Great day spent with Kevin the highlight being several Golden Oriole including 2 male at Son Real. Cheers mate.
Steve.
As soon as I put the phone down, it rings again.
Reports of huge groups of Barn Swallows and Swifts.
Philip phoned to say he had just seen a White-rumped Swift in Santa Ponça.
Phil thoroughly deserves this record. I have been birding with him from dawn until dusk and returned to his apartment exhausted but he still goes out onto the balcony in the dark to look for owls and Stone curlews. He is probably the most dedicated birder I know so there is no mistaking this record. There are I believe reports of Common Swift with partial leucism but Phil knows this is not the case with this bird so many congratulations to him.
He also saw a pair of Montagu’s Harrier (a male and female) in the fields around Santa Ponça and a Little Bittern at Golf II.
More reports to follow soon!
Mike
Clive, I think there are only 3 or 4 accepted records of Motacilla flava feldegg in the Balearics, but I have not exact numbers now with me. Anyway, quite a rare bird!
Today I could hear at least 2 Red throated Pipits passing in fly in 2 different places in Albufereta, so there must be some other birds migrating elsewhere. Others nice migrants too there, as Redstarts, Wheatear, Tree Pipit, Whinchats, Garden Warbler, Whitethroats, Sedge Warblers, Wood Warbler, S-T Larks, etc.
Maties
In the bay opposite the entrance to S'albufera approx 50 Scopolis / Cory's shearwaters at 15.45 are these more likely to be Scopolis ?
Some late news from yesterday.
When I left Salobrar, Phil went down Eddies track. He met a British birder who was on his way back. He showed Phil photographs of two Caspian terns which had only just departed. Nice birds, they do sometimes grace the salt pans but can also be seen out to sea flying past the lighthouse. I have seen them a few times doing just that. Always two though!
Also seen 31 Whiskered terns (making our day total 141) , 1 Black tern, 44 Greater Flamingoes, 63 Little stints, 10 Pallid Swift, 17 Ringed Plovers, 1 Ruff, 1 Curlew and a Meadow pipit.
Mike