Day Two (30th April 2017)
Revived by a good night's sleep and a leisurely breakfast, we left the hotel (a little later than normal) and headed for the Depuradora and San Bosc area.
We parked at the bus depot and walked the long track to freshwater lagoons. Other birders we met simply drove up to the lagoons but we would have missed stuff had we taken that option.
We parked at the bus depot and walked the long track to freshwater lagoons. Other birders we met simply drove up to the lagoons but we would have missed stuff had we taken that option.
En route we had a singing (and very obliging) Tawny
Pipit, Hoopoe, Thekla Lark, Stone Curlew, Bee-eater, Woodchat Shrike,
Whinchat, Nightingale, Serin, Sardinian Warbler, Common Sandpiper, Yellow Wagtail, Golden Oriole (2), Redstart (female) and two Pied Flys.
After Depuradora we stopped for a dirty burger in Port D'Alcudia and then headed north towards the Formentor Peninsula where we spent the afternoon at the Boquer Valley. Obviously our target species here was Balearic Warbler and we did manage to connect with several singing birds at the end of the valley (just as the path drops down towards the sea), but it was windy and they didn't really spend any considerable amount of time singing from the tops of bushes. So, views were had with patience but photographing them was another matter.
Other than Balearic Warbler we had both male and female Pied Flycatchers in olive grove below Casa de Boquer. Sadly there were no sign of any Cirl Bunting (though I did subsequently see some amazing shots of them on the web a few days later - so they are still around the area). We had a male Blue Rock Thrush perching up nicely at about one hundred metres distance (closer than any previous views I've had of this species). In the same area as the Balearic Warblers (presuambly because it was a bit sheltered) we had Common Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher and Willow Warbler. Passing birds of prey were thin on the ground but we did have a Booted Eagle near the valley entrance.
We finished the day off at the s'Albufera reserve looking for Moustached Warbler but it really was too windy so we decided to call time and try the next day instead. Last birds of the day were Black-crowned Night Heron, Cattle Egret and Great Reed Warbler (heard only).
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| Tawny Pipit, Depuradora, Mallorca - 30th April 2017 |
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| Tawny Pipit, Depuradora, Mallorca - 30th April 2017 |
After Depuradora we stopped for a dirty burger in Port D'Alcudia and then headed north towards the Formentor Peninsula where we spent the afternoon at the Boquer Valley. Obviously our target species here was Balearic Warbler and we did manage to connect with several singing birds at the end of the valley (just as the path drops down towards the sea), but it was windy and they didn't really spend any considerable amount of time singing from the tops of bushes. So, views were had with patience but photographing them was another matter.
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| Cropped and side-lit shot of Balearic Warbler |
We finished the day off at the s'Albufera reserve looking for Moustached Warbler but it really was too windy so we decided to call time and try the next day instead. Last birds of the day were Black-crowned Night Heron, Cattle Egret and Great Reed Warbler (heard only).
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