Introduction:
Where
This report covers a short Easter break, put together primarily to seek out the one Balearic Island endemic, but also to provide a taste of the magnificent scenery and well-preserved historic character of this much under-rated destination. In order to make the best of both culture and birds, we stayed in the small historic town of Pollenca, just inland from the popular resort of Port de Pollenca. This worked perfectly, with the town being a great base from which to explore the island, whilst also providing some fine dining in the evening and ample opportunities for Victoria to fill her sketchpad whilst I ventured out on a couple of targeted birding trips; my Balearic Warbler goal is actually secured on the very first morning before my Pollenca breakfast!
When
Studying reports revealed that visiting birders have had great success in the spring, summer and autumn months, so timing is clearly not too critical, and we chose to visit at Easter in order to minimise the use of annual leave from work. From a birding perspective, Balearic Warblers were singing and highly territorial at this season, thus proving quite easy to locate, though conversely we were clearly a little early for the main influx of spring migrants; if seeing good numbers of passage birds is the primary purpose of your visit then a late April or early May trip would be advisable.
How
BMI Baby and Goldcar took care of the flight and car hire respectively. Accommodation in Pollenca was provided by the impeccable Hotel Desbrull (http://www.desbrull.com/pollensa-Majorca-hotel/); look no further than this establishment for superb accommodation in a great location! A very big thank-you must be acknowledged to José Luis Copete and Dani Lopez Velasco for providing me with the hard-to-find Balearic Warbler recording, which made my main mission a relative breeze!
Daily Diary:
Good Friday 6th April
Appropriately enough, our first Boeing 737 porthole-view of the island of Mallorca is in the shape of the Formentor Peninsular. Below us, at the end of a 2 ½ hour BMI Baby flight from East Midlands Airport, the rugged finger of limestone crags juts out into an idyllically turquoise Mediterranean, and signifies that we are close to landing at Palma Airport. From the air, the second major landmark on the northern limit of the island is the vast wetland expanse of S’Albufera De Mallorca Natural Park, which from this birds-eye view looks extremely enticing.
The Son Sant Joan Airport experience is as rapid and efficient as any we’ve sampled, testament to the huge volumes of tourist traffic conveyed in the peak visitors’ season. Our Goldcar Ford Fiesta awaits us, then we head off towards the MA-13 dual carriageway and rapidly away from the urban sprawl of Palma.
The black-and-white butterfly-flash of a low-flying Hoopoe is the first bird seen on the island, as the high limestone crags of the Serra de Tramuntana rise steeply from the central agricultural plain to dominate the horizon to the west. Turning off the communicational spine of the island and heading northwest, we bypass Pollenca to top up the picnic supplies in Port de Pollenca, the beach holiday mecca at the base of the Formentor Peninsular.
Our encounter with the lively resort of Port de Pollenca is thankfully brief, before we hit the winding route through the hills which ultimately leads to Cap Formentor. The views are spectacular, upwards to rugged peaks of pale limestone and down to the vivid blue ocean far below, however the guide books state these marvels all too clearly and hence the roads are packed with travelling sightseers enjoying their Bank Holiday afternoon. An added holdup comes in the form of the countless cyclists who also flock to Mallorca at this season, adding a moving obstacle course to the hazard of the constantly changing road direction.
Entering a block of Aleppo Pine forest at KM 6.5, we find a convenient pull-in at which we can consume our picnic lunch before wandering down a pine-scented track amidst a spectacular display of wild flowers. The pathway is lined with White Asphodels, whose tall flower spikes are in full display of pink-tinged white blooms, which are set to be a delightful feature of the entire island at this season. Careful searching closer to the ground reveals several humbug-striped trumpets of the Friar’s Cowl arum, and the exquisitely beautiful little flowers of both Bertoloni’s Bee Orchid and Mirror Orchid. Serin is the most common bird here, with Ravens regularly croaking overhead and a single balearica Common Crossbill jip-jipping past.
When a squally April shower interrupts our botonising we head for the car and continue our slow and winding progress towards the tip of the peninsular. The cycle and hire car traffic gets progressively heavier as the roads get more bendy, culminating in a virtual gridlock at the tiny Cap Formentor Lighthouse car park! It is all quite frustrating and rather than trying to shoehorn the car into some sort of parking space we elect to head back inland and away from the sightseeing melee.
By the time we arrive back at the Mirador es Colomer the adjacent car park is somewhat less crowded and we enjoy some spectacular Formentor panoramas and a brief walk up towards Talia d’Albercutx. Sardinian Warblers can only be described as common in the tall maquis shrubs, with several Blue Rock Thrushes bounding over the exposed crags and an occasional glimpse of a Booted Eagle overhead. A final stop is made at the Boquer Valley car park to recce for the following morning, where a family-holidaying Pete Morris assures me that Balearic Warbler is easy to see half-an-hour up the valley; that will certainly make the evening meal more relaxing!
The 13th Century heart of Pollanca town is steeped in medieval history and our wonderful hotel is right on its threshold. The Desbrull Hotel (http://www.desbrull.com/pollensa-Majorca-hotel/) is a real gem, being a converted family home run by Joan and his Sister. It is recently renovated to a lavish modern specification and the friendly welcome, spacious rooms and first class service make this a hotel not to be missed.
Dinner is consumed at a fine local pizzeria, where the olives and local beer really hit the spot. By pure coincidence we find that we have arrived in Pollenca in perfect time to see the famous Good Friday procession, which takes place by torchlight down the town’s 365-step stairway leading to the Placa Major. Hundreds of people have made the pilgrimage to witness this unique event, which unfolds into an immensely atmospheric occasion. A line of figures in masks and tall, pointed hoods march by candle light in a column stretching the whole length of the stairway, in an enactment of the Stations of the Cross. Conducted in total silence, save the sombre slow beat of a single drum, the crowds part to make way for the crucifix-led column of rather sinister hooded figures, in a display which certainly serves up a little food-for-thought, and a tingle to the hairs on the back of one’s neck.
Saturday 7th April
My 06.00 alarm clock proves that daylight comes late to Mallorca in early April, with a peek out of the bedroom window revealing a full moon illuminating the square across the way! At 06.45 I finally tip-toe out of the Desbrull, and make the ten minute drive to the Boquer Valley car park.
The sun has still to clear the limestone peaks and it is decidedly cool as I make my way through the olive grove and into the old farmyard, following a route worn by many-a-birder before me. Passing a sleeping tethered dog and closing a squeaky iron gate, I find myself in the tall maquis scrub of one of the island’s premier birding sites. A pair of distinctive rock monoliths guard the entrance to the main valley, beyond which the landscape opens out as a wide expanse of relative flat land liberally dotted with tall shrubs, flanked on either side by steep walls of limestone. Surprisingly, large numbers of wild goats are munching through the herbage as fast as their molars will allow, in an area which I had assumed received some degree of protection.
Sardinian Warblers sing or scold from every other bush, along with a good smattering of attractive Cirl Buntings and Stonechats. My goal here is Balearic Warbler, a species restricted to just three tiny lumps of rock in the Western Mediterranean, and apparently a resident of coastal maquis vegetation. Repeated renditions of the species’ song on the iPod draw a blank, however, as I systematically search the valley bottom. It is not until I cross the final low stone wall, where a subtle change of habitat, to low herbs and ground-covering shrubs is apparent, that I finally find some luck.
Here a small, concolourous, long-tailed Sylvia darts low over the greenery in response to playback and seconds later I have my binoculars trained on a mouth-watering little warbler with blue-grey upperparts, a distinctively pale throat and warm plum-washed flanks. Blackish lores and forehead serve to emphasise a blood-red eye-ring and bright orange, black-tipped bill. Similarly orange legs and feet complete a picture which adds up to one of the smartest warblers around, and a bird certainly worthy of the significant effort required to procure it.
For the next hour I enjoy exclusive photographic rights to this star performer, securing some definitive material in light yet to be washed out by the Mediterranean glare which predominates later in the day. My Balearic Warbler preoccupation leads to a swift return walk to meet my 09.30 breakfast rendezvous with Victoria, back at the Desbrull, where the weather is now sufficiently warm to dine in style outside.
Having told Vic of the scenic splendour of the Boquer Valley, she is keen to explore the area herself, so after collecting some suitable picnic fare from the local shops we return to the increasingly busy Boquer car park and retrace my route taken earlier in the day. The view at the seaward valley end is deemed sufficiently spectacular to be the subject of Victoria’s first holiday sketchbook entry, so while the pencils are deployed I return to my Balearic Warbler study. Other distractions are rather scant, save calling Red-legged Partridge and Hoopoe, an occasional Blue Rock Thrush, Wall Brown butterfly and the spectacular bloom of a pristine Sawfly Orchid, nestled in a sheltered gully.
With artwork complete a picnic is in order, so we make our way down to the favoured Formentor dining spot amidst the Aleppo Pines, to consume our fresh crusty bread, cheese and chorizo, with a wonderful coastal backdrop. As a cold breeze has now whipped up, our afternoon walk is taken in the sheltered Cal Garriguer Valley, amongst scented pines and carpets of White Asphodel. Speckled Wood and Green Hairstreak butterflies flutter through the glades and occasionally the shadow of a soaring Booted Eagle breaks the sunlit woodland floor. Avian highlight of the walk is a balearicus Firecrest, a gorgeous little bird watched flitting through the pine needles, while nearly twenty Common Crossbills are counted including some magnificent views of puddle-drinking birds.
Our travels are concluded at Port de Pollenca beach, where amongst the kite fliers, windsurfers and Frisbee-throwers, we enjoy some great looks at a group of nineteen Audouin’s Gulls which rest on some offshore rocks and occasionally visit the sand. Yellow-legged Gulls are actually outnumbered here by the red-billed boys, and a single Sandwich Tern completes the day’s bird list.
Back in Pollenca, we have a reservation at La Fonda Restaurant, though we squeeze in a little drinking time beforehand at the excellent Ca’n Moixet, whose bar is filled with lively locals and the draught Estrella beer is enjoyed with a view over the Placa Major. In La Fonda we are treated to a tapas selection of dates in bacon, king prawns in garlic, lambs liver with vegetables and a Mallorcan cheeseboard, all washed down with excellent local wine; magnificent!
Sunday 8th April
A very civilised 08.30 breakfast begins the day, then we visit our new friend at the local grocery store for our picnic fare before heading into the hills. Under a cloudless deep blue sky we journey southwest, our ultimate destination being the historic town of Valldemossa. The now-familiar groups of cyclists, often in groups of twenty-or-thirty and three-or-four abreast, mean that one’s eyes need to be constantly on the next bend and not the next panorama, making progress a little tedious on occasion.
After passing through blossom-laden orchards we ascend steeply into a landscape of spectacular pale grey limestone karsk pinnacles, passing through belts of oak and pine woodland which characterise the northern reaches of the Serra de Tramuntana. Below Coll des Jou we stop at a scenic watch-point and a Black Vulture glides low overhead, before we have even vacated the car and soaked in the dramatic panorama.
Travelling a little further to Cuber Reservoir we squeeze into the last available parking space in the tiny lot and set off for a circuit of the wind-whipped waters in the bracing mountain air. Apparently the reservoir impounds water for use way down in Palma, though our interests are primarily in a scenic circular walk and hopefully a few interesting birds. On the first count the area is highly impressive, with high limestone peaks looking down on the valley from all sides. On the ornithological front it is somewhat less productive, at least this early in the season, with notebook entries being limited to Crag Martins, a couple of Booted Eagles, another distant Black Vulture and a cooperative pair of Firecrests.
Suitably exercised, we continue our journey southwest, via the 1078m Serra de Torrella Pass, with its adjacent military golf-ball listening station, then dipping downwards towards Soller. As we descend, the scenery changes quite dramatically, into a land of steeply terraced hillsides. Here, beautifully crafted dry stone walls support terraces in which endless banks of grey olive trees are rooted, plus occasional citrus groves, making for a dramatic outlook over the wide Soller valley.
The sight of the Cap Gros lighthouse, set high on a bluff overlooking Port do Soller, causes an impromptu change of track as we realise that we have found the perfect spot at which to enjoy our picnic. Several sketches, a group of Common Crossbills and some fine local bread, cheese and olives later, we leave our scenic coastal vantage point and continue the journey south.
The magical sight of Deia serves as an entrée to our real destination, though this terracotta roofed, palm-dotted heaven is worthy of a visit in its own right. It’s actually 16.00 by the time we reach Valldemossa, where we had originally intended to spend the majority of the day, but at least by now the crowds are beginning to ebb from this popular tourist destination.
If there is one cultural attraction which one should see in Mallorca, this has to be the target. With the old quarter dating back to the Thirteenth Century, the famous green-tiled bell tower of the Charterhouse, labyrinthine cobbled streets falling away down the hillsides and countless displays of flowering plants spilling from wall-hung pots, there is enough to satisfy even the most ardent cultural philistine. After a couple of hours of photography, sketching and ice cream consumption it is time to head back to Pollenca, a journey which is rapidly made using the arterial motorway rather than the winding mountain roads.
Returning to the pizzeria of our first evening we receive a warm welcome and some fine food, then to walk it off we climb the 365 steps of the Via Crucis, to the accompaniment of a nearby European Scops-Owl. The night time views of the town below and stars above are highly memorable, and a great end to a superbly enjoyable day of exploration on this little island which manages to impress at every opportunity.
Monday 9th April
To spend time on Mallorca and not visit S’Albufera Natural Park could only be deemed as birding blasphemy, so immediately after breakfast I head off east while Victoria goes forth into Pollenca town with sketchbook and pencils. In theory the site is no more than a thirty minute drive, however I manage to totally mess-up my directions and then struggle to find a parking spot on the crowded seafront road.
As a consequence it is already past 10.00am as I make my way down the entrance track, which is now thronged with all manner of tourists from the adjacent holiday resort. In spite of my pathetic effort at an early start, the milling masses and the rapidly climbing temperatures, the site is alive with birds; one can only imagine what a great reserve it would be at dawn!
Showy Cetti’s Warblers are one the area’s more prolific birds, with vocal Nightingales and Great Reed Warblers. plus a lone Savi’s Warbler keeping under closer cover. On the scrape just north of the visitors’ centre, the smattering of more common waders includes several Kentish Plovers, a single winter plumaged Temminck’s Stint and some leggy Black-winged Stilts. Although the Red-crested Pochards and Purple Swamphens are of reintroduced stock, it would appear that the couple of Marbled Teal lurking at the rear of the pool are the real McCoy. The local Red-knobbed Coots are similarly shipped in from afar by the reserve’s managers, some still bearing lettered neck-rings for identification purposes, however they are proving to be real characters who are approachable to point-blank range to allow intimate study of their weird, pitted, bill-top appendages.
Both Cattle and Little Egrets are plentiful, though a very smart Little Bittern which I stumble upon beside one of the canals is rather more unexpected and actually causes something of a minor twitch as I spread the word amongst the handful of roaming birders. My main goal at S’Albufera is to reacquaint myself with the Moustached Warbler, a Mediterranean speciality which I have only ever seen previously in Israel, way back in 1989. The Ses Puntes track is said to be one of the best spots, but I don’t really hold my chances as being too high at 13.00 on a rather hot day. I don’t even have a recording and it is therefore something of a relief when a few distinctive notes of song are heard soon after my arrival. With a little patience I eventually gain some very pleasing views of three different birds, still singing for considerable periods of time, and I even secure some recognisable photographs!
Mission accomplished, I rendezvous with Vic back at Pollenca, grab some picnic fare and head for Formentor. Stopping at our regular Aleppo Pine spot, we dine in the warm sunshine amidst splendid peninsular views, before making our way down through the pines towards the beckoning blue waters of Cala Pi de la Posada. A large expanse of pine-free hillside is cloaked in low maquis, where a pleasing find is another three pairs of showy Balearic Warblers. Common Crossbills and Blue Rock Thrushes further lighten the descent, until we finally drop onto a secluded beach overlooking the wide Pollenca Bay and Alcudia headland beyond.
It’s a great spot to while away a few hours, with an added bonus of several pale-breasted juvenile desmarestii ‘Mediterranean’ Shags roosting on a jetty and at least four Scopoli’s Shearwaters wheeling over the open water, well inside the mouth of the bay. The walk back uphill is never as easy as the descent, but after reaching the car we decide that we still have time for one final look around the base of the Boquer Valley. Here, Vic sketches the dilapidated farmhouse while I watch Cirl Bunting and Hoopoe, then it’s back to Pollenca for our last night out.
After beers at Ca’n Moixet, the chosen eatery is the Can Olesa Restaurant, at the bottom end of the Palca Major. The Spanish noodle paella, with heaps of mussels, king prawns and calamari, is incredible and instantly voted the ‘meal of the trip’, then we again ascend the Via Crucis steps to secure some highly atmospheric photographic memories of this extremely appealing little town.
Tuesday 10th April
I always think it’s much easier to end your holiday if the weather is unfavourable, and therefore bidding farewell to our Desbrull hosts is less of a wrench under a brooding grey sky. By the time we near the airport it is raining in earnest, for the first time in our stay, as a flypast Hoopoe bids us farewell to become both the first and last bird noted on the island.
Mallorca has really done us proud and clearly has a huge amount to offer on even the shortest break, with the birds, the culture and the scenery to pacify all tastes. I’m sure we’ll be back before too long to reacquaint ourselves with Pollenca, for some more of that paella, mountain air and maybe an Eleonora’s Falcon or two?
A Few Final Words on Finding Balearic Warbler
Studying previous trip reports had revealed that Balearic Warbler could be found in a number of locations around the coast of the island. The Formentor Peninsular, the Boquer Valley and the east coast site of Porto Colom are all noted as favoured spots, though I would guess that any site at which the preferred low maquis habitat could be found, around the entire perimeter of the island, is likely to produce this species.
The key seems to be in identifying the correct habitat type. In both areas where we found Balearic Warbler, the maquis consisted of a mosaic of low, ground-covering herbs and shrubs, not exceeding knee-height; a significant element of fragrant Sage was present, together with other low flowering plants. At the Formentor site, several tall Aleppo Pines were also dotted around the territory margins and these were regularly used as song posts.
When searching in the Boquer Valley it was apparent that no Balearic Warblers were present in the taller maquis scrub, i.e. where the bushes were more dense and rose well above head height; at this site they were strictly restricted to the knee-high maquis mosaic at the far end of the valley, from where they sang from the tops of low shrubs.
One final note, which may be pure coincidence, is that both sites were well sheltered from the winds which seem to regularly whip across the islands.
Ian Merrill
April 2012