5 May 25

Day 13.

S'Albufera National Park.

It was our last visit to the National Park and what a way to finish our 3rd trip with Grey Heron, Red Kite, Curlew Sandpiper, Sanderling and Sedge Warbler all new ticks for my Mallorca bird species list.

However the best was left to near the end of our visit when a Purple Swamphen put in a great appearance close to the reserves information building.

Mammals recorded:

1 Bunny

A juvenile Bunny close to the reserve centre

Birds Recorded:
Black-crowned Night Heron
Squacco Heron
Cattle Egret

1 Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Great White Egret
Little Egret
Glossy Ibis
Greater Flamingo
Shelduck
Mallard
Gadwall
1 Red Kite
1 Buzzard
1 Kestrel
Moorhen
Coot
1 Crested Coot
1 Purple Swamphen
Avocet
Black-winged Stilt
Ringed Plover
Little Ringed Plover
Kentish Plover
2 Curlew Sandpiper
1 Sanderling
Black-headed Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Audouin's Gull
Common Tern
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Swift
2 Hoopoe
8 Nightingale
Blackbird
Reed Warbler
1 Sedge Warbler
Cetti's Warbler
Zitting Cisticola
Sardinian Warbler
Willow Warbler
Firecrest

Balearic Spotted Flycatcher
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Raven
House Sparrow
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Serin

A Black-crowned Night Heron hiding in amongst the trees overhanging the canal.

A very distant shot of a Squacco Heron.

A Cattle Egret also in amongst the trees overhanging the canal.

A Glossy Ibis having a bit of a flap just along from the Black-crowned Night Heron above.

A Glossy Ibis seen from this hide here.

Just a few Greater Flamingos seen across the reserve about here.

I just managed to photograph this family of Shelduck as they headed up the canal.

A duck Gadwall.

Here a a couple of photos of.............

.........a Red Kite which drifted over us.

On our last trip to the reserve this Purple Swamphen put in a great appearance.

Two adult Avocets and a juvenile.

A male Black-winged Stilt and another..............

......................Black-winged Stilt flying north over the canal.

For some reason I assumed this chick was an Avocet as there were adults close-by. Looks are deceiving, it is in fact a juvenile Black-winged Stilt

A male Kentish Plover.............

..................seen from this hide here.

It is such a stunning bird, so here is another shot of it.

A distant shot of 2 Curlew Sandpipers and 5 Ringed Plovers.

A Common Tern. And this tern certainly lives up to its name as I came across it here on the reserve, and also the local canals and Alcudia Bay.

One of two Hoopoe close to the reserve entrance here.

There were at least 4 Nightingales singing from this corner of the reserve here.

A Raven passes by.

A juvenile Goldfinch being fed by one of its parents.

Fish Recorded:
Grey Mullet - Either Thin-lipped (Liza ramada) and Thick-lipped (Chelon labrosus)


Amphibians Recorded:
Iberian Water Frog (Pelophylax perezi)


Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum)

A Black-tailed Skimmer.

Butterflies Recorded:
Southern Small White (Pieris mannii)

Southern Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria aegeria)

African Monarch (Danaus chrysippus)

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra balearica) - Sub-species

Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus)

Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous)
Swallowtail (Papilio machaon)

A very worn and battered Red Admiral.

A Cleopatra and..........

.........another one in flight.

A Southern Speckled Wood and.............

...........another one.

Bees Recorded:
Spanish Honey Bee


Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
European Paper Wasp (Polistes dominula)

Here are two photos of..........

...........a European Paper Wasp (Polistes dominula)

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Many unidentified flies


Bugs and Beetles Recorded:

White Spotted Rose Chafer (Oxythyrea funesta)

General Photos:

St Martin's Hill in the distance here, as viewed from the Reserve here.

Below are a few photos from around the visitors centre here.

Aircraft today:

This Piper PA-34-220T Seneca..........

...........Registration EC-IIM is being flown by the .............

...........the Panamedia International Flight School of training. More on this aircraft here and here.

And also being flown by the Panamedia Flight school was this Cessna 172N Skyhawk II, Reg EC-IGL, which also flew over the reserve whilst we were there. More photos here.