Mallorca days 6+7 - S'Albufera and Lluc
I'm back in the UK now, and it's time to catch up on the last couple of days of my trip to Mallorca!
On Thursday, me and mum spent the whole day at S'Albufera, probably the best reserve in Mallorca. We arrived at around 9:30, and walking up to the reception we had already seen some good birds - 11 to be exact, Black-crowned Night Herons in the trees across the water from the path, of which only 1 was a juvenile.
The first 3 hides all look over the same pool, in the centre of which is a dead tree. On this tree an Osprey was sat preening as the rain lashed down onto it. The bird was unringed. Darting around the pool was a Kingfisher, the blue of it's back giving away it's presence as it moved from one perch to another. A single Zitting Cisticola was feeding in the rushes in front of the hide, giving me the best views I had ever had of the species. An Audouin's Gull dropped in briefly to preen on the pool before flying off again.
One species that has likely benefitted from the wet weather are the Common Snipe - I counted 32 on the pool. One of the most distinctive birds I saw from the first three hides was the Purple Gallinule, of which there were 6. 2 Greater Flamingoes also flew over.
Walking from these hides to the next (Cibollar I) I found 4 Crested Coots (all unringed) in the small ditch by the path. A Purple Gallinule was on the main canal.
Cibollar I is probably the best hide on the reserve. We stayed in the hide for several hours, with a brief break for lunch, in which time totals included 7 Spotted Redshank, 2 Greater Flamingoes, 7 Greenshank, 18+ Marbled Ducks, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Osprey and hundreds of others.
Of the Marbled Ducks I saw, I managed to read 13 colour rings. They were all birds from the re-introduction project, however I am still awaiting full details. I had some good photo opportunities from them - here is a collection of my favourites.
Not all the birds were ringed - at least 5 unringed birds were present. Some of the rings were challenging to read, such as 'HH', who I had to photograph while upending to read the ring!
From Cibollar II, there was very little action other than a single Pintail. We then walked up to Es Columbar, where I saw 4 more Marbled Ducks and 7 Greater Flamingoes. On the walk there, a Purple Gallinule was at the side of the path - probably my closest views of the species.
Heading out of the reserve, from the bridge over the main canal I saw 4 more Purple Gallinules and Crested Coot '-1NA-'.
The next day, we planned to drive to Lluc, where we were to do a walk. In the morning, highlights from the hotel hide included 7 Greenshank, 1 Spotted Redshank, and 17 Black-winged Stilts.
The view from the viewing platform, looking over the S'Albufereta marsh to the Tramuntana Mountains
On the walk near Lluc, we came across many Cinerous Vultures and Crag Martins flying above us through the amazing Serra de Tramuntana.
However, the highlight of the walk was two stunning little Firecrests that were chasing each other in a bush right by the path! They were very fast, and so difficult to photograph, however I managed these photos.
Yesterday morning, before we left, I had one last trip to the viewing platform for just a few minutes, where I saw a stunning male Black Redstart.
Overall a great week! I should be posting a summary of the week soon, including a full species list, and will keep you updated when I find out about about the Marbled Ducks and Crested Coot.
As always, thanks for reading!
