Majorca!

 

1st to 8th March

Mary was keen to go away in March - something to keep us going, something to look forward to, through the dreary months of Jan and Feb when the sun stays hidden behind a thick layer of cold grey clouds. She flagged up a hotel in Santa Ponsa, Majorca and a price. The cost was minimal but the hotel was surrounded by lots of others in a built up area that had little in the way of nearby interesting green places where we might explore and seek out wildlife. I suggested the South side of town would be a better bet. I got the evils for about a week until I was sent another Santa Ponsa address further South than the previous one. (And who could resist the name of FlipFlop Hotel.) (It unintentionally called the Palace Flophouse to mind.) Okay that might work. Peace was restored and slowly we counted off the days till March.

South coast of France and the Med at sundown

As ever, the travelling was ball-achingly dreadful: arriving 2 hrs early to wait around on uncomfortable airport furniture; breathing in other people's bowel-gas on the plane for an interminable 3 hrs, then more waiting on a coach which eventually drops us off, (after visiting several nasty hotels in Magaluf) in Santa Ponsa. Which by now is closed. I had spent so long studying SP on google maps I recognised the area when we were 2 streets away from the drop off. Luckily we had anticipated it would be dark, because without a phone- or head-torch we would not have been able to find the keycards to our apartment which were in a lockbox on the other side of the darkened complex. It was a relief to arrive and unpack.

Hotel FlipFlop apartments

We hadn't eaten since our plane sandwiches 6hrs before, so I went out in hunter-gatherer mode in search of supermercados. (Mary's foot still in recovery. She broke it 19 days before.) From googlemap homework I knew where the 3 nearest were and they were all closed. However while searching I spotted a 24hr take-away pizza place which also sold beer. Apart from those first night pizzas, every other meal we cooked ourselves in the self-catering apartment. I often wonder if we are the only people in the world who actually cater in self-catering apartments. We had prepared for it by carrying small tupperwares of salt, sugar and tea-bags as well as a sharp knife (has to be in hold luggage) and hot chillies, which experience has taught us are hard to come by in Spanish places. Also muesli and bread which are available locally but handy to have at least the first breakfast to hand. Or a stop gap if everywhere is closed on arrival. Still had to buy a wooden spoon so we didn't scrape the cheap pan. It's funny how you get used to non-stick and thick pans and gas hobs. So when faced with only 2 electric hobs and only one large, one small pan, we treated it as an adventure more than a shit show. Hell we had a microwave AND toaster this time, which we didn't last trip to Tenerife. But had to cook the pasta first, then the sauce, then microwave the pasta before combining. On the upside, the local fruit and veg were FANTASTIC!

our own private beach 200 yards from the apartment
(in as much as nobody else wanted it)

Day one and I think I did a quick essentials shopping at the nearest grocers then possibly we went for a wander round the area. There was a good looking hill nearby surrounded by a Parc Arqueologic next to a golf course. I had watched a youTuber video herself up there and it looked like a potential spot for our stuff. I had no idea of butterfly species possible, but hoped there might be a couple out. 

It was still quite early when we disturbed this humming-bird hawk-moth which was sunning itself on warm stone. Ever since we visited one on a nearly daily basis (July 22 - the Hummer of Love!) while Mary was in recovery, they have been something of a spirit animal for us. So it was delightful to be welcomed to Majorca first thing by one. We said our hellos and thankyous, took some photos and followed the path we were to take on most days in Majorca. 

I am not sure why the name or why a dirt trail through a long triangle of rough ground and scrub even needs a name. However it took us to the Parc Arqueologic and the bottom of Puig de Sa Morisca (the hill of Sa Morsica.) We could have gone along the streets but would have missed several species we only saw in this remarkably fertile stretch. 

The very next thing we saw was a chain of caterpillars. I was entranced by this conga line of hairy troops all marching to the same beat. Mary not so much. I think she felt they were a bit creepy or the stuff of nightmares. We posted photos on facebook and very quickly Matt (and also Sarah) who live in different parts of Spain warned they were Pine Processionary Caterpillars, a well known concern at this time of the year as they can be harmful to humans and animals. Sarah said she spends a lot of time watching out for these snaking lines as the toxins exuded by this caterpillar can be irritating and harmful to her dog. More info here. They are so far a Southern Europe moth but have got as far North as Paris and will be moving further North with global warming. While they appear charming they can be harmful to pine plantations and require care when dealing with them. I liked them a lot! They appeared everywhere, both rurally and in urban areas.

halfway up the hill

Then BOOM! Swallowtails! Not my favourite butterfly, but one you can't ignore. Actually they continued to grow in my affections all this week and I enjoyed their company a great deal. It was quite windy and they are large sails on a rough sea. They were perhaps so busy steadying themselves they weren't too bothered about Mary and I creeping up and getting the best photos we've had of these yellow giants. I failed to appreciate them (on previous holidays) as they were quite skittish, didn't like their photos being taken, and were yellow. (I prefer orange!) They are a weird yellow which often looks like a washed-out, flatter colour in photos, than the vibrant yellow they appear in real life. However when fresh, (and many of them seemed straight out the packet!) they are undeniably spectacular.

Although we saw the occasional one elsewhere, they were sporadic at best, except up the larger/higher of the two smallish peaks in the parc, where there were always between one and half a dozen. They fly fast and furious so it is tricky to assess how many are about at any time. There were a couple with distinctive notches or missing sections of wing, but the majority were in good-to-mint condition. Interestingly some had much more hair down their backs than others. (Just like real life!) A quick google suggests sexual dimorphism in swallowtails is limited to the females being larger than the males. If you know otherwise do let me know as I haven't taken the time to read up. (Just processing the photos and video from this holiday and writing it up has taken ages!)

Rhodanthidium sticticum

Google image search is excellent for identifying butterflies and other insects (as above) but less certain about grasshoppers. It gives a selection of possibilities. Or maybe grasshoppers look too much alike to be discerned from one photo? That said I googled an image of the underside of the brown argus and it suggested several Lycaenidae. 

view of Santa Ponsa from the top of the hill

our place is this side of the bay, about a mile away

the main beach behind Mary

Sardinian Warbler - thanks Neil for ID!

I'm guessing this is the male and female is the muted colour version further below

There was a solitary Holly Blue up the top of the hill.
One of only two seen all holiday, and not partial to having photo taken.

That bee again on the branched asphodel, a pretty flowering plant
I thought was an aloe. There were a lot of both flowers and bees.

first hoopoe of the trip!

distant volcanoes

we arrived just in time to catch the last of the almond blossom season

lovely fields of almond trees

linnet

only dragonfly of whole trip
I looked for more but couldn't find many ponds etc.

Hotel FlipFlop - mostly fine!

our apartment

what happens when you (accidentally) take a panorama shot
when walking down the street

So this trip I decided to get the DJI Pocket working. It is a tiny handheld camera on a gimbal that lets you record stills, video and panoramas and is really small: 5" x 1" x 1". Mary bought one after we saw the smooth footage of stabilised video of a hillrunner descending Arthur's Seat. However it wasn't particularly instinctive to use and got left in a drawer for a year or 2. Since buying my new G9m2 I have been missing taking panoramas, pics of Mary and other stuff the 400mm lens doesn't do, so it made sense to watch a few youTube tutorials and master this miniature wonder. The Pocket fits in your pocket, as well as attaching to a mobile phone which gives a screen large enough to actually see. 

DJI Pocket on right of Mobile phone
both attached to selfie-stick / tripod (can also be used solo)

There is a tiny onboard screen but in sunlight and with worn out old eyes it is impossible to see in any detail. So I bought (for my sins!) a selfie stick that holds mobile-and-Pocket together and a bike handlebar attachment in case we went cycling and wanted a handsfree video. The former works very well, the latter is great on very smooth roads but any small bumps transfer through the handlebars into the video and it generates wobble and blur. I think I would use it handheld (or using a lapel/backpack strap clip I also bought) on the bike in future. The gimbal stabilisation is brilliant. This has always been a problem for any kind of walking or running handheld videos as they have proved too shoogly for comfortable watching. With the rise of vloggers (a sad state of affairs on the whole) this has been addressed and the latest GoPros etc. all have great stabilisation. The Pocket not only has this but is easier to carry than a mobile phone. And fairly easy to work after a quick tutorial. You can see more results on the bike-and-hike day trip to Sant Elm blog directly after this one.

walking down the street vlogging 

I promise not to make a habit of this, but two things are worth noting: how smooth the above video is, not bump bump bump with every step. And also how cheerful it is. That isn't the camera's work but the sunshine's. And the main reason we went abroad twice in 4 months. I find the drab Scottish Winter intolerable and a bit of decent weather instantly lifts spirits and puts a smile on my face. It also lets me do what I enjoy most; go for an adventure and take photographs, the latter being useless in crap grey Scottish Winter weather. I realise it is not the most eco-friendly answer, but I'll just have to live with it.

still photo from the DJI - pretty decent quality

Back at the apartment and we found a caterpillar on the terrace. Our terrace was pretty useless as it backed onto a road and apart from drying swimwear and towels we never used it. Unlike the Glaswegian oldies next door who faced the pool and were tanning their tattoos at the same time as drinking something  and cokes, (Rum I imagine?) and chain smoking their way through the 5000 duty free fags they bought on the plane. I got the feeling they were having the time of their lives. Although they were probably ten years younger than us while looking ten years older.

Anyway, there was this caterpillar. At this point nobody had given us the heads up about Pine Processionary Caterpillars. So I got out the macro lens and got some close ups. There also may have been slightly more contact than is recommended...

I had had great ambitions to use the macro lens extensively in Majorca, however these pics are the only time I bothered to change to the macro. I used natural light since there was so much of it about. Most of the other stuff I was shooting was either moving too fast or I was capturing well enough with the 100~400mm and getting the macro out was too much faff.

do NOT do this

NOPE!

So I had this caterpillar all over my hand. However I did not make the mistake of trying to eat it, which I suspect is when things turn bad. Also I didn't poke it or aggravate it. Just let it walk over my hand and treated it very gently. (No ill effects afterwards.) Apparently the fifth instar larvae can shoot venomous spines shaped like harpoons into your flesh! I just came across a report in The Portugal News of a gardener who had 4 heart attacks necessitating a triple bypass after "coming into contact" with these beasties. I reckon he must have been trying to eat them.

I count 52 in a row

this is their nest in which they overwinter
note the frass (poop) fallen to the bottom

this tiny Braconid parasitic wasp
has a colourful secret...

yellow!
with ovipositor

We called the magical spot (marked on map as "small butterflies") along the Musulmana path the motorway service station. It was exactly the same as the rest of the path except for 3 or 4 tiny heather-like plants with blue flowers. Presumably those attracted the small gang of Lycaenidae. It was the only spot we saw Small coppers and Common blues. Every visit there seemed to be another species as the temperatures built during the week. There were a couple of Common blues - one perfect as above, the other had lost the ends of its hind wings. It was always there and welcomed us each visit, happy to pose for pics. Appearing throughout the week we also got a Southern Brown Argus (possibly, after extensive googling) and a Lang's short-tailed blue. Hummers would regularly put in an appearance, and on the hottest day a Cleopatra (similar/related to a Brimstone) did a fly by. It was possibly the best butterfly spot we found although looked like nothing other than a roadside flytip.

The common blues were as small as I've ever seen. The above photo taken by Mary gives some idea. I wasn't sure at first if they were defo common blues as they were so small. (Conversely the brown argus was larger than the Scottish NBAs we are used to.) I put the small size down to the nutritional disadvantages for the caterpillars here; being quite dry and barren all around, though I have no real idea why. I was trying to hold the vegetation steady in the above photo as it was blowing back and forth in the stiff breeze making photos impossible. I shot much less video of butterflies and birds due to this.

small copper!

Our favourite place, we were here most days
various spellings occurred due to Spanish / Catalan languages

Mary leans up against some recreated archaeology

hummer on the blue flowers at the motorway service station

On Monday we checked out the bike hire and lined up bikes for Tuesday. I was going to run solo to the place I thought might be worth a look but reckoned it was too far for Mary's injured foot. (15 mile round trip) However she said she was up for maybe half that and we could go as far as the trail head and check out the quality of the trails. I planned to visit the light house at Cala Figuera which was out roads on the South to trails for the last 5 miles. I wanted to know whether those trails were decent to bike or better to walk. Mary came too. The roads out of town were a bit samey apart from seeing a hoopoe and those caterpillars again. We saw them nearly daily.

I had found a dirt trail while googlemap homeworking (not unlike the John Muir Way) going along the side of the golf course. It proved to be better than the urban streets and we came across the only other holly blue of the week.

best photo of the week of a hoopoe
they seemed most prevalent on the outskirts of urban areas

long undulating roads

When we got to the trailhead it was almost disappointing. The road turned around and the trail set off but it was fenced off on both sides with notices announcing it had been done by the military and not to leave the path. My whole life is about getting off the path and chasing shit through the bracken. It was good to find this out and the limitations of this area of wild paths and trails which was now greatly limited. The main trail was nice but it had lost much of its appeal. Especially as we could not divert to get views of the impressive peninsula that stretched off towards an island out in the Med. That was all out of bounds. I had admired lots of online pics taken around here and now it was out of bounds.

On the upside we saw a Lang's short-tailed in decent condition. It was still a bit more faded than the bright blue specimens you find online but they do seem to fade very fast. Mary also saw what we think was a Bath White but it declined a photo. We saw several distant whites all week but none landed close by and we had to make do with distant pics or in flight photos. Most would likely have been small whites. Mary remarked the Bath White was a species she had never seen before, (I took photos of one up Teide in Tenerife.)

Lang's short-tailed blue

spectacular peninsula no longer visitable

fenced off linnet

cat behind bars (for purrjury?)

kestrel on tv antennae

one legged hopper

distant shot of red kite

more hoopoe chasing

We finished off our trail recce (9 miles!) by walking back "home" via the motorway service station where there were 2 small coppers, the new arrival having just 3 wings. Many of the butterflies had injuries and missing wing parts. There was a large and vocal population of small birds although they weren't at all keen to pose for photos. I saw a lot of what I reckoned were black redstarts and google eventually agreed. Also sparrows and warblers and linnets and other unfamiliars. They probably kept the butterflies nervous.

Meanwhile we decided to change route for the cycle. Instead of the lighthouse, we thought we would cycle to Sant Elm about 15 miles away and climb one of the best hikes up a hill on the island. Which we did. It was spectacular and gets a page to itself on next blog. (link here)

the new arrival

the regular copper on the beat

the regular blue (with tatty tail)

perfect specimen!

I was following what I thought was a small copper until it landed and I realised it was a small heath. Its uppers had been so bright and golden that I mistook it for a small copper. It was a delight and one of only 2 all week. The other was up the hill with the swallowtails and a far greater prize than the swallowtails which were (by now) ten-a-penny!

speckled wood - not many about by comparison to Scotland

blue pimpernel, Lysimachia arvensis?
(says google images)

So this brown job - looking a lot like our own NBAs but with black wing spots on uppers not white, was maybe a Southern Brown Argus. I have searched for lists of Majorcan Butterflies and this is the most likely suspect. Although again let me know if you think otherwise. What is in no doubt was how much I enjoyed getting down in the dust and taking photos of it. Slightly larger than our tiny NBAs, about the size of a common blue it was neither helpful nor unhelpful. It wouldn't fly off if you got close but also had a bad habit of being upside down and hidden between flowers and twigs. So it was challenging but also fun.

a scarred hummer

the fresher common blue

photo Mary

this was the unprepossessing "motorway service station"

It looks like shit but was a great spot for butterflies. I checked all around in case there was another great patch nearby but this was really the only place up and down that long area of shrubs and scrub that had lots of butterflies.

best blue!

take off!

red kite

(female?) Sardinian warbler

Egyptian grasshopper (says google)
it was a cracker and was watching me carefully

these beetles were everywhere and go by several names from 
hairy rose beetle to Mediterranean Spotted Chafer

growing long hair and getting stoned all day

Mary took this great shot of the flowering branched asphodels
which I thought looked like aloes - they were everywhere

two very large hoppers
google suggests Grey Bird Grasshoppers

We only saw them because they were flitting about the trees like small birds. Except they made a rattling sound like paper and twigs moving quickly. Awesome! And slightly OMG!

red admiral

lots of walls most of which were quite faded

This was the most outstanding and the least expected wild animal we came across! Mr Tortuga was so charming and a great surprise. I would have walked right past him as my eyes were up looking for butterflies. However Mary saw him at the edge of our trail and we stood about for 5 mins till he poked his head back out and then eventually continued on his way. We showed great restraint not touching or interfering with him. We carried about a wee ziplock bag of lettuce for the next 2 days but saw nothing more of him or his relatives. We did wonder how many were in the parc and if they bumped into each other regularly. 

slow moving video

This seems likely to be a Greek or Spur-thighed tortoise. There is plenty stuff online about them including a rather depressing tale of how loads were brought from the Med to the UK as pets in the 70s onward. These beautiful creatures can live upwards of 125 years in their warm natural habitat. Or as many months in the UK having a shit time because they prefer the sun. About 50 years ago my family had one for maybe a year or less before it gave up and died. You can currently buy one for £300 plus starter kit. But DON'T! Unless you can guarantee you'll look after it for 100 years. We did joke about bringing this one back to Scotland in our hand luggage. 125 years a Slave, the video. Tear-faced emoji.

not many speckleds about and this was the finest of them

collared dove

I think these are very pretty birds but didn't get much contact with them despite them being all over the place. I sorted this when we went for a walk on the second to last day around the more commercial areas of Santa Ponsa. Like pigeons, they are anywhere there is human life and trash.

On the hottest day (Wednesday) we saw a couple of large yellow jobs fly past. Brimstones (and their cousins Cleopatras) tend to fly through in a great hurry rather than stop to feed or sunbathe. So I would point the camera at them and hope they ended up in the frame. Mostly not, but I got lucky with these 3 record shots. Both brimstone and cleopatra are regulars in Majorca, the latter (this one) having darker coloured patches on their forewing uppers.

Gonepteryx cleopatra balearica

So on Thursday we were running out of ideas and decided to walk around town and do some street photography. That was the high minded version of what turned out to be taking pics of the seafront pigeons and sparrows, and laughing at the tacky souvenir shops. 

so paella is still big in majorca?

I was so busy taking pics of the paella fridge magnets I didn't notice these which are surely in violation of many triggering offenses. Mary had to poke me in the ribs and point them out. They are so deliberately non-PC that I (nearly) felt a teary-eyed nostalgia for the saucy seaside postcards of yesteryear and Carry On films. Despite the cast of the latter being dead or in care homes. We have moved on from the 70s and that is a good thing although I was tempted to buy one of these just to offend the only-too-happy-to-be-offended crowd. Maybe I'll just post a photo here in memoriam.

I was disappointed Mary didn't do a better job of photo-ing
my new holiday t-shirt which features a goliath beetle

I had taken bags of bird bribes to bring about this situation. The birds at the beach were well up for it and even with the 12~60 lens there was a danger they were getting too close. I got the chance to record the collared doves, a very common species, but a pretty one I have a lot of time for, as well as sparrows and mallards, also available by the ton. Not only did I gather a small crowd of mixed birdlife but that spectacle gathered a mixed bunch of oldies who like to watch birds. I could have made a very small fortune selling bags of birdseed to local pensioners.

record shot of a small white

This was about the closest we got to a white butterfly all week. They were mostly doing their own thing at a great distance and not stopping nearby for a better photo. Plenty about though.

more souvenir tat

bloody Mary!

wow! headless objectification and titty beer openers

Our pool being closed till April was the second least good thing about the Palace Flophouse. (Worst was thin walls through which we heard the folk next door.) I presume because it costs to hire an obligatory lifeguard and Mary would have been the only swimmer in the tepid water. This was a shame as it was one of the things that drew us to the place. However there was a small and beautiful beach just 200 yards away. Since it was not swimming weather unless you were keen, the place was largely deserted. We went round there and had a splash. Well I went in wearing shorts and a rash vest and it was about the equivalent of the warmest Gullane ever gets at the end of a long hot Summer (if we ever had one) possibly warmer. A bit of a slow wade to get in but nice once you had got under. Mary declined a swim, I'm still not sure why, I'd probably done or said something wrong.

nice clear water

back there again!

another great quality Lang's stb

our favourite roadside venue

very hairy back!

2nd and final small heath

climbers

last swallowtail

last hummer

last procession

Mary got this quality red admiral as we were leaving.
I didn't, so I have nicked hers!

goodbye Puig!

when fate gives you lemons

this was the best bottle of red of the 4 we bought 
I believe Morrison's do one similar

adios Santa Ponsa!

perfectly rehearsed mallards crossing the pan of the bay

So in summary it was a fantastic break. It really helped to get to know the place on googlemaps before going - to estimate where would be within range to run/walk/cycle and where the supermercados were. On reflection I'd probably go to the North West of the island next time as the birds (and presumably butterflies) are reported to hang out more, at the wetlands near Alcudia. However we had a lot of fun based in Santa Ponsa which was very relaxed and friendly. And found more to point the cameras at than expected. And a wild tortoise, can you believe it? The weather was perfect and was more than compensation for the discomfort of travelling. A brilliant week.