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ISLA DE CABRERA, MALLORCA

Balearic Shearwater, Isla de Cabrera, May 2016.

I was very lucky to visit lovely Cabrera earlier in May this year on the recent Birdquest 35th anniversary reunion tour of Mallorca. Isla de Cabrera is the main island of a small archipelago off Mallorca’s south coast. Named after the goats, which once inhabited its rocky slopes it was visited by various ancient Mediterranean civilizations – the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans and Byzantines. It is also said to be the birthplace of the Carthaginian General Hannibal! In the middle ages Cabrera was a haven for Barbary pirates, prompting the building of the castle here in the 14th Century. The pretty island also has a very dark past indeed. In the Napoleonic era Cabrera was used as a concentration camp for captured French prisoners. Of 18,000 who surrendered to the Spanish at the Battle of Bailen in 1808, 9,000 were taken to Cabrera and marooned there. There was no building on the island used as a prison and the prisoners of war suffered intolerable conditions, particularly as the provisioning operation, which were supposed to deliver food to them every four days collapsed and a period of up to three months without food and supplies followed. There were rumors of cannibalism and coprofagia and only 3,600 detainees survived when they were finally freed when peace returned in 1814. It is difficult to imagine this scene of human suffering when walking along the quiet trails around this beautiful island. Cabrera was privately owned until 1916 when it was seized by the military ‘in the interest of national defense’, owing to its use as a refueling and repair station by German submarines operating in the Mediterranean. It remained a military station until it was declared a Foreshore National Park in 1988, 85% of the new park’s surface being sea. The military occupation certainly saved Cabrera from development, which has afflicted much of the Balearic Islands and the island has a wonderful landscape of natural vegetation (spoilt only by a few eyesores, particularly a hideous bank of solar panels plonked on one of its hillsides). The geology of Cabrera is predominantly tertiary dolomite limestone and its vegetation is typically Mediterranean maquis scrub with wild olive trees, Aleppo Pines, scattered Balearic Buckthorn and junipers. 

Birdquesters on Isla de Cabrera.

The main reason for our visit was Cabrera’s two special warblers: Balearic (reaching its highest density in its tiny world range here) and Moltoni’s (at the westernmost limit of its range in the Balearic Islands and particularly easy to see on Cabrera). Both of these adorable little birds delighted us all in giving very instructive, perfect, close views. The first, Balearic Warbler, showed immediately, near the harbour but later, it could be seen easily along the quiet trails through the maquis scrub, sometimes foraging and even singing only a few metres away. Like many small sylvias they spend a lot of time foraging low down but they do occasionally show themselves ridiculously even without ‘encouragement’. Most authors follow its splitting off from Marmora’s Warbler but a few do not, notably Birdlife International. The plumage differences are indeed small but they are distinctive, a whiter throat and paler, buffy belly/vent area than Marmora’s is obvious as well as a harsher rattling song.

Balearic Warbler (male), Isla de Cabrera, May 2016.

Moltoni’s Warbler was a main target for everyone and happily there was a bird holding territory in the ornamental garden of the island’s little museum, like an exhibit itself. It obligingly returned time and again to a small flowering broom bush in the centre of the garden affording some wonderful views and a chance to study its features like the cold ‘salmon-pink’ under parts all the way to the under tail as well as to hear the diagnostic wren-like call. It was a world lifer for many and I wonder if one of us will now be able to pick one out on migration? 

Moltoni's Warbler, Isla de Cabrera, May 2016.

As well as the numerous and delightful Balearic Warblers, which are the most conspicuous breeding birds on Cabrera and reach their highest density here another special attraction is the endangered Lilford’s Wall Lizard Podarcis lilfordi. Extirpated from Mallorca and Menorca by cats and other introduced predators, this Balearic endemic lizard can still be found easily on the smaller islets of the archipelago. It has some interesting relationships, pollinating some plant species endemic to the Balearic Islands as well as being found moving to the nests of Eleonora’s Falcons, where it feeds on the remains of prey items.

Cabrera is even more exciting for Spanish birders. It is more or less Spain’s equivalent of Fair Isle, having hosted numerous country firsts like Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Cretzschmar’s Bunting and Semi-collared Flycatcher. Although our visit came at a good time for extreme vagrants we did not have the easterly winds needed to bring the true megas from the Balkans and further east but Dani was happy to make do with wall to wall sunshine and finding Spain’s third or so spring Common Rosefinch, a female type feeding at the grassy clearing by the picnic tables, Cabrera’s main migrant trap. Also here were numerous Common Redstarts, Whinchats, Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Tree Pipits, flava wagtails, a few Tree Pipits and a Common Nightingale. Many of these showed ridiculously well. Many of us fancy a return visit to watch migration here! After a very pleasant stop at the island’s little bar we all spread out and did our own thing on the island for the rest of the afternoon. Some climbed the stairs to the top of the castle and enjoyed wonderful views over the natural harbor, others enjoyed an afternoon surrounded by Balearic Warblers and some simply disappeared. Booted Eagles soared high over the island, a few Pallid Swifts zoomed around the castle and in the late afternoon we headed back to the mainland, stopping off to enter a sea cave on the way. A few Eleonora’s Falcons had gathered over one of the smaller islets as we headed towards the main channel between the small archipelago and Mallorca.

Common Rosefinch, Isla de Cabrera, May 2016.

Another reason for our visit to Cabrera is its breeding population of the critically Balearic Shearwater. The most recent (2011) population estimate for Cabrera is a rather precise 449 pairs of a total world breeding population of 3,200 pairs, however, recent winter at-sea surveys and counts from Gibraltar of post-breeding birds leaving the Mediterranean have suggested a population in the region of 25,000-30,000 individuals. Unfortunately, despite higher population estimates, the rate of decline at known breeding colonies suggests that this species is still in severe danger. We enjoyed some great views of them, briefly in the morning blasting across the bow of our speedy craft but much more prolonged in the evening as we approached several small rafts offshore to see them patter across the waves as they took flight flashing dusky armpits as they went by. Their commoner and larger cousin, the recently split Scopoli’s Shearwater, was also here on both the morning and evening crossings and again we enjoyed some lovely views in the evening sunshine. Dani was happy to go through their ID features including their pale forehead, distinctive single black spot at the base of the underside of p10 and more extensive white on the underside of their hands. What a great way to finish a wonderful day in one of the nicest corners of the Mediterranean! Thanks for making it happen for us Dani!

Scopoli's Shearwater, Isla de Cabrera, May 2016.

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SANDERLING AT ALSTON

Sanderling in breeding plumage, Alston Wetland - note the impression of a pale supercilium in this shot.

A SANDERLING AT ALSTON WETLAND was the highlight of my morning as well as being my most wanted this week. I had failed to catch up with four at Stocks this week and around 70 were reported from inland sites across the country yesterday so I was hoping that at least one would stop off at Alston in the heavy downpours. The arctic-breeding shorebird passage isn't quite over yet! Looking surprisingly stint-like (I was hoping that it would be a mis-identified Temminck's Stint but I was still delighted with a Sanderling!) they can be very confusing at times but this one had massive white wing bars as well as showing the diagnostic lack of a hind toe when on dry mud. At a greater distance it would have presented more of a problem. Just as rare for Alston was a superb drake Northern Pintail on the main lagoon. I wonder what it was doing here. Two Lesser Whitethroats were singing along the hedge line on Pinfold Lane, as were a couple of Common Whitethroats and also on the wetland were four LRPs and a Common Ringed Plover. The previous evening had produced a breeding plumaged Dunlin but nothing else of note and by this evening Common Ringed Plovers had increased to three but the Sanderling had moved on. Now for my next ELOC project… Hobby.

ELOC year list 138. Sanderling

Sanderling, Alston Wetland.

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NORMAL SERVICE IS RESUMED

Common Reed Bunting, Alston Reservoirs.

SPRING MIGRATION IS COMING TO AN END, with all but the highest Arctic breeding birds already gone through. In fact it will not be long before the return passage starts, usually with Common Scoter and Green Sandpiper leading the way. I thought the rain would ground something this morning and unfortunately I made the wrong choice in trudging around Alston instead of going to Stocks, where I would have seen a Sanderling. Ah well. Breeding birds are well established now and a pair of reed buntings and Sedge Warblers were in the small marsh by No. 1 and a chiffchaff was still belting out its song there too. The LRPs are still on the wetland but there were no passage shorebirds today… yet. Stocks was also quiet and there was nothing ahead for the heavy rain, which hit around 1100. There are at least three pairs of Great Crested Grebes this year and four Red-breasted Mergansers were still around. The pair of Great Black-backed Gulls had a large exclusion zone around them on the island as usual and a couple of Common Sandpipers, a redshank and a drumming snipe from the walled garden were the only shorebirds seen. Garden Warblers seem to be present in good numbers this year with at least four heard between the causeway and old hide. Well that's it for today then. Hopefully there is still time for something interesting before the ELOC area goes to sleep again for the summer. It's a great time of year for an overshoot. 

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BLACKTOFT SANDS 30 YEARS ON

Montagu's Harrier (adult female), Blacktoft Sands RSPB Reserve.

MONTAGU'S HARRIER WAS THE STAR OF MY RETURN TO BLACKTOFT today, only a couple of months short of 30 years since my last visit there (for Britain's first Red-necked Stint). Unfortunately only the female has been seen recently, the male having been seen last eight days ago and she was prospecting far and wide over the reserve, often way up in the sky. We hope he returns and they can breed again in safety deep inside Blacktoft's massive reed bed. Although the Monty's was today's star, when I last visited the Little Egret, which flew under it at one stage today would have been more notable! The reserve now has its own Avocet colony as well as bitterns (three) and Cetti's Warblers in addition to the Marsh Harriers and Bearded Tits, which were the reasons for our regular visits in the 80s, although the endless stream of Turtle Doves we used to see flying along the skyline here are long gone. How times have changed! Other birds here today included a couple of sparrowhawks over the reed bed and Tree Sparrows breeding in the car park.

Some extensive searching around the ELOC area produced a desired Spotted Flycatcher singing in the car park at Stocks but not much else of note in a cool northerly wind. The previous evening I had failed to find a flycatcher around Slaidburn but two whimbrels north from the walled garden at Stocks saved the show now the arctic shorebird passage has all but ended. 

ELOC year list 137. Spotted Flycatcher

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