CYPRUS BIRD WATCHING TOURS
  • Home
  • About
  • Book A Tour
  • The Birds of Cyprus ↧
    • Endemics
    • Regional Specialities
    • Checklist
  • Gallery
  • Tour Reports ↧
  • Dragonfly Tours
  • Home
  • About
  • Book A Tour
  • The Birds of Cyprus ↧
    • Endemics
    • Regional Specialities
    • Checklist
  • Gallery
  • Tour Reports ↧
  • Dragonfly Tours

April 05th, 2019

5/4/2019

 

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Tour - Paphos & Akrotiri 05/04/2019

Picture
Cyprus Scops Owl - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 5th I guided Kai and Nadine around the Paphos and Akrotiri sites.
We set out from Kallepia to Episcopi. Cyprus Scops Owl was a target species and sure enough we saw a pair at a roost providing lovely photo opportunities of both with no obstruction, a perfect start. 
Picture
Cyprus Scops Owl - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
As we was passing through we checked a Peregrine Falcon site of which after a few minutes of waiting the male flew in with a catch and we witnessed a mid air food pass and some cracking flight and perched views of both. 
After we was satisfied we moved on to Anarita Park. Plenty of Corn Bunting and Eastern Black-eared Wheatear were on show again as were many Spanish Sparrows and an increase in Cyprus Wheatears.
Picture
Spanish Sparrow - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
One of the Little Owls was showing well above its nesting boulder and Great Spotted Cuckoos were calling and flying on the plateau. Tree Pipits flew over head and a few Tawny Pipits landed nearby enabling some great views. A Cretzschmar's Bunting sat close to us in a shrub calling out and Red-rumped Swallows were flying low near their nesting tunnel. A few male Ruppell's Warbler were showing near the peak and many Tawny Pipits and Hoopoes were close around the car near the 2nd entrance. We took the Anarita exit and saw a few Cyprus Wheatear here and a pair of Great Spotted Cuckoos teasing the magpies, we managed our best views of the species here. 
Anarita Masts held little aside many Hoopoes, the Red-throated Pipits were either concealed or had moved on.
Our next stop was Mandria for a quick toilet and coffee break. As we drunk our coffee we watched the many hirundine species above and also a pair of Laughing Doves calling to each other for a lengthy period. 
Mandria beach seemed to be pretty devoid of life, we did manage an Isabelline Wheatear here though and a European Shag, many Black Francolin were calling though we didn't manage to see one.
We then set off to the Akrotiri peninsular.
Our first stop was Zakaki marsh where a Eurasian Bittern flew across the road not far from us, a great first bird to see! Many Reed Warbler were showing and in song and we also managed to pick out some Sedge Warbler singing and a Savi's Warbler reeling. A Male Little Crake showed at times and a spotted crake that we flushed. A Black-crowned Night Heron showed very close to us partly concealed in the reeds and a Little Egret flew up. As we was leaving a Little Bittern called and flew up into the reeds.
Across the road we came across a Squacco Heron showing nicely though not fully in breeding plumage. A Wood Sandpiper allowed us to get close views. 
Around the port we saw many Northern and Black-eared Wheatears and a small party of Greater Short-toed Larks (Target species). Behind the Restaurant we had Armenian, Caspian and Yellow-legged Gull. Ladies Mile had little on the water aside a few Greater Flamingo and Little Egret. On the shrub side we had a Masked Shrike and a Whinchat but no waders on the concealed pools.
I'd heard about a group of various flycatchers that had been seen the previous day at the entrance to Bishop's Pool. We had a look around but was unsuccessful in finding any. Though we did see Eastern Bonelli's Warbler and a few bits on the lake.
We managed to spot a Blue Rock thrush and Common Redstart at the church side of the Gravel Pits.
Picture
Blue Rock Thrush - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
At Phassouri we had a few Purple Herons close to the car and another Eurasian Bittern, this one walking on the road infront of us enabling some fantastic photo opportunities. A few Glossy Ibis were flying low down and many Cattle Egret were around the cattle hunting insects and lizards.
The pools at the back didn't have as much as usual. A Greenshank and a few Marsh Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, a Green Sandpiper and Ruff. Yellow Wagtails were feeding on the ground here but in very small numbers. Behind the pool there was a Woodchat shrike and a Marsh Harrier flew overhead. ​
Picture
Eurasian Bittern - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We had our lunch on the way back to Paphos and tried for Bonelli's Eagle near one of their territories in the foothills. Unfortunately by this point the weather turned really bad and so we finished up, managing an impressive 89 species for the day.
Picture
Eurasian Bittern - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Species List:

Chukar Partridge    
(h)Black Francolin    
Mallard    
Garganey   
Little Grebe
Greater Flamingo
Glossy Ibis
Eurasian Bittern
Little Bittern
Black-crowned Night-heron
Squacco Heron
Cattle Egret
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Little Egret
European Shag  
Common Kestrel   
Peregrine Falcon
Western Marsh Harrier  
Little Crake
Spotted Crake (fleeting Glimpse)
Common Moorhen  
Common Coot
Black-winged Stilt 
Spur-winged Lapwing
Little Ringed Plover 
Marsh Sandpiper 
Common Greenshank 
Green Sandpiper 
Wood Sandpiper 
Common Sandpiper 
Ruff 
Armenian Gull 
Yellow-legged Gull 
Caspian Gull 
Black-headed Gull 
Slender-billed Gull 
Common Wood-pigeon   
Eurasian Collared-dove
Laughing Dove
Great Spotted Cuckoo
Cyprus Scops Owl
Little Owl
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  
(h)Cetti's Warbler
(h)Savi's Warbler
(h)Sedge Warbler
Eurasian Reed-warbler
Common Chiffchaff 
Eastern Bonelli's Warbler
Blackcap 
Common Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat 
Rueppell's Warbler
Sardinian Warbler
(h)Common Nightingale
Common Redstart
Whinchat
Northern Wheatear 
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear
Cyprus Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
Blue Rock-thrush 
House Sparrow 
Spanish Sparrow    
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail
Tawny Pipit  
Tree Pipit 
European Greenfinch    
European Goldfinch
Corn Bunting
Cretzschmar's Bunting 

89

Comments are closed.
    Mostly all photos are taken with a
    - Canon 7D mkii (older photos with mk1)
    and a
    - Canon 400mm Ef-s USM l f5.6 Lens. 
    - no teleconverter.

    Macro: 
    Tamron sp 90mm f017
    (older: Canon sx50 HS)


    *** The blog layouts are not available to those viewing on a mobile device.

    Bird is the Word



    Archives

    June 2022
    October 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    April 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    September 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015


    RSS Feed


    Site Promotion
    • thegamblingbird

    • CABS

    • Life For Birds fb

    • Animal Party Cyprus fb

    • Birdguides.com

    • Stop the Cull

    • Fat Birder

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.