Mallorca day 2 - Sa Barcassa and S'Albufera

Yesterday morning, I headed back out to the hotel hide before breakfast. A number of Swifts were feeding over the marsh, and a Grey Heron was on the back pool. A Marsh Harrier flushed a group of c.10 Little Egrets, two of which landed on the back pool. As I left, a Green Sandpiper flew from the marsh towards the pools - a first for me.

After breakfast, mum and I walked down the road to Sa Barcassa, at the lower end of the S'Albufereta marsh. At the entrance, a Common Sandpiper was feeding on the small estuary. On the reserve itself, there were many Corn Buntings singing, my first time seeing them. A large number of Swifts, Swallows and House Martins were feeding over the large pool at the back of the reserve. This pool had a large number of Shovelers, as well as a Little Egret. A Marsh Harrier was flying over the marsh nearby.

On the vegetation around the reserve we saw many Zitting Cisticolas, my first, and two 'Iberian' Yellow Wagtails. On the smaller pool near the front of the reserve, there were many Black-winged Stilts, Coots, a Common Sandpiper and a Grey Plover. Two firsts for me were a Greenshank and three Kentish Plovers. While I was in the hide, a Black-winged Stilt landed a few meters in front, giving a great photo opportunity.

From the final view point we managed to spot a Water Pipit, another first for me and a very nice looking bird! It was quite distant, so my photos weren't great, to say the least...

On the way back, I stopped at a viewing platform by the hotel that overlooks the 'back pool' as seen from the hotel hide. From here I spotted a drake Garganey, a Greenshank, a Marsh Harrier, a Peregrine and, most surprisingly, a Short-eared Owl, which came up from the marsh and, harassed by a Yellow-legged Gull, flew high and north.

Later, we headed to S'Albufera marsh. We arrived by about 1pm, by which time it was already very busy. On a small patch of grass near the visitor centre there was a number of 'Iberian' Yellow Wagtails, along with a handful of Serin. Many Cattle Egrets were in the trees beside the track in - a first for me. A Purple Heron also flew over. From the first hide we saw a Green Sandpiper, as well as my first ever Purple Swamphens. The next hide looked over the same pool, and so it was mainly the same, but a Little Egret gave good views in front of the hide.

Carrying on along the track, we saw one of the Crested Coots from the re-introduction scheme. We also heard a Nightingale singing and I caught a brief glimpse of another in flight. Both were new birds for me. We also spotted a Black-crowned Night Heron in the trees with the Cattle Egrets.

The next hide we visited was probably the best I ever have. It looked over an area of marshland which was home to masses of waders. In the hour there I saw 7 new species - a Collared Pratincole, three Curlew Sandpipers, two Wood Sandpipers, three Temminck's Stints, three Little Stints, a Whiskered Tern and a Glossy Ibis. Also from this hide we saw several Ruff, lots of Kentish Plovers and Black-winged Stilts, two male Garganeys, a Water Rail and a Grey Plover.