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The island’s dashing Eleanora’s falcons constitute an important part of the world’s population – you can see them around the Formentor lighthouse (see Lighthouse). The peregrine falcon, too, breeds in these parts, and you can spot black vultures, red kite, eagles, Montagu’s harrier and long-eared owl.

Birdwatchers come from all over Europe to see rare migrants, especially at the S’Albufera wet-lands (see Parc Natural de S’Albufera), including marsh harriers, herons, egrets, stilts, bitterns and flamingos. Seagulls (including the rare Audouin’s gull), sandpipers, cormorants, ducks, ospreys and terns live along the rocky coasts.

Species breeding here, or stopping for a visit in the spring or summer, include stonechats, warblers, the stripy hoopoe, partridges, buntings, finches, larks, curlews, thrushes, mar-tins, ravens, shrikes, turtle doves, pipits, swifts, swallows, the brilliantly coloured European bee-eater and the inimitable nightingale.

You should see plenty of wild mountain goats in the more remote areas of Mallorca – and they’ll certainly spy you. Rabbits, hares, hedgehogs, civet cats, ferrets, weasels and other small creatures may take longer to spot. The Mallorcan donkey is also an increasingly rare occurrence – having been cross-bred with its Algerian cousin, there are less than 75 registered members of the unalloyed species that exist at present.

Frogs, salamanders, geckos, snakes and lizards abound on the island. But perhaps the most interesting creatures are the endangered ferreret, a type of frog found only in the ravines of the Serra de Tramuntana, and the Lilford’s lizard. Hunted to extinction by their natural enemies on the main island, the latter still thrive on the smaller islets offshore, especially Cabrera. Another endangered species is the caretta turtle, which lives in the waters around Sa Dragonera and Cabrera.

In the warmer seasons, you’ll see plenty of colourful butterflies in the wooded areas of the island, as well as bees, may-flies and mean-looking hornets. In hot weather, especially among cedars, you’ll be treated to the song of the cicadas, keening away at full volume, a wonderful reminder that you’re in the Mediterranean. But flies and mosquitoes might take some dealing with.

The island is home to over 1,300 varieties of flowering plants, of which 40 are uniquely Mallorcan. These include the Balearic cyclamen, giant orchids and the delicate bee orchid. Spring and early summer are the time to see them in all their colourful bounty, but autumn also can be good. Look out especially for the asphodel with its tall spikes and clusters of pink flowers, Illa de Cabrera’s rare dragon arum with its exotically hairy look, the rock rose in the Serra de Tramuntana and the Balearic peonies.

These include the hair-like wild grass (Ampelodesma mauritanica ) used for fodder, thatching and rope; the Balearics’ only native palm, the dwarf fan palm; giant yucca and aloe; palmetto, used for basketry; aromatic wild rosemary; wild broom; a native variety of St John’s wort; and the giant fennel.

The mountain areas are characterized by pines, cedars and evergreen holm oaks, while palms, cypress and yews have been planted on the island since time immemorial. Olives can reach great age (more than 1,000 years) and gargantuan size. They can also take on disturbingly anthropomorphic forms – the 19th-century writer George Sand, in her book A Winter in Majorca (see Monastery: Pharmacy), tells of having to remind herself “that they are only trees”, when walking past them at dusk.

Some of the flowering plants you see around the island are actually cultivated for decorative purposes: for example, the oleander, purple morning glory, agapanthus, bougainvillea, Bignonia jasminoides (commonly called the trumpet vine, with both orange and pink blooms – used as cover for pergolas), geranium and wisteria. Grapes and olives have been a feature of the Mallorcan landscape since Roman times.