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.
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