Menorca in Autumn

Menorca in Autumn Naturetrek Tour Report 16 - 23 October 2019 Booted Eagle Audouin’s Gull Hummingbird Hawk-moth Plain Tiger Report and photos compiled by Ian Nicholson and Martin Beaton Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report Menorca in Autumn Tour participants: Ian Nicholson and Martin Beaton (Leaders) with 14 Naturetrek clients Summary Although the main focus of this holiday was the migrant birds which visit Menorca in the autumn, there were other enjoyable features this year. There were more butterflies around than we have ever seen previously and the same can be said of Hummingbird Hawk-moths, with up to seven on their favourite shrub in the hotel garden every day. Dragonflies were still quite plentiful and the botanists in the group found plenty of interest, although obviously not many plants were in flower at this time of year. The island’s resident bird species, including Hoopoe, Egyptian Vulture, Booted Eagle and Red Kite were all seen in good numbers and, surprisingly for this time of the year, a Stone Curlew was still present near the hotel, having not yet departed for the usual wintering area in the north-west of the island. Day 1 Wednesday 16th October Most of the group were on the 12.50pm flight from Gatwick to Mahon, which arrived in Menorca ahead of schedule and, as the collection of minibuses on this holiday is always straightforward, we were soon on our way to our hotel, which is only about a 10 minute drive from the airport. On the way we saw our first Menorcan birds (House Sparrows!), our first butterfly (Swallowtail) and also a Weasel which dashed across the road in front of the leading vehicle. On arrival the rooms were quickly allocated by Llorenc, the hotel owner, and we also met up with Paul and Brenda, the remaining members of the party who had arrived in Menorca the previous day. As there was still a reasonable amount of daylight remaining, we decided on a walk around the hotel grounds before dinner. The hotel was originally a working farm and although most of the land was sold off long ago there are still a couple of fields owned by Llorenc and his wife Yolanda, which are inhabited by three horses, a donkey and a small flock of sheep. Although the horses were quite inquisitive, and one of them wanted to eat Ian’s tripod, we managed to see a male Common Redstart, three Booted Eagles, two Ravens, some Thekla’s Larks and a Red Kite. Robins were calling and singing in many bushes, but these migrants from central and northern Europe are notoriously difficult to see, unlike the Robins that we are used to in the UK. Non-bird interest was provided by a Hummingbird Hawk-moth and several butterfly species including Small Copper, Red Admiral and numerous Painted Ladies and also a Hermann’s Tortoise. The fields around the hotel are heavily grazed with substantial patches of bare ground. Nonetheless we found a number of autumn flowering species including Autumn Daffodil (Narcissus serotinus) and Merendera (Colchicum filifolium). The leaves and dead flower heads of Common and Hollow-leaved Asphodel (Asphodelus aestivus and A. fistulosus) were abundant along with numbers of Spiny Asparagus (Asparagus acutifolius) plants and the emerging green leaves of Hyoseris (Hyoseris radiata) At about 6.15pm we decided to call it a day and met up again at 7pm to go through the day’s checklist and to discuss plans for tomorrow, before enjoying our first excellent evening meal of the week. © Naturetrek December 19 1 Menorca in Autumn Tour Report Day 2 Thursday 17th October Breakfast was at 8am, after which Martin and Ian had a quick visit to the filling station at the airport to top up one of the minibuses with fuel. Unfortunately, on the way back the vehicle had a puncture, and the delay caused by changing the wheel, and arranging for a replacement tyre on the wheel which had been removed, caused us to change our plans for today. We had intended to visit Punta Nati in the extreme north-west of the island, but instead we decided to begin by going to Cala Galdana on the south coast. First of all we admired the views from two viewpoints overlooking the sea and the bay, where we saw a Little Egret and a very distant Audouin’s Gull. At the viewpoints we found the sticky leaves of Montpellier or Narrow-leaved Cistus (Cistus monspeliensis), the Rush-like Scorpion Vetch (Coronilla juncea) and the Pale Stonecrop (Sedum sediforme). We then drove on through the main tourist development into the mouth of the Algendar Gorge. A few Greenfinches and Goldfinches were flying around, and Cetti’s Warblers were singing in some of the bushes, but the main attraction here proved to be hundreds of butterflies. There were Cleopatras, Red Admirals, lots of Painted Ladies and Clouded Yellows, Common Blues and most surprising of all, two Plain Tigers feeding on flowering Woody Fleabane (Dittrichia viscosa). This African species, which is a close relative of the Monarch, turns up occasionally in southern Europe, and it was a new species for most of the group, including the two leaders. Walking a little further into the gorge we saw several Egyptian Vultures and Booted Eagles, both of which are resident on Menorca, and also two Crag Martins flying around with some Swallows. The gorge contains some cultivated land while the river is fringed with the Giant Reed (Arundo donax) and the slopes contain some older mature trees of the Kermes Oak (Quercus coccifera). On returning to the vehicles we drove back to the main road across the island and turned off down a narrow road which led to the upper end of the Algendar Gorge. Llorenc had kindly offered to provide a barbecue lunch at a house owned by his father in the gorge, and after a walk down the track, seeing a Firecrest, several Blackcaps and a Black Redstart on the way, we arrived at the house in its delightful setting. Lunch was served on the terrace, accompanied by beer, soft drinks and water, with Egyptian Vultures soaring overhead and Blackcaps singing in the bushes, and we spent a very pleasant 90 minutes or so in the warm sunshine. On the way back to the car park, some of the group took the old pack mule track rather than the route by which we descended into the gorge. Those who opted for the main track saw and heard a few more Blackcaps and many Robins, as well as a couple of Ravens. The old path is steep in places and can be slippery when wet, but today it was not too difficult. It was badly damaged by a severe storm in 2015, but remains passable with a little care, and it is worth the effort to see several special plants including Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris), Mule’s Fern (Asplenium sagittatum) and Irish Spleenwort (Aspelenium onopteris), along with Stoloniferous Violet (Viola stolonifera), Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis), Sibthorpia africana, and Balearic Cyclamen (Cyclamen balearicum). Back at the hotel there was time for some to take a walk around the hotel fields and along the entrance track. The male Common Redstart from yesterday was still present, and at least four Hoopoes were seen as well as a Chiffchaff, a White Wagtail, a Black Redstart and several Thekla’s Larks. 2 © Naturetrek December 19 Menorca in Autumn Tour Report Day 3 Friday 18th October Today we had a slightly earlier breakfast as we were planning to meet up with two of the local bird-ringing group for a ringing demonstration at Sa Mesquida, just north of Mahon, the island’s capital. Fortunately, it was a lovely sunny day, with just a light breeze. On our way to Sa Mesquida we passed a very small wetland area where a flock of Cattle Egrets were seen along with a Squacco Heron, which was something of an unexpected bonus. When we arrived, the ringers had already begun work, and had a few birds to show the group, including Cetti’s Warblers, Sardinian Warblers, Blackcaps and lots of Robins. They showed us how they age and sex the birds, take biometric measurements and record all the data and then release them. We also had an opportunity to see how mist nets are used to catch the birds, and to watch as the ringers expertly extracted them. Obviously extensive training is necessary for this, and the ringers have to be licenced, just as they are in the UK. While we were at the ringing site about five Red Kites were soaring overhead, along with three Booted Eagles and two Peregrines. This is also one of the best locations on the island for the elusive Dartford Warbler, but sadly they remained elusive on this occasion! This area contains an extensive area of ‘maquis’ a dense evergreen scrub of Mastic or Lentisk (Pistacia lentiscus), Mediterranean Buckthorn (Rhamnus alaternus), False Olive (Phillyrea angustifolia), Rosemary (Rosmarius officinalis) and Myrtle (Myrtus communis). Next, we had a walk down onto the beach where a small flock of Linnets were flying around and two Peregrines were also seen by some of the group, possibly the same birds as seen earlier. The area just inland from the beach was good for butterflies, with Clouded Yellow, Common Blue and Red Admiral being seen, along with lots of Painted Ladies. The small sand-dune area which contained some typical plants such as Marram Grass (Ammophila arenaria), Sea Holly (Eryngium maritimum) and Grey Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus cytisoides) gave way to a small salt pan where we found the rare Opposite-leaved Saltwort (Salsola soda) and Shrubby Glasswort (Arthrocnemum macrostachyum).

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