Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Sightings 10/04/16
I decided to head to Mandria in hope of catching some more time with the Turkestan Shrike and to see what other goodies had turned up. Sadly the Turkestan Shrike had moved on, the winds were favourable for it to head east. There was however a lot of movement today with many birds migrating in big numbers getting caught with odd winds causing them to fly up and down the coast. A Collared Pratincole was a great sight as was a Bimaculated Lark in flight ... which would have been better if I could have seen where it landed. I headed slightly further along the coast as I had been told about Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters in the area and had briefly heard one in flight earlier in the day. Colin was also in the area and we both headed to their "last seen" spot, sadly with no luck but we did see migrating teal and a decent flock of Gull-billed Terns out at sea.
I then decided to venture to anarita park hoping to turn up a Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin or two when I got a txt and a call just as I arrived stating a Hooded Wheatear had just been found at Timi Beach. ... naturally I brushed Anarita Park to the side and headed to Timi Beach. A successful twitch with the bird showing very well despite being a bit flighty. It was a 2cy bird very much the same as the one I saw last year, I was hoping it was going to be an adult but I guess we can't have everything. The bird seemed hungry and must have only arrived in the morning. Was desperately chasing butterflies all along that headland. So another day another rarity, couldn't be happier :)
I then decided to venture to anarita park hoping to turn up a Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin or two when I got a txt and a call just as I arrived stating a Hooded Wheatear had just been found at Timi Beach. ... naturally I brushed Anarita Park to the side and headed to Timi Beach. A successful twitch with the bird showing very well despite being a bit flighty. It was a 2cy bird very much the same as the one I saw last year, I was hoping it was going to be an adult but I guess we can't have everything. The bird seemed hungry and must have only arrived in the morning. Was desperately chasing butterflies all along that headland. So another day another rarity, couldn't be happier :)
Mandria 10-Apr
4 Common Kestrel Crested Lark 1 Bimaculated Lark (in flight, call heard) 20+ Greater Short-toed Lark 1 Whinchat Sardinian Warbler Zitting Cisticola Barn Swallow House Martin Red-rumped Swallow Common Swift 1 Hoopoe 1 Collared Pratincole 50+ Yellow Wagtail 2 White Wagtail 1 Spur-winged Lapwing House Sparrow Spanish Sparrow Red-throated Pipit 1 Montagu's Harrier Quail (heard) 2 Black Francolin 4 Chukar Stone Curlew 1 Woodchat Shrike 250+ Glossy Ibis 1 Ruff Yellow-legged Gull Baltic Gull 15+ Gull-billed Tern 20+ Little Egret 2 Cattle Egret 4 Turtle Dove Collared Dove Woodpigeon 1 Common Buzzard 30+ Common Teal 5 Shag Great Tit Eastern Olivaceous Warbler (heard) Cetti's Warbler 2 Lesser Whitethroat Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (heard) Common Nightingale Corn Bunting Goldfinch Timi Beach + Road to Airport 50+ Glossy Ibis 2 Alpine Swift Black-eared Wheatear Northern Wheatear Isabelline Wheatear 1 Hooded Wheatear 1 Common Kingfisher 1 Long-Legged Buzzard 1 Common Buzzard Anavargos Hills (quick browse) 1 Wood Warbler 3 Common Kestrel Cetti's Warbler Great Tit Greenfinch 2 Ortolan Bunting 2 Cyprus Wheatear 1 Woodchat Shrike 1 Masked Shrike 1 Common Cuckoo 2 Great Spotted Cuckoo 1 Whinchat 2 Little Owl Sardinian Warbler Cyprus Warbler 4 Lesser Whitethroat Common Nightingale |