Mid-April 2016 and time for me to migrate south for a few weeks. In recent years I've tried to follow the same drivers: I head south for some warm spring sunshine, and summer European migrants head north to breed. If I'm lucky my migration south will overlap with the birds heading north. That's the plan anyway!
So on the 16 April 2016, Jan and I arrived a Mahon airport, to be greeted by a clear blue sky and 20 degrees Celsius. Very nice! By the time we had completed the grocery shop and called in on a neighbour, it was evening time but not too late to hear the song of Nightingales (newly arrived), joining the resident Yellow Legged Gulls, and a singing Blue Rock Thrush. There were also Sardinian Warblers singing just below our terrace (so in our garden), and a Kestrel cruised by. After darkness a Scops Owl began to call, although distantly and was not seen.
Sunday 17 April dawned a bit grey and misty, although it improved as the morning went on. A walk along the cliffs to Fornells and back home via the port added to the trip list:
Balearic Shags
Common sandpiper x 1
Osprey (being mobbed by Gulls)
Collared Doves (numerous)
House Sparrows
Common Swifts (some will migrate further north)
Rock Doves (resident)
Hoopoe x 1
Pied Flycatcher - x1 male, fly catching!
Woodchat Shrike x 2
Booted Eagles (numerous as always)
Red Kite (just one today)
Ravens (about three or so)
Barn Swallows (just a small number heading north)
House Martins (again, a small number heading north)
The 18 April was spent at the apartment until early afternoon, when I managed a couple of hours walking the Tirant track. This is a gravel road that joins the back of the beach at Cala Tirant with a minor road leading to Mercadal. This is a favourite route of mine as it combines a beach with some nice scrubby areas, a seasonally wet pasture and a small lake. Today didn't disappoint as I racked up new birds quickly:
Blackbird
Audouin's Gull (several on the beach at Cala Tirant)
Little Ringed Plover x 1
Coots, with young
Mallards (numerous)
Little Grebe (a pair)
Little Egrets
Black Winged Stilts x6
Corn Bunting x 2
Egyptian Vultures x 2
Lapwing x 1
Glossy ibis x 3
Gadwall (numerous on the lake at Piggy Farm)
Moorhens - as above
Stonechat (a pair)
Redshank x 1
Greenshank x 1
Bee-eaters x10 ( the migrants I just love to see, many of which will breed on the Island)
Wood Pigeon x 3
As darkness fell, I went out in search of a Barn Owl that I had heard the night before and quickly located an adult sitting serenely in a palm tree!
19 April 2016 and a visit to Cala Galdana. The walk west to bar Suzy was as pleasant as ever but quiet for birds, although around the bar itself were a couple of male Pied Flycatchers and Chaffinches, and at the Galdana beach itself both Yellow Legged and Audouin'sGull were present, foraging for picnic leftovers. As we drove out of the resort, a superb Alpine Swift was seen - a fitting end to the day.
20 - 21 April 2016 were mostly devoted to chores, but a walk on the Cami de Cavalls towards Son Parc produced Winchat and Goldfinches as well as Bee-eaters and Woodchat Shrikes.
22 April and as we stayed locally, the only birding walk was the Tirant track and piggy Farm. New birds for the trip were:
Fan-tailed warblers
Marsh Harrier (a male)
Peregrine Falcon
Shelduck (a pair)
Squacco Heron
As in previous days, there were also a lot of Swallows seemingly on the move, a flock of about ten Bee-eaters and endless sightings of Booted Eagles. So for a quiet afternoon, there were some good birds to be enjoyed.
23 April, Sant Tomas beach area produced Grey Herons x 3 in flight and a couple of Greenfinches. Just outside Fornells a field of cows had Cattle Egrets in attendance and from the cliffs at the harbour mouth to Fornells I was able to pick out some very distant Cory's Shearwaters.
24 April - 25 April saw the wind blow furiously from the north. Birding was very difficult, although I did manage to find a couple of Spotted Flycatchers which appeared to be newly arrived. And after dark the views of the Barn Owls got better as two owlets were outside the nest hole (in a chimney pot) and noisily begging for food!
26 April, a calmer morning and a newly arrived Redstart on the beach at Cala Tirant.
A brief visit to Es Grau resulted in some new birds:
Pochard
Great Crested Grebe x 4
Greater Flamingo x 1
27 April, started with a ten mile hike along the Cami, and the ever changing habitat, including some dry stone walls. New birds added to the trip list:
Tawny Pipit x 3
Linnet (just one)
And a pair of Great Tits have suddenly appeared around the apartment. In the afternoon I went to Cap Favarritx where a shallow saline pool beside the road added a single Kentish Plover and four or so Ringed Plovers to the list. Feeling full of inspiration, I then decided to try and access the fantastic wetland behind the beach at Son Parc (Son Sarau wetland - no official public access). I found the path easily from the Cami, near marker post 22, and was rewarded with:
Ferruginous Ducks
Red Crested Pochard (numerous)
Purple Heron (just one in flight)
29 April 2016 - the final few days produced:
Sand Martins
Red Rumped Swallows - at least 2, after trying to see this delightful species on the Island for years
Wood Warbler x 1
Wood Sandpipers x 8
Yellow Wagtail x 1
Reflections and the basics for a trip to Menorca
The star area for birding this spring was the wet area south of Cala Tirant. Take the ME15 from Mercadal towards Fornells until you reach a roundabout with three large, rather rusty, dancing figures on it (women by their anatomical shape). Turn left at the roundabout, signposted Binimel-la. About a mile or so along this road on the right hand side is what I call Piggy Farm (real name is Es Prat) where with care you can park on the brow of the hill and scope the lake behind the farm. There is a convenient pull-in beside a farm gate. After this point you descend down hill and can then turn right (onto a gravel road) that leads down to Cala Tirant. I often park on this road and walk back towards Piggy Farm because there are then several vantage points from which to scope the wetland and lake.
If you then continue along the road towards Binimel-la you will find another wide area to park beside a farm gate (it’s the second one you come to. On the left, not the very first gate). You then walk further down the road for about 100 meters and a fantastic wet area and lake opens out on the right hand side. This was brilliant for waders, Wildfowl, Egrets, Glossy Ibis, Marsh Harriers, and Red Rumped Swallows. There were also lots of Turtle Doves around and a few Bee-Eaters for a splash of colour. This particular wetland has the potential to be very good in the autumn and winter because it’s not disturbed by walkers or cyclists.
We always use the same accommodation, a two bedroom apartment in Playa Fornells in the north of the Island. This is booked through owners direct and over the years we have got to know lots of other holidaymakers, including birders, who visit at the same time of the year.
We always book our car through Sol cars - the cars are collected from the airport car park so you avoid a frustrating transfer to a nearby industrial estate. Plus the people who run Sol Cars are from England originally and know the Island (now their home) intimately. They are easy to deal with, friendly, helpful and straight.
For bird guiding I use Javier Mendez of Menorca Walking Birds. The website is www.menorcawalkingbirds.com and email is info@menorcawalkingbirds.com Javier now gets booked up way in advance and I missed out this year because I didn't make arrangements earlier enough.