Nightingale versus Cetti plus other Small Birds, S'Albufera, Majorca

As the weather warmed up and brightened, the S'Albufera sprang to life with Cetti's Warblers and Nightingales competing for attention. The Cetti's (first five) are generally secretive but on occasions come out into the open and sing profusely. The Nightingale (next two) sings generally very visibly on a branch but is such a ventriloquist that it is difficult to locate its position. Also shown Sardinian Warbler (resident species), Pied Flycatcher (migrating) and Fan-Tailed Warbler (summer visitor). We are back in England now and so wish could have been there this week when migration and breeding hopefully starts in ernest but that is the luck of the draw!

Places Visited During Visit to Majorca

Most of our week was spent at the S'Albufera Marshes - the weather was variable so we saw it in all conditions from rain to bright warm conditions on our last day (of course). The windy and cool conditions definitely reduced the number of birds present and recorded. We hired a car for 2 days and visited the mountains (along with many hundreds of cyclists!), walking at Cuber Reservoir and then the Bocquer valley on day one. The second day rained most of the morning but we managed visits to the Salt Pands at Des Salines and Son Real for its orchids.

Son Real Majorca - Orchid Hunting

We hired a car for 2 days and our second day finished at Son Real, an archeological site that is also famous for its orchids. With only a limited time and a very large area to cover, I was quite pleased to find 5 different orchids - three of the Bee orchid family (Ophrys), a Tongue orchid (Serapias lingua) and one of the Orchis family. Also included, four typical plants of the area, Asteriscus maritimus, Echium sabulicola, Asphodel aestivus, and Arisarum vulgare (relative of our Arum lily)

Close Up in Majorca - Insects etc

There are not a lot of insects about yet - the weather is unseasonably cool and wet here though not quite as bad as the UK. Bees are the commonest including the Hairy-Footed Flower Bee and other solitary species. Also some hoverflies, grasshoppers and Cockchafers etc

 

Majorca - Tale of Two Ospreys

We watched this first Osprey bring in fish on two separate days. The first fish was very large and ?she took a couple of hours eating it. On the second morning the fish was smaller but she didn't seem to have any appetite despite making room by defecating copiously.  In the after on the second day we watched a different Osprey catch a fish behind a bak of reeds and the carry it off to a suitable perch elsewhere. This second osprey has a radio transmitter on its back. I wonder where it was tagged

S'Albufera Majorca - Home to Orchids, Insects and Rare Birds

We will spend a lot of our week at the Albufera Reserve so I will include a few images in each post to show the variety of wildlife here, rather than a diary of the days. My favourite so far is finding the Mirror Orchid right on the side of the main road and also a very large grasshopper, the Egyptian Grasshopper. Also shown Painted Lady, Speckled Wood, Cattle Egret, Audouin's Gull, Purple Gallinule (endangered species) and a grey headed race of the Yellow Wagtail.