Whether landscapes or seascapes, details or innerscapes, Menorca is filled with delights at every turn. Click on any image to see it at full scale and lose yourself in a Menorcan autumn!

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 1 – Introduction

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 2 – Flowers and fruits

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 3 – Insects and spiders

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 4 – Birds and other vertebrates

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 5 – Landscapes of the island

Autumn is a time of turnover in the bird world. But only if the weather conditions encourage it: settled conditions and stable weather masses are not the conditions in which to expect the wonders of migration to become apparent. So it was this year in Menorca, with barely a songbird migrant to be seen, aside from a few Robins, Blackbirds and Blackcaps.

And even for the island residents like Hoopoes and Sardinian Warblers, the seriously exceptional mid-October temperatures ensured they were keeping deep in shade for much of the day.

Water birds were more apparent, but even then often in smaller-than-expected numbers. The main exception to this were the flocks of Cattle Egrets, up to 80-strong at Tirant, seemingly increasing every time I visit the island, and more than 40 Greater Flamingos on Addaia Lagoons, with a number of barely-fledged grey youngsters which surely means they are now breeding here?

It was also good to see Kingfishers well in a couple of spots, but perhaps because of the weather and the number of bodies on the beaches, Audouin’s Gulls were harder to come by than in previous years.

Which just leaves the raptors, and it it is good to report that the Big Three, Red Kites, Booted Eagles and Egyptian Vultures seems to be in the same places and numbers as during our last autumn trip seven years ago.

It is also gratifying to report that Hermann’s Tortoises were as abundant and widely distributed as ever, along with Italian Wall Lizards (everywhere), Turkish Geckos (in Matchani Gran) and Moorish Geckos (free-range, especially in archaeological sites).

 

And finally, at breakfast on our final day, a Balearic Green Toad put on a lumbering show, so round off the holiday nicely!

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 1 – Introduction

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 2 – Flowers and fruits

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 3 – Insects and spiders

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 4 – Birds and other vertebrates

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 5 – Landscapes of the island

The weather during our week was so sunny and settled that it was insects arguably that formed the larger part of our wildlife-watching. Fortunately we had several pairs of very sharp eyes on hand to find them for the rest of the group! What follows is a barely annotated selection : the tour report when it appears will have a much more complete listing of names and locations.

Starting with some of the butterflies, Cleopatras in particular were more numerous than I have ever seen before:

Special mention must however be made of the Two-tailed Pashas. Sa Roca is an ideal site for them, with masses of their larval foodplant Strawberry-tree, but never have our searches here been so productive:

Many a leaf was adorned with an egg, those with a ring around the apex being closer to hatching …

… along with a couple of medium-sized, dragon-headed caterpillars…

… and eventually one, probably two, adults, one of which surveyed the admiring throng from the roadside fringe of Aleppo Pine.

Yes, I know I have a passion for pashas, but so do many others: see this lovely film that Jude found on YouTube (3) The Two tailed Pasha (Charaxes jasius) – YouTube!

Moths too were at times spectacular, including the tutti-frutti treat of Crimson Speckleds, at several sites but especially around Matchani Gran, Vestals (here distinctly non-virginal) and Hummers everywhere…

And not just the adult stages, but caterpillars too: two of the most appreciated sightings were the larvae of Spurge Hawk-moth and Convolvulus Hawk-moth…

A quick canter trough the other invertebrate groups starts with the grasshoppers, bush-crickets and mantises, bigger and better at this time of year than any other:

Fresh and brackish water-bodies provided for a colourful array of dragonfly and damselfly species:

True bugs also were many and varied…

… including one. as yet un-named, that for obvious reasons soon acquired the working name of Nightjar Bug!

Bees and wasps included both adults and their nests:

And finally, the beetles: who cannot love the Cistus Hedgehog Beetles!

Moving away from insects, even the snails are unfamiliar…

… while the spiders and relatives were simply spectacular, from the Balearic Scorpion, and Garden Spider…

… through an array of jumpers …

,

…to Cage-web and Tidy Spiders, the latter lining their prey remains neatly down the centre axis of the web, while hiding amongst the debris …

… and best of all, two types of Wasp Spider. I overlooked the second species until detailed examination of my photos: in my defence, even the ‘normal’ Wasp Spiders were huge, and almost as big as the Large Wasp Spiders, which are so powerful they could even overpower an Egyptian Locust!

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 1 – Introduction

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 2 – Flowers and fruits

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 3 – Insects and spiders

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 4 – Birds and other vertebrates

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 5 – Landscapes of the island

Apart from the promise of a Second Spring if the first autumn rains come at the right time, October is hardly prime flowering season in Menorca. The ‘vegetable hedgehogs’ or socarrels that so characterise the endemic Balearic flora have almost all finished, although their characteristic forms are dispersed on every rocky peninsula, of which the island has many. Only the unique cushion Rosemary (variety palaui) is left to feed the butterflies…

But with searching, there are still flowers to be found, from Sand Daffodil and Yellow Horned-poppy on the dunes, to Mediterranean Tree-heath in the hills and Stink Aster by every wayside:

But pride of place, if only for its glorious, alluring perfume that filled every glade in the still and humid conditions, must go to Smilax, its unassuming white stars on viciously spiny vines:

 

Aside from flowers, the whole island was fruiting profusely:

And other signs of the season included leaves changing colour and at least a sprinkling of fungi:

Any view of the flowering of Menorca in autumn cannot overlook the importance of garden plants. Even though they originate  from all corners of the warmer parts of the world, many of the showy ornamentals were an irresistible draw to butterflies, bees and other pollinators. Indeed, the Lantana in Matchani Gran, our wonderful base, ever-thronged in Swallowtails and Hummingbird Hawk-moths, was rivalled in terms of insectiness only by the festoons of flowering Ivy in Algendar Gorge.

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 1 – Introduction

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 2 – Flowers and fruits

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 3 – Insects and spiders

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 4 – Birds and other vertebrates

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 5 – Landscapes of the island

We arrived in Menorca under clear blue skies, and essentially it remained that way for the whole week. It was remarkably hot and settled for the time of year, and with temperatures peaking at between 27 and 31 degrees C each day, usually with little in the way of freshening breezes even by the sea, it proved a little too hot for many of the group. This of course required some changes to the planned itinerary – less strenuous  walks, actively seeking shadier places, and  some shorter days to allow swimming and rehydration time.

The settled conditions also meant autumn bird migration wasn’t really happening, and those small birds that were on the island were mostly hiding deep in shady scrub. Only the waterbirds were standing out and proud…

 

Likewise the Second Spring of autumn-flowering bulbs was at best sporadic, with a few patches of Autumn Daffodils, just the occasional spire of Sea Squill and a complete absence of Merenderas.

But the lingering summer meant that it was good for insects  and other larger invertebrates, anything in flower being covered in a confetti of butterflies and much more, so our week was full of interest.

 

The following four blogs will give a photo-based flavour of our week, not too many words, nor even many identifications – just a celebration of this beautiful small island, deservedly a Biosphere Reserve for the past 30 years, a designation which was only a month ago complemented by inscription of the outstanding archaeological landscape on the list of World Heritage Sites.

For more details and lists of what we saw, here is the Menorca report 2023, also available on the  Honeyguide website.

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 1 – Introduction

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 2 – Flowers and fruits

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 3 – Insects and spiders

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 4 – Birds and other vertebrates

Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 5 – Landscapes of the island

Over the past five years, my tours to Menorca have been restricted to the autumn: an arid landscape, enlivened by birds, both resident and migratory; the second spring of flowering bulbs; and an array of exciting, often large insects – see here for example.

What a contrast to last week: a wet winter has stimulated the island into bloom, with an abundance I have rarely seen before. Fields of Crown Daisies, sheets of Tassel Hyacinths and Wild Gladioli, banks of Italian Sainfoin, and orchids almost everywhere. Pyramidal, Sawfly, Mirror, Small-flowered Tongue and Bumblebee were the commonest, with fewer Yellow Bee, Violet Bird’s-nest and Balearic – pretty much all that we can expect to see on Menorca at this time of year.

Most of the endemic plants were not yet in flower – for them it is best in May – but Balearic Cyclamen and Dragon Arum, together with Senecio rodriguezii and Astragalus balearicus gave us plenty of localised botanical interest.

 

Despite the absence of significant falls, migrant birds were trickling through, and our frequent wanders down the drive of Matchani Gran often produced northern migrants -Common Redstart, Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher – along with local-breeding summer visitors – Balearic Woodchat Shrike and Orphean Warbler – and the resident Hoopoe, Stone Curlew and Booted Eagle. Elsewhere, great views of Bittern, Blue Rock Thrush, Egyptian Vulture and Audouin’s Gull contributed to a week’s total of 92 species.

Insects were relatively few and far between, and generally quite small. However, small doesn’t necessarily mean insignificant as the Golden-striped Tortoise-beetles below show.

Add to that Mediterranean Demoiselle, Oil-beetle, Egyptian Locust and a Chinese Oak Silk-moth, as big as my hand….

….and Balearic Scorpion, Hermann’s Tortoise, Moorish Gecko and the spectacular landscape and geology, all the elements were in place for a very successful trip, despite somewhat indifferent weather. 

As always with Honeyguide tours (and uniquely so), each participant on every tour pays a surcharge which goes directly to conservation projects in the places we visit. From our Menorcan trips, we support GOB Menorca – Grupo Balear de Ornitología y Defensa de la Naturaleza, the Birdlife Partner and main environmental voluntary body in the Balearics. This year the donation amounted to some €600, equivalent to around thirty memberships for an organisation which relies for funding almost wholly on membership receipts. And that membership is just 1350 people….

My previous blog details some of the projects run by GOB, and especially the Agronatural Farms project which our donation will go to support, as we heard from GOB President Carlos Coll who visited one evening in recognition of the value of our support.

Thank you Menorca for providing us with such a super holiday, fittingly in the year it celebrates its 25th year as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and thank you GOB for helping to keep the island like we want to see it!

For more information about GOB Menorca and its work, please visit english.gobmenorca.com

If you enjoyed reading this and would like to know more detail about the trip, a fully illustrated report will be on the Honeyguide website honeyguide.co.uk in due course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Menorca, a jewel of the Balearics, always delights. Justifiably proud of its status as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, anyone visiting the island at any time of year can find natural, archaeological, cultural and historical treasures. Last week, I had the pleasure and privilege of leading a group from Honeyguide Wildlife Tours around those treasures.

 

Sandwiched between intense thunderstorms the day before we arrived and the morning we left, the weather was pretty much idyllic: dry, warm to hot, and often as not with glorious blue skies as an antidote to the prospect of a British winter to come.

As always with my tours, our focus was broad, from the tiniest insect to the wider cultural and geological landscapes.

The wetlands were filling up with birds, northern visitors like Pochard and Black-necked Grebes mingling with those of more southerly origins, Ferruginous Duck and Greater Flamingo; the bushes and night skies teemed with Robins and Song Thrushes, nearing the end of their migrations, while a few sub-Saharan winterers like Blue-headed Wagtail, Common Redstart and Balearic Spotted Flycatcher still hung on. And as always Audouin’s Gulls,

Hoopoes, Stone Curlews and the common big bird triumvirate of Red Kite, Booted Eagle and Egyptian Vulture spoke volumes about the favourability of conditions on Menorca year round, for birds just as much as for people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a long, hot, dry summer, an autumn trip to Menorca can seem devoid of interest to the botanist. But rains over the previous month had arrived, sometimes heavily so, and the ‘Second Spring’ was underway almost as we watched, newly sprouting grass emerging from the previously parched and heavily grazed pastures.

Autumn Daffodils sprung up and bloomed widely along road verges, with the stately spikes of Sea Squill, their flowers white stars with striking bright green anthers, on the more exposed coastal sites. Arum pictum was just emerging at Cavalleria, and the rivers of pink Merendera filifolia marking well-worn pathways, especially above Cales Coves, left me simply lost for words.

 

 

 

 

 

And as for the rest, well the insects at this season are as large and numerous as at any time of year:

Egyptian Locusts, Praying Mantises and Rhinoceros Beetles providing the size;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crimson Speckled moths the beauty; and Cistus Hedgehog Beetles the bizarre, in miniature.

Arachnids put on a great show, with Large Wasp Spiders in their huge orb-webs, and the fascinating 3D structures of Cage-web Spiders festooning many a bush. Italian Wall Lizards and Moorish Geckoes basked in the weakening sunlight, and the array of Hermann’s Tortoises included new hatchlings to old adults. The shady gorge of Rafalet produced a fungal highlight, the Pepperpot Earth-star,

 

 

and the rocks at Es Grau kept us entranced with their diverse, artistic friezes of lichens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were very lucky during the week to receive a visit from Montse Bau, from GOB Menorca – Grupo Balear de Ornitología y Defensa de la Naturaleza, the Birdlife Partner and main environmental voluntary body in the Balearics, with dedicated groups on each of the major islands. Honeyguide is still, sadly (to my knowledge), the only wildlife tour company which places a surcharge on each and every customer it takes on holiday and then invests those resources in conservation projects in the places we visit. On Menorca, GOB is the organization we support, and Montse described eloquently the breadth of what they do in response to the plethora of problems being faced by its wildlife and environment. GOB is a campaigning NGO, not just for birds but for all aspects of the environment. It advises the local and regional governments on matters relating to the environment. It rescues and rehabilitates injured birds, tortoises and other animals. It educates and informs locals and visitors alike. It gets stuck in on key, hitherto seemingly intractable problems, such as the pollution of the island’s aquifer, and the rapidly falling level of that aquifer as a result of unsustainable exploitation. It promotes wildlife- and water-friendly gardening. And the new project which so excited Honeyguide – ‘Agronatural Farms’ – and led us to double our donation to €800 using money from the Honeyguide Wildlife Charitable Trust. Agronatural Farms is a pilot project to develop and restore environmentally sustainable farming practices, and to seek to ensure that produce from those farms attracts a favourable price. Very laudable and thus far attracting a lot of interest, including from other parts of Spain.

So, in a nutshell, GOB Menorca does at least parts of what in Britain is addressed by RSPB, RSPCA, the Soil Association, Marine Conservation Society, Royal Horticultural Society, and even the roles of some statutory agencies such as Natural England and the Environment Agency. A remarkable achievement, particularly in that it is organized by a team of about eight staff, just four Full Time Equivalent posts…and Honeyguide is more than proud to support those efforts.

Of course, with so much to do, so many battlefronts to fight on, and so few resources, there would always be the risk that nothing would ever get done properly. But here Montse’s mantra comes in to play…’step by step’, making a small but significant difference at each step, such that the sum of those steps is very significant progress towards protecting and enhancing this jewel of the Mediterranean. Perhaps that is a lesson in humility many of us could learn and take inspiration from. It certainly seems to be working for Montse and GOB Menorca: her presentation was the most upbeat of any I have heard over the years. And it makes me want to join in and help making more of those small steps forward…

For more information about GOB Menorca and its work, please visit english.gobmenorca.com

If you enjoyed reading this and would like to know more detail about the trip, a fully illustrated report will be on the Honeyguide website honeyguide.co.uk in due course.