Our tour enjoys stunning views of the rare Audouin’s Gull. Photo: James Lidster
The ornithological richness of a spring visit to Mallorca has made the island famous as one of Europe’s prime birdwatching destinations. We’ll be based close to Porto Pollensa, centrally located among the varied mountain, marsh and coastal habitats of the northern part of the island and well removed from the main tourist areas in the southwest. Our itinerary is flexible, offering a choice of day-long birdwatching or a more leisurely pace for those who prefer it. With little physical effort, we’ll be able to enjoy some of Europe’s rarest and most sought-after species amid beautiful, sometimes spectacular, scenery. This gently-paced tour has a potential list of over 120 species and a major objective is for participants to get good views of all of them, as well as plenty of informal guidance on improving identification skills.
Day 1: The tour begins in London with a flight to Palma followed by a one-hour drive to Cala San Vicente. Night in Cala San Vicente.
Days 2-7: With no hotel changes during our stay, the daily itinerary is both uncomplicated and flexible. After breakfast we’ll leave to visit one or another of the island’s noted birdwatching localities, and each day the leader will prepare a delicious picnic lunch of local delicacies.
”We are back from Mallorca. What a wonderful trip! It is difficult to imagine a better or more enthusiastic leader than Steve Rooke. He was extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and patient. Steve put together the best lunches I have ever had the pleasure to eat. Accomodations and trip logistics were flawless, and the many “new” birds were a real treat.”
Max and Mary Rodel, Mill Valley, CA
Each of the localities we’ll visit has its own special attractions. The S’Albufera is Mallorca’s largest marsh and has so far resisted all attempts to drain it. In 1985 it was declared a reserve, a tribute to the local and international conservationists who fought to save the marsh. Here and at the smaller Albufereta marsh, we’ll seek a variety of wetland species and other birds, among them Little Egret, Purple and Night Herons, Little Bittern, Garganey, Osprey, and Great Reed and Moustached Warblers. Rarities such as Squacco Heron, Marsh Sandpiper, Slender-billed Gull and Red-throated Pipit are possible.
In the island’s northern mountain range we’ll drive to the picturesque, peak-ringed Cuber Reservoir. On another day the spectacular Formentor Peninsula will be our destinations. In these largely montane habitats we hope to see Black Vulture at one of its few remaining European sites, and a variety of other birds such as Egyptian Vulture, Booted Eagle, Peregrine, the spectacular Eleonora’s Falcon (which usually begins to arrive in late April), Blue Rock Thrush, Tawny Pipit, Firecrest and many Crossbills.
At Cap de Ses Salines, sea-watching should provide views of Balearic and Cory’s Shearwaters, and, gracefully patrolling the clifftops, Audouin’s Gull, the rarest breeding gull in Europe. This is also one of the best areas to see Marmora’s Warbler, a delightful Mediterranean species of very limited distribution.
At the nearby salt pans of Salinas de Levante, the island’s main wader site, Kentish Plover and Black-winged Stilt occur regularly. If weather conditions are right the salt pans can be thronged with waders of many species, and there is a chance of rarities such as Collared Pratincole and Gull-billed and Whiskered Terns. In stony fields in this part of the island we’ll look for Stone-curlew and the rare Thekla Lark.
For many birdwatchers, Mallorca’s main appeal is the constant stream of migrant arrivals, which usually reaches its height in late April and early May. Unexpected rarities can occur anywhere on the island, but particularly good are migrant ‘traps’ such as the fig orchards and fields at Casas Velles on the Formentor Peninsula, or the Boquer Valley.
In all habitats we’ll hope for uncommon species; recent tours have produced Glossy Ibis, Black Kite, Red-footed Falcon, Pallid and Alpine Swifts, Bee-eater, Red-rumped Swallow, Black-eared Wheatear, Rock Thrush, Rufous Bush Robin, Subalpine and Western Bonelli’s Warblers and Golden Oriole, as well as the local specialties mentioned above. All of this, of course, in a context of regular Mediterranean birds such as Hoopoe, Wryneck, Short-toed Lark, Crag Martin, Cetti’s, Fan-tailed and Sardinian Warblers, Woodchat Shrike (of both the nominate and Balearic races), Serin and Cirl Bunting. Nights in Cala San Vicente.
Day 8: After breakfast we’ll drive to Palma for our return flight to London where the trip concludes.
Updated: 15 May 2007
Prices
- 2009 price reduced to about $2,280
- Single Occupancy Supplement $170
Notes
This tour is limited to seven participants with one leader; 14 with two leaders. Participants who prefer to meet the group in Palma should contact the WINGS office.
This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird.