Mallorca day 9-10: back to the swamp

Day 9 on Mallorca was another rest day. I did little more than trundle to the beach at Port de Pollenca to photograph the desmarestii sub-species of Shag which is found in the Med, and was amused to find a few revellers from the night before enjoying the early morning light on the beach. Returning via the town's La Gola nature reserve, a few more Mediterranean Flycatcher were the main highlight. My son and I did manage a brief trip to the S'Albufureta - S'Albufera's little sibling - where an Osprey, more Stilts and my first Woodchat Shrike of the trip provided some interest, but otherwise day 9 saw me subject to the tyranny of time by the swimming pool.

Marbled Duck at S'Albufera

Marbled Duck is considered globally vulnerable due to habitat loss and hunting

Six birds were present in total

Two of the flock loafing on the water's edge

I find these rest days quite stressful so resolved to get up early the next morning while everyone else was still in bed and revisit S'Albufera. The mosquito bites from my first visit had changed by this point from angry red burning wheals to angry red itchy rashes, so this time I went better prepared. Long-trousers and boots got their first outing of the holiday, but covering my arms presented a dilemma as I had only taken one long-sleeved shirt with me: a dark blue number with tan trim which my sons would describe as a 'party shirt'.

Juvenile Black-winged Stilt, S'Albufera

Over 50 Stilts were on this one pool at S'Albufera

This youngster was attempting log-balancing

Adult female Black-winged Stilt

It was not your typical birder's outfit, and I did get some funny looks from other visitors as the morning progressed, the heat rose, and the inappropriateness of my attire became more apparent. I consoled myself with the thought that these T-shirt-and-shorts folks would be itching by the time they got home, while I would smugly be bite-free, protected not just by my disco gear but by the lashings of citron-scented insect repellant procured at vast expense from a local chemist.

This young Goldfinch landed on the street in Port de Pollenca

The Mediterranean desmarestii sub-species of Shag, Port de Pollanca

Med Flycatcher at La Gola, Port de Pollenca

Med Flycatcher, Port de Pollanca

Anyway, enough catwalk talk, there was birding to be done and it started well: the fine selection of herons from my first visit were still present, with Night, Squacco and Purple Heron in a variety of plumages. Before the sun had risen convincingly, a small flock of Greater Flamingo rose briefly above the skyline, just long enough to grab a few pictures.

Glossy Ibis - commonplace at S'Albufera

Juvenile Night Heron, S'Albufera

Purple Swamphen, S'Albufera

Immature Squacco Heron, S'Albufera

All very nice, but not yet what I was hoping for. S'Albufera is a good site for the Marbled Duck, a globally threatened species classified as 'vulnerable' by the IUCN and I had yet to see one anywhere in the world. Fellow Dorset resident Marcus Lawson had provided some potential site details including a lagoon on the edge of the reserve, but this had dried out in the summer heat unfortunately. The deepest water at this time of year would be on the main reserve and sure enough, as I entered a hide on the Sa Roca trail, first one, then two, and eventually half a dozen of these attractive waterfowl gathered in front of the hide. A good morning then, even though Moustached Warbler continued to elude me.

Greater Flamingo at S'Albufera

The flock held 13 birds in total

Adult Red-knobbed Coot at S'Albufera

Juvenile Red-knobbed Coot at S'Albufera

It was a productive return to the swamp, but one of the best moments of the day was yet to come: as I made my way home via the Port de Pollenca ring road, two large soaring white birds with black wing tips caught my eye. My instinctive reactive was 'White Stork' but on pulling over for a better view it became clear they were in fact Egyptian Vultures - a bird I had hoped to see on the trip but had been advised could be very difficult!

Egyptian Vulture, Port de Pollenca

Egyptian Vulture, Port de Pollenca

Egyptian Vulture, Port de Pollenca

Woodchat Shrike on the back roads to S'Albufureta

Time slowed down

Time felt like it had slowed down on our recent half-term visit to Cornwall. That's my excuse for posting these photos two weeks after they were taken anyway. The Hudsonian Whimbrel rather stole the limelight on that trip, but there was plenty of other stuff to see on the way there and back.

Fulmar, Lands End

We went to Land's End to look for a Rose-coloured Starling. Only after spending the day there did I realise it was actually at The Lizard. Wrong headland. Doh! Here is its close relative, a male Starling.

The Land's End Starlings were looking stunning though. This one a female.

Longships Lighthouse off Land's End

Land's End was taking a bit of a pounding

Oystercatcher at Sennen Cove

Little Egrets near Marazion

Rock Pipit at Marazion

Sanderling at Marazion

This Pheasant visited the garden of our holiday cottage

After leaving Land's End we headed for St Levan where this Barn Own was a highlight

Barn Owl

Possibly the world's worst photo of a Yellow-browed Warbler, which was at the bottom of the valley at St Levan, calling frequently, but not exactly showy!

On the way down to Cornwall, a flying visit to Seaton Marshes enabled me to catch up with a Glossy Ibis 

It was a bit distant unfortunately...

...also a bit distant at Seaton Marshes was a drake Green-winged Teal, here with a female Common Teal

This Whooper Swan was on the boating lake at Helston on the way home

Whooper Swan - a returning bird which first turned up as a juvenile in 2013

The wet patch

Well I'm trying, but patch birding is just not happening this year so far: it started well enough as I managed a quick canter around on 2nd Jan, and while I don't really yearlist I netted a half-century of species. (If birding were cricket, that would be enough to get me in the England team at the moment. I still can't do overarm since breaking a collarbone but I reckon I would probably make it into the bowling attack too). But by the 4th the main footpath to Swineham was impassable, even with wellies.

 

A good excuse, then, to neglect it for slightly higher and drier ground. The harbours of Dorset and Devon are enjoying a purple patch with six species of auk, five species of grebe, four species of diver and three species of scoter viewable in recent weeks between Brixham, Portland and Poole. With only a brief weather window forecast on Sunday morning I headed for Portland:

This Great Northern Diver was plucking up crabs just yards from the shore at Hamm Beach

Great Northern Diver preening and showing the webbed feet

And here trying to swallow that crab.



A Black-throated Diver was further out but still a good view of this species

Female Eider, also off Hamm Beach

Razorbills were also fishing close to the shore...

...as was this Shag...

...while a small flock of Turnstone fed on the shingle

Back in Weymouth, a lingering Glossy Ibis was still present.

Buy any wildlife photography book and it will tell you not just to shoot close-ups but to depict a bird in its natural habitat. So here goes: prime Glossy Ibis habitat, Radipole Park Drive. Back of the net!

And no visit to Weymouth would be complete without a twirl around the Radipole Lake car park to check the gull roost. This smart Med Gull was the highlight on Sunday.

Not just the weather that was rough in Weymouth this weekend: this Shag was hanging around industrial buildings drinking lager and hurling insults at passers-by