Majorcan Mutterings

 I've just returned from a week's holiday with my wife Sandra to Puerto Pollensa in Majorca where we enjoyed plenty of excellent weather, good food and beer. Obviously, this being a wildlife blog and all, I managed to get a bit of birding and other wildlife spotting in as well and although I didn't amass a big list the quality shone through. I divided my time between the Boquer Valley and Albufereta and the coastal strip that runs between them.

Black Vultures with Bonelli's and Booted Eagles and Eleanora's Falcon

Autumn is not a good time to be looking for Balearic Warbler but reports from another birder suggested that they were still showing in the Boquer Valley and I visited four times in the hope of catching up with them. It was a case of close but no cigar for me unfortunately as I heard one singing briefly on my final visit but couldn't see it. It's just as well then that raptors provided plenty of interest even if photographic opportunities were limited. Black Vulture is not a bird that I've seen often in the past so I thoroughly enjoyed encountering them on two of my forays into the valley. At one stage I had a vulture with a Bonelli's and Booted Eagle in the same view bringing back memories of Extremadura! On another visit a wandering vulture attracted the attention of half a dozen or so irate Eleanora's Falcons who subjected it to a series of diving attacks until it moved on. That action would have been reason enough for a visit but other species also provided entertainment with Blue Rock Thrush, Redstart and Spotted Flycatcher amongst the supporting cast.

Passerine selection.

Albufereta could not quite match the dramatic goings on of the Boquer but still provided some highlights of its own. Adding to the raptor roster both Osprey and Marsh Harrier put in appearances though both stayed distant. Herons fared better with six species being seen that included both Purple and Night. There were more Greater Flamingos on this trip than last year though wader numbers were low. Best wader was Kentish Plover, it's nice to see that the reserve has a healthy population of them. Among the passerines on show a Firecrest was my favourite with other highlights including Fan-tailed Warbler, Serin and Corn Bunting. Away from these two sites good numbers of Audouin's Gull and the attractive Mediterranean race of Shag were present in the bay.

Juvenile Night and Purple Herons, Audouin's Gull and Shag

Majorca doesn't appear to have a large butterfly list and it's pretty much the end of the season for them. That didn't stop me from seeing a couple of interesting species however such as Lang's Short-tailed Blue and Cleopatra which were backed up by Clouded Yellow, Painted Lady and Small Copper. Dragonflies were in similarly short supply with just Red-veined Darter, Migrant Hawker and Emperor making it on to the list. Overall a very pleasant way of spending a week, I'm already thinking of booking for next year, wonder what the Spring prices are like?

Red-veined Darter, Lang's Short-tailed Blue, Cleopatra and warring moggies