I took an early start before Dee and Dave were up and about near the Torrent de Albufereta and on arrival inadvertently flushed several
Cattle Egret feeding in the shallows. My target this morning was to try and get a photographic record of one of the several
Stone Curlew that have been constantly flitting around the area.
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| Stone Curlew - Finally a photographic record! Canon SX50 |
Thankfully my thoughts on where they were roosting paid off. Around Can Cullerassa no real additions to any of the species mentioned in my previous entries but another
Eleanora's Falcon overhead,
Marsh Harrier and a huge fall of
House Martin overnight, with hundreds feeding over the plains and pools.
After dropping Dave at Palma airport for his flight back to Malaga Dee and I detoured to Cap Blanc, a short drive from the airport. 'Marina' is the Majorcan name for the flat low-lying areas occupied by a mix of pine woods, wild olive, heather maquis and un-vegetated land. Cap Blanc is possibly the finest example there is and captures the essence of this Islands ecosystem. The cliffs overlooking the sea are well conserved and offers a great sea watching area from the lighthouse.
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| Dee's superb record shot of Tawny Pipit using the Canon SX50 |
As you reach the lighthouse you can hop the low wall and explore the area in more detail. Within minutes of our arrival
Balearic Warbler could be heard and was seen briefly, in fact three brief sightings during our stay. This is also an excellent area for
Tawny Pipit and
Thekla Lark, both recorded during our visit. As we moved west along the cliff top an
Osprey drifted over and shortly after a
Peregrine made an appearance.
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| Blue Rock Thrush from Dee on the Canon SX50 - Does anyone want my Canon 7D!! |
Wheatear,
Stonechat and
Sardinian Warbler are numerous and there's always a chance of
Blue Rock Thrush, which duly obliged! Other notables during our visit included:
Red-legged Partridge,
Turtle Dove,
Nightingale,
Spotted Flycatcher,
Firecrest,
Serin and
Linnet. The sea was particularly quiet with no passage birds during a brief sea-watch, probable due to the time of visit (midday) but
Shag, Audouins Gull and
Yellow-legged Gull were noted.
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| Booted Eagle in the afternoon sun! |
Finally, as we were leaving a
Booted Eagle flew through offering a chance to fire up my 7D and ending a really enjoyable visit.
