We are back in (rural) Mallorca once again, and this time our accommodation played a much larger part in the birdwatching side of things. A lot of the birds that will be mentioned were heard from the villa, and then seen elsewhere such as the Sardinian Warbler. This is an account of all birding completed from our home away from home, covering the entire week of our stay.
The villa was an odd one, with chickens, cats and dogs regularly entering the garden from the lemon orchard behind. Because of this, there were lemons scattered along the ground. The place had a friendly, comfortable atmosphere, however, and proved to bring some of the best birdwatching opportunities I have had in a long while. The orchard was separated from us by a flimsy wall of tall grasses, easily bypassed by the various domestic animals that visited the garden.
Now, please enjoy this account of mornings, evenings and afternoons birding (incidentally) from the best rural comforts, with the best mountains providing the best backdrop.
Day 2
Our first full day in Mallorca was (arguably) one of the best, bringing a flood of brand new species. To start, we found a Serin in a tree growing right by the swimming pool, its melodious song floating on the warm breeze (37 degrees celsius warm breeze!). The Serin was once a popular cage-bird, and you can tell why. Not just from its song, but from its beautiful yellowish-green plumage as well. Thankfully, this practise is no longer legal. The raptors that flew over also gave relatively good views. We saw a lone Honey-Buzzard pass over that day, along with a Red Kite that would continue to return to this area reliably for the remainder of our stay. To top it all of, we heard a certain Eurasian Scops Owl that night. And yet, after I had gone up to bed, the adults reported actually seeing it flying low over the garden. Unlucky for me. But that was only the first night. Off to a BRILLIANT start, I would say.
Day 4
I had to wait TWO WHOLE DAYS to finally hear that Scops Owl again, and it came even later into the evening since last time. The thing is, I thought I saw it, but nobody else did. But I still believe my eyes, and what a way to top a great day off. Scores of Swifts had flown over that day, with a lone Pallid Swift heard among them. The screams were monotonous, but welcome in my eyes. We also had the luck to hear a Tree Sparrow that day, an increasingly rare species back home. Sardinian Warbler also featured, an absolutely incredible bird to hear. Striking to see, and we would go on to see it away from Villa Rico.
Day 5
An incredible day, possibly The Best of our villa birding. Serin, Kestrel, Scops Owl, Red Kite and Tree Sparrow all featuring once again. But something really special proved a highlight. A strange call for a strange bird was heard at around four o’clock that evening. A Stone-Curlew (or Eurasian Thick-Knee). Another very rare bird back home, but regular here. Almost impossible to see against its natural habitat, due to its nondescript plumage, a speckled, light brown. One of the oddities of the avian world that’s for sure, but also one of its beauties. This probably would have been the best of the night, if it wasn’t for the call of a VERY special raptor. An absolute gem back home, it was the Osprey. What a sound to hear from our villa. A mainly fish-eating bird, the black-and-white Osprey is beginning to make a comeback in England, having been almost hunted to extinction in earlier years. With the recent success of the Poole Harbour pair, hearing this bird seemed even better than it might have done.
Day 7
Our final day, we had to be out of Villa Rico by 10:00am. As I went out into the garden one last time, a Nightingale sung to see us off. It just seemed right to be leaving on this note, and I was sure we would be back once again.
So there you have it. The birding highlights of a brilliant stay in the wonderful Villa Rico. More posts are to come. Stay tuned.
The Bovey Birder 