Mallorca

Tour Code: ESP03

An 8-day birdwatching tour of Mallorca's finest sites, concentrating mainly on the spectacular north-east.

We hope to run this tour in the future, but have not yet finalised dates and prices. To be added to a waiting list and be informed when details are confirmed, please click on the register interest button, or phone 01962 733051.
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Highlights

Summary

Summary

We've chosen a prime location for this holiday, just outside the peaceful town of Puerto Pollensa. Our hotel lies on the edge of the Albufureta Marshes, a magnet for migrants, and the Boquer Valley, which attracts raptors, Hoopoes, shrikes, wheatears and warblers during migration. During the week we also enjoy visits to the Parc Naturel de S’Albufera, a 2,200 hectare freshwater marsh, and the Tramuntanas Mountains, home of the rare Cinereous Vulture and other raptors. The spectacular Formentor Peninsula, with newly arrived Eleonora’s Falcons, is another area not to be missed. The comfort and simplicity of a birdwatching tour in this area, and the short driving distances involved, make this a most relaxing holiday and ideal for the less experienced birdwatcher.

  • A comfortable hotel – with superb swimming pool – close to all the main birding sites
  • Superb, relaxed Mediterranean birding
  • Cinereous Vulture, Audouin's Gull, Balearic Warbler & Eleonora's Falcon
  • Time to enjoy butterflies, dragonflies and reptiles
  • Regional flights available from the UK to Palma de Mallorca
  • Expertly guided by a Naturetrek ornithologist

Grading

Grade A. A traditional birding tour with easy walking.

Mallorca, surprisingly, is one of the most remote islands in the Mediterranean! Almost 200 kilometres from the nearest mainland coast, it has a range of high mountains (with 37 peaks over 1,000 metres), one of the largest marshes in the western Mediterranean, and a wealth of the garrigue and maquis vegetation so typical of the region. These features are in part the reason for the island’s rich birdlife, but Mallorca’s appeal to the naturalist also lies in the close proximity of its very varied habitats, enabling all of them to be covered easily from a single base, without the need to change hotels or travel vast distances, thus leaving more time to enjoy the natural sites in a more relaxed way. Further, Mallorca lies along one of the major bird migration routes across the Mediterranean and, due to its comparative isolation, is home to a number of rare species such as Cinereous Vulture, Eleonora’s Falcon, Audouin’s Gull and Balearic Warbler, not to mention over 30 endemic plants, including a relict from the ice ages, Hypericum balearicum.

Our holiday is based near Puerto Pollensa, a relatively quiet Mallorcan coastal town, situated in the north-eastern corner of the island and well away from the main tourist metropolis. From here we will take daily minibus excursions into the surrounding areas and pass our time enjoying easy walking in our search for birds and other wildlife. Behind our hotel lies S’Albufereta Marsh, a prime site for passing migrants together with a wealth of resident species. Our hotel has a private hide overlooking the marsh which is an excellent facility for enjoying some pre-breakfast or post-dinner birdwatching. Another local site worth exploring is the Bocquer Valley which attracts raptors, shrikes, wheatears and warblers during migration.

Amongst the other special sites we will be visiting is the Parc Naturel de S’Albufera, a 2,200-hectare freshwater marsh and one of the most important birding areas in the western Mediterranean. This provides a wealth of insect-life for passing migrants such as terns, bee-eaters, hirundines and warblers, and is home to such resident birds as Marsh Harrier and Moustached Warbler, of which the latter number some 1,000 pairs. We will also be looking for the marsh’s excellent selection of herons, egrets, waterfowl and waders, and some of the re-introduced populations of Purple Swamphen and Red-knobbed Coot.

We will spend at least one day in the northern mountains, the ‘Tramuntanas’, home of the rare Cinereous Vulture. These mountains are mainly composed of limestone, and the scenery here is magnificent. As well as enjoying some pleasant walking, our primary purpose will be our search for raptors, and we will hope to see Cinereous and Griffon Vultures, Booted Eagle, Osprey, Peregrine Falcon, Common Kestrel and Red Kite.

The spectacular Formentor Peninsula is another area not to be missed. A rocky extension of the Tramuntana Mountains, the peninsula provides superb coastal cliff scenery and views, and is home to Blue Rock Thrush and Shag (the Mediterranean subspecies desmarestii). We will visit the lighthouse at the tip of the peninsula in search of newly arrived Eleonora’s Falcons, a summer visitor which breeds colonially on the cliffs, and spend time at Casas Vellas, a cultivated area containing fig and olive trees as well as vines in the middle of this otherwise pine-covered peninsula, which attracts many northbound migrants in spring.

Finally we will take a trip to the Salinas de Levante in the south, an area of worked and disused saltpans that are often the first landfall for migrants from Africa, and a particularly good site for waders such as Black-winged Stilt, Kentish Plover and Pied Avocet. They are also an important area for wintering wildfowl, and small flocks of Greater Flamingoes have begun to overwinter here in recent years. We will view the pans from the main tracks and then explore the Cabo de Salinas, the southernmost point on the island, and a marvellous area of undisturbed garrigue which is home to Eurasian Stone-curlew and Thekla Lark. From the beach we should see the elegant Audouin’s Gull, one of the rarest gulls in the world, and possibly Scopoli’s and Balearic Shearwaters if the weather is favourable.

The comfort and simplicity of a birdwatching tour in this area, and the short driving distances involved, make this a most relaxing holiday. The exceptional range of southern European birds makes it an ideal venue for the less experienced birdwatcher and beginners, as well as those with more experience. In this respect, Mallorca has certainly not changed since it first became a birdwatcher’s paradise over 40 years ago.

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Fly Palma; transfer Puerta Pollensa
Day 2/7
Excursions to the Boquer Valley, Albufera Marsh, Tramuntana Mountains, Formentor Peninsula, Salinas de Levante and Cuber reservoir, from our hotel base near Puerto Pollensa
Day 8
Fly London
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What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation:

    Comfortable hotel near Puerto Pollensa, with private facilities and swimming pool.

  • Food:

    All included in the price.

Reviews
Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!