Mallorca 2019 (1 Viewer)

Thanks Patrick. I will do my best to help.
We have read about this phenomenon. It all seems unprecedented.
I will try to give a link to the article.
Disaster.
Mike

I've written up some notes from my visit in June (attached).

Stew

Your usual high standard Stew and a joy to read.
I was very pleased to be with you when we did well with the Dragonflies, I have taken much more interest since that day.
See you on your next visit, it’s too hot and humid here at the moment so not many people out birding, just the most hardy.
I have just been going out very early in the morning and late evening but even then it’s hard going.
Some return migration at the moment and I will be going to Cap de Ses Salines regularly soon.
Black Kite are an early migrant and lots of Common Swift are also on the move.
Young Rollers also come through quite early, Turtle doves line the approach road to the Cap and hopefully a few surprises. I always live in hope, that’s what keeps me going.
Mike

Just out of interest -

1. How many pairs of Booted Eagles are estimated to breed on Mallorca?

2. Has there been a recent census on the Balearics?

Laurie:t:

Hi Laurie
The latest estimate i can find is around 200 pairs of resident birds.
If anyone has a more recent figure, perhaps they could post here.
I think about 70% are pale morph, maybe higher.
Booted Eagle is also a migrant in varying numbers.
In 2017 I was lucky enough to be present at the Cap when 249 individuals left the Island for Africa on that day.
I recall that they were mostly pale morph.
The total number of migrant birds that year was 451.
They are a lovely bird to see and although I see them daily, I still stop the car to get a better look, I never get tired of seeing them. They sometimes rise up really close from the fields, a fantastic sight.
Hope this helps.
Mike

Mallorca is very organized with a census being carried out every year, particularly in the wet areas.
Results are available on the GOB website and make interesting reading.
There is also a census of the resident vulture population too I believe.
Mike

Mike Montier said:

Thanks Patrick. I will do my best to help.
We have read about this phenomenon. It all seems unprecedented.
I will try to give a link to the article.
Disaster.
Mike

Click to expand...

There's this: https://www.ultimahora.es/noticias/...pollos-vencejo-cuatro-dias-por-ola-calor.html

Martin

Thanks Martin

I got to Cap de Ses Salines just after first light but very little action.
On the approach road I saw 14 Turtle doves so they are on the move.
Two dark morph Eleonora’s Falcons brightened things up and 11 Scopoli’s shearwaters were seen in a feeding frenzy just off Cabrera.
At the salt pans a few Green sandpipers and a Greenshank were seen but otherwise no change from my last visit.
It’s always an impatient time just waiting for the migrants to come through at the Cap.
Bee-eaters are always great to see as they work their way along the coast, sometimes in large numbers and Black kites begin to appear.
I will visit as often as I can.
Mike

Cheers Mike - re: Booted:t:

Talking of things ‘Green’ e.g. Shank, Sandpiper and ‘Pecker - could you please indulge me: has there been a report over the last 3 weeks weeks of either a Green or a Greenish Warbler on Mallorca?

Sorry to have to ask the bleedin’ obvious but a mate who spent 4 days birding about a week ago is convinced he saw ‘something’ but obviously NO images. I dismissed it as a juvenile Willow Warbler.....

Laurie -

Hi Laurie
That’s the first I’ve heard of it!
It’s very hard to sift through all the reports from visiting birders, some genuine and others are erroneous.
All have to be checked because you just never know.
Not all birders post on here so it’s hard to keep track of all records.
I personally have no problem when mistakes are made, I have a bit of history there myself, and I believe everyone is at a different level and I accept that.
Thanks for the news Laurie, if you hear any more, let us know!
Mike

Cheers Mike:t:

Just out of interest do you get Greenish Warbler as a rare Autumn migrant on Mallorca (i wont waste your time enquiring about the other).

Laurie -

As far as I am aware, the first Balearic Islands record of Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trociloides, was from Illa de l'Aire, Sant Lluís, on Menorca, 24 September 2013.
Martin

Hi everyone,

First of all thanks to everyone for keeping this thread up to date. It is a great resource when visiting the island.
My brother and I are currently staying close to Pollenca. Yesterday evening we made a brief stop at S‘Albufera and were happy to find a Whimbrel.
For tomorrow we are having the ridiculous plan to do a Big Day of Birding.
We plan to go to s‘Albufera for sunrise, then Toucan Marsh, Albufereta and Pollenca backlanes. After that to Cuber Reservoir, then back towards Pollenca and potentially to Formentor to look for Shearwaters, then again to S‘Albufera for sundown.
Any ideas or comments for our tour plan or how to increase number of birds are welcome.

Cheers,
Stefan

Madlog said:

Hi everyone
Any ideas or comments for our tour plan or how to increase number of birds are welcome.

Cheers,
Stefan

Click to expand...

If you still need things like cirl bunting, wryneck etc. after Cuber it might be worth stopping at Mortitx and walking down to the vineyard and back (you could get black/ griffon vultures there too). You certainly won’t have time to do the whole valley, sadly.

Stew

Blimey, that’s a brutal schedule!
Good luck, you will see lots of good things I’m sure. Take plenty of water!
Do let us know what you see and your day total.
All the best, Mike

Just remembered (too late for you Stefan) that it is not possible to drive to Formentor at this time of the year, the road is closed to cars and there is a bus service to the lighthouse.
I think this is a good idea, it is absolute chaos all the way down with queues, coaches and it gets very heated at times.
I used to get there at dawn and when I left there was often a fight for my parking space.
It was amusing at one level but something had to be done.
I’m not sure how well it’s working though..
Mike

A couple of brief rain showers have done little to ease the humidity but just enough for me to venture out to the lighthouse, Porto Petro.
39 Scopoli’s shearwaters were the only birds out there but it was nice to be out again.
I always thought sea-watchers were a peculiar breed but I seem to have become one by default. There is something quite mesmerizing about gazing out to sea in the hopes of seeing something unusual. I’ve never found anything of note but you just never know I guess.
Spotted flycatchers are still everywhere and busy feeding young.
Turtle doves have moved to the roadsides and there are good numbers around our apartment as usual.
Stone curlews are very vocal at the moment and Scops owls are going bonkers on these hot, calm nights, they seem to be all over the park just now.
I’m up north tomorrow meeting up with Ben Nevis so I will post our sightings.
Mike

Thank you, Mike and Stew, for your input for our Mallorca Big Day on 13. July 2019!
Here is the brief report of this crazy but really fantastic day. We started at 5:27 am at our finca (south-east of Pollenca) with a calling Stone Curlew and ended at Cape Formentor with Scopoli's Shearwaters over the ocean and Eleonora's Falcons in the sky at sunset.
The total number of bird species observed by my brother Fabian and me was 78 (+1 provisional, see below). Although we missed a few target species we hoped to see, we found others we didn't expect!
Here is a list of all birds observed with the respective locations:

Our finca (south-east of Pollenca), 5:27 am:
1) Stone Curlew (heard only, but later also seen at s'Albufera)
s'Albufera (main locations around the visitor center), ~6:10-9:45 am:
2) Common Blackbird
3) Cetti's Warbler
4) Common Wood Pigeon
5) House Sparrow
6) Zitting Cisticola
7) European Bee-eater
8) Purple Heron
9) Cattle Egret
10) Mallard
11) Black-crowned Night Heron
12) Little Egret
13) Glossy Ibis
14) Eurasian Coot
15) Purple Swamphen
16) Common Moorhen
17) European Greenfinch
18) Mediterranean Gull
19) Sardinian Warbler
20) Black-winged Stilt
21) Little Ringed Plover
22) Black-headed Gull
23) Common Shelduck
24) Western Marsh-Harrier
25) Marbled Duck
26) Common Tern
27) Eurasian Hoopoe
28) Spotted Flycatcher
29) Common Swift
30) Common Snipe
31) European Serin
32) European Goldfinch
33) Great Reed Warbler
34) Red-knobbed Coot
35) Moustached Warbler
36) Blackcap
37) Little Bittern
38) European Reed Warbler
39) Great Crested Grebe
40) Squacco Heron
41) Great Tit
42) Gadwall
43) Kentish Plover
44) Grey Heron
45) Green-winged Teal
46) Yellow Wagtail
47) Yellow-legged Gull
48) Common Stonechat
Salinas d'Albufera (stationary), ~9:55-10:05 am:
49) Water Rail
Road to Son Bosc/Depuradora, ~10:20-10:30 am:
50) Common Kestrel
51) Eurasian Collared Dove
52) Rock Pigeon (Feral)
Depuradora de S'Illot (raised platform), ~10:45-11:15 am:
53) Little Grebe
54) Red Kite
54) Green Sandpiper
55) Ruddy Shelduck
Albufereta (coast and first observation platform), ~12:00-12:25 am:
56) Audouin's Gull
57) Osprey
Pollenca backlanes (drive through backlanes with few stops), ~12:45-1:15 pm:
58) Woodchat Shrike
Port de Pollenca (breakwaters at beach), ~1:40-2:00 pm:
59) European Shag
Cuber Reservoir (south shore between parking lot and just past the dam), ~3:20-5:20 pm:
60) Common (Red) Crossbill
61) Black Vulture
62) Common Chaffinch
63) Griffon Vulture
64) Firecrest
65) Blue Tit
66) Common Nightingale
67) Common Linnet
68) Common House Martin
69) Booted Eagle
70) Tawny Pipit
71) Cirl Bunting
Gorg Blau Reservoir (stationary), ~5:50-6 pm:
72) Common Raven
Cape Formentor (stationary at Mirador Es Colomer), ~7:10-7:25 pm:
73) Eurasian Crag Martin
74) Scopoli's Shearwater
* Provisional: Pallid Swift (see photos)
Cape Formentor (lighthouse), ~7:10-7:25 pm:
75) Blue Rock Thrush
76) Peregrine Falcon
77) Eleonora's Falcon

We also tried for Scops Owl and European Nightjar after dark but could not find/hear any in the area of La Font between Pollenca and Port de Pollenca. My brother had both there 2 years ago every night.

We are not very familiar with Pallid Swift identification and the more you read about it the more tricky it seems to get. However, we were quite confident that we saw some at Cape Formentor.
I tried to take pictures of the candidates (see attached) and we are curious about your opinions and hope that we can add the 78th species to our list.
Is there any previous data on Big Days on Mallorca in general and in July in particular?
Anyhow, it was an exhausting but really great day!

Cheers,
Stefan and Fabian

I find the ID of birds from photographs very difficult but here goes.
Going by the second photograph I would say the bird is a Pallid Swift.
The crop is full which probably exaggerates the white throat, so not reliable.
The bird shows an eye mask, often described as an “alien” eye, a feature that Common never shows I believe.
The bird appears wider than common at the “hips”
There appears to be white fringes to the body feathers, a feature of Pallid.
The colour appears to be “mousy brown”, pro Pallid.
The wing tips appear blunter than Common.
Young Common Swift at this time of the year can be confusing but I will stick my neck out.
Someone else have a go.
I find identifying Pallid in the field not so difficult, especially before young are on the wing. They are clearly brown, more stocky, glide more and have slower wing beats.
Mike