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

Mallorca 2019 (1 Viewer)

After we suffered a delayed flight from Stansted and an early hours arrival, I had the pleasure of being taken to the Cap by Mike M. We had about 3 hours from around 11am (not Mike’s usual early start!) in the company of a few local birders.

A movement of booted eagles was most notable, with a personal total of 56 birds including one group of 29 together. Quite a few red kites were around, but the concensus seemed to be that these were mostly local birds. Three peregrines and two Eleanora’s went through but my highlight was adding hobby to my Mallorca list.

A few swallows and sand martins went through, and songthrush, redstart and robins (lots calling) were presumably arrivals. We saw a couple of plain tigers moving along too.

A vagrant emperor dragonfly appeared along the road in front of us, and when we followed it up there was a second over the vegetation behind the wall. These were the third and fourth I’ve seen in my visits this year, so clearly there must have been a significant influx of these insects.

A Hermann’s tortoise was in the roadside vegetation.

All in all a great three hours in great company (even though the Spanish banter was going straight over my head!).

Stew
 
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Sightings for yesterday’s visit to Son Real:
Approx. 11.30 - 12.30 from the hide:
1 common redstart, 2 greenfinch, 4 goldfinch, 3 male and 1 female blackcap, 2 crossbill, 1 great tit, 2 robin, 1 blackbird, 1 probable corn bunting - will upload a photo for confirmation ASAP.

On the coast: 6 cormorants, 2 little egret, 5 audouin’s gull, 1 osprey - great views of it catching a fish.
 

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A few hours in Bocquer Valley.

2 Eleonora's at the seaward end.
Too windy for Balearic Warbler!
Raven
Booted Eagle
2 Blue Rock Thrush
3 Yellow Wagtail chasing insects among the sheep in the field next to roundabout
Good numbers of Common Redstart
KevM
 
Sightings for todays visit to Mortitx:
It seemed as if every other bird was a robin today! We also saw 2 black vulture, 2 griffon vulture, 1 peregrine, 2 Eleonora’s falcon, 1 Cirl bunting, 2 great tit, 1 willow warbler, distant blue rock thrush, 2 raven, blackbird, just a glimpse of Bonelli’s eagle
3 plain tiger butterflies.
 
Cant believe you are back so soon stew, jammy so and so!!
Nice one Sally, your list is going up and up.

Purple Heron Salbufera 10/09/19.
Curlew Sand Salbufera 14/09/19
Woodchat Depuadora 14/09/19
Glossy Ibis Depuadora 14/09/19
Steve.
 

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Hi all,

I’m over here for a week or so to do a bit of birding, so thought I’d post some sightings. Lovely little forum you’ve got here!

Arrived Tuesday and thought I might have lucked out with a Bonellis Eagle in the Boquer Valley. Structure quite different to frequently seen Booted, but both are new species for me so would appreciate a second opinion:
https://vimeo.com/365359338
Not easy to see, granted....

Birded Boquer Valley hard for migrants on Thursday and was rewarded with just:
2 black redstarts
3 common redstarts
2 Wheatear
4 stonechat
1 Williow warbler
Brief Balearic Warbler view
4 Booted Eagle
2 Stone Curlew in field by roundabout

Enjoyed the Blue Rock Thrushes. Are the males less showy than the females or am I just cursed?
https://vimeo.com/365993629

5 Eleonora’s showing well every day so far - fantastic to watch for this Falcon fanatic. Have had occasional views of a Peregrine passing through as well.

Had a second visit to S’Albufera today and was surprised to get a brief view of a Bluethroat from the first hide on the purple route (otherwise known as the Ant hide). Briefly flew onto a perch on the left, wagging a tail showing red at the base. Not too much blue on the throat so probably a female. Just missed Phonescoping it by mere seconds. 2 hour wait (and frequent looks at back of hide) for it to re-emerge were fruitless. Absolutely full of cold today, so this brightened up my day no end. Otherwise the usual waders and a handful of stonechats and willow warblers. Heard a Blackcap.

You have some very elegant Ospreys in this part of the world... Enjoyed watching this dude showing off some high end yoga on Wednesday:
https://vimeo.com/365994030

I’m planning a trip to Dragonera as I hear there’s a good viewpoint to see a big colony of Eleonoras - would love to have a go at Phonescoping them. Is it worth the long drive from Pollenca? Is the viewpoint at the south of the island best? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers all

Paul
 
Thanks Martin.
Knot depuadora 14/09/19
Honey Buzzards x2 at the Cap. 15/09/19
Bee-eaters the Cap. 15/09/19

Steve.
 

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Can Curassa

3 Spotless Starling
Marsh Harrier (female)
Greenshank
Green Sandpiper
Dabchick
20 - 30 Barn Swallow

View from the screen on the pool furthest from the main entrance is getting restricted by new saplings growing at the water's edge. If they are not thinned/removed soon, the view of open water will disappear completely.
 
After dropping Mrs M and Mrs B in Felanitx for the market, Mike took us out to the fields at Vilafranca. This was where the southern grey shrike was found a couple of weeks ago. Astonishingly after a few minutes a series of expletives from Mike indicated that he’d relocated it! We had the bird ‘scoped in a dead fig tree for only a couple of minutes before it dropped off the tree and did a vanishing act. We stuck around for another 40 minutes or so, but couldn’t refind it.

I was struck by the quantity of birds in the fields - flocks of linnets and corn buntings, thekla larks everywhere, stonechats, serins, goldfinches, red-legged partridges etc. It was nice also to pick out a calling skylark overhead, and a couple of meadow pipits near the roadside. Red kites were in abundance, at least six birds close by, and we had four booted eagles together over a roadside field with a female marsh harrier nearby.

This evening we spent a pleasant hour or so at the Cap at Porto Petro watching Scopoli’s and Balearic shearwaters flying past offshore. A moderate breeze and quite a large swell didn’t help, but there were good numbers, with Balearic appearing to outnumber Scopoli’s by at least 4-1.

Stew
 
Nice one with the Shrike guys, went myself but no sigh of it or any other birders so left after an hour. great place like you say.
Kingfisher,
Hoopoe,
Spotted red. all salbufera 16/09/19.
Thekla Lark SonBosc 18/09/19.
Steve.
 

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Thanks Steve and Stew for confirming the corn bunting. Great to see your photos Steve.

Visited Albufera yesterday afternoon until early evening. Usual species seen - marbled ducks, shovelers, marsh harriers 2 male and female, spotted redshank, greenshanks, little stint, good views of purple gallinules in the evening sunshine, kingfisher, glossy ibis, yellow legged gulls. Great views of 15 night herons as we were walking out of the park.

Today we were cycling Port de Pollenca - Lluc - Pollenca. Kept my eyes skywards as much as possible but didn’t see any vultures or raptors. Lots of bird song though with plenty of firecrests.
 
no problem and thanks Sally,
Have you some more you can post.
Scops Owl at Sillot 18/09/19
Steve.
 

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A fantastic day’s birding with Mike today. Called at Cap de Ses Salines and were sent to look for the Italian sparrow. With the help of a young German birder we had several good views in the trees near the lighthouse. We had one of the local Bonelli’s eagles, a peregrine and a few kestrels.

We had a walk along Eddie’s Track at Salobrar. Water levels are high so few waders around, just a curlew and a green sand seen, and a greenshank heard. Flamingos were excellent, with lots on the closer lagoons, and groups of up to 30 in flight (an earlier count a week ago of 96 would seem about right).

We returned to the Cap at Porto Petro for another evening seawatch, for an hour or so from 6pm. Birds were closer than last night in much calmer conditions. Balearic shearwaters were pouring past (uncountable) and there was a steady stream of Scopoli’s. The Balearics dropped off around 6.15, but at 6.20 we had two (separate) Yelkouan shearwaters - Mike even indulged me with a high five! Balearics picked up again after a short lull, and Scopoli’s continued. As we were gearing up to leave, a sparrowhawk appeared over the scrub next to us - a couple of circles and a stoop and it headed off south. Three Mallorca ticks in a day - pretty good in my book!

Stew
 
A quiet final day before we head off to the airport and back to the UK this evening. A stop for supplies at Santanyi produced a raptor group including 8 kestrels, 5 red kites, a booted eagle and a (presumably fairly local) Bonelli’s eagle.

A lunch stop and stroll around the lovely port area at Cala Figuera gave us 4+ Audouin’s gulls, a cracking grey wagtail and the first indications of a swallow movement.

An hour or so on the balcony revealed a constant passage of small groups of swallows heading out to sea and off to Africa - a quietly moving experience ( no pun intended). Later, a local walk gave us house martins, a swift (we thought probably pallid), a couple of booted eagles, more red kites and several plain tiger butterflies.

A really enjoyable few days in an area of Mallorca that I’m not familiar with. Mrs B and I had a great time with great friends! Thanks Mike!

Stew
 
Wren.
some of the 18 Griffons seen in one group.
Griffon and Black Vultures, all Mortix 20/09/19.
Steve.
 

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