Majorca Daily Bulletin wildlife article

Shovler, Black-winged Stilts and an Avocet from Bishop 1 hide

Majorca is gearing itself up for a hot summer ahead. This will be the time of year when all of the islands birds will be breeding, with some species on their second and possibly a third brood. It is also a time when the birds and wildlife generally feel the heat, and it is not an uncommon sight to see a bird perched up and panting. They do this to cool themselves down. It is not a time for exertion either, and any walks you may be doing, short or long distances, take some water with you and apply the sun cream.  As a birdwatcher, I can stay out all day with some snacks and water, sun cream and insect repellent, but one thing I notice is that the birds do have a ‘siesta’. Bird activity is fast paced in the early mornings when they are feeding after a night of roosting. By late morning things slow down a little, and between around 1-4pm there seems to be a bit of a lull. Most birds are hunkered down in shady areas where they can still feed but not at the mercy of the hottest part of the day. Things resume again for the birds around 4-5pm where they seem to burst back into life to feed up before the night’s sleep ahead.

 Male Marsh Frog

The island is now on ‘forest fire alert’. This means until October 15^th, the lighting of fires in wooded areas and within 500m is prohibited.  The last thing anyone wants is an out of control fire that destroys habitats, kills all the wildlife from insects and reptiles to birds and animals within it, and can even destroy homes and take lives. Unfortunately though, it does happen, either from a careless cigarette end thrown into the dry foliage or even from a can or bottle left discarded that can reflect sunlight onto dry vegetation and start a fire. It is a regular feature around the bay at Puerto Pollensa, seeing the yellow plane doing practice manoeuvres whereby it flies along the surface of the water and scoops up gallons of water, and then deposits this is one big splash onto what would be a fire. It is skilful to watch and is an ideal aid to enable water to be taken into a mountain area if there was a fire.

Male Greenfinch

Not only is Majorca surrounded by water, but there are large areas of water within the island itself such as the salt pans (Sallinas de Llevante), Tucan Marsh, Albufera Marsh, Albufereta Marsh and Cuber Reservoir, coupled with many rivers and streams right across the island, and not forgetting the depuadoras (water works) which hold a good variety of birds and insects. All of these areas are vital to supporting the wildlife on the island. Just sit in the hide at Son Real and watch the artificial pool in front of you and see how many different species of birds come down to drink and bathe. And it won’t just be the birds either, butterflies will also visit this pool to drink and in the evening the nocturnal animals such as Pine Martin will be visiting.

In Spain, the Andalucia Bird Society has an ongoing project whereby artificial pools are constructed in the remote mountain areas, fed by a small local spring, with the pool constructed to both hold the water and have the correct depths to the sides to allow animals in to drink, and for the mountain birds to come in and drink and bathe. These pools get visited by numerous different birds, and not just the common visitors such as Great Tits or Chaffinches, but by specialities such as Subalpine Warbler and Crested Tit. Reptiles including Salamanders visit these pools as do butterflies and dragonflies. They are an excellent addition to the landscape and have proved vital to sustaining the local wildlife.

View in high summer from Bishop 1 (Albufera Marsh)

Time spent on Majorca can see fluctuations in the water levels. I have seen the reservoirs of Gorg Blau and Cuber over spilling, the salt pans almost totally dry, the Albufera from Bishops 1 and 2 hides flooded yet later in the year, large areas of dry exposed mud visible. I have seen waterfalls cascading down the rock faces in Cala San Vicente after a heavy downpour, and a few hours later the roads are bone dry again as if the rain never appeared, with steam rising in the heat from the tarmac surfaces.  There are some species of birds that welcome the water at any time of the year such as the resident Osprey. A visit to any of the large water areas will give you a sighting of this majestic raptor and especially at the Albufera where they are frequently seen hunting along the Siruana Canal or over the open water from the CIM and Bishops hides. Here they are searching out the Carp and Mullet which can grow to a large size. Wherever there is water you will get the Marsh Frog in good numbers – which is a food source for summer breeding Purple Herons, the resident Grey Heron and even the Cormorant.

The male Marsh Frog is a rich lime-green whereas the larger female is overall brown in colour. More often heard than seen, they can blend in incredibly well with the surrounding vegetation, and even if sat in the open they can take some spotting. Even harder to see is the Majorcan Midwife Toad which shares similar habitats. The Albufera is another good place to see reptiles too, and from any of the stone bridges one is likely to see the Stripe-necked Terrapins basking on the water’s edge, or even snakes, with the Viperine being a common one to see here – especially from the two stone bridges prior to the Bishops hides with the Horseshoe Whip Snake also a possibility. Both can be seen actually in the water and are good swimmers too.  Sought after birds here occur in and around water such as the Marbled Teal, Crested Coot and the Purple Gallinule, and areas of Giant Reed will hold the Great Reed Warbler.  Even woodland pools can be a good place for birds, especially in the Pine and Holm Oak woods where the birds need water as their diet involves seeds and other dry foods. Time spent in a quiet spot scanning a woodland pool will give you Common Crossbill, Firecrest, Collard Dove (Turtle in the summer) and a variety of finches including the Hawfinch in the winter. For me, where there is water there will be waders, and one of my favourite (and smallest) is the Little Stint – my chosen bird of the week.

Little Stint.  All pictures copyright of N J Davies

A migrant and winter visitor in low numbers, this is the smallest of the European sandpipers at a mere 12 – 14cm in length with a wing span of 28 – 35cm and a weight of 20 – 40g. It is an active feeder picking off insects from the surface of the mud or plants. When feeding, they run and dart along the surface relying on sight to spot their food. They prefer quiter open areas but will readilly mix in with medium sized waders such as the Dunlin and Curlew Sandpipers, so it is always worth scanning carefully through any wader flocks.

They have a short ‘tip tip’ call. In summer, the upperparts are mostly a rusty-red with dark feather centres. The centre of the crown appears darker. In winter (when we tend to see them most), they are mostly a grey-buff above and a clear white below. Larger feathers have dark central shafts whicha re visible at close range. The juvenile resembles a summer adult, but is paler with a distinctive white ‘v’ on the reddish-brown upperparts. The black legs and short black bill are evident in all ages.

The best spot I find to see this species at the salt pans in the south (Sallinas de Llevante) and the nearby site of Es Trenc. Here you can usually get good views and appreciate the feeding habit and character of this tiny wader. It is always fun when I see a group of Little Stints, as I carefully look thorugh them checking the leg colour in case there is one with light legs – this will be the rarer Temminck’s Stint that mixes in on migration, and they do occur here from time to time usually in single numbers.