Mallorca Holiday 23rd April 2015 : La Gola and Port de Pollenca

Mallorca Holiday 23rd April 2015 : La Gola and Port de Pollenca

We had visited Mallorca in October of 2014 (see here for summary of that trip) and were so impressed with the birding that we decided we just had to return for the spring migration when it is supposed to be inundated with birds. I have to say that this spring was somewhat different, which was confirmed by many birders we spoke to who had been to Mallorca in the spring before, and the huge masses of birds on migration were not to be seen. This didn’t mean that we didn’t see any birds, though, because we saw many fantastic birds and visited many wonderful natural locations in and around Port de Pollenca racking up a good number of species and some great “life ticks” while we were there.

We flew out to Mallorca on the 23rd April and got a taxi from the airport to our base in Port de Pollenca where we again stayed at the Hoposa Uyal hotel. which had the great advantage of being only a couple of miles from S’Alufereta nature reserve and only a little further to the S’Alufera reserve. It is also very near the Formentor peninsula and where we stay is just minutes from the Boquer valley, popular for its migratory birding and birds of prey in general.

We didn’t have a lot of time on the first day but we did take a spin around the La Gola mini-reserve in the centre of town. Here we got a Common Sandpiper and a Greenshank and in the trees and scrub a Stonechat and Greenfinches. On the Beach we saw a pair of Audouin’s Gulls scavenging (Port de Pollenca beach is one of the very best places to see Europe’s rarest breeding gull) and some Shags on the spit of land just off the beach in front of our hotel and in the evening the ever active Swifts that swooped around our hotel balcony

Bird Sightings : La Gola

Bird Sightings : Port de Pollenca Environs