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 Gosneys guide was also used and is recommended as it contains site specific \ species information and is handy in the field. Click here for links to bird books with online booksellers.
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 Marmoras 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 Hearls 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:
(i) 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
(ii) 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.
Total species count: 105
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 Hearls 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
Cetti’s 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
Wilton Farrelly
33 Old Dundonald Road
Belfast
BT16 2EQ
