Falcons and Flies
Article completed for the Majorca Daily Bulletin (for Friday 23rd June).
Falcons and Flies
They need to be wary, for a falcon looms on the horizon.
Mallorca has a good variety of dragonflies and damselflies, and May to July are excellent months to see them. Most habitats will see them, especially where there are water sources nearby. They are skilful fliers, but they do have to be alert, as there is a summer breeding bird on Mallorca that is more than a match for their flying ability.
Male Black-tailed Skimmer, Son Bosc, MallorcaRecently, I was watching both male and female Black-tailed Skimmers (Orthetrum cancellatum), a chunky looking dragonfly, flitting back and forth, and eventually landing on the soft sand. The female is an overall yellow colour, and she was perched close by on some grass stems. They can be found at areas of open water with patches of bare ground, where patrolling males like to frequently rest in the sun. They will also inhabit slow flowing waters, ponds, marshy areas, slow rivers and lakes. The males are seen much more frequently than the females. The length is 47 - 53 mm, and the rear wings being 35 - 41 mm in length. They have a broad but flattened abdomen, and with age, males will develop extensive blue pruinescence on their abdomens (a dusty looking coating). The males have a blue abdomen with a black tip and transparent wings.
Adult females have a yellowish-brown abdomen, with wide longitudinal dark brown stripes, and bright crescent-shaped spots with transparent wings. The main flight period is between June and July. Females oviposit alone but with the male close by. Eggs are laid in flight by dipping the abdomen onto the water surface. They hatch after five or six weeks and the larvae emerge after two or three years. Males characteristically perch horizontally on exposed surfaces. They fly swift and low, skimming the water surface while defending their territories. Mating can occur in flight or on land. But as I say, like all the dragonflies, they need to be wary, for a falcon looms on the horizon.
The Eleanora's Falcon (Falco eleonorae) is a summer breeder here, and specialises in catching dragonflies on the wing. The marsh areas are great places to see them, sometimes in double figures, where they will twist and turn to catch a dragonfly, consume it whilst in flight and move on to the next unsuspecting victim. The species name commemorates Elenore of Arborea (1347 - 1404), a judge from Sardinia whose 'Carta de Logu' (Body of Laws) was published in 1395, which legalised the protection of falcons.
At home on isolated windy headlands in the Mediterranean, they arrive from their wintering grounds in East Africa and Madagascar, delaying nesting until late in the summer so that the young can capitalise on the offspring of migrant songbirds returning south to Africa. As well as taking small birds, they focus on dragonflies and even Bats, generally hunting early in the morning or late in the day. They have a Kestrel-like 'chatter' call, and appear rather slender and dainty, but they are actually larger than the Hobby (a passage migrant here). The wings are long and slender giving an angular outline, with a relatively long tail. Both pale and dark forms occur with the pale form being three times more numerous. Dark phase birds will look almost black in flight.
They nest on a cliff edge under a overhang, where 2 - 3 white or pale-buff eggs are laid with brownish markings. With a wingspan of 90 - 105 cm, and strong chest muscles, they are capable of sharp twists and turns in flight, perfect for intercepting Swallows, Swifts, Crag Martins and other hirundine's. When the abundance of dragonflies are on the wing, groups of Eleanora's can be a regular feature over the Albufera and Albufereta Marshes in particular, with the headlands at Cap de Formentor (and the 'mirador' along that route) also being good places to see them. Cabrera is another good location for them, where they can be watched giving long displays over their nesting sites.
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