NORTH DOWNS & BEYOND

Our last full day in Majorca. An early start saw me on the viewing tower at S'Albufereta by 08.00hrs, and during the next hour watched seven Purple Herons arrive from the south, six Night Herons decide on where to roost during the daylight hours, three noisy Stone Curlews that were in a constant state of agitation, two Purple Swamphens and a Marsh Harrier that caused apoplexy amongst the Black-winged Stilts. The nearby beach played host to 16 Kentish Plovers, before a gradual dispersal caused by the arrival of human paddle-boarders. As I returned to Port de Pollenca by the coast road, I cut inland, along the quiet roads that I have come to love, bordered by scrub, small fields, weedy corners and villas surrounded by bougainvillea. From here you have an uninterrupted view of the mountain spine to the north, and it was not long before the clear blue sky was joined by a few black dots - big black dots.  I was able to watch three Black Vultures, broad of wing and meagre of effor...

I spent the whole afternoon on a circular walk, from Port de Pollenca, through the fields almost to Pollenca 'old town', then walking along the base of the wooded hills until joining the (noisy) road that runs along the base of the Tramuntana mountains back to my starting point - a good few miles. The farmland was quiet, although when practically every other bird is a Serin or a Woodchat Shrike you don't really mind. 20+ Cattle Egrets (largest group of nine) had to make do with following goats in lieu of any cattle. As I got close to the mountains I started to scan the tops in earnest, and, just before the turn off to Cala San Vincente was rewarded with a superb, and enormous, Black Vulture. I was watching this bird, on and off, for half-an-hour. Further along was an adult Booted Eagle and a couple of Eleanora's Falcons. Wonder where all the UK's Spotted Flycatchers have gone? They're here. Almost every fence, post, roof and branch holds one or two, althou...