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Mallorca 2017 (3 Viewers)

Hi Mike
How about we go to Son Real this Thursday and hopefully there will be a nice Balearic Warbler waiting for you at the drinking pool?
I hope Kevin can join us.
Meet in the car park at 10am?
Mike
 
A couple of hours spent at Salobrar de Campos this morning, over one hundred Flamingos, Little Stint, Sanderling, Dunlin, Grey Plover and Ruff. Mike
 
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Gordon. Orchids are well represented on the Island. As you are in the north I guess the reserves of Son Real and Albufera should be good.
I know more about the south of the island as I live here but I will ask some of the locals and let you know what they say.
I believe that the Boquer Valley has a good selection of plants including some endemics and some orchids. Goats are a problem there though. I will let you know.
 
Ferruginous duck

I've started the year with luck, today doing the yearly official count of waterfowl in the golf courses of Palma (Son Muntaner and Son Quint), in addition to normal birds, we have seen this beautiful ferruginous duck and one lesser black-backed gull.
:t:
 

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Balearic Warbler

Dear all, dear Mike,

I promised, and here we go: This is the utimative-100%-chance-to-see-Sylvia-balearica-spot. Well, I am not kidding: I've been to this place near Portocolom about 30 times in five years, covering virtually every month of the year. And I have never dipped the Balearic Warbler at this location. When I went there a few days ago I saw three individuals.

Remark: I have never used any dummy sounds (I guess I do not need to ask everyone in this thread please NOT to use any audio songs or calls that would disturb this rare little friend of ours... :t:). All you have to do is stay at the spot marked with a yellow "A" for a couple of minutes. Don't move too much. Talking helps though, as well as "pshhhhh'ing", because this little bird is extremely curious. It will show up, I promise!

Karte Balearengras.JPG

EDIT: Forgot to mention that you need to walk up the little trail that goes up from the coast to the place marked with the "A". It's about 120 m...

Seizing this opportunity: At the spot marked "B", I saw something that looked very much like Gavia stellata (Red-throated Loon) to me. The way it was pointing its bill was just perfect - and no: that was not a shag! Unfortunately (and that will never happen to me again on Mallorca), I was not carrying my spotting scope. My binos were just not good enough to eliminate the rest of doubt I had - so: I am definitely not ticking this one for the Big Year Mallorca |>| But I encourage you to have a look...

Best regards, good birding,

Michael
 
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I've started the year with luck, today doing the yearly official count of waterfowl in the golf courses of Palma (Son Muntaner and Son Quint), in addition to normal birds, we have seen this beautiful ferruginous duck and one lesser black-backed gull.
:t:

Felicitaciones, Josep!

So far, I have not seen any Feruginous this year - yet ...

Best, Michael
 
Go bird watching with a friend...

... as everyone knows, four eyes see more than two. Six eyes see more than four, etc.

It's so easy and so true. Just mentioning this truism to thank you, Michael Montier, for encouraging me to go and see the Loon in Andraitx (went there still on the same day...) and for the Whimbrel in Colonia!

I wish the Mergus serrator (Red-breasted Merganser) had still been there, so I would have had something to offer you in return. I keep fingers crossed, so you still find one (or more) in 2017!

Best, Michael

This one's from Colonia de Sant Jordi beach (30 m from the Marisol restaurant), were it stayed at least from December 29, 2016 - January 2, 2017:


Mittelsäger Colonia San Jordi 2.JPG

Mittelsäger Colonia San Jordi 3.JPG

Mittelsäger Colonia San Jordi.jpg
 
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Many thanks Michael for all the helpful information, many people want to see Balearic Warbler and it is good to know about this site. I think it is the same place that Kevin mentioned and that he sees them there every time too.
The locals expected Red-throated diver to appear following the storms rather than the surprise of the rarer Black-throated so there must be one out there somewhere! I will keep looking.
Good luck in the BigYear and we will meet up next time you are here. Mike
 
Thanks Mike,

Look forward on any info you can get on orchid sites in the North.

Gordon

Good morning Gordon,

Before the birding bug hit me, I used to be a passionate botanist with a special focus on the Mediterranean. For the orchids, it’s still a bit too early. February/March are the best months. To capture Mallorca’s great diversity, you will have to visit various habitats, starting with the coastal lines (including the pine woods) in February and ending with the mountain area in (late) March and April.

Amongst the “earlier” species, you cannot miss various species of the Orchis/Dactylorhiza genuses. And then, the “bee orchids” (genus Ophrys) are particularly well represented on the island - and these are amongst my favorite orchids. There are five species in Cala Modragó and some more in the Tramuntana.

Good luck, regards,

Michael
 
The Razorbill is still at Porto Colom but the Red-breasted Merganser seen in Colonia Sant Jordi has failed to show after three visits in the last couple of days. Mike
 
Visit to S'Albufera

Excellent visit.

Great to see so many Night Herons in good form.

Several Marbled Ducks as well as usual suspects seen included Ospreys, Marsh Harriers, Red Knobbed Coots, Purple Gallinule

Water levels very high

Mike
 

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Today at Son Real not a lot of action at the hide. Just Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Sardinian warbler, Dunnock, Great tit, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Crossbill, Red legged partridge, Songthrush and just as I was about to give up a fine male Merlin flew in landed briefly then flew off. Stunning! On the beach Thekla lark ,Stonechat, Kestrel, Turnstone and Kentish plover.

Tonight a Scops owl was sat in the middle of the road near pula golf Son Servera
 
Seizing this opportunity: At the spot marked "B", I saw something that looked very much like Gavia stellata (Red-throated Loon) to me. The way it was pointing its bill was just perfect - and no: that was not a shag! Unfortunately (and that will never happen to me again on Mallorca), I was not carrying my spotting scope. My binos were just not good enough to eliminate the rest of doubt I had - so: I am definitely not ticking this one for the Big Year Mallorca |>| But I encourage you to have a look...

Hello Michael
I think this bird could be a Great Crested Grebe, there is one there, it is possible if you saw it very far away and without scope.
 
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Two more Razorbills seen today at Cuitat Jardin, near Palma.
The hard weather in Italy and Germany may have pushed a few interesting birds our way. Three of us are going to Son Real tomorrow so it will be interesting to see if there are more thrushes , hopefully including some Redwing and Fieldfare, both quite difficult to see in Mallorca.
The first winter I came here, the fields to Park Mondrago were full of mixed thrushes and I obviously thought it was normal but it has never happened since, that's over 12 years ago. Mike
 
Hello Michael
I think this bird could be a Great Crested Grebe, there is one there, it is possible if you saw it very far away and without scope.

Hello Josep,

Thanks for your comment! I thought the bird was bigger, but anyway, as it appeared too shaky in my binoculars, it is well possible that it might have been a GC Grebe.

The latter one, I have also seen in Port d'Alcúdia on January 2...

Saludos, Michael
 
Two more Razorbills seen today at Cuitat Jardin, near Palma.
The hard weather in Italy and Germany may have pushed a few interesting birds our way. Three of us are going to Son Real tomorrow so it will be interesting to see if there are more thrushes , hopefully including some Redwing and Fieldfare, both quite difficult to see in Mallorca.
The first winter I came here, the fields to Park Mondrago were full of mixed thrushes and I obviously thought it was normal but it has never happened since, that's over 12 years ago. Mike

Mike, Kevin

Many thanks for the excellent day and the surperb views of Bluethroats, Bullfinches, and Hawfinches (NOT!!!!!)

Despite this, it was an excellent day with pies and balearic warbler

Looking forward to the press article

Hugs
Mike
 
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