Mallorca 2015 (1 Viewer)

[Paul - Herts]

Common swift have been screaming around every village on the Island every evening in their thousands but all has fallen silent today. Always a sad day when they leave. Mike

We had half a dozen over the hotel this evening with what looked to me to be an Alpine swift - not encountered these before so if there are any alternatives please say.

Citril finch with young on the wall of the storm drain this morning, plus spotted flycatcher. And a couple of Eleanora's falcon at dusk over the hotel.

Paul

 

[Mike Montier]

Hi Paul, no, I don't think there is anything to confuse with Alpine swift, they are real beauties so well done for that, size is always difficult when birds are in the sky but the white breast is really obvious.
Citril finch do not occur here in Mallorca so have a look at Serin and see if that was your bird. Enjoy the rest of your stay and do let us know what you see. Thanks. Mike

 

[bob freeman]

The Red-footed falcons are very late so we are hoping that a few stay to breed, Mike[/QUOTE

Mike breeding R F Falcons now that would be something, do they have many records of them breeding on Majorca ?
As for the Swifts they were screaming around the Hotel Uyal for the first twelve days of my stay and I noticed it all went quiet the last couple of days, sad indeed but breeding R F Falcons would more than make up for their early departure.
Few more shots from early June attached.

Bob

 

[honeym]

Hi Bob
The recent Birds of the Iberian Peninsula states that it breeds "no closer to Iberia than Hungary" and goes on to cite two exceptional Spring influxes involving large numbers of individuals. The most recent influx would seem to be a continuation of the weather conditions that produced a shift in their migration route. The first such influx was in 1992, when at least 128 were seen on Menorca during one week in May. The second was in 2008 but from a larger area and with more individuals, at least 764 individuals (e.g. peak numbers on Mallorca at the time were 87 on 12 May and 79 on 16 May). However, these numbers pale into insignificance when one reads of 4,300 individuals counted in France at the same time.
Martin

 

[Paul - Herts]

Hi Paul, no, I don't think there is anything to confuse with Alpine swift, they are real beauties so well done for that, size is always difficult when birds are in the sky but the white breast is really obvious.
Citril finch do not occur here in Mallorca so have a look at Serin and see if that was your bird. Enjoy the rest of your stay and do let us know what you see. Thanks. Mike

Thanks Mike, Serin was indeed what I was looking at, got the names mixed up! There were a fair few swift around again this morning and Eleanoras been over the pool a few times today.

Are they marsh frog making all the noise at night? Difficult to pick sounds out between the 'entertainment' but I thought I heard nightjars too.

Unfortunately the wife's back hasn't got over the flight and I'm not happy to leave her on her own unless it really improves - still time though so I may get out for a morning yet.

Must do a refresh on Audoins too - they always seem to be everywhere and I start doubting myself

Paul

 

[Paul - Herts]

Few more shots from early June attached.

Bob

They're all quite stunning Bob!

 

[honeym]

Thanks Mike, Serin was indeed what I was looking at, got the names mixed up! There were a fair few swift around again this morning and Eleanoras been over the pool a few times today.

Are they marsh frog making all the noise at night? Difficult to pick sounds out between the 'entertainment' but I thought I heard nightjars too.

Unfortunately the wife's back hasn't got over the flight and I'm not happy to leave her on her own unless it really improves - still time though so I may get out for a morning yet.

Must do a refresh on Audoins too - they always seem to be everywhere and I start doubting myself

Paul

Hi Paul
I don't know the area that you are in but there should be a variety of things calling at night. According to a list I've just looked at there are the following amphibians: Mallorcan Midwife Toad (not likely as it has a very restricted distribution - and sound), Green Toad, Iberian Marsh frog and Rana (or Pelophylax) grafi. There will also be cicadas and several grasshoppers/crickets.
I guess it all depends what they sounded like. Some may be featured on Youtube.
As for Audouins, they are pretty much everywhere - which is great. The other large gull would be Yellow-legged.
Martin

 

[Mike Montier]

Thanks for all the great information and super photos, all good stuff. Plenty of Common swift still moving through and there will be for some time now but the main breeding populations have departed.
Lots of frogs and other things calling at night as Martin lists and the Nightingales have ceased to sing. They now make a very frog like sound. Unbelievable that such a superb songster can make such an awful noise!
I don't have figures for the influx of Red-footed falcons but estimates have been put at over 1,000. I certainly saw quite a few groups of over 30 birds together. The three that we saw yesterday were very late indeed so just a very slim chance of them breeding. It will be very interesting to see if there are any more sightings or whether these were just the tail end of the influx. I will keep you posted! Mike

 

[Mike Montier]

Nightjar used to be listed as a passage migrant but I have heard them all over the Island throughout summer so I believe that there are many breeding sites, certainly they breed in my local park at Mondragó and many other places nearby. Mike

 

[Michael Schade]

Just back home in Germany... and already missing Mallorca so much. At least I have my memories, loads of pictures, and the perspective of coming back in September.

Click http://f3.webmart.de/f.cfm?id=1231426&r=threadview&t=4054651&pg=2 here to see some of the wonderful birds of Mallorca.

Good birding,

Michael

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Nightjar used to be listed as a passage migrant but I have heard them all over the Island throughout summer so I believe that there are many breeding sites, certainly they breed in my local park at Mondragó and many other places nearby. Mike

Two years ago in July I was staying out in the country west of Pollenca and in the evenings it was so lovely I would just sit outside, 3 miles from the nearest street light and watch it get dark, with a bottle of Rioja on the terrace table and a plate of local cheese, bread and olives.

It was common to have a flock of swifts flying over the garden at dusk, followed shortly by 8 or 9 Eleonora's falcons.

One evening I heard a harsh call I couldn't place and saw a sleek bird flying across the bottom of the garden, calling. It disappeared in the direction of an orchard and then the familiar chirring of a common nightjar was heard from the orchard. After that for the remaining time we were there we had nightjars flying over the garden at roof-top height just before full dark.

A bit of research confirmed that the call I heard was a less-publicised call of the nightjar. Until then I was only familiar with the chirring.

 

[Mike Montier]

Hi Barred wobbler, I don't often hear that harsh call but the first Nightjar I ever saw on Studland Heath did just that! One of my top birds, I just love them.
Look forward to seeing you in September Michael, I have only just recovered from our last outing! Mike

 

[Mike Montier]

Michael. Stunning photos, I don't know how you do it. You said that my new camera is better than yours so the only problem must be the bloke behind it! You must show me how to take flight shots, mine fail every time. Mike

 

[Dave Harris]

Hi Dave, yes, the last trip was a private one but Miguel has organised outings before so I will ask him what further trips are planned and let you know. Mike

Thanks Mike, I will be out Jul 27th-Aug 8th with a birding mate for that second week. Are there any other boat trips where you can get close ups of Cory's & B Shears?

Great updates by the way

Regards
Dave

 

[bob freeman]

Jeff,Paul,Mike pleased you all enjoyed looking at the Majorca pics,fell lucky this time around with getting good views of certain birds,spotted my first ever Little Bittern last September but this time on Majorca I was swatting them away,let's hope it's the same for Red Footed Falcons next year.
Martin thanks for info on R F Falcons,so looks like this year was a one off with the amount passing through.
As for noisy night creatures I remember a few years ago staying on outskirts of Puerto Pollenca and hearing a loud hissing sound every night from a large tree,never did find out what it was but I thought it may have been a young begging Long Eared Owl,thing is this was September so thought it a bit late for young Owl.

Thanks all and keep the info coming on this great thread.

Bob

 

[Paul - Herts]

Thanks for the info Martin. The noises I am hearing are coming from the golf club down in Camp De Mar and remind me of the marsh frogs at Elmley. Loads of swift around this evening, but I had a 'should have brought the scope' moment when I spotted a marsh harrier sized bird over the hills between here and Peguera. Far too distant for any detail other than dark wings with black tips.

And I had a very close fly-by from the local kestrel when I was sat on our balcony this evening. That was nice, never been so close and on the same level too!

 

[Barred Wobbler]

I've thinned the photos out and filed the keepers and here are a few of them. I'll put some more up when I get time.

Stilt at the depuradora, Night heron at Albufereta, Yellow-legged Gull on Dragonera, Cattle egret and Cetti's Warbler both S'Albufera

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Another batch, all at S'Albufera.

The marbled duck shots were taken during (when the rain was finally easing; ISO 5000 @ 1/640 second, hence poor noise quality) and immediately after last Tuesday's spectacular storm.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

And some more.

Purple gallinule and Swallowtail at S'Albufera.

Balearic shag at Colonia de Sant Pere. This was after another spectacular electric storm on the 12th, which saw lighting strikes coincide with the crackle of their accompanying thunder with absolutely no noticable time delay. One bolt struck only about three hundred metres away from where we sat in the car, sitting out the storm, which started just as we pulled up next to the shags that until then had been sitting in brilliant sunshine. When that close lightning strike happened it scattered the half dozen shags that had been perched on the rock. After a while this one returned, to be joined by another some time later.

Not a Balearic Warbler in the Boquer Valley. It was a frustrating characteristic of this trip that many of the best birds coincided with a daily build-up of thick cloud that persisted through mid-morning to mid-afternoon, giving poor light conditions for photography. This dull shot was bang-on mid-day, ISO 1000!. As Brian points out below this is a Sardinian that happened to jump up in front of the camera while I was trying to get onto a Balearic in the same patch of scrub.

Kestrel over the sea at Sa Dragonera.

 

[Brian Stretch]

And some more.

Purple gallinule and Swallowtail at S'Albufera.

Balearic shag at Colonia de Sant Pere. This was after another spectacular electric storm on the 12th, which saw lighting strikes coincide with the crackle of their accompanying thunder with absolutely no noticable time delay. One bolt struck only about three hundred metres away from where we sat in the car, sitting out the storm, which started just as we pulled up next to the shags that until then had been sitting in brilliant sunshine. When that close lightning strike happened it scattered the half dozen shags that had been perched on the rock. After a while this one returned, to be joined by another some time later.

Balearic Warbler in the Boquer Valley. It was a frustrating characteristic of this trip that many of the best birds coincided with a daily build-up of thick cloud that persisted through mid-morning to mid-afternoon, giving poor light conditions for photography. This dull shot was bang-on mid-day, ISO 1000!.

Kestrel over the sea at Sa Dragonera.

Some great pictures there. Having looked closer at the warbler, on plumage and structure, it appears to be a female Sardinian.

Brian
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Worcester Birding