[Alf King]

I've been to Mallorca many times but haven't visited for a couple of years and would like any updates available on the various sites.

Are there any recent changes or developments at S'Albufera?

Is S'Albufereta dry or still worth a visit?

What are the current access arrangements at Salinas de Levante?

Are there Rock Thrush at Cuber nowadays?

Has anyone found any new sites worth visiting or is development continuing on its relentless road?

(Are there any good new restaurants in Puerto Pollenca?)

Fortunately I have most of the relevant publications, even as far back as Eddie Watkinson's original.

Any information would be gladly received.

[wee kayso]

im going to mallorca in 3 weeks time,i am staying in can picafor and will be visiting most of the sights you wrote about .i dont think there is an up to date guide other than the graham earle one ,but i will post my trip report when i get back.

[nick scarle]

I too will be in Mallorca soon (May 3rd to 10th) staying in Cala San Vicente. My first visit in 4 years so I'm hoping for the same info as above.

Nick

[MikeJenx]

A tip off for Wee Kayso. I stayed in C'an Picafort in the son Ballou area which is at the South of the resort. If you walk to the other side of the beach here the coast is part of a nature reserve which i visited most mornings.

I found Thekla lark vey common along this stretch particularly early mornings. Other birds in the area included bee eater, hoopoo, woodchat shrike, tawny pipit, kentish plover (common), auodins gull and sardinian warblers.

I had black vulture in the Boquer which was just as well as I had no wheels to get to cuber. My favourite area in s'albufera was the raised viewing area situated near the farm to the west of the water treatmant plant and the plant itself was good with whiskered and black tern, stone curlew and marbled teal amongst the hi lights.

At the front entrance to S'Albufera they sell a green card for 10 euros. This entitles you to free bike hire useage within s'albuferra for 2 weeks. I found it to be great value and made nipping from the various areas in the park easy. I hope some of this information will be of use.

[wee kayso]

cheers mike ,will probably pop down there first light before breakie

[wee kayso]

nick look out for 2 jocks an irishman and a yorkshire man ,going at the same time,

[Alf King]

Originally Posted by wee kayso

im going to mallorca in 3 weeks time,i am staying in can picafor and will be visiting most of the sights you wrote about .i dont think there is an up to date guide other than the graham earle one ,but i will post my trip report when i get back.

I look forward to that Wee Kayso.

Clearly there is no other up to date information available at present. Does anyone know if GOB are still active and, if so do they have a web site? Google has failed me in this quest so far.

[wee kayso]

alf, one of the guys im going to majorca with originaly comes from huddersfield,dave woodhouse do you know him

[Alf King]

No Kayso I don't, but I'm new around here. I've only lived in the town 25 years!



BTW have you been before or is it all new to you?

[wee kayso]

ok,thought you might have known him,2 weeks and 4 days to go........yip.....yip.....yipeeeeeeeeeeee,

[Motmot]

A Calandra Lark (major rarity in the Balearics) and a Great Snipe were found yesterday at S'Albufera.

[wee kayso]

hope they stay for a couple of weeks,

[Mike Montier]

I now live in Mallorca and am going to Albufera tomorrow, Saturday. I will post my sightings on this thread. I sincerely hope that the Great Snipe and Calandra Lark are still present! I have been to Cuber and Bocquer twice recently and they were very quiet but I guess I was a bit early. However, things are hotting up. I have not seen Rock Thrush at Cuber for the past three years. I am told they are still there but I have not connected. Mind you, some people were actually looking at Blue Rock Thrush at the time so there may be some confusion..

[Barred Wobbler]

I see that another great snipe was recorded at Aiguamolls de l'Emporda in Catalonia earlier in the month.

http://www.rarebirdspain.net/arbsr000.htm

The must have been a fall of them.

[wee kayso]

cheers mike,would love to see great snipe,one of my friends is coming especially for rock thrush so hope to get it at cuber,any black vultures or other birds of prey about,

[Mike Montier]

No sign of the great snipe today at Albufera but apparently the calandra lark is still around. It was to the west near the water treatment works but I did not see it.
Cattle,little and great egrets. 4 bee-eaters,3 collared pratincoles,spotted redshank.kentish plover,osprey,marsh harrier,purple heron,great reed,moustached and fan-tailed warblers,woodchat shrike,yellow wagtail (flava) purple gallinule and a red-throated pipit (not seen by me!) I am going to Cuber soon and will let you know about rock thrush as I need it myself! Cuber is the best place for raptors I think. Black vulture has never been a problem, eleonoras come there to bathe and there are usually peregrines,red kites,booted eagles and sometimes egyptian vultures. Hope this helps. I will post any updates..

[wee kayso]

thanx mike, the great snipe might be still around ,needle in a hay stack,looks like its hotting up at the Albufera ,pipits and wagtails on the move,good luck for the rock thrush,

[colin piper]

[QUOTE=Alf King;1169780]I've been to Mallorca many times but haven't visited for a couple of years and would like any updates available on the various sites.

Hi Alf, I've just spent 5 days birding there based in Puerto Pollensa as you will be. I've not been for 8 years and found the unfamiliar roads frustrating (not to mention the Spanish drivers who have yet to discover the phrase 'defensive driving'). I think I now hold the British and empire record for the number of different ways of getting from Puerto Pollensa to S'Albufera.

Are there any recent changes or developments at S'Albufera?

The S'Albufera is fantastic in my opinion, though not without its frustrations. I did the long red walk all around the perimeter for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it although there are long stretches that are fairly birdless. The old salt pans are part of the reserve now and inaccessible I think. The depuradura is also now part of the reserve and worth going to any day you're in the area. What used to be a hide has been replaced with a viewing platform that has a much better view (though it can be windy).

Is S'Albufereta dry or still worth a visit?

S'Albufereta is pretty much inaccessible as far as I can tell - I couldn't find any of the old access points in Graham Hearle's book. The area of limestone pavement on the east of the Albufereta river mouth is still accessible however and I had my first flamingo of the trip from there. It is now a reserve and I think has permanent water.

What are the current access arrangements at Salinas de Levante?

I followed 'Eddie's track' up the northern side and had a great day. There are also some stopping places along the minor road that runs along the southern side and this will give you flamingo

Are there Rock Thrush at Cuber nowadays?

No - haven't been for years as far as I can tell. I actually think Cuber is passed its best and a trip along the formentor peninsular is a better use of your time and can produce black vulture etc. Still, my best ever Mallorcan birds have all been at Cuber...

Has anyone found any new sites worth visiting or is development continuing on its relentless road?

There is a lot of new development but then there are also new reserves (including the S'A'bufereta). I think Mallorca is still an unspoilt paradise actually and will not wait another 8 years before going again. A trip to Cabrera is a must if you haven't been before and I will spend more time on my next visit on my hands and knees in the Tramuntana, armed with 'Wild Spain - A traveller's guide' by Grunfeld and Anthony Bonner's 'Plants of the Balearic Islands', looking for endemic toads and flowers!

(Are there any good new restaurants in Puerto Pollenca?)

I'm assuming from your tone that you are looking for authentic local food and not doner kebab. Try 'Celler La Parra', 'El Posito' and 'Los Pescadores'.

Fortunately I have most of the relevant publications, even as far back as Eddie Watkinson's original.

So have I, unfortunately they are all getting more and more out of date. I think we should leave it a year or two for the current spate of road building to finish and then someone needs to write a new one.

Any information would be gladly received.[/quote]

Hope the above helps, if you want to know anything more then just ask. My species list for 5 days last week is below if it is of interest.

little grebe
cormorant
cattle egret
squacco heron
little egret
grey heron
purple heron
greater flamingo
shelduck
mallard
gadwall
shoveler
pochard
red-crested pochard
osprey
marsh harrier
moorhen
coot
red-knobbed coot
purple swamp-hen
avocet
black-winged stilt
little ringed plover
ringed plover
kentish plover
golden plover
curlew sandpiper
little stint
wood sandpiper
green sandpiper
redshank
spotted redshnk
greenshank
marsh sandpiper
snipe
ruff
mediterranean gull
yellow-legged gull
audouin’s gull
whiskered tern
feral pigeon
(cuckoo)
(scops owl)
swift
hoopoe
rose-ringed parakeet
sand martin
barn swallow
red-rumped swallow
yellow wagtail (flava)
wren
nightingale
redstart
stonechat
blackbird
sardinian warbler
zitting cisticola
cetti’s warbler
(great reed warbler)
chiffchaff
woodchat shrike
house sparrow
goldfinch
greenfinch
serin

[Alf King]

Thanks Colin and Mike (and everyone else),

This is just the kind of info I was looking for.

S'Albufereta has been a reserve of some sort for s few years now but is still fairly well ignored by the powers that be, and there is still extensive shooting there in autumn I believe, so even this status must be questionable. the only access that I have been able to get over the years has been via the limestone pavement area by parking alongside the torrente, but last time that I was there the house alongside was being extensively developed so I wanted to check that this access was still available.

S'Albufera is still a gem thank goodness although I guess that ibis have been absent from the egret roost for some time now. I still find the purple gallinule and red-knobbed coot to be questionable ticks, but I put 'em down anyway.

Cuber hasn't been great for a few years but I do find it reliable for BV's even if they can be seen floating over Boquer with some regularity. the presence of warblers at Cuber is now a shadow of what I remember which makes it a long trip for relatively little benefit I suppose.

I have seen reference to Son Serra de Marina previously so I must try and find this spot which would be new to me and Son Marc valley is one that I haven't heard of before.

Eddie's track has been brilliant at times in the past, and awful at other times. A word of warning to the unwary that if there has been any rain it can be absolutely treacherous underfoot. It has however been good for water rail, rock sparrow peregrine, stints etc previously, but it can be pot luck.

One final tip is that I have found the Porto Colom area to be great for shearwaters in the past. Follow the track that keads into the Cala S'Algar area then walk into the scrubby area (thekla lark, stone curlew, tawny pipit) and approach the rocky edge. If there is any sort of breeze then scanning the sea from here has always produced Cory's and Balearic shearwater in decent numbers for me. Also hundreds of pallid swift diving into and out of the cave and a few interesting gulls hereabouts. It makes for a good day's round trip with the Salinas de Levante.

In all my time visiting Mallorca I have never visited Cabrera but now you have stimulated my imagination. Were arrangements easy to make to get there and (the inevitable birder's question) what did it cost ?

Finally, the best food in PP in my opinion can be obtained at Ca'n Pancho, which is not terribly attractive from the outside but does the best estufados around. Give it a try next time.

Any more information will be gratefully received and I look forward to hearing of Wee Kayso's exploits.

[colin piper]

Hi Alf,
If you don't mind I'm going to stick your address on my buddy list, I'd quite like to keep in touch with a few Mallorca regulars.
I went across to Cabrera on the daily tourist boat and had rafts of both shearwaters plus dolphin. When you land there is an obvious large shallow bay that gets turtle. If you go to the far side and drop bits of dried fruit on the path Lilford's lizard (the endemic race of wall) will come out and eat them.
Alternatively, if reptiles aren't your thing, the valley leading from the bay has turned up quite a lot of stuff for GOB who ring there.
I read in an email somewhere that someone was looking for a web site for GOB, if they happen to read this then it's www.gobmallorca.com according to the latest bird report.
Thanks for the tips re food and new places to try. The only time I went to Port Colom was very late in the season and only one pallid swift was left but, when one turned up at Dungeness in October a few years later, it was useful info to know that they triple breed there and are therefore still in Europe long after the common swifts have flown south.
bye for now and let me know how the trip goes,
Colin

[colin piper]

P.S.
Forgot to mention that I walked Eddie's track in bare feet!
It was waterlogged and I had no waterproof boots
CP

[Alf King]

Thanks Colin - that's brilliant. I've been trying to track down some details for GOB for ages and had no success until now - this must be an organisation that needs some support if Mallorca and the rest are going to remain important bird islands.

You mentioned the tourist boat to Cabrera - where does this leave from and at what times? Is it necessary to book in advance?

Thanks

Alf

(Happy to be in your buddy list; I didn't know they existed.)

[Julie10_10]

I visited Cuber last year between 27th April - 5th May and photographed Rock Thrush sitting in a tree near the waters edge. We had walked along the path from the car park and stopped near a stone heli-pad when we spotted the bird. At the dam we had Blue Rock Thrush.

We had no luck with Spectacled Warbler - is this still a good spot for this species?

[Alf King]

Originally Posted by Julie10_10

I visited Cuber last year between 27th April - 5th May and photographed Rock Thrush sitting in a tree near the waters edge. We had walked along the path from the car park and stopped near a stone heli-pad when we spotted the bird. At the dam we had Blue Rock Thrush.

We had no luck with Spectacled Warbler - is this still a good spot for this species?

I don't think its been good for SW for a few years at Cuber. When I have had them in the past it was in the "classic" area of small trees & shrubs on the North side of the reservoir. It's also worth stopping for a while to watch what is flitting around in the small valley at the end.

[Julie10_10]

Thanks Alf,

I will let you know whether we are successful this time. I am off the Mallorca tomorrow.