Son Baulo 2015

You were supposed to get a post from us explaining about my up coming holiday and maybe a link to some stuff interesting or not.  Blame me for being preoccupied and that but still have a link to something interesting
(especially if you own a PSP still).

I've dug out the blog post from back in 2010 when we were last at Can Picafort. A few things have changed since then, including an archaeological survey team sent to fix up the Iron Age Graves at the necropolis on the headland and an absence of the Guided walk to the Son Serra Museum.  Also the Torrent (small river) has been capped, where it used to flow down to the sea, now it doesn't.

However as I'll detail here, there is still a shedload to see especially if you like animals.

Still a good walk down to what I call Leekspin Island (S'illot Des Porros) where the little beach and attendant watchtower are still there.  Finally had the guts to actually swim out there (I estimate the sea floor to be about 8ft/ 2.5 metres down  at the deepest and as there are no real currents you could conceivably walk most of the way out) but as the rocks surrounding it are full of urchins not to mention the island itself is composed of largely jagged rocks I'd recommend flip flops or some other waterproof shoe to swim with.

There is a smaller island further out that is a regular seabird roost with Audoin's Gulls on one side and cormorants on the other. You may catch a glimpse of a Little Ringed Plover on the rocks as well as a few other things too. There are a load of ducks as well as Moorhens and Coot on the Torrent by the hotel and occasionally there were Little Egrets stalking the shores.

There was some pretty cool insects too, a massive amount of beetles this time (more later) as well as the ever present Cicadas too as well as an incursion of  Painted Lady butterflies mostly on Sea Holly.  Most interesting of all was some huge hornet (actually a hornet like Mimic)  Scolia Flavifrons an easy 2inch/ 5cm in length, that sculled around the dunes (we have film as well as a few photos) with ease.  Most odd of all was that we saw some dung beetles packaging up some fresh horse shit and bundling it into a pre dug hole in  the dune.  We have a good clip of this including the smaller beetle shirking its responsibility and buggering off up a dune halfway through.  I also saw a dead longhorn beetle (and at present still unidentified) which is impressive as well as a number of smaller ground beetle types.

Finally if you really want to go to a great place to see wildlife and have binoculars with you then the marshlands at S'albufera at Playa del Muro, a mile or so outside of Alcudia is well worth a trip. Its free to go in but do pop into reception to gain a permit (and browse through their collection of guide books, they had bird books in all major languages including Collins Birds Of  Britain and Europe) and see whats around.  I saw Egrets using a tree as a sort of Heronry as well as knobhead Coot (red knobbed Coot) and a suspected Gallinule lurking in the reedbeds.

Anyway that was part one, stay tuned for nude beaches, days out and a dog being hit with a slipper.  As I've yet to upload any shots anywhere have some old clips from 2010 or so.

Sand Cicada

Incidentally they've added a Italian translation and misspelled "Pickpokets" now.

Small hermit cave Son Baulo.

Cylindropuntia Possibly subulata, what a cracker.

Oil is 32 an lives at the bike hire place, its the bollocks cocker.

S'illot Des Porros aka Leekspin island.