Weather: overcast but bright & warm. From 11:30am.
A short drive from Canyamel & easy to find is Mallorca's premier birding site: s'Albufera. To my surprise most of the people wandering about were Brits, a change after the predominantly German towns of Canyamel & Cala Rajada.
Walking up the kilometre-long path to the visitors' centre passes a good-sized & noisy heronry dominated by Cattle Egret with a few Little Egret; the cattle egrets were in full buffed-up breeding plumage, busy getting busy. Sitting separately, aloof from the colony was a beautiful Night Heron, resplendent in white, with dark green crown & a long streamer - the first new life list addition of the day.
Before reaching the egret colony though, a great view of an overflying Osprey was had. It was fairly distant but it was obvious, even with the naked eye, that it was carrying a large fish: a successful hunt! Also overflying were Swift, but nearer to the ground amongst the reeds along the path were as many singing Cetti's as I've ever heard, but as usual no luck with actually seeing one, though Coot was seen in the river running along the path.
On another patch of water, visible before entering the visitors' centre, some striking ducks were visible & using the centre's guide-book I confirmed Red-Crested Pochard, a bird I found quite numerous on the reserve. On leaving the centre the sightings came thick & fast: plenty of House Sparrows, a Spotted Flycatcher, & singing Nightingale & Cetti's (neither of these two were seen though). The osprey briefly reappeared & then another raptor flew over, & because it was quite close I could pick out its buff underside. More obvious were its long, slender wings & tail, it was also larger than a hobby, & had a more relaxed flight, attributes which identified Eleonora's Falcon. Furthermore a good dozen or so of these impressive falcons were seen out over the distant part of the reserve viewable from the first hide: the CIM hide. On entering the hide not just the falcons were obvious, a wide range of species were seen on the muddy flats of the marsh. Most numerous were Black-Winged Stilt, Kentish Plover, & amongst them, Little-Ringed Plover. A lone, foraging bird with a distinctive curved bill identified Curlew Sandpiper & by way of contrast with the more familiar a Greenfinch flew over. Flitting amongst the reeds & the grazing buffalo were Great White Egret, & on the water Common Tern, Shoveler, Mallard & Grey Heron. Further out with the Eleonora's, a couple of Marsh Harrier briefly quartered & a Purple Heron also briefly took flight. Finally just before leaving the hide I was alerted by a fellow Brit birder to an exotic & strange looking bird, a Sacred Ibis, with wattled head & white plumage, which took its time feeding in an almost regal manner.
Finally moving on from the CIM hide, via the viewpoint, took us over the sa Roca Bridge & very close views of Crested Coot, a species reintroduced to s'Albufera. Also, on a nearby lagoon was a Little Grebe with three chicks.
The path towards to the Bishop hides passes through dense river-side foliage, like walking inside a hedgerow, & here the Cetti's Warbler were again in excellent song. This time however a couple of drab brown birds were spotted very briefly flitting about & after waiting & straining to see through the shadows of the undergrowth, finally a bona fide view of the elusive warbler! A couple hopped about on the ground or the low foliage with a distinctive cocked tail, occasionally bursting into song, a shy bird but at this point apparently oblivious to anyone's presence. Hopefully now I can see the bird in the UK, though I won't bank on it especially having observed first-hand its preference for shadowy undergrowth.
Visiting Bishop II hide first, with much less activity than CIM, highlighted the presence of a curious & tiny, but loud, bird that I wasn't familiar with. A closer view of one in flight showed a stubby tail & a sandy colour with some streaking. However throughout the day it was more usually heard delivering a song from flight though it was difficult to see due to its small size. I wasn't immediately able to ID this one but after checking the reserve's species list & other guides I decided I'd seen a Fan-Tailed Warbler or Zitting Cisticola, albeit briefly & not clearly.
From Bishop I hide a very close Snipe was rooting in the mud, along with little egret & black-winged stilt again, & a Moorhen on the lagoon's edge. A snoozing couple of ducks that I first took for hybrid mallards caught my attention when they un-tucked their heads, revealing a grey smudge around the eye & neat, uniform mottling to the plumage: Marbled Duck.
Heading back towards the centre, & a reluctant exit, took us past another Nightingale which was flushed by a loud family with kids walking past. Back across the bridge revealed a Gadwall couple, & back along the main path out an excellent view of a singing Sardinian Warbler as well as more familiar Goldfinch, Blackbird & Woodpigeon.
A nice walk, I only visited a fraction of the reserve but saw plenty, giving a big boost to the life list. If I were to return to do the rest I'd hire a bike like many other people had, in fact I reckon it'd be impossible to cover the ground in a reasonable time otherwise.
As a footnote, after s'Albufera was a drive up to Formentor, the mountainous northern peninsular of the island, during which I briefly spotted a Raven, & before that a group of unidentified raptors. Unfortunately the narrow winding road made it impossible to stop &/or look out the window long enough to see what they were!
38 species, 12 new.
Friday, 30 May 2008
Canyamel, Mallorca, Spain, 21-26/05/2008
Canyamel is a resort in the north-east of Mallorca not too far from s'Albufera, so lucky me, as well as lounging on the beach I was able to sneak in a bit of birding on the couple of days when the weather was not so good.
Almost as soon as I set foot on Canyamel's beach an Audouin's Gull flew overhead & they were the commonest gull around the resort so I saw plenty every day. Back at the hotel the children's play area was within a small remnant of the pine forest that covers the hills & it supported a nice variety of garden species: Serin, Collared Dove, Woodpigeon as well as large numbers of noisy House Sparrows. Added to this on a couple of nights the distinctive purring of a Turtle Dove was heard & I got good views of it in the pines from the room's balcony, on one occasion it even flew down to the pool-side for a drink: behaviour that I saw from the other doves & sparrows.
Other species around the resort were Swift, Swallow (ones & twos mostly apparently passing through), & decent numbers of Yellow-Legged Gulls (mostly off-shore), Cormorant (a lone bird fishing off-shore) & Blackcap. Canyamel also has a small creek which runs out to the beach & which is surrounded by a thick reed-bed, from here one night Cetti's Warblers were in good voice but as elusive as ever. On the final evening on another stand of pine near the beach were a couple of Spotted Flycatcher, although the first view of this species was had during a visit to the nearby town of Cala Rajada where one obligingly perched on a telephone wire.
A nice drive to just outside Cala Rajada takes you up to the lighthouse of Punta de Capdepera & it was here on the impressive sea cliffs that I spotted an apparently black bird flying strongly between the cliffs. At first I thought it was some sort of crow but when it started to sing in a clear & strong note it obviously wasn't! After a quick reference a Blue Rock Thrush was identified; quite a striking bird & I had a good view subsequently of one on the lighthouse's fence. Setting off back down the hill to the town a distinctive dark bird with a darker head & a tail with white sides was enough to identify a Sardinian Warbler even though just a glimpse was had.
14 species, 3 new species.
Almost as soon as I set foot on Canyamel's beach an Audouin's Gull flew overhead & they were the commonest gull around the resort so I saw plenty every day. Back at the hotel the children's play area was within a small remnant of the pine forest that covers the hills & it supported a nice variety of garden species: Serin, Collared Dove, Woodpigeon as well as large numbers of noisy House Sparrows. Added to this on a couple of nights the distinctive purring of a Turtle Dove was heard & I got good views of it in the pines from the room's balcony, on one occasion it even flew down to the pool-side for a drink: behaviour that I saw from the other doves & sparrows.
Other species around the resort were Swift, Swallow (ones & twos mostly apparently passing through), & decent numbers of Yellow-Legged Gulls (mostly off-shore), Cormorant (a lone bird fishing off-shore) & Blackcap. Canyamel also has a small creek which runs out to the beach & which is surrounded by a thick reed-bed, from here one night Cetti's Warblers were in good voice but as elusive as ever. On the final evening on another stand of pine near the beach were a couple of Spotted Flycatcher, although the first view of this species was had during a visit to the nearby town of Cala Rajada where one obligingly perched on a telephone wire.
A nice drive to just outside Cala Rajada takes you up to the lighthouse of Punta de Capdepera & it was here on the impressive sea cliffs that I spotted an apparently black bird flying strongly between the cliffs. At first I thought it was some sort of crow but when it started to sing in a clear & strong note it obviously wasn't! After a quick reference a Blue Rock Thrush was identified; quite a striking bird & I had a good view subsequently of one on the lighthouse's fence. Setting off back down the hill to the town a distinctive dark bird with a darker head & a tail with white sides was enough to identify a Sardinian Warbler even though just a glimpse was had.
14 species, 3 new species.
Monday, 12 May 2008
Wilstone Reservoir, Tring, Hertfordshire, 11/05/2008
Weather: Bright & sunny, glorious t-shirt weather. From 8:30am.
A follow-up trip to Wilstone, fingers crossed for hobbies.
In the car-park & same as the last time with blackcap in good voice but not visible this time, although Swift, Pied Wagtail & Goldfinch were seen.
Cresting the embankment & scanning the water revealed Grey Heron, Coot, Common Tern & Great-Crested Grebe.
Continuing along the embankment path a Kestrel over the trees, Canada Goose, Cormorant & Shoveler all flying over the water, Starling & Carrion Crow flying over the nearby trees & fields.
My attention turned back to the reservoir & the terns foraging over the water, & I soon noticed a slightly different bird to the common terns. It was one I had hoped to see after checking the Friends of Tring Reservoirs' website where many sightings of flocks had been reported, but for me here was a lone Black Tern, a new species for me. It was smaller than the common terns & obviously of much darker colour: blacker on its head, fading to grey on the underparts. The website states that it has been a good year for these terns at the reservoir & I watched for a while before moving off along the path, hoping to see it again when I rejoined the reservoir later in the walk.
Further along the path either on the reservoir or in the hedgerow by the side of the embankmant were Gadwall, Robin, Mistle Thrush, Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Greylag Goose, Tufted Duck.
A Skylark was heard before I picked it out over the fields just before entering into the small woods for Blue Tit & Great Tit. As I continued into the woods I glanced out onto the adjacent fields thinking I had spotted a hare only it was much larger & was in fact a Chinese Water Deer complete with fangs that are its equivalent of antlers. Further into the woods for a Wren which was apparently in exactly the same place as last time, this time with a beak full of moss presumably for its nest.
Into the reservoir hide revealed an additional Mallard, Pochard & Mute Swan, then leaving the hide & continuing through the woods & onto the pasture & hedgerow, picking up Long-Tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Great-Spotted Woodpecker & Jackdaw.
Further along the path, & just before the ascent to the old canal a very vocal bird caught my attention sounding similar to a blackcap. It took some time to pick out as it flitted about amongst the dense foliage but eventually I identified a Whitethroat, my first for some time. As I watched I also heard the distinctive loudness of Cetti's Warbler but as usual didn't see it, unlike the Treecreeper which alighted on a branch nearby. A few yards further along & another vocal warbler, this time a Sedge Warbler which also took some time to show itself as it flitted between amongst the hedgerow rather than the reedbeds where I was focusing my attention.
Rounding the corner of the field to begin the small climb, a Blackbird flew along the hedgerow & then overhead a Buzzard received some unwanted attention from a crow, then back to the hedgerow where I picked out a surprise pair of Yellowhammer skulking about.
After walking along the dry canal bed & spotting nothing new I turned downhill & into another small wooded area where I finally picked out Blackcap. Then heading to rejoin the embankment path around the reservoir, a bird flew into the nearby field of rape where it became quite difficult to pick out, but nevertheless a clear male Reed Bunting with his partner calling plaintitively from the trees into which a Song Thrush flew.
Back on the reservoir embankment & with the temperature having risen throughout the morning had seemed to enliven the reservoir with plenty of activity from the terns, both common & black (although I could still only see a single bird). By this time however another bird had joined the others because as I scanned the water I picked out a largish, scythe-winged bird which first skimmed low over the water & then up over the trees in the middle of the reservoir. It was joined by another which skimed over the reeds. Here, finally, were the Hobbies I had hoped to see & they didn't disappoint! In certain aspects of their profile they looked like giant swifts, as they dashed about catching insects with ease, a very charismatic bird with slate-grey upperparts, distinctive moustaches & a flash of reddish-orange on the underparts. I watched for a while before reluctantly having to head back to the car, & by this time their numbers had gone up to at least five.
As a nice bonus to watching the hobbies, a Red Kite lazily soared over & a Lesser Black-Backed Gull also flew towards the other reservoirs, to the east of Wilstone.
A good day, & although I would have liked to pick up the cetti's it was a first for the black tern & a definite first (only a previous possible at Titchwell) for hobby.
45 species, 2 new species.
A follow-up trip to Wilstone, fingers crossed for hobbies.
In the car-park & same as the last time with blackcap in good voice but not visible this time, although Swift, Pied Wagtail & Goldfinch were seen.
Cresting the embankment & scanning the water revealed Grey Heron, Coot, Common Tern & Great-Crested Grebe.
Continuing along the embankment path a Kestrel over the trees, Canada Goose, Cormorant & Shoveler all flying over the water, Starling & Carrion Crow flying over the nearby trees & fields.
My attention turned back to the reservoir & the terns foraging over the water, & I soon noticed a slightly different bird to the common terns. It was one I had hoped to see after checking the Friends of Tring Reservoirs' website where many sightings of flocks had been reported, but for me here was a lone Black Tern, a new species for me. It was smaller than the common terns & obviously of much darker colour: blacker on its head, fading to grey on the underparts. The website states that it has been a good year for these terns at the reservoir & I watched for a while before moving off along the path, hoping to see it again when I rejoined the reservoir later in the walk.
Further along the path either on the reservoir or in the hedgerow by the side of the embankmant were Gadwall, Robin, Mistle Thrush, Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Greylag Goose, Tufted Duck.
A Skylark was heard before I picked it out over the fields just before entering into the small woods for Blue Tit & Great Tit. As I continued into the woods I glanced out onto the adjacent fields thinking I had spotted a hare only it was much larger & was in fact a Chinese Water Deer complete with fangs that are its equivalent of antlers. Further into the woods for a Wren which was apparently in exactly the same place as last time, this time with a beak full of moss presumably for its nest.
Into the reservoir hide revealed an additional Mallard, Pochard & Mute Swan, then leaving the hide & continuing through the woods & onto the pasture & hedgerow, picking up Long-Tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Great-Spotted Woodpecker & Jackdaw.
Further along the path, & just before the ascent to the old canal a very vocal bird caught my attention sounding similar to a blackcap. It took some time to pick out as it flitted about amongst the dense foliage but eventually I identified a Whitethroat, my first for some time. As I watched I also heard the distinctive loudness of Cetti's Warbler but as usual didn't see it, unlike the Treecreeper which alighted on a branch nearby. A few yards further along & another vocal warbler, this time a Sedge Warbler which also took some time to show itself as it flitted between amongst the hedgerow rather than the reedbeds where I was focusing my attention.
Rounding the corner of the field to begin the small climb, a Blackbird flew along the hedgerow & then overhead a Buzzard received some unwanted attention from a crow, then back to the hedgerow where I picked out a surprise pair of Yellowhammer skulking about.
After walking along the dry canal bed & spotting nothing new I turned downhill & into another small wooded area where I finally picked out Blackcap. Then heading to rejoin the embankment path around the reservoir, a bird flew into the nearby field of rape where it became quite difficult to pick out, but nevertheless a clear male Reed Bunting with his partner calling plaintitively from the trees into which a Song Thrush flew.
Back on the reservoir embankment & with the temperature having risen throughout the morning had seemed to enliven the reservoir with plenty of activity from the terns, both common & black (although I could still only see a single bird). By this time however another bird had joined the others because as I scanned the water I picked out a largish, scythe-winged bird which first skimmed low over the water & then up over the trees in the middle of the reservoir. It was joined by another which skimed over the reeds. Here, finally, were the Hobbies I had hoped to see & they didn't disappoint! In certain aspects of their profile they looked like giant swifts, as they dashed about catching insects with ease, a very charismatic bird with slate-grey upperparts, distinctive moustaches & a flash of reddish-orange on the underparts. I watched for a while before reluctantly having to head back to the car, & by this time their numbers had gone up to at least five.
As a nice bonus to watching the hobbies, a Red Kite lazily soared over & a Lesser Black-Backed Gull also flew towards the other reservoirs, to the east of Wilstone.
A good day, & although I would have liked to pick up the cetti's it was a first for the black tern & a definite first (only a previous possible at Titchwell) for hobby.
45 species, 2 new species.
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| Wilstone Reservoir, Tring, Hertfordsh |
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