Friday 3 April 2015

Mallorca postscript

As promised few final thoughts on my trip to Mallorca plus a full species list.

Loved it! It's a beautiful island with little traffic, excellent roads and wonderful scenery. Oh and it's got some excellent habitat and superb birds! I would definitely return. Before it got to hot of course.

My final photos are of that Gull. As mentioned already it's still a comparatively rare Gull although there have been significant increases in recent years. This pair were great entertainment at Cap de ses Salines. Thay appeared as a couple settled down for their lunch...strange that!



...and they finished off with a duet...

Class birds

Species seen in 8 days

Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope)
Gadwall (Anas strepera)
European Teal (Anas crecca)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
Garganey (Anas querquedula) - seen at s'Albufera, Depuradora and Salobrar
Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina)  - common at s'Albufera and Tucan Marsh
Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)
Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) - surprise addition at s'Albufera
Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) - c10 at Bassa de can Guidet
Cory's Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) - numerous of Formentor peninsular c100, c10 of Cap de ses Salines
Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan mauretanicus) - as above
Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) - 1 seen off Cap de ses Salines
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
European Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) - easily seen on approach track to s'Albufera
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Great White Egret (Casmerodius albus) - seen briefly at s'Albufera and Albufereta
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) - s'Albufera, Albufereta and many (c50) at Salobrar
Red Kite (Milvus milvus) - 4 seen in the Arta mountains
Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) - seen at close range at the mirador Torrent de Pareis
Eurasian Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus) - seen at close range at the mirador Torrent de Pareis
Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus)
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) - s'Albufera, Albufereta
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) - seen over Palma Cathedral!
Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus)
Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio porphyrio) - only a single bird seen at Sa Roca pools, s'Albufera
Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
Red-knobbed Coot (Fulica cristata) - easily seen at s'Albufera
Coot (Fulica atra)
Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) - 50+ at Salobrar
Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) - 2 seen in fields at Albufereta
Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) - Albufereta
Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)
Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) - only a single sighting at Salobrar
Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) - only a single sighting at s'Albufera
Little Stint (Calidris minuta)  - s'Albufera
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) - c15 at Salobrar
Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) - 3 at Depuradora
Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) - a surprise migrant group (c15) at Sa Roca pools
Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)
Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus) - 1 at Salobrar
Common Redshank (Tringa totanus)
Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) - 1 at Salobrar
Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus) - 2 at Depuradora
Common Sandpiper (Tringa hypoleucos)
Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)
Audouin's Gull (Larus audouinii) - Puerto Pollensa, Cap de ses Salines
Yellow-legged Gull (Larus cachinnans [argentatus])
Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis) - a very early migrant opposite the resort on the 2nd March
Rock Dove (Columba livia)
Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus)
Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) -  a single bird at s'Albufera
Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
Thekla Lark (Galerida theklae [malabarica])
Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Sand Martin (Riparia riparia) 3 at Tucan Marsh on the 4th
Crag Martin (Hirundo rupestris)
Swallow (Hirundo rustica) - 4 at Tucan Marsh on the 4th
House Martin (Delichon urbica) - 1 at Tucan Marsh on the 4th
Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)
Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta) - 2 at Sa Roca pools
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba)
Blue-headed Wagtail (Motacilla flava flava) - 1 at Sa Roca pools
Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Dunnock (Prunella modularis)
European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
Stonechat (Saxicola torquata)
Blue Rock-thrush (Monticola solitarius) - Formentor Peninsular, Cap de ses Salines, Cap Blanc
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
Cetti's Warbler (Cettia cetti) - 1 seen well at s'Albufera
Fan-tailed Warbler [Zitting Cisticola] (Cisticola juncidis)
Moustached Warbler (Acrocephalus melanopogon)
Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
Balearic Warbler (Sylvia balearica) - Porto Colom
Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)
Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus) - Lluc Monastry
Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus)
Great Tit (Parus major major)
Common Raven (Corvus corax)
Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor) - seen from track at north side of Albufereta
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
Eurasian Serin (Serinus serinus)
Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)
Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
Linnet (Carduelis cannabina)
Common Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) - a single bird at Ermita de Betlem, Arta Mnts
Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus) - one at Son Real
Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) -  rare Mallorca race seen at s'Albufera
Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra)

106 species

Misses
Marbled Duck
Alpine Accentor
Wryneck
Ferruginous Duck
Little Bittern
Egyptian Vulture
Bonelli's Eagle
Scops Owl
Pallid Swift
Alpine Swift
Dartford Warbler
Bluethroat
Hawfinch
Rock Sparrow

There we are then. Some species probably hadn't arrived yet. I'll just have to go back sometime and try again!

Now it's time to resume Patch birding...starting tomorrow morning


2 comments:

branwell1 said...

It's been great following this. I love your blog. I'm always utterly gobsmacked at the quality of birds you see.... Especially the raptors. I suppose I'm still a little boy at heart.

Alan Whitehead said...

Hi Richard, High praise indeed! Good to hear from you and glad you enjoyed reading it. Enjoy your Easter break. I KNOW you've earned it!