Introduction:
This was a 2 week self-catering holiday with Sunset Holidays (Thomson Group), flying from Bristol to Palma (Mallorca) and staying at the Duquesa Apartments in Port de Pollensa.
We can thoroughly recommend both Port de Pollensa and the Duquesa Apartments for anyone wanting a birdwatching holiday in Mallorca.
The apartment was quiet, clean (twice weekly maid service), comfortable, adequately equipped and in a nice quiet location. There was a small pool onsite and a larger one (plus other amenities such as bar, restaurant etc) at the Apartment’s “parent” complex, the Villa Concha, just over the road. There was also a small supermarket at the Villa Concha but there are plenty of others to choose from in Port de Pollensa.
The Apartments were about a 10 minute stroll from the local bus stops (i.e. buses to Palma, Inca, Pollensa, Formentor, Alcudia and S’Albufera Parc Naturel etc) and a 15 minute walk to the avenue of pines leading to the Bocquer Valley. About a 20 minute walk in the direction of Alcudia took you to the smelly stream mentioned by Graham Hearle in his "A Birdwatching Guide to Mallorca" (the stream still extremely smelly – more of an open sewer really but the birds didn't seem to mind, and the outfall to the bay was a real Osprey hotspot!). I believe the proper name for the stream is Torrent san Jordi.
We don’t drive abroad so were restricted to public transport and consequently probably didn’t go as far afield as we could (i.e. we didn’t visit the Cuber reservoir, Cap Formentor or the Tramuntana Mountains). But we nevertheless covered a fair area on foot (the Bocquer Valley and other areas around Port de Pollensa) and by public transport (Palma and S’Albufera), and saw some good birds.
The weather was generally comfortably warm and sunny with a couple of cloudy days and one afternoon of thunderstorms.
Sites Visited:
The Avenue of Pines (Port de Pollensa) and Bocquer Valley:
The small park with the avenue of pines on the approach to the Bocquer Valley was a real treat for hoopoe watching – we could always rely on seeing them there and spent some time watching a pair of adults feeding a juvenile (with an incredibly red gape!). Also generally present in this area were blackbirds, greenfinch, sparrows, great tits and collared doves.
To reach the Bocquer Valley you now have to cross a new bypass – but this isn’t exactly a hardship as it has the least traffic of any main road I’ve ever seen (though this will probably change with time).
We visited the Bocquer only 3 times and found it a little disappointing. The scenery was stunning but when we visited the first time, on a Sunday, it was VERY crowded with walkers, trippers and birders (the latter, especially those with ‘scopes who presumably thought themselves superior to ordinary birdwatchers, not at all friendly). Our further 2 visits – in the early morning and evening – were better with a lot less people around. However, at no time were there as many birds to be seen as we had expected. Although we ended up with a reasonable tally it was hard work! Birds seen here were: a pair of stone curlews (nesting in the field next to the bypass and Bocquer entrance track), 2 hoopoes (in the Finca gardens / orchards), 2 bee-eaters (in the Finca fields), 1 (male) pheasant (in the pine tree area about halfway down the valley), 2 ravens, 1 male kestrel (several sightings, flying along the Northern slopes), 1 booted eagle (flying down the valley towards the sea on Sunday 8 May), several Eleanora’s falcons (flying in and around the valley), 1 Marmora’s warbler (in bushes at the seaward end of the valley), 2 or 3 Sardinian warblers (in various spots in the scrub and bushes up and down the track), numerous spotted flycatchers (everywhere), 1 cirl bunting (on bush at seaward end of valley) and 1 or 2 stonechats (various locations). But the undoubted highlight of the Bocquer occurred on our last visit there on 18 May when we saw 12 black vultures – 2 flying fairly low over our heads at the start of the valley and the other 10 flying in a line very high at the seaward end of the valley. We didn’t see blue rock thrush though we heard that they were present.
Port de Pollensa:
Audouin's gulls were a regular sight on the town beach. There were usually shags on the breakwaters and we saw 2 little egrets in town – 1 fishing the marshy stream in the middle of town (which incidentally held masses of grey mullet and several small crabs) and 1 fishing the tide line on the beach. We also saw a night heron at this location on 2 separate occasions (1 late evening and 1 early morning). We saw Osprey flying along at the town’s coastline several times but the best sightings were at the smelly stream.
Smelly Stream (Torrent san Jordi)
This area was excellent – every time we went there (usually in early evening) we saw an Osprey fishing over the outlet or out to sea, on one memorable occasion one circled several times only about 40 feet above our heads! Also in this area were numerous serins and sparrows, 3 bee-eaters, 2 nightingales (1 really good sighting in a bush by the streamside lane), a woodlark, several mallards, moorhens and coots, 2 common sandpipers, yellow wagtails, a woodchat shrike and a ringed plover. A pair of little ringed plover were also on the beach at the smelly stream outfall, together with a regular Audouin’s gull.
S’Albufera Parc Naturel:
We spent 2 thoroughly enjoyable days - 17 and 19 May - at the S’Albufera, getting there (very easily and cheaply) on the Alcudia/C’an Picafort bus from Port de Pollensa. The reserve was absolutely great and provided some wonderful birdwatching. The trees across the river at the start of the entrance track were full of mostly cattle egrets with some little egrets. We saw night herons both in flight along the main river and perched there. There were Eleanora’s falcons everywhere plus several marsh harriers and 1 kestrel. Lots of black-winged stilts, grey heron, purple heron (everywhere, in flight, feeding and perched), moorhens and coots (with young), several purple gallinule, hoopoe, bee-eater, swallows, swifts, house martins, sparrows, serins, greenfinch, goldfinch, great tits, Sardinian warbler, nightingale, yellow wagtails, little ringed plover, great crested grebe, little grebe and woodchat shrike. Ducks included red-crested pochard and mallard (with young). Also whiskered tern and Audouin’s gull. Cettis and reed warblers evident everywhere.
Palma:
We spent a day in Palma, getting there easily by public transport (bus direct from Port de Pollensa). It is a lovely city and we did a lot of sightseeing, including the stunning Bellver Castle set in pine wood parkland on the outskirts of the city. Birds seen in the parkland were a small flock of (presumably escaped) Monk Parakeets and 1 hoopoe.
1: Little Grebe: 1 with 1 chick at S’Albufera on 19 May.
2: Great Crested Grebe: 1 at S’Albufera 17 and 19 May.
3: Shag: Up to 4 regularly on breakwaters off Port de Pollensa beach.
4: Night Heron: 2 at S’Albufera and 1 (2 separate sightings) at the marshy stream in Port de Pollensa.
5: Cattle Egret: Large numbers in the trees at the S’Albufera entrance.
6: Little Egret: Frequent everywhere.
7: Grey Heron: Small numbers on the S’Albufera.
8: Purple Heron: Common. Lots on the S’Albufera.
9: Mallard: Common in suitable habitat.
10: Red-crested Pochard: Lots on the S’Albufera.
11: Black Vulture: 12 seen at the Bocquer Valley on 18 May.
12: Marsh Harrier: Up to 4 at the S’Albufera.
13: Booted Eagle: 1 in the Bocquer Valley on 8 May.
14: Osprey: Single bird seen on most days, flying off Port de Pollensa beach or fishing at smelly stream outfall (where very good views were had).
15: Kestrel: 1 (male) in Bocquer Valley and 1 at S’Albufera.
16: Eleanora's Falcon: Very common; several in Bocquer Valley, 4 seen flying along Port de Pollensa town beach, 1 hunting above fields along Lenaire Road (just outside the town) and 10+ at S’Albufera.
17: Pheasant: Frequently heard calling from the bottom of the Bocquer Valley, and 1 (male) seen.
18: Moorhen: Common.
19: Purple Gallinule: 4 seen on the S’Albufera (1 particularly good close sighting) on 17 and 19 May.
20: Coot: Common.
21: Black-winged Stilt: Common; lots at the S’Albufera.
22: Stone Curlew: A pair in the field next to bypass and entrance track to Bocquer Valley.
23: Ringed Plover: 1 good sighting in the smelly stream.
24: Little Ringed Plover: a pair on the beach at the smelly stream outlet.
25: Common Sandpiper: 2 or 3 always present at the smelly stream.
26: Audouin's Gull: Common. Seen every day on Port de Pollensa beach and at smelly stream outfall. Also at S’Albufera.
27: Whiskered Tern: 1 hunting over the S’Albufera, 17 May.
28: Woodpigeon: Common.
29: Collared Dove: Frequent in towns / sparse woodland.
30: Scops Owl: heard one night near the Guardia Civil building in Port de Pollensa but, disappointingly, none seen.
31: Swift: Common.
32: Swallow: Common.
33: House Martin: Common.
34: Bee-eater: Worryingly uncommon. Very small groups (2s and 3s) seen infrequently.
35: Hoopoe: Common. Good regular sightings of adult pair with juvenile in Port de Pollensa avenue of pines area.
36: Yellow Wagtail: Frequent single birds in streams and at S’Albufera.
37: Nightingale: Common.
38: Stonechat: Common.
39: Blackbird: Very common.
40: Woodlark: 1 regularly seen in fields next to smelly stream.
41: Cetti's Warbler: Present on S’Albufera.
42: Reed Warbler: Common on S’Albufera.
43: Marmora's Warbler: 1 at the northern end of the Bocquer Valley.
44: Sardinian Warbler: Common.
45: Spotted Flycatcher: Very common.
46: Great Tit: Common.
47: Woodchat Shrike: Single birds seen below the Finca at the start of the Bocquer Valley, at the smelly stream area and the S’Albufera.
48: Raven: 2 in the Bocquer Valley.
49: House Sparrow: Very common.
50: Serin: Common.
51: Greenfinch: Common.
52: Goldfinch: Common.
53: Cirl Bunting: 1 in the Bocquer Valley.
54: Monk Parakeet: small flock at Bellver Castle Park, Palma
Other Creatures:
European Pond Turtle at the S’Albufera; small (Pipistrelle?) bats flying at dusk in the Port de Pollensa marshy stream area; unidentified gecko on house wall next to marshy stream; cattle and grey (Camargue-type) horses at S’Albufera; Swallowtail butterflies in several locations; grey mullet and small crabs in Port de Pollensa marshy stream and the river at S’Albufera.