Long live Albufeira Reserve, Majorca

Report No 7.   22^nd June 2022.

Not a great deal to report as we finished the month by catching Covid during our holiday in Majorca, so isolation means it's home to garden watching!!

You may recall in April that I wrote about the Poole Harbour Osprey that earlier this year had laid an egg, the first one in 5 years.    Hot news from our local reporter James FK, 3^rd June and the egg has hatched.

It would be nice to think it broke out the day before the news broke, i.e. on June 2 as that would be the actual date of the Queens diamond jubilee Thus the fledgling would well and truly qualify for a name relevant to the jubilee event.   Jubilee?? Diamond?

Watch this space!!

 

The main activity in the last 4 weeks has been our two weeks holiday in Majorca from 4^th to 18^th June, once again at the Picafort Park. It has been two and a half years since we were last there, restricted due to Covid, and we finally enjoyed the holiday purchased in October 2019!!

Anyway, to the birds.   As always the usual avian residents were at the hotel. Early bird guests (those placing their beach towels from 5.45am!) saw the Hoopoe banging away catching ants, and I gather before we arrived a couple had reported seeing an adult with two young. We just saw the one adult. Still searching for food the day we left, at 6.45am

The Southern Spotted flycatchers were there everyday, impervious to and probably unnoticed by, most guests. Difficult to tell how many there are as they are buzzing from one post to the next all day, and even in the area where we played French Boule, they still landed on nearby trees. I just love them, they are so close and I wish people could share my enjoyment.

House Sparrows had many young, often in groups of 2/3 with their adults.

Not surprisingly I had two bus trips to Albufeira, and each time spent an enjoyable 3 hours amongst the huge reed bed area.

Towards the end of the 1 metre walk to the centre, it is always a joy to look across the river and see the birds that nest in the trees. But this year, there were now 4 different species.

Of course the Little Egrets, outnumbered by the Cattle Egrets, and supplemented by a few Night Herons, but this time a number of large black birds.   Glossy Ibis had decided to join and share the nest zone and turned out to be a species seen by me more frequently than before. In many cases they were flying in pairs.

On both trips I met a Brit (for a change!) (as opposed to many groups of Spanish students, who unfortunately crowded the hides,) and we shared mixed sightings and experiences.

No Osprey, but Marsh Harrier, Purple Herons, Purple Gallinule, and a couple of Stone Curlew.  And to compensate for failing at Whisby, I stood for sometime listening to and watching 2/3 Nightingales singing their hearts out.  May that never cease. 

Oh well, roll on July.... work to be done!!

David