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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Mallorca 2017 (1 Viewer)

Thanks Mike. The water levels were quite high I thought so very few waders close up apart from those with the longest legs. The number of shelduck is amazing. I'd have loved to spend a whole day there as I suspect that there's a good turnover of birds passing through which would make for a fascinating day. The kind of place where you might expect the unexpected. I tried briefly for ST larks on the fields off the Es Trenc road but no joy. Did pick up a pair of nice Thekla though.
 
Can anyone confirm opening time for S'Albufera please? Is it 0800 or 0900? Thanks.

Also, does one need a permit to visit the Ses Salinetes, depuradora or Son Bosc?
 
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Chris - your photo of the Ibis shows exactly what we saw last week - the three of them in flight.

Other birds we saw at various times last week included red kite - along the motorway from Palma to PP, Bonelli's Eagle North East of Boquer Valley, Booted Eagles, Osprey (Boquer), Whinchat, Stonechat, redstart, Woodchat Shrike + Wryneck(s) calling but never seen around the Boquer carpark area, Wood sandpiper / water pipit / white wagtail at La Gola and various "locals" at Albufera. Quite a few robins around too. Did I read that these are winter vistors in Mallorca?

Thank you to everyone who has helped with advice / directions / buses etc and still jealous of anyone still there. The sun tan is fading as I type :(

Tom
 
Hi BA Birder. Robins were always a winter visitor to Mallorca in huge numbers.
They still are largely but in the last few years there has been evidence of breeding with three pairs confirmed last year including breeding in one of the parks in Palma.
If anyone sees Robins from now on and suspects they may be breeding, could you please report them on here, monitoring the breeding birds in Mallorca is important. Many thanks, Mike
 
Re S'Albufera, do get a permit as otherwise they can't prove to the local government how popular it is with tourists.

Ses Salinetes, doubt it, the main track past the saltpans opens straight on to the main road with no barriers.
Depuradora, never had any trouble here though the sign used to say "no entry".
Son Bosc, certainly not as long as you stick to the road (same road as you take to the Depuradora, of course).
 
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Hit the Son Bosc and Depuradora at dawn. Plenty of tawny pipits and Thelka larks and only one probable ST lark. A few wheatears about plus RLPs and a cracking view of a creepy stone curlew.

Depuradora gave two smart male pied flycatchers, huge numbers of swallow, swift and sand martin. Also two Bahama-type pintails. Marsh harrier all over as usual.

S'Albufera have a close flyover osprey struggling in the wind, purple swamp chicken beside the Es Cibollar path, the usual spread of waders large and small, a fleeting glimpse of one moustached warbler, one singing GR warbler by the raised boardwalk before the ticket office, and two spanking male garganey from Ed Cibollar.

Very little song from Acrocephalus spp. Certainly the wind didn't help but I expect maybe still to early for many birds.
 
Hi Craig, yes, exactly that, if you jump the rope a geezer runs over and is none too polite either.
The roped off area is private and there are guided tours run by the salt shop. I met one of the guides some time ago, a really lovely German lass who said she agreed with me that the groups disturbed the Flamingoes which I complained about.
The tour was nine euros but I have not seen any groups recently so I don't know if they still offer them.
My advice is to stay the right side of the ropes, good luck, Mike

thanks for that mike, i dont make a habit of jumping fences but thought id check just incase there was open access. cheers for the info, ps where does the path lead or is it there and back, circular?
 
Hi Craig, the path goes down the side of the salt pans with some newly created ones on the right. This area is referred to as Sa Barrala by the locals. It just fizzles out at the end and becomes Reed beds and pools just past the pump house. We never go further than this point although there may be a way through to the Polo pitch, I'm not sure, it is often too wet when I go.
This makes it a "there and back" but a very pleasant one. There is a small refuge hut half way down but again this is out of bounds. Many birders can't resist the temptation to have lunch on the bench there but this will attract the attention of the angry geezer who will appear out of nowhere. Have fun, Mike
Ps, very close and prolonged views of a Pileated woodpecker today in the USA, one of my target birds, I'm a very happy boy.
 
It's adios to Mallorca today after a lovely ten days. I'm sitting in the garden sipping coffee and watching two pied flycatchers hawking around. Perfect end to the trip. It's been both rewarding and frustrating in equal measure (the inevitable consequence of birding with two small children) and I especially enjoyed my early morning strolls around the Porto Pollenca lanes looking for stone curlews and migrants. Til next time.
 
Hello,
in the last week more migrants are passing through la Gola.
Today two Wood Sandpipers are easy to see from the Information Centre or from the first bridge. Also some nice Pied Flycatchers are in the park.
It's a must have a short walk every morning before going to the other birding sites, you never know what you could find next!
You can download the last birdlist at
https://www.ctolagola.com/birdlist-listado-de-aves-llistat-d-aus/


Regards,
Cristina and Marina.
 
Hi Craig, the path goes down the side of the salt pans with some newly created ones on the right. This area is referred to as Sa Barrala by the locals. It just fizzles out at the end and becomes Reed beds and pools just past the pump house. We never go further than this point although there may be a way through to the Polo pitch, I'm not sure, it is often too wet when I go.
This makes it a "there and back" but a very pleasant one. There is a small refuge hut half way down but again this is out of bounds. Many birders can't resist the temptation to have lunch on the bench there but this will attract the attention of the angry geezer who will appear out of nowhere. Have fun, Mike
Ps, very close and prolonged views of a Pileated woodpecker today in the USA, one of my target birds, I'm a very happy boy.

Appreciate your help mike thanks, ill be staying on the path :)
 
The number of birds on the island seems to be increasing these days, so good morning and good luck to everyone! :)

We saw the first Red-footed Falcons (Falco vespertinus) yesterday evening at el "Pla de Lanzell" (Vilafranca). A male and three females showed up.

We also went to Salobrar before that, where we got sorrounded by Common Swift (Apus apus) and Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica).

As highlights, mention a really colorful Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus) and a Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica).

Others in the same area were Little Egret, Grey Heron, Greater Flamingo, Osprey, Red Kite, Western Marsh Harrier, Common Kestrel, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Little Ringed Plover, Temminck’s Stint, Wood Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Eurasian Curlew, Yellow Wagtail...

Marina

P.S.: Photos were taken by the local birdwatcher Juanjo Bazán.


Falco vespertinus Juanjo Bazan.jpg

Anthus cervinus. Juanjo Bazan.jpg

G. nilotica Juanjo Bazan.jpg
 
Marbled Duck ring

Hello again,

I've been looking through some of my photos from our trip to Mallorca from a couple of weeks ago, and the Marbled Duck we had from Cibollar 1 at Albufera was ringed. Does anyone know where it could have got this ring? I thought Marbled Ducks were natural colonisers from Spain, so is there any Marbled Duck ringing projects on Mallorca? Just want to make sure I can tick it!

Thanks for any help,

Jonny F
 
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Hi Jonny,
If the Marbled duck you saw had a green plastic ring saying AEP6 on the right leg and a metal one on the left, it is likely the same duck I saw back in December when we counted 27 of them at Sa Roca hide. That same ringed duck was seen again in February and March. It was born and ringed at the Zoo of Jerez de la Frontera near Cadiz and freed in Palma in 2013 or 2014 as part of a plan of reintroduction of the species.
Hope this helps
Patrick
 
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Hi Jonny,
If the Marbled duck you saw had a green plastic ring saying AEP6 on the right leg and a metal one on the left, it is likely the same duck I saw back in December when we counted 27 of them at Sa Roca hide. That same ringed duck was seen again in February and March. It was born and ringed at the Zoo of Jerez de la Frontera near Cadiz and freed in Palma in 2013 or 2014 as part of a plan of reintroduction of the species.
Hope this helps
Patrick

Cheers Patrick, I didn't get a shot of it's right leg, but it definitely had a metal ring on its left, so it sounds like the same bird. I guess I'll have to take it off my list then... :(
 
Hi Jonny,
If the Marbled duck you saw had a green plastic ring saying AEP6 on the right leg and a metal one on the left, it is likely the same duck I saw back in December when we counted 27 of them at Sa Roca hide. That same ringed duck was seen again in February and March. It was born and ringed at the Zoo of Jerez de la Frontera near Cadiz and freed in Palma in 2013 or 2014 as part of a plan of reintroduction of the species.
Hope this helps
Patrick
Hi
There have been some earlier threads on this topic.
There have been several instances of Marbled Duck being reintroduced in the Balearic Islands to boost the population there. The 2015 Balearic Bird Report mentions 11 birds (3 males and 8 females) being released in s'Albufera, 7 are mentioned in the 2013 Anuari, 15 in the 2010 Anuari and 6 more in s'Albufera plus 6 at Salobrar de Campos in the 2009 Anuari. I'm not aware of any released in Palma.
Similar release programmes apply to the Purple Gallinule, Red-knobbed Coot and Bonelli's Eagle. Attempts to reintroduce the White-headed Duck failed.
Martin
 
Hello. Not a bird watcher, but have just spent a fortnight in PortoPetro where we observed a large owl on many nights. No photos sadly. It was white-ish underneath and seemed to have a wingspan larger than that described for the Scops. Is there any likely possibility other than a Scops?
 
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