Mallorca for Oriole Birding - Day 5 - 20th September 2025

The morning walk around Aumallia produced the now expected species but Stone-curlews were annoyingly close and all around us but still we could not find one of the eerily calling birds while Cirl Buntings continued to ‘tsip’ quietly from the wrong sides of trees!  A male was singing again but remained hidden.  A Nightingale croaked in the dense pine cover belt where the Firecrests were active.  Breakfast and then on the road once again and north to the mountains.

The slow drive out through the lanes was excellent with Thekla’s Larks in the fields and Med-type Flycatchers and a Redstart on the wires while we ignored the calling Cirl Buntings that were out to taunt us.  I reversed a few yards for a Kestrel in a bare Almond that was being mobbed by a Hoopoe. The Kestrel departed when five more Hoopoe arrived in the tree and then suddenly they were coming in from all directions and I stopped at 18 before the chances of duplication got too high.  I have never seen anything like that before and frustratingly we were on the narrowest part of the lane where you could not even open the doors let along pull over and get out!  I suspect that there were even more gathered there and I wonder if they had communally roosted  close by?

Hoopoes - four in this shot

Hoopoe

Onwards and north although the drive was typically quiet bird wise with just the odd Red Kite and Cattle Egret before we started to climb into the Tramuntana Mountains.  We wiggled up past cyclists and found our pull in at the entrance to the Mortitx Winery and set off for a walk through the vineyards and rugged rocky, Evergreen Oak and Olive landscape.

The walled vines held parties of Gold, Green and Chaffinch and Cirl Buntings were calling all around and at last we had scope views of several birds including a couple of males during the course of the walk.  ‘Normal’ Spotted Flycatchers, three Redstarts and a Pied Flycatcher were on the fences too and there were Blackcaps and very showy Firecrests in the Oaks.

Some of the Olives were positively ancient with vast almost empty hollow trunks from which fresh growth still sprung.  I thought that some of the impressive ones on Lesvos had great age (about 800 years) but I had never seen anything that looked like these veterans.

Carob

Mediterranean Fan Palm - Chamaerops humilis

Woody Spurge - Euphorbia dendroides

Feral Billy Goat

With a penchant for Carob seed pods

Which he could stretch up to nearly six foot to reach!

Meanwhile the local White Mallorcan Ram just chilled in the shade 

We found shady spots and scanning the rugged skyline and soon picked up both Black (sorry, I just can't call them Cinereous) and Griffon Vultures as they cruised effortlessly across the landscape.  Both species drifted over our heads and the Blacks gave particularly close views. 

Black Vultures

Griffon Vultures

There was the odd Red Kite and Kestrel but no Bonelli’s Eagles and we could see Crag Martins higher up too.

We wandered back and had some Crossbills fly over and even males singing in the pines but we could not find them before they flew while Wren and Blue Tit were new for the trip and the Firecrests gave even closer views. A Wryneck called from some very tall shrubs and flew over and away which was unfortunate.

Firecrest - too close and too fast were my excuses.  Much greyer around the neck and mantle that our UK birds. Also forehead buff more extensive and peachy and same colour on the throat and upper breast.  Calls and song also quite different. Just saying.

The temperature was back in the mid thirties again and the van was like an oven so we opted to drive and find somewhere to have lunch which after some serious wiggling we did with a huge view back down the steep valley to the plains below.  More annoying Crossbills kept us company and Ravens and Griffons were passing over.  A dark Booted Eagle was surveying the view too from a dead tree opposite and a male Blue Rock Thrush sallied around a pinnacle.

From here we retraced slightly and passed through the Aqueduc d’Escorca (where an ice-cream was precured) and ending up at the view down the Panta de Gorg Blau.  The water level was very low but there were still two Cormorants!  We watched several  death defying Feral Goats way up on the crags while another mumped scraps in the car park and we did well for raptors with both Vultures, Booted Eagle, Red Kite, Eleonora’s Falcons and Kestrels.  There were so many Crag Martins along the highest ridge line.

Aqueduc d’Escorca

Panta de Gorg Blau

Panta de Gorg Blau

 Feral Goat

From here we came back to the lunch spot adding calling Robin on the way and began the descent with a final stop to stretch our legs in a wooded car park where Sardinians, Tits and Firecrest were seen and another Wryneck heard.

Once back on the plain we even managed to add a singing Black Redstart as we came through a town centre!   It had been a long and winding day with some great encounters but the flock of Hoopoes half a mile from the hotel still proved to be the most popular moment of the day.