Menorca 2006
Hi Nick
We stayed at Cala Galdana on the south coast of Menorca from 23 to 30 June 2006. It wasn’t by any means a purely birding holiday. Also we’re by no means expert birders yet, having only become enthusiasts in the past 3-4 years, so we probably missed a lot. However, here’s what we saw.
Cala Galdana itself: very many Yellow-legged Gulls, Spotted Flycatchers, House Martins and of course Sparrows and feral Pigeons; a few Blackbirds; an Eleonora’s Falcon; a Cormorant in the bay; and once a Booted Eagle high above. We heard several Greenfinches but only saw one.
S’Algendar Gorge, which leads up from Cala Galdana: Mallards, hybrid ducks with some Mallard in the mix; Geese (probably escaped domestic fowl), Coots and a Grey Heron on the lower reaches of the river. Further up, Booted Eagles, a female Woodchat Shrike, Sardinian Warblers, Woodpigeons and – about 40 minutes’ walk up from the town – four or five lovely Egyptian Vultures, including we think a couple of young, circling overhead, mostly very high but unmistakable from the tail shape. Many other birds were singing in the woods in the lower part of the gorge but we are too inexperienced to identify them accurately.
Son Bou: in addition to many Mallards and Coots on the ponds in the reedbeds, we saw a Purple Heron, a Moustached Warbler, and several Audouin’s Gulls of different ages. This was late afternoon; an early morning visit would probably be much more productive.
S’Albufera: like BGuy, we found this, although an attractive place to visit, very short on birds at this time of year! Lots of Mallards and Coots; otherwise despite spending over 2 hours here we saw only a Black Kite on our way in and a Red Kite on our way out (and as we live in mid-Wales that wasn’t much of a treat – we see them almost every day at home and at work). However we did hear from other visitors that there was an Osprey somewhere on the reserve; and there were certainly lizards and beautiful flying insects in abundance, as well as interesting vegetation.
Naveta des Tudons, near Ciutadella on the main Mao-Ciutadella road: this is generally considered a historic monument rather than a birdwatching site, but we strongly recommend it especially in late evening. This was the only place we saw as well as heard Hoopoes; we also saw Thekla Larks, many Goldfinches, a couple of Kestrels, and heard Greenfinches, a Blackcap and we think several other warblers; the birdsong was superb. If you’re an expert in identifying small farmland birds, this site is ideal; follow the path on up from the monument site away from the road for a few minutes and you are likely to see and hear a lot. Our tip for the best birding site at this time of year, and the monument is interesting too.
Secluded bays on the south coast away from the main resorts: look out for very calm, unafraid and handsome Cormorants. On a boat trip where we had an hour’s stop for swimming, snorkelling or sunbathing, we found them right in amongst us, and have some good pictures of my husband swimming with them and treading water while watching one on a rock less than a metre from him. A boat trip is also a good way to watch raptors (especially kestrels) over the cliffs.
La Mola (easternmost point of Menorca): excellent views of a Kestrel family, probably training the young in hunting behaviour; plus more Cormorants, Yellow-Legged and Audouin’s Gulls.
Otherwise, on our travels around the island, more of the same, especially raptors and sparrows, plus a fair number of Carrion Crows – but we’re sure that experts would have spotted more. Wish we’d seen Bee-eaters!
