Mallorca, 04.-13.07.2023

After an excessively busy final semester, my friends and I eventually saw the deadline for our bachelor thesis submission creep closer. As we had a month free between thesis submission and graduation, we decided to go on a small holiday to reward ourselves for the three years of studying and to celebrate the completion of our bachelors degrees together. We eventually agreed to travel to Mallorca, where a friend’s family owns a holiday home, a welcome ease on our budget. Flights and rental cars were booked and the closer the departure date came, the more the six of us were looking forward to enjoying a relaxing holiday together. Mallorca is a popular Mediterranean island and rightly so, with its cute towns, stunning scenery, and amazing beaches. I personally was also excited about the promising birding opportunities on the island, and the trip turned out to be rewarding in all respects.

The RyanAir flight went smoothly and before long we found ourselves at the car rental, where some issues with the credit cards were fortunately eventually solved and we were on our way. The holiday home, where my friend’s grandparents lived during their retirement, is located on a small road between Arta and Capdepera. It is a traditional but extensively renovated finca, a Spanish farmhouse. We had the luxury of a pool as well as a stone pizza oven, bbq, and a well-equipped kitchen. Much time was thus spent on preparing elaborate meals as we all enjoy cooking very much. Much of the time around the house when not occupied in the culinary sector was spent relaxing by the pool to doze, read, and chat. We visited beaches on most days, usually in the late afternoon when the sun was not intense anymore. The beaches Canyamel and Cala Mesquida were beautiful but very busy. We enjoyed the smaller beaches more, specifically the more secluded Cala Torta and neighboring Cala Mitjana.

Naturally, I personally paid significant attention to the bird-life, as minimal birding preparation already showed that the island has a lot on offer. Several birds came to drink from the pool and small pond at the finca around midday, including Eurasian Turtle Dove, Common Linnet, and European Goldfinch. The garden also held Common Nightingale, European Greenfinch, Common Chaffinch, Sardinian Warbler, Eurasian Blackbird, and Spotted Flycatcher (Mediterranean subspecies). Walks around the countryside roads in the area revealed Woodchat Shrike, Red-legged Partridge, Thekla’s Lark, Common Raven, European Collared Dove, and Common Woodpigeon. Common Swift, Barn Swallow, and Common House-Martin were constantly hawking insects overhead while Booted Eagle, Red Kite, Common Kestrel, and a distant unidentified vulture also soared past. At night, European Scops-Owl, European Nightjar, and Stone-Curlew could be heard but only the latter was seen.

The beaches were surprisingly productive for birding as well. Yellow-legged and Audouin’s Gulls were common, the latter being almost mockingly tame considering it is one of the rarest gull species globally. Common Kestrels were flying above Canyamel, but it was a pair of Eleonora’s Falcons that grabbed my attention as they circled above the bay, much to the confusion of other beachgoers and the amusements of my friends as I stood on the beach, binoculars in hand. Cala Torta also chimed in with a Blue Rock-Thrush and more Thekla’s Larks, and we also enjoyed watching a few stingrays in the deeper parts of the bay here.

On one day we decided to explore the nature of the island a bit more, starting with the Son Real area, followed by s’Albufera and finally the Formentor peninsula. We arrived at Son Real reasonably early and it was still relatively cool, so we headed from the parking lot at the finca towards the coast on one of the well-maintained trails. My target here was of course to see Balearic Warbler. This is one of the more reliable areas for this species, but we left empty-handed. However, we did see Eurasian Hoopoe, Red-legged Partridge, and some more common species. By the sea there are interesting information boards explaining the history of ancient stone graves, while a Kentish Plover rested on the rocks here and two Stone-Curlews gave good fly-by views. Previous trip reports note that finding Balearic Warblers largely depends on being in precisely the right places, and we did not spend time trying to find the exact locations noted in previous sightings.

Having returned to the cars, we noticed that the temperature had already risen significantly despite it only being around 9AM, so we continued to the entrance of s’Albufera. This site unfortunately only opens at 9AM – very late for wetland birding. The heronry visible next to the track just before one reaches the information center held Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Great Egret, Squacco Heron, and Black-crowned Night-Heron. Common Shelducks, Western Marsh-Harrier, Glossy Ibis, Common Tern, and Black-headed Gulls passed overhead. At the center, the others were getting some rest in the shade while I strolled around and was entertained by an unusually tame Sardinian Warbler. We continued towards the Es Colombars area together, where apart from a Zitting Cisticola performing its song-flight, bird activity had gone back significantly. I was happy to find a very distant group of Greater Flamingos, while other waterbirds in the area included Mallard, Common Pochard, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, and most of the species seen earlier at the heronry. A Cetti’s Warbler in the roadside reeds was the closest I got to one of my main targets here, Moustauched Warbler.

We did not spend significant time in the area due to the heat, but before leaving did take a short look at the sa Roca hide, from where many birds could be seen in close proximity. A Stone-Curlew was roosting under a small shrub right next to the hide while several Little Ringed-Plovers darted around the muddy edge. Shallow waters and adjoining grass held Glossy Ibis, Common Shelduck, Eurasian Teal, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, and Western Swamphen. s’Albufera is an excellent birding site and while we saw some nice species, the time of day did not do it justice (with the season also playing a role of course).

After eating paella for lunch in Polenca for a sense of local cuisine, some of us headed up via the endless stairs to the El Calvari chapel. This place afforded excellent views, and a Peregrine Falcon flying through a large group of swifts was a welcome addition to the trip list. We continued along the winding road of the Formentor Peninsula up to the El Colomer viewpoint. I had initially hoped to reach the tip of the peninsula but because it was late, we agreed to stop at this viewpoint. The views here were absolutely breathtaking from here, and I enjoyed watching Crag Martins and Pallid Swifts careening through the air and along the cliffs with impressive agility. This was the first time I could positively differentiate Pallid from Common Swift, which proved surprisingly more difficult than I anticipated. The nearby Vall de Boquer is another well-known place for Balearic Warbler, but we did not check out that area.

As we collected our luggage on the night before leaving, we realized that our graduation trip had passed much faster than we would’ve liked. The return flight to Cologne was enjoyable nonetheless (although having to experience Germany’s infamous “Schienenersatzverkehr” – public transport replacement service for trains – on our way back to Maastricht, was not asked for). Moreover, we were looking forward to our graduation on the day after our return, and as this was the culmination of our time in Maastricht we wanted to have a great day (which it definitely turned out to be – a perfect ending to our initially bumpy (Covid!) but eventually fantastic three years). Mallorca is clearly a place I’d be eager to visit again. The cute towns, interesting history, great beaches, attractive landscapes, and several interesting birds I have yet to see, make for a great holiday destination.