A day off intense birding today and a trip on the S贸ller to Palma railway, which having completed it I would highly recommend to anyone visiting the Island.
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| S贸ller to Palma Railway |
We decided to complete the journey in reverse and boarded at S贸ller, rather than brave the traffic of Palma. In fact the town itself is certainly well worth a visit. The historic electric train takes a route south across the plains, winding through mountains and 13 tunnels of the Serra de Tramuntana, finally ending at the railway station at Palma. Work began on the railway in 1911 on the profits of the orange and lemon trade, which at the time was booming. For this reason, it is sometimes known as the Orange Express. The famous train is now only a mode of transport between these two key Mallorcan settlements, but also an attraction in itself. From a birding perspective, several
Red Kites,
Peregrine, Marsh Harrier and
Kestrel were the highlights.
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| Distant record shot of a Turtle Dove in the evening sunshine - Canon SX50 |
Just prior to sunset I took a delightful walk along the track which leads away from the villa and left Dee and Dave to unwind around the pool! On the ploughed field a couple of
Red-legged Partridge were foraging in the open and two
Turtle Dove were seen enjoying the evening sunshine. In the adjacent fields
Stone Curlew were calling once again but I never managed to connect.
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| Woodchat Shrike looking for dinner! Canon SX50 |
Lots of
Barn Swallow were feeding low but I'm still to register my first
Red-rumped. A lovely
♂Whinchat, along with several
Stonechat and
Sardinian Warbler on the surrounding fences and
Nightingale and
Corn Bunting were in full song. Finally, before heading back a
Woodchat Shrike came down onto the ground, before perching on a nearby bamboo for a quick photo before heading off.
