A dipping holiday in Majorca!!

I’m hoping that my readers did not think that their computers and e-mail were on the blink last Sunday…. Cos we was far away once again enjoying 14 days in the Picafort Park in Majorca.

I suppose I have waxed lyrical about the PP (as we repeat guests call it) in previous blogs, but all the recent improvements in previous years have culminated this year in a major make-over of the restaurant. It’s spaciousness, brightness and overall ambience (who’s with the adjectives then?!) including an area adaptable for Al fresco eating, made it a vast improvement. And understanding that in the winter of 2019 it will be the turn of the lounge, we just have to return. Non regulars to Majorca may not appreciate that many of the hotels (including the PP) only open from May to October, and whilst some will just get mothballed over the winter, the PP uses the time to make improvements.

That’s the good news.  The bad news was that apart from dipping on some of the foreign bird species, I was personally dipped. I had my pocket dipped in a bus queue in Porte Pollensa. It was the crowded market-day and with the usual hustling to board a busy bus, my Euro notes were lifted. Fortunately, we had enough for the bus fare back plus one non-alcoholic drink en route.   

Lessons learnt – the hard way!

Other bad news?   14 days, 42 cooked meals, 28 of them with wine, 14 preceded with G & T and followed by coffee and brandy  =  plus half a stone!!  ( further =   the shirt worn on day 1 would not fit on day 13!!)

Anyway, to the Majorca birding.

Wednesday 12^th June I did my customary morning visit to Albufeira, the huge reed bed  in the North East of the island, and walking the kilometre from the entrance bus stop to the visitor centre, ticked off Cattle Egrets a-plenty, and then a regular, the large Purple Gallinule, also known in the UK as a Swamp Hen.

Black Winged Stilts abounded, Crested Coots (both with young) were seen from the canal bridge, one Coot with a white collar to help identify it as NOT being a standard coot. The Tui local interests guide Chris, claimed that the bird was all-inclusive, on the basis that hotel guests had to wear an i-d band if staying on all-inclusive basis!   A pair of Glossy Ibis dropping in was exciting and made up for my dipping on the Osprey.

On the middle Saturday I joined 15 other guests for a second walk to Albufeira and the hi-lite that morning was undoubtedly 2 Eleonora’s Falcons, quite obligingly circling quite low overhead.

Despite the hotel being in the middle of a residential area, the large gardens alone give me some enjoyable sightings, and I found I was often explaining birds that were uncommon for many guests.

Hoopoes were regularly seen foraging for food, and calling, and 2 Audouin’s Gulls regularly took up strategic watch points around the pool area. Again calling (different from the Herring Gull), but with very visible black beaks. 

And as always Mediterranean Flycatchers were constant, and several times were seen passing food to their young. (Sorry, no credits for Woodpigeons, Blackbirds and House Sparrows!)…..oh and one evening sighting of an Eleonora passing over.

A couple of other interesting sightings.

A couple of these little fellas were on a rocky outcrop along the prom and were completely unfazed by people approaching for a photo.  The steep forehead pointed to a Shag, and a photo sent to my UK adviser (Amanda!) brought the opinion (which I subsequently agreed) that it was a juvenile Mediterranean Shag, the desmarestii species.

Also, having wondered why I saw a couple of people with binoculars in a somewhat barren field near the hotel, I went looking for myself, and found THREE Woodchat Shrikes. 

They were very identifiable sitting on telegraph wires, and with patience I watched them repeatedly drop to catch food Unfortunately I could not see them storing the catch on any spikes or thorns, but they were catching food so frequently they did not have time to eat their prey.

So, it was an extra 10 species for the year, albeit on my world list – no use for the UK total!!

Any other news?   Not really….. flight back was delayed by 2 hours; you only get compo if it’s 3 hours+ which Would have made up for my previous loss!

Notable dates?    None today but yesterday – 22^nd June 1814 the first cricket match at Lords.

Now…not a lot of…………………..

Chin – Chin.