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April 20th, 2017

20/4/2017

 

Cyprus Bird watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD Tour, Paphos & Akrotiri 17/04/17

Black Francolin Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Black Francolin - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 17th I guided Tomino around the sites at Paphos and Akrotiri. We started at the Sewage works for Spur-winged Lapwing of which most were out on the fields very close. On arrival we had very lengthy and close views of a Male Black Francolin, European Turtle Dove, and good views of a Great Reed Warbler which really set the foundation of the tour. We had a HUGE swarm of Yellow Wagtails (mixed flava and feldegg mostly) that was being closely watched by an obliging Woodchat Shrike and a few flocks of Black-winged Stilts flying over the sea. We then moved on to Anarita Park where we were greeted with close views of Great Spotted Cuckoo and Lesser Kestrel, plus many great close views of Ortolan Bunting, Cyprus Wheatear and Whinchat. A Collared Flycatcher was showing but distant. A Common Nightingale, Wryneck, Woodchat Shrike and Cyprus Warbler all in the same shrubby area was a treat to see. 
Little Owl Spiny Mouse Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Little Owl - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On to Nata Ford where we had a Night Heron and Stone Curlew fly over, Great Reed Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler in the Orchard plus a Great Tit bringing food into a nest. Little Egret, Wood Sandpiper, White Wagtail and Little Ringed Plover were on the water plus Red-rumped Swallows coming down to collect mud for their nests. We had a quick browse through Mandria where the only birds on offer seemed to be Greater Short-toed Lark, Northern Wheatear and an Isabelline Wheatear. Our first stop at Akrotiri was Zakaki Marsh which has become vastly overgrown with reeds again. Here we did not spend long, we managed a very brief view of Little Bittern and some Mallard were right at the back. Lady's Mile was teeming with waders, very large numbers of Ruff, also plenty of Little Stint. Further up we even managed two Little Terns and a big flock of migrating flamingo. We managed cracking views of a Wryneck perched in a bush infront of the car on the way to the salt lake and on Salt lake itself was more or less the same as Lady's Mile aside a late Greater Sand Plover in winter plumage (obviously not a breeder this year). 
Purple Heron Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Purple Heron - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the Salt Flats to the south we found 3 Purple Heron on the ground. We checked the Gravel Pits and came across two Masked Shrike, a Spotted Flycatcher, Ortolan Bunting, Tree Pipit and an Eastern Bonelli's Warbler all in close proximity. Tomino was in awe at the sheer beauty of the masked shrikes. We made a quick pass through Phassouri marsh for Marsh Harrier and Glossy Ibis of which there were many plus the first European Bee-eater I had seen of the year, then we continued to Kensington Cliffs. Here we had an incredibly close encounter with Cyprus Warbler, a Griffon Vulture, two Peregrine falcon and plenty of Pallid, Common and Alpine Swifts flying at head height! We also managed a newly arrived Eleonora's Falcon and a surprise fly past of a female merlin to wrap the day up! An exciting way to end the tour, managing 90 Species in total! ​​
Wryneck Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Eurasian Wryneck - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Species:
Mallard
Chukar
Black Francolin
Greater Flamingo
Purple Heron
Little Egret
Squacco Heron
Cattle Egret
Black-crowned Night Heron
Little Bittern
Glossy Ibis
Griffon Vulture
Western Marsh Harrier
Long-legged Buzzard
Lesser kestrel
Common Kestrel
Eleonora's Falcon
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Common Moorhen
Eurasian Coot
Eurasian Stone Curlew
Spur-winged Lapwing
Little Ringed Plover
Kentish Plover
Greater Sand Plover
Black-winged Stilt
Common Snipe
Marsh Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Little Stint
Ruff
Yellow-legged Gull
Little Tern
Common Wood-pigeon
European Turtle Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove
Great Spotted Cuckooo
Little Owl
Alpine Swift
Common Swift
Pallid Swift
Eurasian Hoopoe
European Bee-eater
Eurasian Wryneck
Greater Short-toed lark
Crested Lark
Sand Martin
House Martin
Barn Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail (Feldegg + Flava)
Tree Pipit
Zitting Cisticola
Cetti's Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Eurasian Reed Warbler
Great Reed Warbler
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Eastern Bonelli's Warbler
Eurasian Blackcap
Common Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat
Sardinian Warbler
Cyprus Warbler
Spectacled Warbler
Spotted Flycatcher
Collared Flycatcher
Nightingale
Common Redstart
Whinchat
Northern Wheatear
Cyprus Wheatear
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
Great Tit
Masked Shrike
Woodchat Shrike
Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Hooded Crow
Ortolan Bunting
Corn Bunting
European Greenfinch
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet
House Sparrow
Spanish Sparrow

90 species
Eleonora's Falcon Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Eleonora's Falcon - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Alpine Swift Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Alpine Swift - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Griffon Vulture Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Eurasian Griffon Vulture - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Griffon Vulture Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Eurasian Griffon Vulture - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Wryneck Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Eurasian Wryneck - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Greater Flamingo Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Greater Flamingo - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Kentish Plover Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Kentish Plover - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Little Stint Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Little Stint - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Ortolan Bunting Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Ortolan Bunting - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Spur-winged Lapwing Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Spur-winged Lapwing - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved

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)


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