8 BIRDS TO FIND in Mallorca
Eight target species to discover in this birding paradise IN MALLORCA, LOOK FOR AT… WHERE ELSE CAN I SEE IT?
MALLORCA OFFERS opportunities to see near-endemic species, to get great views of birds hard to find elsewhere, and to get close up to some more familiar species. Here are eight species to look for on the island, elsewhere in the Mediterranean, and even closer to home… Orchards and vineyards are good places to look for this attractive bunting in its strongholds around the Mediterranean – it is particularly fond of sunlit slopes. It can crop up in urban and suburban areas, though, as long as its main habitat requirement – open country with some dense cover – is met. Its song, a short, metallic trill, lacks the longer end note of a Yellowhammer’s song, while the flight call is a short, high, soft ‘ssip’, often frustratingly difficult to place. The Albufera Reserve is a great place to find them, but the species is resident and widespread in the right habitat. The Arta Peninsula is a hotspot for them, mainly in arable fields, while the Cuber Reservoir is another good spot to find them. Finally, the Boquer Valley offers great opportunities – scan the tops of bushes and shrubs – they will often be perched on these (Stonechats are the other species that typically does this, here). It was first identified by the ornithologist George Montagu (of harrier fame) near the Devon town of Kingsbridge – still the bird’s UK stronghold, its range having expanded into southern England, before the recent range contraction Mainly a bird of southern Europe, although it breeds in northern France right up to the Channel coast. In the UK, coastal hedges and fields in south Devon (and a few Cornish sites) are the only place you’ll find it – numbers are low, although the RSPB has a project aimed at boosting them. MORE INFO