Mallorca for Oriole Birding - Day 8 - 23rd September 2025

Our final day was a relaxed affair and we opted not to race around trying to squeezing in birding here and then and instead chose to stay around the hotel Aumallia.  Stone-Curlews and the Scops Owl welcomed in the day but we did not go for a proper walk till after breakfast.  I took us through the lanes beyond our previous furthest point and we soaked up the landscape and the wildlife in it.  There had obviously been a small fall of passerines and most field fences held Spotted and Med-type Flycatchers – the latter gleaming white and looking striking pale all over from a distance, Northern Wheatears, Whinchats, Stonechats and a few Willow Warblers.

Spotted-ish Flycatcher

Med-type Flycatcher

Med-type Flycatcher

Once at a pine belt we picked up scolding Blackcap, Sardinian Warblers, Firecrests and three calling Chiffchaffs while a flock of initially hidden Serins in the canopy fizzed and jingled creating a curious background sound that you had to listen for to actually hear if that makes sense.

Cirl Buntings were singing well and once male put on a good show in the top of a palm tree and Red Kites were constantly patrolling. Five Black Vultures dropped out of the same thermal but it was difficult to tell if they were coming or going and they soon dropped out of sight, presumably homing in on a carcass somewhere.

Red Kite

Red Kite

Thekla's Lark

It was good to see so many House Sparrows

Cirl Bunting

There were a few butterflies on the wing although there were very few blooms for them to nectar on and we saw Clouded Yellow, Painted Lady, Wall Brown, Small Copper, Cleopatra and a single Striped Grayling – a new species for me too.

Carpocoris fuscispinus

Carpocoris fuscispinus

Striped Grayling

Grasshopper sp

Green Dor Beetle sp

St John's Wort sp

A large pellet with gecko, bird and beetle remains.  Kestrel?

Striped Shieldbug

My 2nd Euro Sausage Dog sign after the 'do not throw your sos dog into the sea' one on Lesvos

All too soon it was time for our final lunch and then some chill time before the airport but even this was interrupted by two Crossbills dropping into the gardens were one sat up long enough for a look.

Crossbill

With varied and convoluted leaving times we said goodbye to Father B and Patsy and at 3pm the rest of us loaded up and headed for the Palma airport where delays and cancellations awaited.

My plane eventually touched down at Stansted at about 1am and after a quick transit I was dropping Galen and Bonnie off at their local Air B&B by 2am for the shortish run down to my parents in Ilford for the night but an accident and huge ball of smoke and fire blocked my path on the M11 near Loughton and I did not get through till 4am before heading back up to Stansted again to pick up B&G at 9am for a fun filled day out in Essex!