Tour Report

May 29th, 2018

29/5/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD Tour - Paphos & Akrotiri 28/05/2018

On the 28th I had the pleasure of guiding Jayne and David around the Paphos foothills and Akrotiri sites. We started out in the foothills where we got some fantastic views of Black-headed Bunting singing and good views of a pair of Black Francolins in a vineyard.
Many Corn bunting were flying around and singing, even some young. A small mixed flock of House and Spanish Sparrow were feeding and also taking more nesting material from dead wood. Moving through to Minthis we failed to find any Cretzschmar's Bunting which was odd considering how many I saw there a few days prior. The fact they were not calling or singing didn't help. But we did see many Eurasian Hoopoe at their nesting grounds including one that caught a large grub and fed its young in an olive tree.
We cut through Episkopi (paphos) admiring many rollers on the way and also getting good views of a juvenile Great Spotted Cuckoo and then searched through Anarita Park. We was lucky to see a few Red-footed Falcons still present and also a male Lesser Kestrel still hanging around. A pair of little owls were on show, one perched on a small stick provided great photo opportunities. Two of their young were sitting on top of their nesting boulder adjusting their eyes. At one point one of the adults seemingly went to attack a Sling-tailed Agama lizard that was next to it, but missed...and ended up landing on the pathway we were to take. So I managed to park just meters from it.

We then searched for some Cyprus Warblers, of which we found an adult male who sat in the broom shrub next to the car for a lengthy amount of time. Unfortunately he wouldn't sit at the top and so despite nice close photos, none of them were clean.
Then we begun our journey to Akrotiri. As we arrived at Zakaki a Eurasian Hobby flew towards the car quite low on the dual carriageway, a nice welcome. We could only see Mallard at Zakaki and didn't spend too long at this vastly neglected site.

Moving on to the Salt Lake we managed to get great views and photos of Black-winged Stilt, Little Stint, Common Ringed Plover, Ruff and White-winged Tern. We briefly saw a few yellow wagtail but they quickly vanished into the shrub as well as a Black-winged Stilt chick. Many Sand
Martin were flying over here and we had a young Barn Swallow being fed by an adult on the ground very close to the car. Many Greater Flamingo were still present here of which we got great views of, a few Slender-billed Gulls were still present but distant. A huge flock of yellow-legged gulls took off on our arrival. Dissapointingly only one Eleonora's Falcon was seen here which is unusual considering it is one of their favoured hunting grounds.
Aside birds we came across a few pairs of Tiger Beetles copulating.

A quick check along lady's mile didn't produce anything, though the strip was incredibly busy due to being a public holiday.
We had our lunch on the way to Episkopi. A few Alpine Swift were darting around here, sometimes very low and a few Eleonora's Falcons were present but not the kind of numbers expected at this time of year. The Griffon Vultures sadly didn't show, though we did get a few close flyby's by a Peregrine Falcon ending the tour with 53 species which is not too bad considering the time of year.

Species:
Chukar Partridge
Black Francolin
Mallard
Greater Flamingo
Little Egret
European Shag
Lesser Kestrel
Common Kestrel
Red-footed Falcon
Eleonora's Falcon
Eurasian Hobby
Peregrine Falcon
Black-winged Stilt
Common Ringed Plover
Kentish Plover
Little Stint
Ruff
Yellow-legged Gull
Slender-billed Gull
White-winged Tern
Rock Dove
Common Wood-pigeon
(h) European Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Great Spotted Cuckoo
(h) Common Cuckoo

Little Owl
Common Swift
Pallid Swift
European Roller
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Hooded Crow
Great Tit
Crested Lark
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow
Common House-martin
Zitting Cisticola
(h) Cetti's Warbler
Eurasian Reed-warbler
(h) Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Sardinian Warbler
Cyprus Warbler
Cyprus Wheatear
House Sparrow
Spanish Sparrow
Yellow Wagtail
European Greenfinch
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet
Corn Bunting
Black-headed Bunting
53

May 23rd, 2018

23/5/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD Tour - Paphos x2 half day tours 19 + 22/05/2018

On the 19th and 22nd I had the pleasure of guiding Mark around the Paphos sites for two half day tours. (I had a bit of a break from photography and so Mark kindly let me display some of his photos from the tour on this report)
The first day we spent in the lower paphos sites, Our first stop was Agia Varvara with Black Francolin in mind. On arrival we saw one briefly on the top of an abandoned building. We heard him call out for a long period of time though he wouldn't show for a second time.
A family of common kestrel were hanging around providing great views as they learned to hunt from their parents.
On the river we had a brief glimpse of a wood sandpiper and some reed warblers. We also had good views of Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, another target species. I had a Garden Warbler briefly show whilst Mark was photographing one of the Olivaceous Warblers.

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler - Mark Woodhead ©

We even had a brief fly by of a Common Cuckoo and Peregrine Falcon, and also a Stone Curlew in one of the orchards along with a Great Reed Warbler singing.
We then moved on to Anarita Park where some Red-footed Falcon were still present along with one Lesser kestrel. At one point a Cyprus Scops Owl called out, but didn'gt continue to call and so we did not spend time in trying to find it.
A family party of Cyprus Warblers showed briefly in the broom shrub as well as a family of Chukar on the plateau.
We made a short trip to the Sewage Plant for Spur-winged Lapwing of which we got fairly easily, there was also a small group of yellow wagtails present but unfortunately we flushed them before getting good views. A Eurasian Stone Curlew showed briefly right next to the car.
A small family of Goldfinch showed well also.
Mandria provided two Greater Short-toed larks just meters from the car, and Asprokremnos Dam car park had a smart male Common Redstart. We managed 44 species for for the half day.

Spur-winged Lapwing - Mark Woodhead ©

Greater Short-toed Lark - Mark Woodhead ©

The second day was in the Paphos Foothills on a cloudy and dusty day.
We started by driving through Episkopi seeing many Cyprus Wheatear and Roller on the way and even managing some decent photo opportunities with the Rollers. Only one Peregrine Falcon showed at the monolith, the young must have fledged.
At Minthis we managed to locate many Cretzscmar's Bunting which was another target species. Many were calling and some in song, on the ground and in the shrubs. A surprise here was a female Marsh Harrier gliding the valley and also two whinchat with one in sub-song which I had never heard before. A spectacled warbler called nearby briefly but was not seen. We continued through to Kathikas for the Black-headed Bunting which was another target species. We managed to find quite a few Black-headed Buntings, with many in song. We also came across another Black-francolin with superb flight views over the car. A small party of Sand Martin flew over here.
We had a quick look around Pano Arodes which produced many Rollers and an Eleonora's Falcon. Unfortunately we did not manage our final target species, the Long-legged Buzzard despite visiting and driving past many of their territories and favoured perching points. We managed 37 species for the half day bringing our total to 54 species.

European Roller - Mark Woodhead ©

Black-headed Bunting - Mark Woodhead ©

Cretzschmar's Bunting - Mark Woodhead ©

Species:
Chukar Partridge
Black Francolin
Lesser Kestrel
Common Kestrel
Red-footed Falcon
Eleonora's Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
Western Marsh Harrier
Eurasian Stone Curlew
Spur-winged Lapwing
Wood Sandpiper
Yellow-legged Gull
Common Wood-pigeon
European Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Common Cuckoo
Cyprus Scops Owl (h)
Little Owl
Common Swift
European Roller
European Bee-eater
Eurasian Hoopoe
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Hooded Crow
Great Tit
Greater Short-toed Lark

Crested Lark
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow
Common House-martin
Zitting Cisticola
Cetti's Warbler
Eurasian Reed-warbler
Great Reed Warbler (h)
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Blackcap
Garden Warbler
Sardinian Warbler
Cyprus Warbler
Spectacled Warbler
Whinchat
Common Redstart
Spotted Flycatcher
Cyprus Wheatear
House Sparrow
Spanish Sparrow
Yellow Wagtail (flava, feldegg)
European Greenfinch
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet
Corn Bunting
Cretzschmar's Bunting
Black-headed Bunting
54

May 13th, 2018

13/5/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD Tour - Troodos 11/05/2018

On the 11th I had the pleasure of guiding John and Lesley around the Troodos sites. Lesley was quite keen on botany also, so I made sure we saw some good species and many endemics on the way. We started the day on the outskirts to find some Black-headed Bunting. We found some fairly quickly with many in song and providing some fantastic views of this colourful specialty. Corn bunting could be heard around the vineyards, some Common Linnets landed close to the car at one point but views were very brief. Not far away we found a singing male Cretzschmar's Bunting on territory providing great lengthy scoped views.
A pair of Masked Shrike evicted a Jay from a pine tree right next to where we parked the car which was incredible to see. The masked Shrikes provided some impressive views. A Hoopoe flew into a small valley though we couldn't find it on the ground, or a Nightjar that was churring very close to us. Quite a few red-rumped Swallow flew over here with nests in the area.
We then headed to the Troodos Square stopping at platres on the way for Grey Wagtail and to an area that usually has a good number of Short-toed Treecreepers. Sure enough I heard some and managed to track them down, providing pretty decent and lengthy views.
A Pair of Jays were foraging on the ground not far from where we was standing though they flew off the second they noticed us. A Woodlark was singing but we was unable to find him, though later on the way back we saw him in flight, though he was quite high up in display.
Many Swifts were shooting around collecting recent emerging orange flying insects. Many Pallid swifts were showing today with decent sized groups of them moving among the Common Swift and coming down low, even head height at times. I heard an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler singing
in a bush next to where I parked the car, some brief phishing got him sitting on the top of the bush showing incredibly well for around 20 seconds.

Next stop was Livadi tou Passia where sadly the Crossbill were not showing, we even came back to this site later to eat our lunch in hope they would show, but they didn't. We also saw a Hoopoe in flight here quite close, but it vanished among the dense woodland.
Our next site was giant junipers where a flock of around 30 European Bee-eaters were resting in the pines and also hunting the flying insects. This is not a species I expected to see that day and was a bit of a treat. There didn't seem to be much here, we did get some more great views of masked shrike, I noticed a male catch a bug and not eat it, and then flew to a tree and then out. On further inspection it was actually a nest with a female inside, though we kept our distance and scoped them, not observing for long so as not to disturb them at this very sensitive period. I did take a photo from distance but do not wish to encourage people photographing nests, it is something I am strongly against.
On the way out we heard a Turtle Dove calling.

The next site was the Botanical Garden. On entry we saw a female blue rock thrush calling out constantly from a rock, and from the return calls we located the male. An obvious breeding pair who were successful last year. We managed very good views of both male and female, and managed good photo opportunities of the male. A few crag martin flew down to the river quite a few times. In the botanical garden we had incredibly close views of a Jay on the ground, Serin were darting around and another surprise bird was a Cyprus Warbler singing in the top of a pine tree, though the pine was outside the botanical garden on a lower height, so the bird was near enough eye level with us. A great way to wrap up a good day birding in the mountains managing 41 species, which is a good count for the mountains this close to summer.
*Note we did also visit Prodromos dam for flora and in desperation for the Crossbill

Species:
Cretzschmar's Bunting
Black-headed Bunting
(h) Corn Bunting
Spotted Flycatcher
Common Linnet
European Serin
European Goldfinch
European Greenfinch
European Chaffinch
Masked Shrike
Eurasian Jay (G.g.glaszneri)
Hooded Crow
Eurasian Magpie
Blackbird
Red-rumped Swallow
House Martin
Crag Martin
Barn Swallow
Common Swift
Pallid Swift
European Nightjar
Common Kestrel
House Sparrow
Sardinian Warbler
Cyprus Warbler
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Eurasian Wren (T.t.cypriotes)
Great Tit (P.m.aphrodite)
Coal Tit (P.a.cypriotes)
Eurasian Hoopoe
Grey Wagtail
Cyprus Wheatear
(h) Common Nightingale
Woodlark
Dorothy's Short-toed Treecreeper (C.b.dorotheae)
European Turtle Dove
(h) Common Cuckoo
European Bee-eater
Blue Rock Thrush
41

Flora and Fauna:
Cynoglossum montanum subsp. extraeuropaeum
Poppy of Troy
Strawberry Tree
Rose Acacia (invasive)
Black Locust (invasive)
Sequoyah Tree (introduced)
Platanthera holmboei
Limodorum abortivum
Red Valerian
Paeonia mascula
Aphrodite's Spurge
Anchusa azurea
Viola alba
Vicia tennifolia subsp. dalmatica
Orobanche cypria
Cyprus Cedar
Allium exaltatum
Ornithogalum chionophilum
Scorzonera troodea
Meklei's Poppy
Troodos Chamomile
Cynoglossum troodi
Alyssum Troodi
California Poppy (introduced/invasive)
Centaurea aegialophila
Scutellaria cypria
Rock Rose
Tassle hyacinth
Silene Vulgaris

Shaggy Ink Cap (fungi)

Cyprus Water Frog

Sling-tailed Agama
Troodos Lizard

Clouded Yellow
Bath White
Large White
Small White
Red Admiral

May 08th, 2018

8/5/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD Tour - Akrotiri 07/05/2018

On the 7th I had the pleasure of guiding Antonis, Holly and Wendy around the Akrotiri peninsular. The morning was a little overcast with Black-crowned Night Herons flying in and out of Zakaki Marsh, and many Reed Warblers flitting around the reeds.
We headed for the Salt Lake. Only a few Temminck's Stints were present among the Little Stints before the lake itself, along with 3 Collared Pratincoles. Holly managed to spot a Rufous-tailed Rock thrush sitting in a low shrub which provided excellent lengthy views.

On the salt lake itself we browsed through the many waders spotting a Ruddy Turnstone in Summer plumage and a Grey Plover in winter plumage, over 5 Curlew Sandpipers and the usuals with Ruff and Little Stint the most abundant. The part melanistic Greater Flamingo was showing well again among the large flock that were displaying, we also spotted a fair sized flock flying in to the salt lake. A few female Pintail were the only waterfowl.
Moving on to lady's mile we was treated to seeing a Grey Plover in summer plumage, a pair of Black-winged Stilts copulating briefly and many Little Tern diving meters from the car with one even presenting a fish to its mate ... though this moment was short lived as a grounded Little Tern nearby was not in the mood for seeing this happen a few meters from him and chased them off. We didn't have many great photo opportunities during this tour aside the Little Terns, Temminck's and Little Stint and Eleonora's Falcon.

Bishop's pool held small numbers of birds, many Ferruginous duck were present though which was the target here. We stopped here to have our lunch.
Next destination was the gravel pits where we had good views of Woodchat Shrike, Red-backed Shrike and Winchat.
We stopped at Phassouri which held very little and then ventured to Kensington Cliffs where we had great views of many Eleonora's Falcons and Alpine Swift, though sadly the Griffon Vultures didn't show.
We decided to check the Salt Lake for a second time, driving past bishops pool I spotted a Golden Oriole land in one of the trees, also a few bee-eaters were about now.
We didn't see much else on the Salt Lake aside a Spotted Flycatcher and ended up with 70 species.

Species:
(h) Black Francolin
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Garganey
Ferruginous Duck
Little Grebe
Greater Flamingo
Glossy Ibis
Black-crowned Night-heron
Squacco Heron
Cattle Egret
Grey Heron
Little Egret
European Shag
Common Kestrel
Eleonora's Falcon
Common Moorhen
Common Coot
Black-winged Stilt
Grey Plover
Common Ringed Plover
Little Ringed Plover
Kentish Plover
Marsh Sandpiper
Common Greenshank
Wood Sandpiper
Ruddy Turnstone
Little Stint
Temminck's Stint
Curlew Sandpiper
Ruff
Collared Pratincole
Yellow-legged Gull
Little Tern
Rock Dove

Common Wood-pigeon
European Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Alpine Swift
Common Swift
Pallid Swift
European Bee-eater
Red-backed Shrike
Woodchat Shrike
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Hooded Crow
Great Tit
Crested Lark
Barn Swallow
Common House-martin
Zitting Cisticola
Cetti's Warbler
Eurasian Reed-warbler
(h) Sedge Warbler
(h) Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Blackcap
Sardinian Warbler
Spectacled Warbler
Whinchat
Northern Wheatear
Cyprus Wheatear
Rufous-tailed Rock-thrush
Spotted Flycatcher
House Sparrow
White Wagtail
European Greenfinch
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet

70 species

May 04th, 2018

4/5/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD Tour - Paphos & Akrotiri 01 & 03/05/2018

On the 1st I had the pleasure of guiding David and Maicon around Paphos. We started at the Sewage works where many Cattle Egret were feeding in the fields and many broods of Barn Swallow were lining the wires, with a Sand martin among them.
The Spur-winged lapwings weren't outside the fence at this early time so we checked the pools to which we found Glossy Ibis, Squacco Heron and quite a few Spur-winged lapwing. Towards the solid waste area we got better views of Spur-winged Lapwing and was amazed to find they had a chick already. On the way out we spotted a Stone Curlew in flight but failed to find the point in which it landed.
Then on to Mandria where we had good views of Laughing Dove, Hoopoe, Red-backed and Lesser Grey Shrike. There wasn't much movement out at sea as now the migration has slowed right down and so we didn't stick around. We headed to Agia Varvara which held little and then onto Anarita Park where we was treated to many great views of Red-footed Falcon, Lesser Kestrel, Cyprus Warbler, European Roller, Montagu's Harrier and Red-rumped Swallow.
We moved on through to Episkopi in hope of getting Great Spotted Cuckoo which is a nightmare bird to find this year unfortunately, undoubtedly there being some problems in their wintering grounds considering the sharp decline in populations visiting Cyprus over the past 3 years. Sadly we couldn't locate any Great Spotted Cuckoos, though we did see Eastern olivaceous warbler, Cyprus Wheatear and some more Rollers. Moving up to higher ground we got great scoped views of Peregrine Falcon chicks and briefly heard the calls of a Cyprus Scops Owl echoing against the cliff face.

Moving up to Minthis hills a Long-legged Buzzard was gaining height. At the entrance to Minthis we came across a Cretzschmar's Bunting singing away at the top of a small Hawthorne tree, there was many Corn Buntings along this strip which has been subject to much construction over the past year.
We drove to Kathikas from here and managed to get incredible views of Black-headed Bunting, with all of them singing and even had close views of 2 males fighting on at least 3 occasions. There was a harrier in the distance but too far to identify.

From kathikas we headed up to Pano Arodes where we saw quite a few Golden oriole in flight. I was hoping to get Great Spotted Cuckoo here ... but the best we managed was a Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush and Spotted Flycatcher both managing to get within meters.
As we headed out and journeyed to Evretou Dam we came upon a Long-legged Buzzard perched in a tree very close providing incredible views and an inevitable take-off.
We stopped to eat our lunch at Evretou near the waters edge where Yellow Wagtails approached us and we enjoyed many flocks of Bee-eater flying over. Highlights here was a few Night Heron, Purple Heron, Squacco Heron and a Black-tailed Godwit which was well spotted by David partly concealed in the grass. We also watched a Long-legged Buzzard soaring over the hills and watched the extremely large nesting group of Spanish Sparrow in a large tree. A great day with some very colourful birds totaling 68 species.

The second day we ventured to Akrotiri. We started at the Salt Lake which had been very productive lately. In no time at all we came across many Temminck's and Little Stint, Wood and Marsh Sandpiper. There was a large Flock of Greater Flamingo overhead at various stages and also we had flocks of Glossy Ibis and Collared Pratincole that flew very close to us at times and landed nearby.

We had Eleonora's Falcon flyby's on entrance and on exit of the salt lake. White-winged and Little Terns were both present in decent numbers flying and landing very close
to us at times. The majority of waders were Ruff and Little Stint, though we did pick out a Dunlin and also quite a few Curlew Sandpipers. Seeing a few Black-headed Gull here was a bit of a surprise considering how late into spring we are.
Some Baltic gull showed well in flight and on the ground. There was a decent group of Greater Flamingo at the waters edge that were in display which was great to see especially so close as well. A few Northern Shoveler were among them.

After we was satisfed with our sightings here we moved on to Lady's Mile seeing a Tawny pipit on the way. I made a mistake here in not exploring the southern eastern point here which I am told Greater Sandplover and Broad-billed Sandpiper were seen there in the afternoon.
The water levels at Lady's Mile had reduced dramitically since last being there and seemed ripe for waders now. Though there actually wasn't many around. We did get some more ruff, marsh sandpiper and a greenshank. Also a Black-tailed Godwit among Ruff. Little Tern were in abundance here fishing.

We then moved on to Bishops Pool. Many ferruginous duck were showing and we also had a few late Common Teal and some Garganey. A Little Bittern called from the reeds though we was unable to locate it. A Chiffchaff moved from tree to tree, an unexpected sighting for this time of year (identified on call).
After checking some of Akrotiri Gravel Pits (of which the highlight was seeing two Little Terns plunging into the water around 4 meters from the car and then feeding each other in display) and Phassouri Marsh we stopped for our lunch.
After lunch we headed to Kensington cliffs where we got incredible views of many Eleonora's Falcons playing, hunting and also mobbing the Griffon Vultures that were active on arrival. We also saw lots of Alpine Swift with some flying quite low.
It was quite windy by this point so getting the Griffon Vultures closer to us in flight was not going to happen, though they still provided a good show and ended the tour on a high note. We managed 78 species for the day and brought the total number of species to 100.

Species:
Chukar Partridge
(h) Black Francolin
Mallard
Northern Shoveller
Garganey
Common Teal
Ferruginous Duck
Little Grebe
Greater Flamingo
Glossy Ibis
Black-crowned Night-heron
Squacco Heron
Cattle Egret
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Little Egret
(h) Little Bittern
European Shag
Lesser Kestrel
Common Kestrel
Red-footed Falcon
Eleonora's Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
Western Marsh Harrier
Montagu's Harrier
Long-legged Buzzard
Eurasian Stone Curlew
Common Moorhen
Common Coot
Black-winged Stilt
Spur-winged Lapwing
Common Ringed Plover
Kentish Plover
Black-tailed Godwit
Marsh Sandpiper
Common Greenshank
Wood Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Little Stint
Temminck's Stint
Dunlin
Curlew Sandpiper
Ruff
Yellow-legged Gull
Baltic Gull
Black-headed Gull
Little Tern
White-winged Tern
Rock Dove
Common Wood-pigeon

European Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Laughing Dove
(h) Cyprus Scops Owl
Little Owl
Alpine Swift
Common Swift
European Roller
European Bee-eater
Red-backed Shrike
Lesser Grey Shrike
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Hooded Crow
Great Tit
Crested Lark
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Common House-martin
Zitting Cisticola
Cetti's Warbler
Sedge Warbler
(h) Eurasian Reed-warbler
(h) Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Blackcap
Common Chiffchaff
Sardinian Warbler
Cyprus Warbler
Spectacled Warbler
(h) Common Nightingale
Common Redstart
Whinchat
Northern Wheatear
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear
Cyprus Wheatear
Rufous-tailed Rock-thrush
Spotted Flycatcher
House Sparrow
Spanish Sparrow
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail (flava, feldegg)
Tawny Pipit
European Greenfinch
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet
Corn Bunting
Cretzschmar's Bunting
Black-headed Bunting

100

April 30th, 2018

30/4/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD Tour - Paphos 28/04/2018

On the 28th I had the pleasure of guiding Hugh and Joyce around the Paphos Sites.
Starting at the Paphos Sewage Works we were treated to Spur-winged Lapwing and many Golden Oriole. We spotted a Tree Pipit calling in flight and also heard a red-throated pipit. Many various Yellow Wagtails were feeding in the freshly cut field.
A Wood sandpiper and a ruff was a good spot near some puddles and we also managed many Turtle Doves here with some smashing views.
Moving on to Anarita Park we browsed through the many Rollers, Red-footed Falcons and Lesser kestrels. There was a decent number of Montagu's Harriers hunting throughout the site, we had great views of them all in flight close and also many of them on the ground feeding nearby. A female Pallid Harrier was also among them.
Smaller birds were thin on the ground though we did manage to find a Whinchat, Cyprus Warblers and Cyprus Wheatears. We got some great views of Spanish Sparrows here collecting nesting material in a mixed group with House Sparrows.

Agia Varvara was the next site where many Black Francolin were calling but proving very hard to find as usual. The Zitting Cisticolas were flitting about as usual but life here seemed quite poor compared to recent. Our best birds here was a lone Purple Heron, Little Owl, a brief glimpse at a Collared Flycatcher and a few Pallid Swift among the many Commons.
We then moved on to Mandria which seemed very quiet. We did see a migrating flock of Glossy Ibis and many of the shrikes (Lesser Grey, Woodchat and Red-backed). The Stone Curlew were still in the same field. We cut through to Timi where a large group of Squacco Heron were all on the beach in full summer plumage, not something you get to see very often in Cyprus. A European Shag and Common Sandpiper were the only other birds on the shore.

Then we went to Asprokremnos Dam to have our lunch and check the woodland for flycatchers. The sound of Golden Oriole singing whilst we had our lunch was very pleasant and a Spotted Flycatcher darted around the trees along with many Goldfinch and Great Tit families.
Moving further inland we headed to the Xeros river which also seemed much quieter than it had been recently. The Red-rumped Swallows were still around collecting mud ... they landed quite close to us at times. On the water we could only make out Wood Sandpiper and a Green Sandpiper.
We then decided to head to Episkopi in hope of getting more views of Cyprus Wheatear of which we did. Also quite a few more Rollers and a few Pied Flycatchers. Many Eastern Olivaceous Warbler were singing in the bushes, one popped up for a minute.
Many finches were calling and singing, Linnet being the best of the bunch. A few Golden oriole flew into a woodland but proved to be very hard to see.
At the Peregrine Site we had great scoped views of 2 fluffy chicks and the male Peregrine in flight for long periods of time, a Great Spotted Cuckoo flew in and landed inside the fenced area where unfortunately we couldn't see it. We finished the day with 63 species.

Species:
Chukar Partridge
(h) Black Francolin
Glossy Ibis
Squacco Heron
Purple Heron
European Shag
Lesser Kestrel
Common Kestrel
Red-footed Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
Pallid Harrier
Montagu's Harrier
Spur-winged Lapwing
Wood Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Ruff
Yellow-legged Gull
Common Wood-pigeon
European Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Great Spotted Cuckoo
Little Owl
Common Swift
Pallid Swift
European Roller
Red-backed Shrike
Lesser Grey Shrike
Woodchat Shrike
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Eurasian Magpie

Eurasian Jackdaw
Hooded Crow
Great Tit
Crested Lark
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Common House-martin
Zitting Cisticola
Cetti's Warbler
(h) Eurasian Reed Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Eurasian Blackcap
Common Whitethroat
Sardinian Warbler
Cyprus Warbler
Whinchat
Cyprus Wheatear
Spotted Flycatcher
European Pied Flycatcher
Collared Flycatcher
House Sparrow
Spanish Sparrow
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail
Tree Pipit
(h) Red-throated Pipit
European Greenfinch
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet
Corn Bunting

63

April 28th, 2018

28/4/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - 1/2 day tour - Akrotiri 27/04/2018

On the 27th I had the pleasure of guiding Jack and Eric around Akrotiri for a half day tour. Cyprus Warbler and Cyprus Wheatear were the only targets so we headed inland a bit. At our first site our first bird was a Cyprus Wheatear singing on top of a juniper tree and then a male Montagu's Harrier flew over low. A good start! Further up the track we came across many Sardinian Warblers and also a few Rollers, one perched in a tree and another in flight. A Great Spotted Cuckoo called though we could not find it in the dense woodland. The Cyprus Warblers were not at their territory so I recommended that we move on to another site nearby where I knew that they will be present. On the way out a big group of Golden oriole flew over with some landing in the Junipers and pines. Serin and Chaffinch could be heard.
At the next site we were greeted by a large group of Alpine Swift being very noisy and eventually flying very low. The next bird we saw was a Cyprus Warbler sitting on top of a tree quite close, it then flew towards us and landed in a bush meters away.
Then he vanished but was seen again later chasing a Sardinian Warbler around and providing incredible views in a low bush just meters away from us. A surprise bird here was a lone Greater Short-toed Lark that landed infront of the car.
Two Griffon Vultures were on the cliff and a small group of Eleonora's Falcons were in flight but quite far away.
We headed to the other side to get better views of Cyprus Wheatear of which we did.
Next destination was Phassouri Marsh. A Large flock of Glossy Ibis were flying over as we entered the site and two Serin were on the ground very close to the car. Black Francolin were calling all around and Marsh Harriers were hunting.
On the water we had a few Squacco Heron, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Garganey, mallard and ducklings, Moorhen and some Glossy Ibis.
Moving on to the gravel pits we came across Lesser Grey Shrike and Red-backed Shrike in close proximity to each other. Two Great Egret flew in from the sea and landed on some pools. The church only had a Spotted Flycatcher.
Heading to Lady's Mile we had a Chukar in the road near bishop's pool, with eastern olivaceous warbler singing in the acacia and a Pied Flycatcher darted across the road.
Lady's Mile held plenty of waders, mostly Marsh Sandpiper, Ruff and black-winged stilt with Little Stint and little terns. The highlight here was an Avocet.
Moving on to the salt lake we was treated to many Temminck's Stint very close to the car ... a very productive site but sadly we didn't get to spend much time here. We totaled 68 species for the half day tour!

Species:
Chukar Partridge
(h) Black Francolin
Mallard
Garganey
Greater Flamingo
Glossy Ibis
Squacco Heron
Cattle Egret
Great Egret
Little Egret
Common Kestrel
Eleonora's Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
Griffon Vulture
Western Marsh Harrier
Montagu's Harrier
Common Moorhen
Black-winged Stilt
Pied Avocet
Little Ringed Plover
Marsh Sandpiper
Common Greenshank
Wood Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Little Stint
Temminck's Stint
Ruff
Little Tern
Rock Dove
Common Wood-pigeon
European Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Common Cuckoo
(h) Great Spotted Cuckoo
Alpine Swift

Common Swift
European Roller
Red-backed Shrike
Lesser Grey Shrike
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Hooded Crow
Great Tit
Greater Short-toed Lark
Crested Lark
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow
Common House-martin
Zitting Cisticola
(h) Cetti's Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Eurasian Reed-warbler
(h) Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Blackcap
Sardinian Warbler
Cyprus Warbler
Cyprus Wheatear
Spotted Flycatcher
European Pied Flycatcher
House Sparrow
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail (flava)
(h) Common Chaffinch
European Serin
European Greenfinch
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet

68

April 24th, 2018

24/4/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - 1/2 day tour - Paphos 21/04/2018

On the 21st I had the pleasure of Guiding Dave and Josie around Paphos for a half day tour in the afternoon. As we approached our first destination the weather took a turn for the worst and it started raining with winds also picking up.
Not ideal conditions. At Anarita Park we found some Lesser Kestrel with a Common Kestrel posing very well for photos. There was quite a few European Rollers present, some providing some great photo opportunities. A Chukar sat on a rock meters from the car completely unfazed. Probably some of the best photo opportunities and views I've ever managed of them. We found a Woodchat shrike seeking shelter from the rain inside a thorny broom.

On to Agia Varvara we saw some Wood Sandpiper and a Little Grebe on the way. We had a quick look on the river to see if any Crakes were about since the water levels had increased after drying out recently. Unfortunately there were none around, though we did see two Turtle Doves.
A female Pallid Harrier flew in from the hills enabling some great views as it circled to gain height not far from us. A falcon followed the valley edge, very hard to identify from such a distance but a few record photos showed it to be a female Red-footed Falcon.
There were many Great Reed Warblers on the south side, with Eurasian Reed Warbler and a Sedge Warbler. Also a few Pied Flycatchers darted across the track. A Purple heron sat not far from the track enabling good views on the ground and in flight. I heard a faint call of a Great Spotted Cuckoo, though was unable to locate it.
There was also quite a few Whincat knocking about, I managed to get us very close to them on many occasions though they were very jittery and never allowed a shot. One even landed a few meters infront of the car foraging for food.
Moving on to Mandria we stopped to see the Laughing Doves which were perched on the wires. Many Yellow Wagtail were feeding on the football pitch as well as Barn Swallow and House Martin collecting mud.
There was a big group of Common Swifts, House Martin, Barn Swallow, and a few Alpine Swift and Sand Martin feeding over the fields.
Driving along the coast a Common Tern came in to view. A very uncommon sighting in Cyprus, and it flew fairly close to us. A small migrating group of Little Egret flew overhead quite low. We finally managed a photo opportunity of Zitting Cisticola here after hearing them just about everywhere.
A female Red-footed Falcon stood on top of a bare tree, we went in closer for a photo but a Hooded Crow flushed her and she just kept flying east which was a shame. On the far east side I showed them two Stone Curlew that had been on the same field for quite some time allowing some great views. A large group of Glossy Ibis were flying along the coast just as we were leaving the Stone Curlew and a Peregrine Shot across the fields to the coast though views were very restricted by the plastic agricultural tubes.

Last stop was the Paphos Sewage Plant to see the Spur-winged Lapwing which we saw quite a few of. We also managed a couple more Stone Curlew but much closer this time, a great way to end the tour managing 53 species with unfavourable weather conditions.

Species:
Chukar Partridge (A.c.cypriotes)
(h) Black Francolin
Little Grebe
Glossy Ibis
Cattle Egret
Purple Heron
Little Egret
Lesser Kestrel
Common Kestrel
Red-footed Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
Western Marsh Harrier
Pallid Harrier
Common Moorhen
Eurasian Stone Curlew
Spur-winged Lapwing
Wood Sandpiper
Yellow-legged Gull
Common Tern
(h) Great Spotted Cuckoo
Common Wood-pigeon
European Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Laughing Dove
Little Owl
Alpine Swift

Common Swift
European Roller
Woodchat Shrike
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Hooded Crow
Great Tit (P.m.aphrodite)
Crested Lark (G.c.cypriaca)
Barn Swallow
Common House-martin
Zitting Cisticola
Cetti's Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Eurasian Reed-warbler
Great Reed-warbler
Blackcap
Wood Warbler
Common Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat
Sardinian Warbler
Whinchat
Cyprus Wheatear
European Pied Flycatcher
House Sparrow
Yellow Wagtail (M.f.flava)
European Greenfinch
European Goldfinch
53

April 22nd, 2018

22/4/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - 3 day tour (Paphos/Night Tour, Akrotiri + Akamas)

On the 17th I had the pleasure of Guiding Marco and Theresa on a 3 day tour with a heavy photographic focus. We started the day at the Paphos Sewage plant as it was a cloudy morning and the sun was not high enough yet for our main site. At the sewage plant we had a flock of Purple heron flying low and eventually landing in some nearby trees, a Glossy Ibis stood in a field with quite a few Squacco Heron, Little and Cattle Egret. There was only 2 Spur-winged Lapwing
outside the fence and few Red-throated Pipit.
As the light got better we moved around to Agia Varvara where we failed to see any crake species. Then we moved on to our main site, Anarita Park. Here we was treated to many Lesser Kestrel that didn't seem to be very active.
Here we had photo opportunities with male and female Cyprus Warbler and also Cyprus Wheatear. There was decent photo opportunities with Ortolan Bunting also, another target species. We managed to spot a Greenfinch feeding its mate and then copulating briefly. We even saw a Large Whip Snake sun-bathing on the track.
Next stop was Mandria where we managed good photo opportunities with Greater Short-toed Lark and also had good views of Black Francolin, another target species. We was very lucky to see the (Cyprus Rarity 6th) Namaqua Dove that had previously been found in the area. We flushed it some 30 meters from the car.
We then moved on to Timi Beach where we had great views and photo opportunities with an adult male Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, and were also treated to a Yellow-legged Gull feeding another and then mating on a rock offshore. I saw a quail land in the vegetation and then flushed it whilst searching. Here we also came across a Mammoth Wasp and a Sand Wasp species carrying a dead Grasshopper. An usual occurrence here was 4 Swallowtail Butterflies all chasing each other and eventually landing all together. I guess competition for mating.
We managed 56 species for the day.

Swallowtail Butterfly

Sand Wasp (Tachysphex sp.)

Large Whip Snake

The second day was at Akrotiri and Episkopi. We started out at Phassouri for Black Francolin, we found one pretty quickly but it was tricky to photograph, a wary bird on this favoured perch. We did find another later for some photography.

As usual the entrance to the site held many Serin singing and a few Chaffinch.
Heading to the marsh there was a Wryneck perched in the reeds and two Purple Heron on the ground. From the hide there was many Cattle Egret and Little Egret nearby, as were Northern Shoveler, Mallard, Garganey, Ferruginous Duck and Glossy Ibis.

At the back 3 Great Reed Warblers showed well and in the small reeds much closer, Sedge and Eurasian reed Warbler flitted around.
The gravel pits held a few Woodchat Shrike, Pallid Harrier and a Eurasian Hobby on the ground at the pebbled beach. In a dry grassy area there were many Owlfly's on the wing. Unusually the church area was completely devoid of life.

We continued to Lady's Mile where there was many Ruff, Little Egret and a small party of Marsh Sandpiper and two Greenshank. There wasn't many Gulls around.
We then headed to the Salt Lake. On the way we came across a pair of Collared Pratincole on the ground and a huge group of Glossy Ibis both on the ground and in the air, of which many joined the passing flock. On the salt lake there was many Little Stint with a Temmincks stint very distant. There was a large stretch of Northern pintail on the ground as well as quite a few Greater Flamingo and Grey Heron. A Grey plover was an odd sighting here. Many Swift passed overhead with some Pallid among them.
A few little tern were fishing here and a White-winged Tern was resting on the ground.
On the other side there was a small group of Gull-billed Tern sitting next to some Yellow-legged and Armenian Gull. Slightly to the right was a small group of Kentish Plover and ... a male Caspian Plover, a Cyprus rarity. Two days and two rarities.

We then checked Episkopi on the way back for Griffon Vulture and saw one but it wasn't very close. An Eleonora's Falcon sat on the Cliffs in the distance and Alpine Swift buzzed past us many times. We managed a whopping 86 Species.

2 Hours of the tour were reserved for a quick night tour for Cyprus Scops Owl. We managed to find one but not at my trusted site which is now in need of evaluation. We found 4 Little Owls, an Egyptian Fruit Bat, a few Pipistrelle, a Nightjar churring and also a few encounters with Long-eared hedgehog.

The third day was to concentrate more on photography with the Endemics (and only 6 hours to do so) and also target Cretzschmar's Bunting, Ortolan Bunting, Masked Shrike and Eastern Olivaceous Warbler. It was an afternoon tour which was sadly overcast. We did however manage some superb photo opportunities despite the weather of all the mentioned species. I decided the Akamas on the north coast was the place to go.
Other highlights were a pair of Cuckoos, Whinchat, Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, 20+ Golden Oriole and almost nabbing a good photo of one, Serin, Great Tit fledglings everywhere, Little Owl, Hoopoe and many many Roller including one in display flight. A female Pallid Harrier did a close flyby and we saw two Eurasian Hobby's. A low count of 45 species for the day and bringing our total to 110 species.

Total:
Chukar Partridge
Black Francolin
Common Quail
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Garganey
Ferruginous Duck
Little Grebe
Greater Flamingo
Glossy Ibis
Squacco Heron
Cattle Egret
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Little Egret
European Shag
Lesser Kestrel
Common Kestrel
Eleonora's Falcon
Eurasian Hobby
Griffon Vulture
Western Marsh Harrier
Pallid Harrier
Steppe Buzzard
Long-legged Buzzard
Bonelli's Eagle
Common Moorhen
Common Coot
Black-winged Stilt
Spur-winged Lapwing
Grey Plover
Common Ringed Plover
Little Ringed Plover
Kentish Plover
Caspian Plover
Marsh Sandpiper
Common Greenshank
Green Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Little Stint
Temminck's Stint
Dunlin
Ruff
Armenian Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Little Tern
White-winged Tern
Rock Dove
Common Wood-pigeon
European Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Laughing Dove

Namaqua Dove
Common Cuckoo
Cyprus Scops Owl
Little Owl
(h) Eurasian Nightjar
Alpine Swift
Common Swift
Pallid Swift
European Roller
Eurasian Hoopoe
Eurasian Wryneck
Woodchat Shrike
Masked Shrike
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Hooded Crow
Great Tit
Greater Short-toed Lark
Crested Lark
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Common House-martin
Zitting Cisticola
Cetti's Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Eurasian Reed-warbler
Great Reed-warbler
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Blackcap
Lesser Whitethroat
Sardinian Warbler
Cyprus Warbler
Common Nightingale
Common Redstart
Whinchat
Northern Wheatear
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear
Cyprus Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
House Sparrow
Spanish Sparrow
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail (flava, feldegg)
Meadow Pipit
Tawny Pipit
Red-throated Pipit
Common Chaffinch
European Serin
European Greenfinch
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet
Corn Bunting
Ortolan Bunting
Cretzschmar's Bunting

110

April 20th, 2018

20/4/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD Tour 16/04/2018 Paphos

On the 16th I had the pleasure of Guiding April and Ian around the Paphos sites. There was only one target species: European Roller. We managed to find 4 during the tour with some good photo opportunities. We were even treated to one feeding another.

Highlight species were a female Pallid Harrier, Peregrine Falcon on territory with a Cyprus Scops Owl heard nearby, 4 Collared Pratincole flying low over Mandria for most of the time we spent there, Red-rumped Swallow coming down for nesting mud and a female Little Crake.

Species:

Black Francolin
Northern Pintail
Little Grebe
Grey Heron
Little Egret
European Shag
Common Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Pallid Harrier
Steppe Buzzard
Long-legged Buzzard
Little Crake
Common Moorhen
Spur-winged Lapwing
Collared Pratincole
Yellow-legged Gull
Baltic Gull
Common Wood-pigeon
European Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Cyprus Scops Owl (h)
Common Swift
European Roller
Eurasian Hoopoe
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Hooded Crow

Great Tit (P.m.aphrodite)
Greater Short-toed Lark
Crested Lark
Barn Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Common House-martin
Zitting Cisticola
Cetti's Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Eurasian Reed-warbler
Great Reed-warbler
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Blackcap
Sardinian Warbler
Cyprus Warbler
Whinchat
Northern Wheatear
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear
Cyprus Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
House Sparrow
Spanish Sparrow
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail
Red-throated Pipit
European Greenfinch
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet
Corn Bunting
Ortolan Bunting
57

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