Day 6 A new day dawned on the sunny island of Menorca, except there was a slight technical hitch... It was cloudy. This meant that the whole morning was decently warm rather than overly hot. The morning consisted of a Sea Swim and also watching House Sparrows and Yellow-legged Gulls from the hotel balcony. The afternoon brought the sun out with it and heated the day up to a comfortable 32 degrees centigrade. My dad, my brother and I decided to take a walk to the local wetlands in the hunt for some Purple Swamp Monsters. Along the way we saw mainly Collared Doves, Wood Pigeons, House Sparrows and 2 Greenfinches. Along the way we could hear the occasional Zitting Cisticola, but still no sign of the resident Great Reed or Reed Warblers. Finally after 20 minutes of walking and several wall lizards later we arrived at the start of the path to the coast via the wetlands. As soon as we got down onto the trail there was a total of 46 Cattle Egret feeding on you guessed it horses, and one of the adults was in their stunning summer plumage. Next 3: Cattle Egrets We hadn't moved very far before a large flock of Goldfinches descended on the field next to us. This to our surprise flushed a Woodchat Shrike, that was happily feeding, out of the field and onto a bush in front of us. A large flock of Barn Swallows also fed above us and were flying just above our heads providing some of the best views of them I had ever had and probably the best views my brother and father had ever had. Above: Juv Goldfinches Below: Woodchat Shrike Above and Below: Adult Goldfinch We then moved on. When we got to a large row of trees the first thing we found was a large flock of House Sparrows. I decided to check this flock to see if there was anything interesting mixed in. Sure enough there was a Spotted flycatcher sitting on the wall quite some distance away from us. We watched it doing what flycatchers do best for a few minutes and then as we were leaving something called from the bushes above us. It was a Juvenile Woodchat Shrike and as soon as we got our binoculars on it, it was gone. After some more trekking we eventually made it to the view point where you can see into the reed beds. This gave us a great view, but made birding quite difficult due to the fact that everything was so far away. The most obvious thing that I could see at first was the large flock of Cattle Egrets mixed in with the Horses in the lush green grass. Above: Hazy distant Cattle Egrets in the long grass. The sound of the Cicadas around us was becoming louder as the heat started to build in the glorious sunshine. We moved on a bit now, so that we could get a better view over the marsh however so far we only had Cattle Egrets. Then I realised that in the field to the right of the horses was a large group of Purple blobs. Yes, that's right there was a field filled with Purple Swamphens. There were at least 9 in this field! Above: Cattle Egrets, Purple Swamphens, and Horses Below: Cattle Egrets and Horse Above: Cattle Egrets, Purple Swamphen and Horses Below: Cattle Egrets, Horses, and spot the Black-winged Stilt Above: Cattle Egrets, Horses, and Black-winged Stilt Below: I almost forgot about this Kestrel that was perched in this bush overlooking everything. Above: Purple Swamphens And so we moved on slightly in the aim of getting a better view, and whilst we got what we were after it still didn't make looking for the birds any easier. What did however make it easier was a horse had gotten a bit fed up of the Cattle Egrets on its back and threw a fit. This flushed up a flock of 20 Spotless Starlings that had previously been covered by the grass. It also flushed 15 Black-winged Stilts, 2 alarm calling Marsh Sandpipers from the reeds at the back, 20 Mallards, and 10 Coots. Unfortunately most of these birds returned to cover and disappeared out of sight once the horse had settled down, however the majority of the Black-winged Stilt flock stayed out in the open and so did an Egret which I am still debating whether it is big enough for a Great White or whether it is just a Little Egret. I never actually saw it in flight it just appeared and also I never managed to get the colour of the beak and also there was nothing really around it for size comparison! Above (2): Broad Bodied Chaser? Below: Cattle Egret and Horse Above: Purple Swamphen and something interesting I really wish I was the one to take this photo, but it was my brother... Is it the Kestrel of a pratincole? Below: Hazy Purple Swamphens Above: Black-winged Stilts and the mystery Egret, if leg and bill colour is as shown here I think it is a Great White!? Below: Cattle Egrets Above and Below: Black-winged Stilts Above: Purple Swamphens We then moved on satisfied with what we had seen. The next section of path ran through some tall bushes and held purring Turtle Doves and also Sardinian Warblers. A Spotted Flycatcher was also seen very briefly on the right hand side of the path and a large flock of Wood Pigeons flew past on our left. We also all nearly got caught in the web of the spider pictured below as it had built its web across the path, suggesting that not many people use this path. We then got to a clearing in the centre of the valley. Here we had 2 Kestrels calling over the hills as well as an Egyptian Vulture over the distant hills. Pallid Swifts kept us company here and were busy scaling the sides of the valley looking for their insect prey. We then moved into a shady bit of Woodland and all around us there were lots of Copper Demoiselles flying around us. There were probably thousands of them all around the base of the trees. Above and Below: Copper Demoiselle We then carried on in the shade to the sound of Blackcaps with an accent. Eventually we came to a stop because a Menorcan Tortoise was crossing the path. It was amazing to actually see one in the wild having only seen them in zoos before and boy do they move quickly. We finally got to the end of the woodland section of the path and out into the Wetlands again. There were lots of Dragonflies in the small pools next to the path including Black-tailed and I think I have pictured a Keeled Skimmer, but I am not too sure. I also spotted a female Sardinian Warbler and she flew down into the bush next to where I was standing to reveal a nest. Above: Sardinian Warbler nest Below: Keeled Skimmer? Next we moved through on to a more open area and we met an Italian man who told us there were 4 Pigs blocking the path ahead and that we should be careful. Before we got there though we found 2 Spotted Flycatchers having a rest in the shade of a large tree and an adult Woodchat Shrike flew into the bush next to us suggesting that there could be a nest. Then at the end of this field near the gate sure enough there were some Pigs, and there were 5 rather than 4, but that could have just been the translation. Next we moved through a rather dry farm land area and so I stopped to scan for Yellow Wagtails. Unfortunately though there weren't any, but there was at least 4 Yellow-legged Gulls instead. Next we headed along the beach back towards the Hotel with the dunes on our left and the sea on our right. We had a look in some rock pools when we got the opportunity to and they were all filled with fish and shrimps of various sorts. Overlooking these pools rather sheepishly was a group of Auduion's Gulls, and further out to sea on a large rock was a group of at least 4 Shags mostly asleep. We then continued back via the opening in the reeds nearer the hotel and the 3 Domestic Geese were waiting for their turn on the Massage beds, as they stood next to them. In the wetlands itself there was a Moorhen, 10 Coots, and 30 Mallards but nothing else of note. So we moved on quickly to get back to the hotel for dinner. However I was distracted by the Turtle Dove that was feeding close to the path. Dinner was then followed by a stunning sunset off to the West marking the end of another warm, but rewarding day. Day 7 The penultimate day dawned on a sunny and therefore warm note with temperatures actually down a little due to the strength of the wind. Pallid Swifts were the star performers of the day and were flying quite low and close in their hunt for insects. Again tennis was played, however I had learnt from my mistakes and therefore had my camera with me in case something interesting decided to turn up. Sure enough both a Turtle Dove and a Spotted Flycatcher flew onto the fence, however I wasn't quick enough to go from winning points whilst playing tennis to actually being able to take a photo of them. In the evening I watched from the balcony as 20 Cattle Egrets and a Purple Heron came into roost on Son Bou Wetlands. Below: failed shots of Pallid Swifts Day 8 We had our final preparations and packing to do before the coach came to collect us. Whilst I was on the balcony collecting our stuff I clocked up the first House Sparrows, Blackbirds and also a Sardinian Warbler. We then had breakfast in the restaurant downstairs and sat by the window. Auduion's Gulls and Yellow-legged Gulls. Then all of a sudden out the corner of my eye I spotted a large dark thing coming in from the direction of Son Bou Wetlands. An Osprey! It only stayed long enough for me to show the whole of my family, before continuing on its journey East. Also out in the sea a Shag was fishing however it eventually flew off unsuccessful. Next the wait for the bus and this produced Turtle Dove, Collared Doves and Greenfinches as well as the resident House Sparrows attending their nests. The coach turned up at 08:10 and just in time for when we had sat in our seats it tipped it down with rain and this continued until we got to the airport. On the way there were quite a lot of Pallid Swifts low to the side of the road and a Spotted Flycatcher when we were stuck in traffic somewhere near the airport. A Kestrel was also seen, however the rain quenched our chances of seeing any of the other hoped for raptors. As we arrived at the airport it was clear that this island was not meant to deal with this amount of rain for a lot of the roads were flooded, however the sun came out as soon as it had stopped raining and steam was the next issue as everything started to evaporate. Arriving in the UK was probably the hardest part of the trip for it was wet and windy Typical... Trip List (World Life List: 300 after 22 Lifers on this trip) (British Life List: 177)
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Day 4 An early start on Saturday morning saw me and my dad head to breakfast at just gone 6:30am. This was before the usual breakfast times and so therefore the only other people having breakfast were some British pilots about to head back to the UK. Once we were finished we headed out to the main entrance where we found Javier waiting for us. We then headed off to his car and had a brief introduction of where we were going to go. It was good to have some local knowledge joining the team for the day and we set our target at 60 species. Our first leg of the trip took us through the middle of the Island to Son Parc and El Prat De Son Saura Wetlands. When passing through the island golf course Javier spotted a Peacock with her 2 chicks as well as a Yellow-legged Gull on the water hazard and also a Spotted Flycatcher which flew onto the fence just as we were pulling off and made Javier nearly crash the car as I yelped with excitement! (Apparently they are everywhere as I was about to find out.) Above: Peacock with her 2 chicks. (You can just about see one on the left hand side of the picture!) We kept driving and found a pair of Chaffinch busy feeding on the side of the road. A Turtle Dove flew past the car and showed us another sign of what was to come. It was just after 7:30am when we got to the empty car park and we made sure that we parked in the shade for the sun was starting to become unbearable. Whilst we were getting our equipment ready for the hour or so that we planned to spend at the wetlands we saw some Sardinian Warblers flying around from bush to bush as well as hearing a Blackcap. It is interesting that they sound very different to our Blackcaps in the UK, however they look exactly the same. They basically have a different accent to the ones in the UK. We then walked along the main footpath past the Sewage Works. Here we stopped off to have a look to see what we could find. As Javier had predicted there was a large group of Turtle Doves feeding in and around the Sewage works. Just as we were about to move on a Hoopoe flew up briefly into the trees at the back of the sewage plant. Above: Turtle Dove Below: Hoopoe After this we then had to go through a little trail to get to the view point over the wetlands. Whilst walking through this we found lots of Damselflies and Dragonflies and also a sheep's skull that looked well polished off by vultures. As we neared the end of the path another Spotted Flycatcher was found and it stayed with us for most of the time we were there. Above: Blue-tailed Damselfly Below: I am not too sure, but I think it might be a Red-veined Darter!? Below: Spotted Flycatcher We then headed up to the top of the field to find some shelter and we watched as the Flycatcher hunted near us for a considerable amount of time while we were setting ourselves up. The most notable thing about our location was the fact that we could hear purring Turtle Doves all around us which was an amazing experience, since before this trip I had never seen one or heard one. We also could hear Cetti's Warblers around us at all times and they too had an odd accent and sounded and even looked a bit different to the typical ones in the UK. It was odd, but still recognisable. Scanning the pools in front of us we could see a large gathering of Ducks and Herons. There were at least 6 Grey Herons about, a Glossy Ibis out on the rocks in the middle, a sleeping Black-crowned night Heron, 7 Purple Heron including 2 Juveniles. As with the ducks there was a large gathering of Red-crested Pochard with at least 25 out on the pools, 6 Ferruginous Ducks were present, 7 Little Grebe, 30 Coot, 50 Mallard, 4 Pochard, 2 Moorhen, and at least 5 Gadwall. From time to time one of the 3 Purple Swamphens would wonder out onto an open part of the reeds giving us a display of their splendid colouring. Whilst we were scanning through this busy reed bed a massive gathering of at least 30 Woodpigeon was occurring on the wires in front of us. Flocks of Rock Dove also flew past, as did the day's first 14 Cattle Egret. Pallid Swifts also kept us company coming down in flocks for a drink. We could also hear the entertaining noise of Bee-eaters off in the distance, however no luck yet at seeing one. A flock of Goldfinches also came down to drink at one point adding their noise to the deafening Cicadas. After about 30 minutes of scanning we started to hear the sound of the Zitting Cisticola coming from the reeds in front of us and sure enough after another 5 minutes of hard scanning one eventually popped up onto the tops of the reeds and stayed there calling for enough time for both me and Javier to get onto it. Above: Purple Heron Next 2: Cattle Egret in flight (There is actually 15 as shown by the 2nd...!) Above: Coots, Mallards, Glossy Ibis Below: Coots, Mallards, Glossy Ibis Next 2: Purple Heron Above: Coot Below: Black-crowned Night Heron Above: Duck pick and mix as well as the overlooking Grey Herons Below: Coots, Mallards, Ferruginous Ducks Next 3: Juv Purple Heron with Coots for company Just when we were think about leaving and heading back to the car to move onto our next destination, I spotted something moving in the bush on the other side of the field from where we stood. To my surprise what stared back at me when I got it in my binoculars was a Woodchat Shrike. This was amazing since it was the first time I had ever seen a Shrike, and this experience was made even better when my attention was drown again to something just behind the Woodchat Shrike when it returned to the bush for a third time. A Juvenile Woodchat Shrike and quite a fresh one I would assume. They do look quite strange I have to admit compared to the adults. After this we then moved off with a quick glimpse of the friendly Spotted Flycatcher and the Sheep remains. Unfortunately for us we didn't see or hear any Great Reed or Reed Warblers which was unfortunate. Above (8): Woodchat Shrike and Juv Next 2: Spotted Flycatcher As we were leaving we could hear a song coming from the area of forest pictured below. When I first heard it I had to admit that I thought it was one of the dodgy Blackcaps singing, however Javier pointed out that he thought different. We had an intense wait and after a while a purring Turtle Dove emerged. The unknown bird was still singing though and so we decided to explore, and as we did a Yellow bird with Black wings flew out of the trees to our left and entered the tree that stood out by itself in the clearing (Right hand tree pictured below). A Male Golden Oriole and as soon as I said that it was gone and silence fell in the woods again. We searched for another 5 or so minutes before realising that it must have gone quite far and was probably a migrant, and so we gave up. On the way back to the car we got our first glimpse of Bee-eaters as one briefly sat calling on the wires where the Wood Pigeons had gathered. Next we headed to tick off one of my favourite waders. When we arrived at Les Salines De Fornells it looked as though it would be impossible, because half of the salt pans were all salt rather than water, however those that still had water had plenty of Kentish Plovers scattered around them and in the end our total was 12 Kentish Plover. Looking above our heads brought up the first Red Kites of the day and also a Booted Eagle. Javier then spotted a very distant Osprey that we all managed to get onto in the end. All this time we had been surrounded by a flock of Linnets feeding on the field next us, but unfortunately there were no Corn Buntings to be seen. We then took a look out in to the bay in front of us and this brought about 4 Shags fishing just off shore. Above: Kentish Plover Next 2: Distant Cattle Egrets, there were atleast 14 Cattle Egret Below: Kentish Plover Next up we headed to Cami de Tramuntana for Bee-eater and raptor action. As soon as we arrived we had 2 Egyptian Vultures up over head using the thermals to gain height. Apparently all the local raptors use this spot to gain height. Eventually Red Kites became the most common species with at least 8 coming in to use the thermals in the next half hour. Booted Eagles were also using this thermal, however most of the time they were already quite high when they arrived and a max count of 21 wasn't bad. After a while I spotted a small falcon coming in from the East and this we soon identified as an Eleonora's Falcon, however no sooner had we identified it, it had gone. Above: Egyptian Vulture Below: I believe this is a Red Kite Next we looked to the other side. Here we had great views of at least 8 Bee-eaters. This colony as Javier was telling me is unique and this is because they nest in the side of a hill, and this is because it is easy for them to excavate the sandy soil to make their holes. This colony when it was full this year had at least 200 birds and now just the 8 remain from another successful year. What a sight and sound it must be when they are all here at once. It wasn't just the Bee-eaters putting a show on for us it was also the local cockerels and of course the group of 7 Hoopoes that fed along the walls in front of us looking for some tasty insects. Above (3): Bee-eaters Next 2: Hoopoe Above: Booted Eagle Below: Bee-eater After a while we realised there was only one target species that we hadn't seen here and that was the Spotless Starling. Sure enough as soon as we mentioned it a group of at least 10 flew from the trees on the left hand side to the telephone wires out in front of us, however they were now a long way off in the distance. Above: Spotless Starling Below: Bee-eater Above (5): Red Kite Below: Booted Eagle Below: Spotless Starlings We then decided that we had clocked up all the species we could from this area and so we moved on. We hadn't got very far down the road when a large raptor crossed in front of us very low over the car, an Egyptian Vulture. We would have stopped the car then, however there was a lot of traffic behind us so we waited until we could pull in and then I went to investigate and this stunning Vulture gave an awesome display over the farmland and dried up wetlands in front of me. What a bird! Next up was Cavalleria Lighthouse. On the way we looked desperately to see if there were any Yellow Wagtails in the fields, however the most common bird that we found were Cattle Egrets. We then continued up a long narrow road along the final stretch of headland and soon had a glimpse of our first Blue Rock Thrush, a female. First up was a sea watch. However there were a lot of boats out and about and bar yellow-legged Gulls and their young and some Audouin's Gulls that was it. No Shearwaters to show for our efforts. (This is normally the case with any sea watch I do, the one on my first day was an anomaly) Next we went for a walk around the sunny hot headlands and yes it was not quite 10am yet, however it was already 32 degrees. Once we were away from the touristy bit we found a stunning Male Blue Rock Thrush which sat staring at us for several minutes. Next we had some Pallid Swifts come through overhead followed by a group of Yellow-legged Gulls suggesting a predator was about. Sure enough out near the 2 agitated Ravens in the distance Javier found a Peregrine which gave us all a little acrobatic display. Back closer to us and we managed to scare up a Stonechat which sat patiently waiting for us to pass, whilst its 2 friends flew off to 'safety'. We were really looking for something special and unfortunately we couldn't find either of them. We headed back to the car park with another stunning Male Blue Rock Thrush watching us carefully. Then we hit jackpot. We could hear this strange call that sounded like a wolf whistle gone wrong. Then not one, but 2 Thekla Larks flew up onto the rocks in front of us still making this strange call. They were amazing to watch and so we did from a safe distance for several minutes. Above (4): Blue-rock Thrush Next 2: Stonechat Above: Blue-rock Thrush Next 2: Thekla Lark Unfortunately we couldn't locate any Tawny Pipits so we moved on, via spotting some Shags feeding just off shore. Next stop was to have lunch in some shade in the middle of nowhere, some where near the salt pans that we were going to visit. Javier had prepared a Tuna Pasta Salad Menorca style and it was delicious. I have to admit that the locally sourced salt was also amazing. After this a Menorca style biscuit which was again amazing. Whilst we were eating lunch a Kestrel flew over our heads a few times alarm calling loudly and this echoed around the valley. A Blackcap also sang from a nearby tree and gave me sometime to piece together the similar notes to that of our Blackcaps. Just before we left to head to the salt pans we were greeted by a pair of Ravens calling loudly from the top of the steep valley sides. We finally arrived at Addaia and Mongofre Salines, and we were greeted by some Wall Lizards hurrying off the path. On the way to the salt pans we had many quick views of Sardinian Warblers crossing the paths, and then disappearing into the hedgerows. On the heathland to the right hand side of the path we could hear the calls of Dartford Warblers and eventually I got a brief view of one in flight. This first salt pan had a total of 41 Black-winged Stilts busy feeding close to us, and also at least 6 Little Ringed Plovers as well. Shelduck were also out in full force with a group of 14 out feeding as well. After scanning through again I counted 42 birds so I had a quick look through to see why and there was a Ruff out in the middle of the Black-winged Stilt flock. Just before we headed onto our next section I spotted a small bird coming in from the harbour mouth at some speed. A Northern Wheatear. It flew straight towards us and over our heads and into some trees on the other side of the Salt pans to not be seen again. Above: LRP with Black-winged Stilts Below: Black-winged Stilts Above (2): Black-winged Stilts and Ruff Next 3: Black-winged Stilts Above: Ruff and Black-winged Stilt Below: A Ruff shot of a Ruff in flight Next we moved on to the deeper section of the pools and to my surprise there were 2 Greater Flamingos feeding out near the rocks. There were also a few more Black-winged Stilts dotted around and another group of 15 Shelduck. There were also some perfectly positioned Yellow-legged Gulls that looked angrily down from the tops of the rocks. Next 5: Greater Flamingos and also a Shelduck Next we got up to the shallower Salt pans and we were immediately aware of a calling flock of 14 LRP's. When part of the flock took flight Javier spotted a Little Stint had also taken off with them, and another 2 Little Stint gave them selves up as they flew out of the cover. Above (2): 2 Little Stint Below: 3 LRP's We then moved on to the end of the salt pans and had a quick look into the bay and also back on ourselves to see if we had missed anything. In the Bay there was a Grey Heron and also 3 Shags. We then headed back double checking to make sure we hadn't missed anything. Above: Greater Flamingos Below: Shelducks Above: Shags Below: Greater Flamingos, Shelducks, and Yellow-legged Gulls We then headed back along and flushed up a Green Sandpiper, something that we had missed. (Pictured Below) Next we headed back along to where the Stilts were and we were briefly interrupted by a Red Kite flying low over and blocking out the sun for a split second. Then Javier and I noticed that where the Ruff had landed was a Wood Sandpiper, however it was aware of our presence and flew off. Above (5): Black-winged Stilts Below: Little Stints We then headed back out to the car where we added Great Tit to our list. This was our last stop for the day so we headed back to Son Bou and Javier showed us a local walk that we could do over the next few days, and also some Swallows greeted us back. An awesome day. A massive Thank you must go out to Javier for taking us on this birding tour of the island. It was truly amazing and unforgettable. That evening I sat down to watch Little Egrets, Cattle Egrets and Squacco Herons return to roost in Son Bou wetlands. Day 5 A new day, and one that finally had some cloud cover. Nothing much really happened until we were on the tennis court in the afternoon. Again my camera wasn't handy. Whilst we were playing there was a screaming flock of around 50+ Pallid Swifts above the hotel as well as a troublesome Eleonora's Falcon hustling them. A Booted Eagle was seen thermaling over the houses in the distance. Then I heard a noise behind me when I was sitting my heat relief time out. A Spotted Flycatcher and its youngster flew up onto the fence and ignored us for the next hour while we played. The adult was busy successfully catching insects and feeding the begging youngster. This day was really muggy and not the best for birding, however it was rounded off by a stunning sunset which I will leave you with as I prepare my final blog post...! Day 2 Sunrise on the second day shed light on another one that would reach 38 degrees. I spent most of the morning reading by the pool and from time to time looking up to see a couple of beastly Yellow-legged Gulls looking down from the roof of the Hotel. Next 3: Yellow-legged Gulls: Something seems to be making them angry! Every now and then an Audouin's Gull would come down to have a drink from the swimming pool, as did the Woodpigeons, Collared Doves, Blackbirds, and Chirping House Sparrows. All day overhead there was the sound of Screaming Pallid Swifts busily catching insects for their youngsters, and the occasional Barn Swallow wondered across the sky getting distracted from hunting over the local wetlands by an acrobatic fly. This really summed up the morning. The afternoon was spent pretty much doing the same thing because it was too hot to venture and this time a Shag was spotted fishing just off the coast. Once the day had cooled down a bit I decided to play some tennis with my Brother and my Dad. Now this might seem completely irrelevant to a blog post about birding, however if you can keep your eyes peeled you might just find something. Sure enough half way through our game of king of the court, I heard a call from a bird that sound a bit like a Whitethroat, however when I looked over the fence to my left hand side, sitting there in broad daylight was a stunning Male Sardinian Warbler, and at the same time I lost the point! I unfortunately didn't have my camera on me and therefor I ended the holiday with no photo of a Sardinian warbler, but a memory that will last for ever. In the end I watched it fly of the fence onto the top of the bush to start singing. After about 30 seconds of this singing performance he flew down to the ground where a female was collecting nest material. What an experience that was for the first time I have ever seen this species. We then carried on playing tennis after this interruption, but unfortunately with no added surprises. When we got back to the room I sat on the balcony until dinner in wait for the Sardinian Warbler to return, however my luck had run out and so I ended up with House Sparrows as compensation... Next 4: House Sparrow's After dinner was had and the temperature had dropped some more, to a more pleasant 25 degrees, we headed out to Son Bou Wetlands. On the way we briefly stumbled upon a pair of Sardinian Warblers, however they were busy collecting nest material, so we let them be and moved on to the waters edge. When we arrived at the waters edge the first thing we noticed was the sheer amount of fish there were. On the left hand side the water body was cut off from the sea by a small sandy bank and on the right hand side was the Reed beds. An Audouin's Gull decided that it would take up position next to us, whilst we watched a total of 41 Mallards, 9 Coots, and 3 Feral Geese feeding in the water surrounding us. Also whilst we were standing there 2 Squacco Herons flew into the reeds close to us as they headed into roost for the night. Above: Audouin's Gull Below: Audouin's Gull with a Coot Above: Coot Below:Audouin's Gull Above: Feral Geese Below: Audouin's Gull Above: Mallards with Audouin's Gull Below: Brown Rat Next 3: Audouin's Gull Just before we were going to leave I heard a cacophony of noise erupt from the Reeds closet to the town of Son Bou, and up over the Reeds came 5 noisy Black-crowned Night Heron leaving their roost. Next 2: All I could manage in the low light of the Black-crowned Night Herons We then headed back to the hotel as the bitey things had started to appear. We stopped briefly on the way back to see at least 40 Long-fingered Bats patrolling the Dunes next to us. Day 3
The third day must have been the hottest yet and it meant that we decided not to do too much. The weather forecast suggested that it was 38 degrees again, however I think that it could have easily reached 40. My family and I decided to hire a Pedalo with a slide on the back since out to sea was the only place with heat relief. Although a lot of unidentifiable fish species were seen in the Med, birding was quite limited and lead to only House Sparrows, Wood Pigeons, Collared Doves, Pallid Swifts, Audouin's Gulls, Barn Swallows, Blackbirds, and Yellow-legged Gulls to be seen. Whilst playing football on the beach in the evening with a stunning sunset off to the West a nice fresh Juv Audouin's Gull flew past mixed in amongst a group of adults. This rounded off a reasonably quiet start to the holiday however the fourth day would take us on a tour of the island to do some real species tracking down..... It was a horrid morning when we left Britain. Thunder and Lightning was frequent and had made the 3am wake up call somewhat easier, through keeping everyone awake and on their toes. The plane journey was as predicted and lead to nothing, but a comfortable 2 hours. We touched down in Menorca at 09:30 am which meant that we had a full day ahead to explore. When we got out of the Airport the first species of bird that I saw was House Sparrows and a large abundance of them. We got on coach number 90 which would take us to Son Bou the town where our hotel was. Whilst we were leaving the airport I spotted a little Black Bird with a Yellow bill, um some exotic form of Blackbird I thought to my self. Well, it was actually just a normal Blackbird like the ones you see in the UK. Not the best start to a holiday ever... Next up I spotted a bird hovering over the dusty fields to the right hand side of the coach, yep you guessed it another common bird from the UK a Common Kestrel. After this streams of Common Swifts started to come over the bus heading South towards the coast and Africa, and this was the last I saw of Common swifts this holiday. Next I spotted 2 Raptors up in the air just over the fields to the side of the coach. Finally I had found something different, 2 Eleonora's Falcons were circling each other before disappearing over the horizon. A flock of Woodpigeons flew over the coach next and then probably the best birds of the trip so far 6 Booted Eagles soared overhead just before we came off the motorway to head into Son Bou. We spent most of the morning acclimatising to the 38 degree sunshine as well as doing the usual unpacking business. After a scrumptious hotel buffet lunch I decided that I would set out and explore the surrounding headland and with the wind blowing as it was I suspected it might throw in a few surprises. The first thing I found was not bird related at all. It was the ruins of an old Cristian Temple built in the 5th or 6th century. The heat was building still and so I headed on and along the side of the headland pictured above. At first apart from the constant sight of House Sparrows the only thing of note was a Collared Dove. The noise of Cicadas grew ever louder as the heat intensified. Eventually Audouin's Gulls started to move through along the coast, followed by some Yellow-legged Gulls, and so I took up position on the edge of the Headland and sat there waiting for something to come to me rather than just cannoning off into the heat of the day. Above: Audouin's gull The pictures above don't actually set the scene very well, because it was at this very moment that the Red Flag was put out on the beach due to the increasingly Strong Southerly Winds and also the increasing choppiness of the sea. I proceeded a little further along the headland to sit and wait to see what might fly past out to sea. After a little while I heard what sounded like a strange Swift calling above my head and sure enough there was a group of Pallid Swift feeding above my head and calling while others decided to wiz past just off shore in pursuit of something. Now that my attention had turned away from the sea a small raptor flew into view followed by another one. 2 Eleonora's Falcans. These however didn't stick around for long because 2 large beasts emerged from over the cliff. Egyptian Vultures! They circled the edge of the headland for a couple of minutes in view before heading just over the other side to where I couldn't see them anymore. Above and Below: Egyptian Vultures Next I turned my attention back to the sea to where a small flock of Rock Doves flew past me. Continued scanning of the sea was starting to get frustrating however I kept my hopes up that there might ne a moment of magic. Some interesting Butterflies and Grasshoppers decided to venture close to me from time to time however one that never stayed still was the little Blue butterfly. Eventually persistence paid off when I spotted a little Brown Bird approaching and getting larger as it passed just of shore, just above the height of the waves. Finally my first ever shearwater and a Yelkouan too. After another 10 minutes one more trundled past however photographing them was virtually impossible as I was looking straight into the big bright yellow thing in the sky. Above and Below: Spot the Hopper Above and Below: Yellow-legged Gull Above and Below: I am not too sure about what this butterfly is...!? After 30 minutes of Sea watching the only other thing that I found was a fishing Shag, and with the sun being so strong it was time that I made a hasty retreat back to the hotel. My retreat would have been a lot quicker however I was walking on a footpath between the hotel and some sand dunes and almost literally stumbled upon a pair of Turtle Doves feeding on the dunes. I watched for about 10 minutes and they were oblivious to the people walking past them. I have never seen Turtle Doves before and this is partially because they have suffered a serious decline in the UK due to habitat loss and also because they are being killed on their migration to the UK in places like Malta. There are some other factors too, however these are the main ones and it is good to see that they are still doing well in Menorca! Next 5: Turtle Doves I then headed into the Hotel to cool down and Dinner was had. In the evening we were all shattered and so I decided to sit on the Balcony which over looked Son Bou Wetlands and watch the sun set. House Sparrows continued to make there presences known by chirping at every possible peaceful opportunity, and they too have a problem in the UK, but for slightly differing reasons to the Turtle Dove. I Watched the sunset over the marsh as a group of Mallards were scared up from the marsh. a Large Flock of almost 70 Barn Swallow started to gather over the marsh as the sun got even lower and I desperately scanned for something lurking in the flock, but nothing came about. A Squacco Heron came in to roost in the reeds followed by 2 Little Egret, and I assumed that this would be something to take more time over in the coming days to see what species I could find. Just as the sun was disappearing over the other side of the Headland in the distance 2 dark shapes erupted out of the Reed Beds. Black-crowned Night Herons... |
AuthorI have been a birder since i was 8 however only really started to be able to go out to places by myself in Summer 2016 (Blame the parents) My blogs will be from all over the place, but mainly from RSPB Rainham Marshes and Totteridge Valley! Photography done by Samuel Levy aged 17. ArchivesCategories |