Late October/early November might not be the best time of year to see Majorca's wildlife at its best but it is still warm, the kids love it and there is always lots to see. It was alive with insects particularly butterflies and day flying moths. the most obvious was Crimson Speckled and Hummingbird Hawkmoth. Clouded Yellow, Swallowtail, Painted Lady and Long tailed Blue were numerous. I found it difficult to drag myself away from 'waste' areas such as corners of car parks and supermarkets due to the abundance of flowering plants and associated insect life. I managed a few pics but can't identify most of the above insects. Some plant pics have been stored for future identification but I did like Rock Samphire and Asparagus alba
Lots of birds to see but I wasn't running around all of the island. Eagles and Vultures are nice, Hoopoes and Cirl Buntings even better but the most charismatic bird on the island is the Sardinian warbler with its distinctive call and quirky behaviour greeting us each morning in the pines next to our balcony.
8 comments:
Hi Nige, Pic 5 is 1404 Hyemenia recurvalis a migrant from the tropics, and Pic 7 is Dark Swordgrass.
What a wonderful array of wildlife you saw - must have been a great holiday :) Particularly love the Hummingbird Hawkmoth and Crimson Speckled photos - great sightings :)
I know exactly what you mean about the corners of waste ground abroad!
We had hardly left the airport before we found an overgrown building site which kept us happy for an hour or so!
Hope the family had as good time despite this.
Thanks for the comments...Thanks for the id with a couple Stew...much appreciated
Thanks K...the family are used to me going off into strange places, they do their thing and I do mine!
Just a small correction to #5, te generic name should be Spoladea and it is fairly common in the Med and so shouldn't be regarded as a migrant from the tropics. #8 is a Ruch Veneer, Nomophila noctuella. #6 has me intrigued as it doesn't ring any immediate bells - and I've been studying the Balearic Islands moths for a few years. It's just possible that it is Cathayia insularum (Speidel & Schmitz, 1991). The larva in #4 also intrigues me. Martin
After a little searching, I think your larva might be that of the Crimson Speckled. Martin
Thanks Martin for taking the time to identify the moths. I'm still a novice with mothing and completed my first year doing the GMS and I'm now hooked but still need help but there is plenty support out there.
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