A two week family holiday in Northern Mallorca between May 11th and 25th 2000. We were based in a villa 1km west of Pollenca booked through OSL in the UK. Although a family holiday, the proximity of excellent birding sites enabled me to undertake a considerable amount of birding. A car was hired for the full two weeks but only sites in the North and West were birded. The exception was a half day to the Arta mountains. In general it was an excellent holiday, a great country to visit, generally cheap and of course, good birding.
Graham Hearl's A birdwatchers guide to Mallorca is invaluable and definitely the guide for the area. Dave Gosney's guide was also used and is recommended as it contains site specific species information and is handy in the field.
The first week was constant sun whilst the second week was a mixture of sun and cloudy mornings with the very occasional light shower. Early mornings were often cold, particularly during the first week.
Since the completion of the Graham Hearl guide, a number of site changes have occurred:
In addition to the area immediately adjacent to the villa, the following sites were visited during the two week period.
Little Grebe | S'Albufera |
Cormorant | 2 juv's at S'Albufereta upto 18th |
Shag | Common |
Little Bittern | 1, S'Albufera |
Night Heron | Common, S'Albufera & S'Albufereta |
Squacco Heron | 1 S'Albufera on 16th & 4 S'Albufera on 19th, |
Cattle Egret | 3+ S'Albufera |
Little Egret | Common, S'Albufera & S'Albufereta |
Grey Heron | 1 S'Albufereta and at S'Albufera |
Purple Heron | Common, S'Albufera & S'Albufereta |
Greater Flamingo | 1, S'Albufera |
Gadwall | On canal at S'Albufera |
Teal | 1 drake, S'Albufera on 19th |
Mallard | S'Albufera & S'Albufereta |
Garganey | 1, S'Albufereta on 13th |
Red Crested Pochard | Common, S'Albufera |
Honey Buzzard | 29 through Formentor lighthouse on the 13th |
Black Kite | 1 through Formentor lighthouse on the 13th |
Red Kite | 1 at Cuber on 15th |
Egyptian Vulture | 1 adult at Cala de St. Vicenc |
Black Vulture | 1 Cuber, 2 Lluc, 18 K11.1 |
Marsh Harrier | Common, S'Albufera & occasionally S'Albufereta |
Booted Eagle | About 10 different sightings in the mountains and 1 at Cases Velles |
Osprey | Only 1 sighting, in front of the Bishop hide at S'Albufera |
Kestrel | Regular |
Eleonora's Falcon | Seen every day. Mid morning seemed to produce groups of birds together at e.g. Bocquer & S'Albufera. |
Peregrine | Seen infrequently, e.g. at Pollenca and K11.1 |
Red Legged Partridge | Heard at Bocquer and seen at Emrita de Betlem |
Quail | Heard at Pollenca |
Pheasant | Heard at Cuber |
Water Rail | Heard at S'Albufera |
Moorhen | Common |
Purple Gallinule | Common at S'Albufera |
Coot | Common |
Black-winged Stilt | Common |
Stone Curlew | 1 bird seen in a field at Cuarassa. (It was reported that a pair bred in the Bocquer) |
Little Ringed Plover | S'Albufera & S'Albufereta |
Ringed Plover | S'Albufera & S'Albufereta |
Kentish Plover | S'Albufera & S'Albufereta |
Little Stint | S'Albufera & S'Albufereta |
Curlew Sandpiper | S'Albufera & S'Albufereta (mainly first week) |
Redshank | 3 at S'Albufereta on 23rd |
Common Sandpiper | S'Albufereta to 23rd |
Black-headed Gull | A few birds at S'Albufera & S'Albufereta |
Audouins Gull | Seen along Pollenca Bay/S'Albufereta |
Yellow Legged Gull | Common |
Whiskered Tern | 2 / 3 birds at S'Albufera |
Rock Dove/Feral Pigeon | Bocquer Valley |
Wood Pigeon | Common |
Turtle Dove | S'Albufereta - 4 on 19th & 2 on 24th |
Cuckoo | 1 heard at Cuber |
Scops Owl | 1 at Hotel Uyal, Port de Pollenca |
Common Swift | Very common |
Bee-eater | 20 at Lluc on 15th, 15 at Cuarassa on 23rd and breeding at S'Albufera |
Roller | 2 birds. 1 at Cuarassa on the 14th and 1 on Nightingale road on the 19th |
Hoopoe | Common |
Wryneck | Breeding in the pines at the base of the Bocquer valley |
Short-toed Lark | S'Albufera |
Thekla Lark | 1 bird on track beside TV aerial/small resevoir on way to Ermita de Betlem (as accurately described in Hearl's book) |
Crag Martin | Seen around mountains, breeds on Cuber Dam |
Swallow | Common |
House Martin | Common |
Tawny Pipit | Cuber and Arta Mountains |
Yellow Wagtail | Common at various 'wet' locations. Canassa held numerous birds on the 13th including 1 Feldegg. |
Wren | Mountain areas only |
Nightingale | Common (but only one seen) |
Common Redstart | 2 birds in Postage Stamp Wood on the 14th |
Whinchat | Bocquer and Pollenca on 12th/13th |
Stonechat | Common |
Wheatear | 1, Pollenca, 12th May |
Rock Thrush | 1 male at the Quarry at Cuber |
Blue Rock Thrush | Birds seen in the mountain regions, around villa, monastery at Pollenca and Ermitta de Betlem |
Blackbird | Common |
Song Thrush | 1 at Cases Velles on the 13th |
Cettis Warbler | Common |
Fan-tailed Warbler | Common |
Moustached Warbler | Heard only at S'Albufera (There is no longer a hide in the middle of the reeds and the reeds have been cut back around some of the tracks) |
Reed Warbler | S'Albufera |
Great Reed Warbler | S'Albufera (easy to see) |
Melodious Warbler | 1, Ermtta de Betlem, 21st |
Marmora's Warbler | 2 birds seen (others heard) at Arta - Piere St Colom on 21st. |
Spectacled Warbler | Heard at Cuber only |
Sardinian Warbler | Very common |
Garden Warbler | 1, 12th May Pollenca, 1 Ternelles Road 23rd May |
Blackcap | Common |
Wood Warbler | Bocquer valley, 1 on 13th |
Chiffchaff | 1, Ermitta de Betlem, 21st May |
Willow Warbler | 2, Bocquer Valley on 12th |
Firecrest | Surprisingly hard to see. However birds in the gardens at Ermita de Betlem provided excellent views |
Spotted Flycatcher | Very common |
Pied Flycatcher | 2, at Bocquer valley on 12th & 13th |
Blue Tit | Seen in mountains/Lluc |
Great Tit | Common |
Woodchat Shrike | Common |
Raven | Common in the mountains |
House Sparrow | Very common |
Chaffinch | Common in the mountains |
Serin | Very common |
Greenfinch | Common |
Goldfinch | Very common |
Linnet | Common |
Crossbill | Birds seen around Formentor, Cases Velles & Ermita de Betlem |
Cirl Bunting | Common in suitable habitat e.g. Bocquer & Arta Mountains |
Reed Bunting | A few birds seen in S'Albufera |
Corn Bunting | Common |
Total species count: 105