Last night there was a deluge and a vivid thunderstorm but
by morning it had passed us by. A lazy start was planned so most of us managed something
of a short lay in before a post-breakfast walk around the lanes. A Wryneck sang and a Tawny Pipit called which
thankfully found its way onto the list as Graham saw it sat up on the mound
round the back.
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| Such vibrant Convolvulus |
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| Chicory |
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| Thekla's Lark |
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
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| Cir Bunting - one of those elusive critters |
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| Stonechat |
By mid-morning we were ready to hit the road and head to
Colonia de Sant Jordi on the south coast to catch our slightly later boat to
the island of Cabrera that lies ten miles offshore and is renowned as a migrant
hot spot. The drive added a Hobby but
nothing else out of the ordinary but while we were waiting on the quay for the
boat we picked up three Honey Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, two Booted Eagles and at
least ten Red Kites which was the most concentrated group of raptors all
week. A fine adult Audouin’s Gull was
sat on the breakwater with an adult Med Shag not too far away.
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| Either or? |
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| Cabrera |
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| Audouin’s Gull |
Soon we were off and bouncing over the ways and largely into
the sun but about half way across we picked up the first Scopoli’s Shearwater
scything into view alongside the boat while several distant Balearic
Shearwaters were also seen but it was difficult to communicate sightings
between the crew and at this stage most of the group had seen nothing!
Part of the tour was a circuit of the island and it took us
past several spots where Eleonora’s Falcons were nesting in the crushed, crumpled
and folded butter coloured cliffs although raising a pair of bins was at best
risky! Occasionally one would appear
from out at sea on its return to the nest and I suspect they were hirundine
hunting as we saw several small parties skimming low over the waves. An Osprey cruised over and we went past two
occupied nests too.
It got pretty choppy on the west side but calmed as we
entered the horseshoe shaped bay where a myriad of posh catamarans and other
craft were moored in the gleaming blue waters.
We were soon on land and had the best past of four hours to explore and
following advice from Andrew Kinghorn we hugged the bay to the right to get to
a covered picnic area.
There were no
birds at all to start with but plenty of the local island subspecies of Lilford’s
Wall Lizard which are even darker – almost black above and the most vibrant
cobalt blue to violet underparts.
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| Lilford’s Wall Lizard - worthy of several pics |
As we neared the elusive picnic area a Balearic Warbler
briefly called and popped up and then several flava Wagtails were on the path
having obviously just found a fresh water source. They were soaked but looked very happy for
it!
Just around the corner, a rough area between the Mastic scrub
and a line of pines on the beach was hopping with birds and we quickly
retreated to the shade of the picnic canopy to eat lunch in comfort while a smorgasbord
of migrants littered the clearing which had a good patch of flowering
Heliotrope (complete with Crimson Speckleds) and some dead thistles. Over the next 90 minutes we counted at least
ten Redstarts, four Pied Flycatchers, Spotted Flycatchers, five Northern
Wheatear, three Whinchat, two Common Whitethroat, Sardinian Warblers, Blackcap,
two Garden Warbler, 20 Willow Warbler, two Chiffchaff, three Tree Pipit, two Hoopoe
and Song Thrush while flava Wagtails that resembled Yellow, Iberian and even
Ashy-headed forms scurried around the patch. Some of the first-winters were
cold grey with lemon vents just like birds I see in Lesvos in the autumn. Graham
also had a very spotty Starling.
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| Everything was in this view |
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| Whinchat |
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| Redstart |
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| Wheatear, Whinchat, Redstart, Willow Warbler & Song Thrush |
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| Redstart |
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| Hoopoe |
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| Song Thrush |
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| Wet Wagtail |
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| A stunning grey flava Wagtail |
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| Some flavour of flava Wagtail |
It was a truly wondrous experience for all of us. A field of dreams where a small fall of tired
and hungry migrants had become concentrated by the overnight rain. Most
of these species were constantly on view and a scan would picked up many of
them on any one sweep. I would love to
find a field like this at home. A lovely
Dutch couple joined us and we realised that they were the ones who told us about
the s’Albufera Little Bittern. I do like
Dutch birders – they are always so friendly and happy to share.
The urge to wander onwards had waned so we slowly ambled
back trying not to trip over the
Lizards! The taverna beckoned and beers and ice-creams in the shade consumed
the last hour which I spent almost dozing, with the sun on my back and my feet
dangling in the clear warm water off the quay where Marbled Rock Crabs
clambered.
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| Lang's Short-tailed Blue |
By just after five we were on our way back and it was quite
a lively journey but a large gathering if Scopoli’s Shearwaters could be seen
way off in the distance. Thankfully it
did not take long for some to come closer and we were all treated to point
blank views as they veered into the boat before banking and sweeping away to appreciative
sounds form most people on the boat. A
couple of Balearics barrelled through but did not stop and Eleonora’s and Peregrine
were both seen out over the waves.
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The Blue Cave
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| Scopoli’s Shearwater |
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| Scopoli’s Shearwater |
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| Scopoli’s Shearwater |
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| Scopoli’s Shearwater |
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| Scopoli’s Shearwater |
There were smiles all round as we disembarked and everyone’s
insides had remained where the should have been which was good too! There was largely contented silence as we
headed back for a late dinner at Aumallia and the lanes once again failed to
give us Stone-curlews but there were many Red-legged Partridges and timid Rabbits
were starting to emerge around the edges.
Everyone agreed that it had been a fabulous day.
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| Bunnehs! |
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