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April 07th, 2019

7/4/2019

 

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Tour - Paphos 06/04/201

Picture
Spotted Crake - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 6th I guided Ewelina on a tour around Paphos. I had previously done a 3-day tour for Ewelina in February where we managed a few early spring migrants ... but Ewelina wanted to see Cyprus well into spring so planned another trip.
It was slightly overcast and humid but that didn't stop us finding the birds. Our first site was Timi (we had a small migrating flock of Black-crowned night Heron enroute and a Marsh Harrier) where we was greeted with a party of Greenshank and a few Marsh Sandpiper. A Common Kingfisher showed well on the coast and throughout our visit flew from the shore to the lake. Plenty of Yellow Wagtail of various races were feeding in the meadow providing excellent views, a few were catching Painted Lady butterflies which are still going through their extraordinary migration from Arabia to Spain via Cyprus in their billions. A few Northern and Black-eared Wheatears were still kicking around. A small flock of Garagney were moving across the sea as well as a small group of Slender-billed Gulls. 
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Greenshank - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
​On the lake were many Glossy Ibis, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Ruff, Greenshank, Little Ringed Plover and Marsh Sandpiper. We also managed to spot a Wood Sandpiper too and a Green Sandpiper briefly in flight calling.
Further into the site we found many Lesser and Common Whitethroat, a beautiful male Eastern Subalpine Warbler, Blackcap and a male Ruppell's Warbler that showed well at the top of a shrub for a decent amount of time.
A Masked Shrike also showed well. Further along the coast a group of Caspian Gulls were on the shore and a pair of Stone Curlew took off alerted to our presence. We also managed to get great views of an Ortolan Bunting, my first of spring. As we left the site a Cyprus Wheatear and Eastern Black-eared Wheatear perched on the road infront of us. 
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Masked Shrike - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Our next stop was Anarita Park. There was little around until we got to the quarry. The little owls weren't on show but we got incredible views of many Great Spotted Cuckoos and many Hoopoes.
Due to the lack of life around we headed up into Episkopi (seeing an Eastern Bonelli's Warbler enroute, and many Cyprus Wheatear) to see the Peregrine Falcons that we had both seen copulating in February. We witnessed a food pass and lengthy views of both the male and female in flight and perched.
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Peregrine Falcon - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Picture
Peregrine Falcon - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Moving further into the foothills we watched a Cyprus Scops Owl at a roost site, a target species (as well as Cyprus Wheatear and Great Spotted Cuckoo). A we left, 2 large raptors were soaring over us, and so I proceeded to chase their flight path. They were 2 adult Bonelli's Eagles, and although the light was poor we could see the detail underneath.
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Cyprus Scops Owl - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We then headed to Asprokremnos dam for our lunch, here we managed to spot a Wood Warbler and a Semi-collared Flycatcher, though brief views. 
A quick browse through Mandria held little aside the Laughing Doves and a shock Caspian Tern.
We finished up at Agia Varvara where we saw 7 (minimum) Little Crakes and a Spotted Crake. I thought we had a Baillon's though the light was poor and it was distant so I didn't mark it down, though having revisited the pool the next morning I saw and photographed a Baillon's so it was most likely that species. A Savi's Warbler was reeling in the corner of one of the pools but well concealed. Sadly we never managed to actually see a Black Francolin which was a target species, though we heard many. Our bird count was 80 species, a very enjoyable tour in Paphos.  
Species List:

Chukar Partridge    
(h)Black Francolin    
Garganey   
Little Grebe
Glossy Ibis
Black-crowned Night-heron
Cattle Egret
Little Egret
European Shag  
Common Kestrel   
Peregrine Falcon
Western Marsh Harrier  
Bonelli's Eagle    
Little Crake
Spotted Crake
Common Moorhen  
Eurasian Stone Curlew 
Spur-winged Lapwing
Little Ringed Plover 
Marsh Sandpiper 
Common Greenshank 
Green Sandpiper 
Wood Sandpiper 
Common Sandpiper 
Ruff 
Yellow-legged Gull 
Caspian Gull 
Slender-billed Gull 
Caspian Tern 
Common Wood-pigeon   
Eurasian Collared-dove
Laughing Dove
Great Spotted Cuckoo
(h)Common Cuckoo
Cyprus Scops Owl
Alpine Swift   
Common Swift
Common Kingfisher
Eurasian Hoopoe 
Masked Shrike 
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)Savi's Warbler
Eurasian Reed-warbler
Common Chiffchaff 
Eastern Bonelli's Warbler
Wood Warbler
Blackcap 
Common Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat 
Ruppell's Warbler
Sardinian Warbler
Eastern Subalpine Warbler
(h)Common Nightingale
Northern Wheatear 
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear
Cyprus Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
Semi-collared Flycatcher
House Sparrow 
Spanish Sparrow    
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail (*Flava)   
Black-headed Wagtail 
Sykes Wagtail
Tree Pipit 
Red-throated Pipit
European Greenfinch    
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet
Corn Bunting
Ortolan Bunting

80

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