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Menorca
Balearic Spring

Friday 24 April - Friday 1 May 2009 (8 days)

Much smaller than its better-known neighbour, Mallorca, the Balearic island of Menorca makes an ideal place for a relaxed spring getaway. Boasting a superb array of flowers, and holding a good selection of typical Mediterranean birds, from gaudy Woodchat Shrikes and Hoopoes to subtler Short-toed Larks and Tawny Pipits, it also makes an excellent place in which to catch the full magic of a Mediterranean spring. With the island only around thirty miles long, we can reach every part of it quite easily, and yet there is plenty to explore in a week.

Despite its size Menorca boasts a surprisingly good range of habitats, with rocky coasts, delightful coves with small beaches, offshore islets, traditional pastureland, woods, dunes, freshwater marshes and those delightful thyme-and-lavender scented Mediterranean hillsides, cut with steep-sided gorges, or barrancs. It has a higher rainfall than Mallorca, and presents a landscape of green rolling hills and farmland, much of which is given over to grass and cattle, with small fields surrounded by neat stone walls. The island is also generally much less developed than Mallorca, which adds to its charm.

Birds here appear to be more confiding than on Mallorca, perhaps because there is less shooting here. Certainly the raptors are abundant, and we find Osprey, Red Kite, Marsh Harrier, Egyptian Vulture and Booted Eagle, the latter probably more common than anywhere else in its range.

Sardinian Warblers are probably the commonest small birds, and at this time display and sing vigorously from the tops of bushes; other local specialities include Audouin's Gull, Stone Curlew, Alpine and Pallid Swifts, Blue Rock Thrush, Thekla Lark, which can all be found fairly easily. The island is also the major Balearic stronghold for Cory's and Balearic Shearwaters, with flocks to be seen off the north coast, sometimes at close range, and Eleonora's Falcons are arriving at this time.

Price: £ 1,345
Single supp.: £ 195
Deposit: £ 300 per person

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of accommodation as detailed above, all meals, return flight London - Menorca, airport taxes, surface transport, incidental tips, admissions and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks and personal expenses.

Please note that depending on charter schedules we may be able to arrange flights to and from Menorca from regional airports. Please enquire for details and cost.

Leaders: Ray Nowicki & Mike Lockwood

The Balearic Islands are important staging posts for migrant birds crossing the Mediterranean, and Menorca is no exception. Late April is an ideal time to visit, combining one of the best times for migrants with displaying resident birds, and with many flowers still in bloom. Migrants are hard to predict, but in late April and early May we should be looking for Golden Oriole, Bee-eater and Red-rumped Swallow amongst others. The wetlands can be very productive, and at this time can host Purple Heron, with Black-winged Stilt and Kentish Plover amongst a good selection of waders. We have access to a small private wetland reserve on the east coast which should allow excellent views of all these.

Flowers can be stunning, with fields completely covered in yellow Crown Daisies, purple Galactites thistles, White Asphodels and the spectacular red flowers of Italian Sainfoin. The dry pastures and wild olive scrub, on the other hand, boast stands of Field Gladiolus, four species of rock-roses, Tree Spurge and a fine variety of orchids such as Yellow Bee, Sawfly, Mirror and Small-flowered Tongue Orchids, with Violet Limodore in the woods. Menorcan and Balearic endemic plants include the small purple ragwort Senecio rodriguezii, the weird Dragon's.mouth and the spiny socarrell cushion communities that cling to the rocks on the wild northern coast. As usual on these tours we shall be looking at a broad range of wildlife, which in this case can include Lang's Short-tailed and Long-tailed Blue butterflies, Hermann's Tortoises and Stripeless Tree Frogs.

Menorca is also rich in historical sites, and we'll be visiting the remains of Neolithic tombs and settlements, many of which are also good for flowers and birds. Weather and services permitting, we'll also be taking a boat trip around Mahon's famous deep-water harbour that has historically provided haven for generations of seafarers, including, at one time the British Navy, which left an impressive array of colonial-style buildings. The glass-bottomed boat will also allow us to glimpse something of Menorca's undersea world.

Accommodation
We are based for the week at a small hotel in a converted typically Menorcan farmhouse.

Numbers: Max. 14 clients