Balearic Spring Day 5 - In search of a Warbler

Early morning saw us once more heading down the dusty trail towards the coastal garrigue. We decided on a return visit to the area we had visited a few days earlier to see what else it could produce for the cameras. I was really hoping I could find one of my target birds for the trip, the Balearic Warbler. The reason for this becoming a target was that on a previous visit several years before I had caught a very brief glimpse of one. This had created a long running spark of facination and curisoity that needed to be satisfied.

10 minutes after arrival the throbbing blister on my foot had been numbed by new species on the camera memory card in the shape of a Tawny Pipit. A promising start to the day.


Further wandering around amongst the coastal scrub produced the by now identifable Thekla Lark.


I was scrutinising every bush I passed and listening hard for any sign of a Balearic Warbler. However, all I was seeing was the occasional Sardinian Warbler flitting between the low scrub. The habitat looked perfect but the birds, if here, were keeping a very low profile. I continued my search for quite some time and then while walking up a small track, a small dark long-tailed bird darted across the path. My first thoughts were 'another Sardininian Warbler' but then from the low bush rose an unfamilar scratching warbling song. A Balearic Warbler at last. I settled down close by and the bird put in a couple of brief appearances, which seemed to be more for the satisfaction of its own curiosity.
There birds really are a Dartford Warbler in all but colour. I managed to find another bird a little further down the same track that was occasionally popping up on to perch to sing. I waited and waited, and waited but eventually the bird appeared.

That was the last I saw of these endemic Mallorcan warblers but it had been a memorable morning.

After much careful creeping through the undergrowth and using the available cover I managed to sneak in to close range under the vigilent watch of a Woodchat Shrike. This was to be the last bird photographed that morning.

We had worked hard for the photographs that morning and so after lunch decided to have some R&R and finish off the rest of the day at S'Albufera. Snipe fed in close to one of the Bishop Hides.

A little further out a Black-Winged Stilt was bathing.


and beyond the Stilt it was bathtime for a Spoonbill.

The afternoon 'siesta' was only occasionally disrupted by mating Stilts. A delicate operation to perform when legs are so long.

It is easy to forget the length of a Stilt's legs when they are wading around in water and it is only when they come out on to terra firma that you appreciate how bizarre they are.

As the sun set on the day there was not much to photograph in front of the hide but with the light being so beautiful even the common species took on a whole new look.

Balearic Spring Day 2 - Searching the Garrigue

A feint glimmer of orange appeared across the crop fields that surrounded the villa, as the dawn sun approached the horizon before it would quickly arc upwards in to the clear blue skies. I was having a quick look at out my bedroom window taking in my new surroundings before getting started for the day. A Zitting Cisticola (Fantail Warbler) in bounding song flight across the grassland caught my attention with its steady monotone of 'dzip, dzip' calls. In the distance the low flutey whistle of a Hoopoe.

We headed out after breakfast down to an area of garrigue on the east coast. Garrigue is a low growing coastal scrub and provides an ideal habitat for a range of warblers. It is very attractive in the spring with a diverse range of flowers mixed in amongst the shrubs. It certainly made a change photographing birds surrounded by the pleasant aromatic scent of rosemary.

The walk in to the garrigue was quite long and through an area of pine woods which provided occasional glimpses of birds such as Sardinian Warbler, Woodchat Shrike, Crossbills, Serin and the electric song of Nightingale. As we approached the coast, the trees diminished and we were finally in scrub area that bordered the coast. I quickly found a Sardinian Warbler and decided to concentrate on trying to get some photographs of these birds. A bit of patience combined with the natural curiosity of the species produced a selection of images as the bird flitted between two low shrubs via a fence line.

The first clear sighting of a Sardinian Warbler, perched on a wire fence, singing with the sky and the Mediterranean sea merged in to one to form the background.

Typically for this type of warblers, they have a high curiosity for investigating visitors.

Once their inquisitive nature has been satisfied they usually return to normal operations which is singing a great deal.

After a very enjoyable encounter with the Sardinian Warbler, I moved further into the scrub and came across two larks perched on some rocky ground. By this point the heat of the day was really starting to kick-in and a visible heat haze forming. Of the few photos I managed to take of the larks only this one came out sharp due to the wobbling air between me and the bird, even at close range.

The debate then started if this was a Crested or Thekla Lark. We decided based on looks and song to identify the birds at Thekla Lark but of course at the point we did not realise that crested larks are not present on Mallorca!


By now the sun was high and harsh and the birds quietened down for a siesta. There was no sign or sound of one of the birds I was really hoping to photograph, the Balearic Warbler, so it looked like a return visit later in the week may be required. As we left the garrigue I almost literally stumbled across a Hermann's Tortoise. The first time I have ever encountered a wild tortoise and so a few photographs were required.

We decided to go and check a couple of sites near the southern end of S'Albufera marsh from a rather out of date bird watching guide. The first, a quarry, was now a woodland. Bird life in there was rather limited but there was a good number of Swallowtail butterflies. I must admit photographing insects is not really my bag but Steve pursues them and it is difficult to ignore the beauty of these large butterflies.

Time to get back to the birds and onwards to our next stop at the treatment works lagoons but the reported hide turned out to be a viewing platform and the photographic opportunities were zero. We then decided to return to S'Albufera Marsh and have a concentrated effort on the Cattle Egrets that were flying in to the colony with nesting material. The wind was still not in the ideal direction but we managed to get some photos after a while, a small selection of which are posted below.

To finish off the day, this loafing cormorant drying its feathers in the last of the sun caught my eye.

It had been a long and interesting day. We had covered a large distance on foot in hot weather along dusty tracks carrying heavy camera gear. On returning to the villa and before going through the days images, an essential need was to soak my aching feet in the pool with a cold beer in hand as the last of the light faded behind the mountains. Another moment of Mallorcan magic.