and more Audouins Gulls. On the drive back from the coast we stopped at the road side to “scope” a Black Vulture seen from the car and the next hour was brilliant. The fields here were alive with Larks, Chats and Buntings, while Wryneck, Woodchat Shrike, Hoopoe, Bee Eater and Eleonoras Falcon were seen in one magical hour.
Porto Colom failed to produce the hoped for Pallid Swift and this species eluded us all week, although other birders claimed many sightings. Back to the field guides ! Two more Blue Rock Thrushes were seen and hundreds of Shearwaters, some very close.
On the final day the copious amounts of beer and Jack Daniels drunk each night caught up with Mark (the youngest of us !!) and we retired from the field early so Mark could sleep it off with a White Headed Duck, the only notable species seen (Albufera).
The trip list finished on 123 with “lifers” for all of us. For a first birding trip abroad it was excellent and between us we identified almost everything we saw. Anyone who can stay off the drink and be out at first light could probably see more species but to us the night time is part of the holiday.
Anyone who wants any information on our visit or can enlighten me to any aspect of birding on the island ie:-sites we didn’t visit,birds we missed, please feel free to contact me.
The species we saw were as follows.
1 Little Grebe Albufera
2 Great Crested Grebe Albufera
3 Cory’s Shearwater Formentor, Cap Salines, Porto Colom
4 Balearic Shearwater Cap Salines, Porto Colom
5 Shag Most Coastal Areas
6 Little Bittern Albufera
7 Night Heron Albufera
8 Cattle Egret Albufera
9 Squacco Heron Albufera
10 Little Egret Albufera
11 Grey Heron Albufera
12 Purple Heron Albufera, Albufereta
13 Spoonbill Ses Salines
14 Greater Flamingo Ses Salines
15 Shelduck Albufera, Ses Salines
16 Ruddy Shelduck Ses Salines
17 Mallard Albufera, Ses Salines
18 Gadwall Albufera
19 Shoveler Albufera
20 Teal Albufera
21 Pochard Albufera
22 White Headed Duck Albufera
23 Red Crested Pochard Albufera
24 Black Vulture Boquer, Cuber, Ses Salines
25 Egyptian Vulture Boquer, Cuber
26 Osprey Albufera, Cuber, Albufereta
27 Booted Eagle Boquer, Cuber, Casas Vevas
28 Red Kite Cuber
29 Marsh Harrier Albufera, Albufereta
30 Kestrel Albufera, Boquer, Albufereta
31 Eleonoras Falcon Albufera, Formentor, Ses Salines
32 Peregrine Falcon Boquer, Formentor
33 Red-Legged Partridge Ses Salines
34 Pheasant Boquer
35 Moorhen Albufera, Albufereta
36 Coot Albufera
37 Red-Knobbed Coot Albufera
38 Purple Swamp Hen Albufera
39 Avocet Ses Salines
40 Black Winged Stilt Albufera, Albufereta, Ses Salines
41 Stone Curlew Boquer, Albufereta, Ses Salines
42 Collared Pratincole Albufereta, Ses Salines
43 Little Ringed Plover Albufera, Albufereta
44 Ringed Plover Albufera, Albufereta
45 Kentish Plover Albufera, Albufereta, Ses Salines
46 Lapwing Albufera
47 Sanderling Albufera, Ses Salines
48 Dunlin Albufera, Ses Salines
49 Curlew Sandpiper Albufera, Ses Salines
50 Temmincks Stint Ses Salinas
51 Little Stint Albufera, Ses Salines
52 Wood Sandpiper Albufera, Ses Salines
53 Green Sandpiper Albufera
54 Common Sandpiper Albufera
55 Redshank Albufera, Ses Salines
56 Spotted Redshank Albufera
57 Greenshank Albufera, Ses Salines
58 Whimbrel Ses Salines
59 Ruff Albufera, Ses Salines
60 Black Headed Gull Albufera
61 Slender Billed Gull Albufera
62 Yellow Legged Gull Many Locations
63 Audouins Gull Port De Pollensa, Cap Salines
64 Gull Billed Tern Ses Salines
65 Common Tern Albufera
66 Whiskered Tern Albufera
67 Rock Dove/Feral Pigeon Many Locations
68 Wood Pigeon Many Locations
69 Collared Dove Many Locations
70 Turtle Dove Casas Vevas
71 Scops Owl Port De Pollenca
72 Swift Many Locations
73 Alpine Swift Albufera
74 Hoopoe Many Locations
75 Bee Eater Albufera, Ses Salines
76 Wryneck Boquer, Ses Salines
77 Thekla Lark Arta, Ses Salines
78 Short Toed Lark Ses Salines
79 Sand Martin Albufera
80 Crag Martin Boquer, Arta, Formentor
81 Barn Swallow Many Locations
82 House Martin Many Locations
83 Tawny Pipit Cuber
84 Yellow Wagtail Many Locations
85 Wren Several Locations
86 Nightingale Many Locations
87 Redstart Boquer, Casas Vevas
88 Black Redstart Casas Vevas
89 Wheatear Boquer, Casas Vevas
90 Whinchat Many Locations
91 Stonechat Many Locations
92 Blue Rock Thrush Formentor, Boquer, Porto Colom
93 Blackbird Many Locations
94 Sardinian Warbler Many Locations
95 Blackcap Many Locations
96 Whitethroat Several Locations
97 Mamoras Warbler Boquer
98 Moustached Warbler Albufereta
99 Zitting Cisticola Albufera, Albufereta
100 Cettis Warbler Albufera, Albufereta
101 Reed Warbler Albufera
102 Great Red Warbler Albufera
103 Melodious Warbler Boquer
104 Willow Warbler Boquer, Casas Vevas
105 Wood Warbler Postage Stamp Wood
106 Chiffchaff Many Locations
107 Firecrest Cuber
108 Spotted Flycatcher Casas Vevas, Boquer
109 Pied Flycatcher Many Locations
110 Great Tit Cuber
111 Blue Tit Cuber
112 Woodchat Shrike Many Locations
113 Raven Cuber, Boquer, Formentor
114 House Sprarrow Many Locations
115 Chaffinch Many Locations
116 Linnet Many Locations
117 Goldfinch Many Locations
118 Serin Many Locations
119 Greenfinch Many Locations
120 Crossbill Casas Vevas
121 Ortolan Bunting Casas Vevas
122 Cirl Bunting Many Locations
123 Corn Bunting Many Locations
Andy Firth
Crewe
Cheshire.
Last year I (Andy Firth), two other Sandbach Flashes regulars (Ian Barber and Mark Stubbs) and a vagrant to Sandbach Flashes (Lee Greenhough) decided to spend a spring week birding in Majorca.
Ian had birded abroad several times, including Majorca, and arranged for an apartment in Puerto de Alcudia in the North of the Island. I arranged flights through Thomas Cook and arranged car hire through Europa Goldcar. The apartment was ideal and flights and car hire went to plan.
After checking in at our apartment we immediately headed for an afternoon visit to the Albufera. In five hours birding this site we saw 60 species, highlights being introduced Red Knobbed Coot and Purple Swamp Hen, a brief Little Bittern, pair of Slender Billed Gulls and two Whiskered Terns. An array of Herons, Egrets and Waders were also seen. Access to Albufura is from the C712 road where parking is limited but we always found a space and extra parking is available across the main road.
Day 2 produced the first of many sightings of Audouin’s Gull on the coast by the road connecting Alcudia and Port De Pollenca. We then parked at Postage Stamp Wood and spent an hour birding, seeing only Pied, Spotted Flycatchers, Wood and Sardinian Warblers. A kilometre or so from here is the start of the Boquer Valley. On the walk up the valley we saw Wryneck, Stone Curlew and the first of many Blue Rock Thrushes. A Melodious Warbler was found in some scrub further up the valley. On the return journey down the valley, whilst searching through an apparent fall of Wheatears, Whinchat and Flycatchers, two Mamora’s Warblers were located.
At the bottom of the valley a birder pointed out a distant perched Black Vulture which took to the air and was immediately joined by two Egyptian Vultures. The first of many Booted Eagles followed.
We then called at the Albafureta Marsh which is accessed from the Port de Pollenca, Puerto de Alcudia road. A two hour visit produced two Collared Pratincoles with many Zitting Cisticola, Osprey, Marsh Harrier and another Stone Curlew.
Another visit to the Albufera followed producing the first Alpine Swift and the first of the surprisingly elusive Moustached Warblers.
On day 3 we drove to the Cuber Reservoir a site well documented in the books available on Majorca. The hoped for Spectacled Warbler and Rock Thrush defied us (is this site still good for these species?). However Black and Egyptian Vultures, Red Kite, Osprey and Tawny Pipit were seen well.
An afternoon visit to Casas Vevas (access off the Cap de Formentor road) was excellent, highlights including Turtle Dove, Ortolan Bunting, Crossbill, Black Redstart and the first sighting of Eleonoras Falcon.
An elusive Scops Owl in Port de Pollenca brought the holiday list to 101 after two and a half days birding.
The morning of day 4 was spent at the Albufera where four more species were added including 2 or 3 obliging Squacco Herons. A party of six Eleonoras Falcons hunted above us at the site which was very impressive.
The afternoon was spent at the Arta Peninsula where Thekla Larks were seen feeding young. This drive is quite arduous and Thekla Lark can be found easily elsewhere as we found later in the week.
Formenter was the venue for the morning of day 5. Corys Shearwater, Blue Rock Thrushes, Eleonoras Flacons and an escaped Bateleur were recorded. A brief visit to the Boquer Valley produced another Blue Rock Thrush. The day ended on a high with a party of 6 Bee Eaters back at the East end of Albufera.
On day 6 we drove about an hour and a half to the Ses Salines, the salt pan on the Southern tip of the island. Here we were greeted with Short Toed Lark and also Thekla Lark (one birder insisted these birds at the lower levels were in fact Crested Larks).
The next two hours produced 3 Gull Billed Terns, 5 Collared Pratincoles, a flock of Greater Flamingos and an impressive array of Waders, including the fist Termmincks Stints of the trip. Spoonbill and Ruddy Shelduck were also recorded.
A drive to the Cap Salines produced Corys and Balearic Shearwaters and more Audouins Gulls. On the drive back from the coast we stopped at the road side to “scope” a Black Vulture seen from the car and the next hour was brilliant. The fields here were alive with Larks, Chats and Buntings, while Wryneck, Woodchat Shrike, Hoopoe, Bee Eater and Eleonoras Falcon were seen in one magical hour.
Porto Colom failed to produce the hoped for Pallid Swift and this species eluded us all week, although other birders claimed many sightings. Back to the field guides ! Two more Blue Rock Thrushes were seen and hundreds of Shearwaters, some very close.
On the final day the copious amounts of beer and Jack Daniels drunk each night caught up with Mark (the youngest of us !!) and we retired from the field early so Mark could sleep it off with a White Headed Duck, the only notable species seen (Albufera).
The trip list finished on 123 with “lifers” for all of us. For a first birding trip abroad it was excellent and between us we identified almost everything we saw. Anyone who can stay off the drink and be out at first light could probably see more species but to us the night time is part of the holiday.
Anyone who wants any information on our visit or can enlighten me to any aspect of birding on the island ie:-sites we didn’t visit,birds we missed, please feel free to contact me.
The species we saw were as follows.
1 Little Grebe Albufera
2 Great Crested Grebe Albufera
3 Cory’s Shearwater Formentor, Cap Salines, Porto Colom
4 Balearic Shearwater Cap Salines, Porto Colom
5 Shag Most Coastal Areas
6 Little Bittern Albufera
7 Night Heron Albufera
8 Cattle Egret Albufera
9 Squacco Heron Albufera
10 Little Egret Albufera
11 Grey Heron Albufera
12 Purple Heron Albufera, Albufereta
13 Spoonbill Ses Salines
14 Greater Flamingo Ses Salines
15 Shelduck Albufera, Ses Salines
16 Ruddy Shelduck Ses Salines
17 Mallard Albufera, Ses Salines
18 Gadwall Albufera
19 Shoveler Albufera
20 Teal Albufera
21 Pochard Albufera
22 White Headed Duck Albufera
23 Red Crested Pochard Albufera
24 Black Vulture Boquer, Cuber, Ses Salines
25 Egyptian Vulture Boquer, Cuber
26 Osprey Albufera, Cuber, Albufereta
27 Booted Eagle Boquer, Cuber, Casas Vevas
28 Red Kite Cuber
29 Marsh Harrier Albufera, Albufereta
30 Kestrel Albufera, Boquer, Albufereta
31 Eleonoras Falcon Albufera, Formentor, Ses Salines
32 Peregrine Falcon Boquer, Formentor
33 Red-Legged Partridge Ses Salines
34 Pheasant Boquer
35 Moorhen Albufera, Albufereta
36 Coot Albufera
37 Red-Knobbed Coot Albufera
38 Purple Swamp Hen Albufera
39 Avocet Ses Salines
40 Black Winged Stilt Albufera, Albufereta, Ses Salines
41 Stone Curlew Boquer, Albufereta, Ses Salines
42 Collared Pratincole Albufereta, Ses Salines
43 Little Ringed Plover Albufera, Albufereta
44 Ringed Plover Albufera, Albufereta
45 Kentish Plover Albufera, Albufereta, Ses Salines
46 Lapwing Albufera
47 Sanderling Albufera, Ses Salines
48 Dunlin Albufera, Ses Salines
49 Curlew Sandpiper Albufera, Ses Salines
50 Temmincks Stint Ses Salinas
51 Little Stint Albufera, Ses Salines
52 Wood Sandpiper Albufera, Ses Salines
53 Green Sandpiper Albufera
54 Common Sandpiper Albufera
55 Redshank Albufera, Ses Salines
56 Spotted Redshank Albufera
57 Greenshank Albufera, Ses Salines
58 Whimbrel Ses Salines
59 Ruff Albufera, Ses Salines
60 Black Headed Gull Albufera
61 Slender Billed Gull Albufera
62 Yellow Legged Gull Many Locations
63 Audouins Gull Port De Pollensa, Cap Salines
64 Gull Billed Tern Ses Salines
65 Common Tern Albufera
66 Whiskered Tern Albufera
67 Rock Dove/Feral Pigeon Many Locations
68 Wood Pigeon Many Locations
69 Collared Dove Many Locations
70 Turtle Dove Casas Vevas
71 Scops Owl Port De Pollenca
72 Swift Many Locations
73 Alpine Swift Albufera
74 Hoopoe Many Locations
75 Bee Eater Albufera, Ses Salines
76 Wryneck Boquer, Ses Salines
77 Thekla Lark Arta, Ses Salines
78 Short Toed Lark Ses Salines
79 Sand Martin Albufera
80 Crag Martin Boquer, Arta, Formentor
81 Barn Swallow Many Locations
82 House Martin Many Locations
83 Tawny Pipit Cuber
84 Yellow Wagtail Many Locations
85 Wren Several Locations
86 Nightingale Many Locations
87 Redstart Boquer, Casas Vevas
88 Black Redstart Casas Vevas
89 Wheatear Boquer, Casas Vevas
90 Whinchat Many Locations
91 Stonechat Many Locations
92 Blue Rock Thrush Formentor, Boquer, Porto Colom
93 Blackbird Many Locations
94 Sardinian Warbler Many Locations
95 Blackcap Many Locations
96 Whitethroat Several Locations
97 Mamoras Warbler Boquer
98 Moustached Warbler Albufereta
99 Zitting Cisticola Albufera, Albufereta
100 Cettis Warbler Albufera, Albufereta
101 Reed Warbler Albufera
102 Great Red Warbler Albufera
103 Melodious Warbler Boquer
104 Willow Warbler Boquer, Casas Vevas
105 Wood Warbler Postage Stamp Wood
106 Chiffchaff Many Locations
107 Firecrest Cuber
108 Spotted Flycatcher Casas Vevas, Boquer
109 Pied Flycatcher Many Locations
110 Great Tit Cuber
111 Blue Tit Cuber
112 Woodchat Shrike Many Locations
113 Raven Cuber, Boquer, Formentor
114 House Sprarrow Many Locations
115 Chaffinch Many Locations
116 Linnet Many Locations
117 Goldfinch Many Locations
118 Serin Many Locations
119 Greenfinch Many Locations
120 Crossbill Casas Vevas
121 Ortolan Bunting Casas Vevas
122 Cirl Bunting Many Locations
123 Corn Bunting Many Locations
Andy Firth
Crewe
Cheshire.