BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!

Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Peewit" data-source="post: 1496323" data-attributes="member: 57492">Report about bird Watching at Ses Salines – Salt Pans Part 2 of 2Then a few House Martins rest on one of the Power lines in the distance.  I looked through my binoculars and yes, it was a sighting of these beautiful little birds.  One could never tire of them.  The heat was building up for the day and now most of the bird life would be going into limbo land until later in the day. Time was now marching on to the hottest pint in the day.Another movement and a couple of Corn Bunting’s fly close-by, and continued their two tone bubbling song of one high note and one low note.  They like to sit on tall vantage points like telegraph poles or tall bushes. These birds are always on the move, and never still at all for any length of time.  They looked like larger version of a Sisken, olive green, and very stripy in appearance. They are fiercely territorial, and like to make sure that they keep their allocated bush.  I could hear one pass over my head although he was trying to chase me off, and he was trying to make his point clear to me, again and again.A deep ‘Hawww’ ‘Haawwwwww’.  and I looked up to see one of the resident Yellow Legged Gulls circling in the sky above.  He was watching all of the activity in his allocated patch.   I watched him and he came down, and landed on the edge of a moored boat.  He disappears into the cockpit area of the boat for a minute, and then reappears – I wondered what the fascination was with the boat.  Maybe there was food, or water or something of interest the gull.  He sat and watched me from the edge of his allocated boat.  The dark blue coloration of the moored boat reflected in the water and the shimmering shadow of the gull looked clear on the water.  I look down at the shoreline waters lapping, hitting the sand, while lots of small  fish are splash around close to the shore although something disturbed them.  I look up at the gull, and our eyes meet.  A bright yellow eye area, and bright yellow feet, so easily recognisable to ID at any time.   I am also amazed how large Yellow Legged Gulls really are, and quite formidable to look at.I make my way back, and decide to turn to the right, along the 'stoney' overgrown path to the old ‘rundown’ boathouse.  It is deserted, and the building unused.  No doorway, and the entrance faced towards the bay. There was just an open front. Nothing was stored at all in the confines of the small building.  I sat on the mooring post, and looked out over the bay.  I could not see the Stilts anymore, so they where far out now.  The water lapped onto the side of the boat launch area.  I could lots of little black crabs scuttling around.  This must be wader bird paradise for food.  The bay is alive with all types of sea life, and the birds really like the area as it stocked well with the food that they need.The concrete launch way is now well under water, so it gave the impression that it was used at one stage.  The boats where moored well away from the boat house now.  A tired looking building, and a good landmark for the area.I moved back along the path, and head back toward our chalet, for lunch.  The mornings sailing is now finished.  So I met up with my OH, and we had our lunch.  My OH and I decide to reinvestigate the same Salt Pans for our lunch break.  Now the Stilts are long gone sadly for my OH who would have loved to seen them.As we walked along, we could see two Woodchat Shrikes sitting a fence wire up an embankment close to a residents house.  One sat on the fence, while the other disappeared in the nearby bush and them they seemed to swop places with each other continually for reasons of their own. Then they together on the same wire once more.  We could see that they are a pair by the distinct colouration on top of their heads.  What a treat.    We got back to the Chalet and knew we would go back to the Saltpans on a daily basis.Next day, we went for another look at the same area. Three Little Egret’s  where now feeding on the edge of the bay shoreline, where the Stilts had been yesterday.. Two Egrets seemed to be a pair, snd they stood feeding in the bay area, and the other stayed in the Saltpans on his own hunched up, still, and seemed to be asleep.  The Kentish Plovers looked tiny compared with the lone Little Egret sleeping while standing in the water in the Saltpans..  The birds never blinked an eye at one another.  It was silent, and quiet.No sign of the Woodchat Shrikes now, they are long gone.  We hoped that they where resident birds to this area, but sadly we never saw then again.In the distance behind the Salt Pans, and the Cala Tirant area, there is a lot of BoP activity going on .  A Red Kite was flying around, and then two Red Kites appeared along with a Booted Eagle. The thermals must have been a large part of their flight.  They all where flying with the greatest of ease close to one another, The birds where calling to one another as they did, and I could hear faint calls, travelling back in the slight winds,  as they did. Then we where snapped back to reality into making another move back to our chalet.  We could hear lots more bubbling calls from the local Corn Buntings.  There was no shortage of this bird, and it was very well established in the area.  It was so good to see bird species that I have never seen in the UK.As we walked closer to our chalet one Hoopoe flew overhead, and it landed on  a  whitewashed wall.  Then we noticed there are two Hoopoes – a great sighting. Up to now we have only seen Hoopoes in flight, so it was good to see them perched on a wall.As we walked back one of our group said that an Osprey had been sighted flying above the boat yard.  I wish I had seen that but it was not to be at all.  Never mind we cannot get everything we want.  I found Ses Salines Salt Pans a great place to bird watch, and it was only a 5 minute walk from our Chalet.   A great find to all bird lovers. :-O:t:Picture 6 - Little egretPicture 7 - View from ChaletPicture 8 - Cleoptra Brimstone</blockquote>

Verification