BIRDING TRIP REPORT:
MALLORCA
(Majorca)
20 -
27 October 2007
By
Stephen Burch
Introduction
This is a brief
illustrated report on birding during a one week family
holiday to Mallorca in October 2007. This was our third
and probably last visit to the same villa at the same
time in consecutive years!
Weather
Unlike the
previous two years, the weather was very mixed. The first
few days were generally fine but comparatively cool (no
higher than about 21°C). But it was considerably cooler
and wetter in the second half of the week, with
torrential rain at times - notably during my second visit
to the Albufera. Here the hides made a good shelter to
see out the worst of the downpour!
Sources
of Information
There is plenty
of information on where to watch birds in Mallorca,
including numerous web trip reports and the book by Hearl
and King, which is still recommended, but somewhat out of
date now.
Sites
Albufereta
This site is probably my favourite on Mallorca in autumn
- it generally turns up a reasonable selection of birds
without too much effort, whereas my expectations with the
better known Albufera are usually higher and I can leave
somewhat underwelmed. In addition, the beach by the mouth
of the river at the Albufereta can be a good for
photography. There is often an Audouin's Gull around,
as was the case on both my visits this year. There was
also a remarkably obliging Little Egret,
fishing in the sea on one of my visits. It was so intent
on its prey, a close approach was quite easy. There was
also a good flock of very wary Kentish Plover,
which didn't allow anything like the same photo
opportunities.
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| Little Egret, Albufereta beach
(click to enlarge) |
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The same Little Egret,
Albufereta beach (click to enlarge)
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Little Egret, Albufereta (click
to enlarge)
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Flock of Kentish Plover,
Albufereta beach
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Inland
from the beach, on the slightly raised area, along the
track behind the finca, there are reasonable views over
the marshes and a lagoon on the seaward side, which held
a Black-necked Grebe on one of my visits
- my first for Mallorca. On the marshes, a leisurely scan
around produced 2+ Great White Egret,
and to my surprise, 3-4 Purple Gallinule
(not seen before here). Also there were Marsh
Harrier, and a distant Osprey,
and well as the usual Fan-tailed and Cetti's
Warbler. A 'scope, which I had this year, is a
great help at this site, as the marshes are pretty
distant.
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Great White Egret, Albufereta
(distant record digiscope pic)
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Cattle Egret, road between
Pollensa & Albufereta
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Albufera
My visit to the main section of the Albufera was rather
late in the morning. Maybe an earlier visit would have
been more productive, before all the tourists, some with
young children and even babies fill the hides and
probably drive some of the birds away or least back from
the immediate vicinity!
Anyhow, the
walk in along the canal produced the usual roosting Night
Heron in the bushes on the opposite bank. I stopped
briefly at the visitor centre to pick up a useful permit/map
and then headed to the CIM hide to try to find Marbled
Duck. Nearly all the duck were unhelpfully asleep, and
much scanning didn't turn up what would have been a lifer
for me. Plenty of Shoveler, Teal
etc, and also another Purple Gallinule (see
below) - unfortunately on the far side, and really too
distant for the DSLR. The water level was high which
presumably accounted for a lack of waders, apart from a
few Greenshank and a Spotted Redshank.
Having
spent some time at the CIM hide going through the duck, I
tried again from the nearby mound which gives views of a
few lagoons behind. Again there was no sign of Marbled
Duck, though.
On then to
the Bishop 1 hide, which again had a high water level.
There were a few nearby Black-winged Stilts, but by now
the light was becoming poor for photography. In the
distance, there was an Osprey eating a fish on a fence.
There were also a few waders - Greenshank etc.
It then
began to rain, but I got back to the CIM hide for another
go for Marbled Duck in reasonably dry conditions. A nice
mixed group of Kentish Plover, Little
Stint and Dunlin (one of each!)
appeared - but on an island again too distant for the
DSLR. A real deluge then began, and all the ducks
departed leaving practically nothing in view. So once the
rain had more or less stopped, I departed. This site is
definitely better in Spring, with all the summer visitors
present with some singing.
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Black Winged Stilt from the
Bishop I hide.
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A distant Purple Gallinule
from the CIM hide with Greenshank behind.
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Albufera
- Depuradora (Waterworks)
This site is well described in Hearl and King,
and I had a good early morning visit there last year.
However this time, I didn't make it until late morning,
but still managed to pick up a few notable species - the
best being Bluethroat (at least 2 adults
and 1 juv), in the damp corner at the back of the car
park for the new viewing platform. Also here were Green
Sandpiper, Snipe, Cetti's and Sardinian
Warblers, but no sign of Moustached Warbler this
year.
The viewing
platform itself wasn't very productive, with no waders
other than Green Sandpiper - again due
to the high water level.
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Cetti's Warbler in the damp
corner behind the viewing platform carpark
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Penya
Rotja
This is a viewpoint at c. 300 m elevation on the
peninsula north of Alcudia - reached by a walk up from
the Santuario de la Vitoria. It is unlikely to be on many
other birder's itineraries, but I mention it here because
there was a Marmora's Warbler right at
the end by the viewpoint itself - some reward for this 2-3
mile walk, which also involved ascent/descent of about
150m.
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