Helmet Vanga - Madagascar 2024

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Wednesday, 30 April 2014

Mallorca - Day 1 - 28th April 2014

A flying visit to Mallorca with Marc Read to hopefully connect with four new birds for my world list. It actually ended up being five new birds, these being Balearic Warbler, Black Vulture, Moustached Warbler, Marbled Duck and Eleonora's Falcon.
We stayed in the NE area, mainly visiting the Boquer Valley, Col de Femenia, Port de Pollenca and the fantastic S'albufera nature reserve. All very easy to do, with the trip costing pretty much bang on £100, including the car hire. Very much a stress free trip which all went according to plan. The trip list was 93 plus 7 heard, so lets say 100.
On the first day we arrived at the Boquer Valley at around 10am, leaving at some point during the afternoon where we decided to go in search of the Black Vulture up the Col de Femenia. The beach south of Port des Pollenca was chosen as our base to get frame filling photos of the Audouin's Gulls, where we finally reached the S'albufera reserve which finished off our day. We slept in the car park, with Marc in the car, and myself just outside on the verge.

Boquer Valley
BALEARIC WARBLER - 2 (after hours of thrashing about, I finally found a male so we spent lots of time photographing this bird, when out of nowhere another individual joined the party)
Booted Eagle - 2
Roller - 1
Bee-Eater - 24 flew north with other groups heard, but not seen
Crag Martin - 10

Col de Femenia
BLACK VULTURE - 7
Wryneck - 1 heard

Port de Pollenca/S'albuferata
Audouin's Gull - 3
Kentish Plover - 4
Zitting Cisticola - many
Whinchat - 1 male

S'albufera
MOUSTACHED WARBLER - 1
Little Bittern - 2
Night Heron - 10
Purple Swamphen - 2
Stone Curlew - 1


 male Balearic Warbler at the Boquer Valley
 Black Vulture over Cuber Reservoir

 Audouin's Gull at Port de Pollenca
 Yellow Wagtail (form iberiae)
Kentish Plover at Port de Pollenca