April 10th, 2016

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 :)   

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

Hooded Wheatear Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved

Hooded Wheatear Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved

Montagu's Harrier Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved

Montagu's Harrier Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved

Glossy Ibis Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved

Ruff Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved

Ortolan Bunting Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved

Montagu's Harrier Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved