Egret Versus Worm

It had rained the days before we arrived so water covered some previously dry areas. The Egrets were spending a lot of time probing in the mud and extracting worms. However, the worms did not succumb easily and wrapped themselves around the closed beak forcing the Egret to drop the worm and the quickly retrieve it from the water, toss it and swallow very rapidly.

Highlights from the Final Day

Our last full day in Majorca was a hot one so we spent a lot of time in the shade of the hides. A few highlights - Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Purple Gallinule eating, Red Crested Pochard, Eleanora's Falcon, Marbled duck, Avocet fighting as always, Black Winged Stilt, Glossy Ibis preening and Little Ringed Plovers.

Butterflies and Dragonflies Majorca

Lovely to see a Swallowtail Butterfly (egg laying as well as nectaring) at the S'Albufera reserve yesterday, along with a Long-Tailed Blue. Dragonflies were more numerous than previously with Common Darter and Black-Tailed Skimmer photographed and ?Emperor hawking the reeds. Speckled Bush Cricket put on a good display while the bees that inhabit strange clay nests (?provided or built by them) all round the visitor centre.

 

 

Son Bosc - Orchids and Birds

We had a day out yesterday with Pere Tomàs of Mallorca Natural Tours - a company to be fully recommended to anyone visiting the island and wanting to see and hear about its birds, flowers and ecology. Thanks Pere. We started our day at Son Bosc as the afternoon was scheduled to be 28 degrees or more in the afternoon. Son Bosc has 9 species of orchids (including Anacamptis robusta - an endemic Marsh Orchid, images 3 and 4).  The bright conditions made flower photography difficult but did encourage some higher contrast images including the spider on Bee Orchid and the Holly Blue. Birds were distant but several new sightings for the list including Fan -Tailed Warbler (now called Zitting Cisticola) and Bee Eaters (lots flying around but only distant perched birds)

Siesta Time in Alcudia, Mallorca

With arrived in Alcudia about an hour before the market packed up and the town was very busy. To quote the guide book - The medieval town of Alcúdia boasts a beautiful medieval centre as well as an authentic local atmosphere which draws in tourists all year round. However, within an hour the streets emptied and we enjoyed a chance to walk the walls and streets unhindered.

The first human settlement in Alcúdia dates back to 2000-1300 BC, followed by Phoenician and Greek settlements with Roman invaders making it their capital, Pollentia, meaning 'power'. They built an ordered town with well-maintained streets, sewers and drinking water. They also erected an impressive theatre capable of holding 2000 spectators - we didn't have time to visit the site. After the Roman empire declined in the 5th century, Alcúdia was destroyed by Vandals but the town returned to greatness under the Moors, who built Al Qudya ('the town on the hill'). with narrow streets.The walls were added after the Spanish conquest in the early 14th century.

Miscellany from Day Two in Majorca

A second day in the S'Albufera and a range of new species to photograph including Hoverflies  - in flight and feeding, Bees, Terrapin, Red Shield Bug, Chafers mating, Bee orchid and, happily, a Red-Crested Coot pair with three young. The Red-crested Coot is one of Europe's most threatened breeding birds. It was reintroduced into the S'Albufera along with other European sites and now appears to be doing well after a decline a couple of years ago.