Trip Report: Northern Mallorca, May 11-25, 2000

Overview

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.

Bird Guides

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.

Weather

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.

Site Updates

Since the completion of the Graham Hearl guide, a number of site changes have occurred:

• Ternelles Valley - The upper parts are now closed with no access.

• Cases Velles - Now fenced in with no access of the road (the potential of finding birds has been reduced considerably).

• S'Albufera - For latest hides, see the information point in the park. The Watkinson hide is no longer in the middle of the reeds, and some of the reeds in the reserve (mainly around the access road) have been cut back. Cars are no longer allowed into the reserve.

• Tucan Marsh - Although not visited, visiting birders said that it was no more.

Sites Visited

In addition to the area immediately adjacent to the villa, the following sites were visited during the two week period.

• Bocquer Valley - Access still available. Migrants were seen, particularly at the base, e.g. Pied Flycatchers and Willow Warblers.

• Postage Stamp Wood, Port de Pollenca - Held Redstarts and the odd migrant.

• Formentor Lighthouse - An hour on the second day produced 29 Honey Buzzard and a Black Kite moving through. The café at the lighthouse is excellent for relaxing with a drink and scanning the hills for migrating raptors!

• Cases Velles - With viewing now restricted, it would seem to offer only limited opportunities. Did have Crossbill, Song Thrush and Booted Eagle.

• Hotel Uyal, Port de Pollenca - This was the site that held Scops Owl. The bird was using a vent pipe at roof height to the rear of the Hotel. It was not heard calling but was seen hunting along the roadway and using the vent pipes.

• Ca'n Cuarassa - This site is to the rear of the Cuarassa restaurant on the Port de Pollenca to Alcudia road, behind Pollenca Bay. It was very good, holding excellent numbers of Yellow Wagtails, a Stone Curlew, Roller and Bee-eaters.

• Albufereta - Small numbers of waders at the bridge/river to Pollenca Bay. Best viewed from 'the mound' or the road along the eastern side. No doubt it was once a much better site.

• S'Albufera - The number one site in the North of the Island. Described well in existing literature. Mid morning produced good numbers of Eleonora's Falcon (50+).

• Cuber Resevoir - Pleasant birding and good for raptors. Water levels were however extremely low.

• Arta Mountains - The furthest site away (1 hour). Thekla Lark at the TV aerial (site 4 in Hearls book) and Marmora's Warbler at Betlem. However, one site that was superb was Ermita de Betlem, the church at the end of the road and as described in Hearl's book. Held easy Blue Rock Thrush, Firecrest and migrants including a Chiffchaff and Melodious Warbler. I was able to do the TV Aerial, Ermita de Betlem and Colonia de St Pere/Betlem in one morning with an early start.

• K11.1 - Birding the mountains for Raptors is difficult due to a lack of access points and vantage points. However, one area that I found to be very good and accessible is at K11.1 on the Pollenca to Lluc road. You can park on the downhill side at K11.1 (or K11). There are then two options:
  • Where the fence meets the road barrier on the downhill side, you can walk through about 10m onto rocks that give a view down the valley and over to the peaks to the east, or
  • The better vantage point is however on the higher rocks on the uphill side of the road. Clambering up onto these produces an amazing vantage point with excellent all round views. Three one hour visits here produced 18 Black Vulture sightings, Booted Eagle, Peregrine and Eleonora's Falcon. If raptor migration was occurring, this higher advantage point could be very productive.

• Cala de St Vicenc - Go through the village, past the coves up the hill as far as the road takes you. Egyptian Vulture was seen from here.

Species Seen

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

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