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February 28th, 2018

28/2/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Paphos & Episkopi 27/02/2018

Greater Sand Plover Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of Guiding Jessica and Liam around the Paphos and Episkopi sites.
We started out at the Headland for the Greater Sandplover, sure enough we came across two of them, one almost in Summer Plumage, and they were accompanied by two Dunlin and two European Golden Plover. We made use of the early morning light and snapped up some good close shots. We also managed to locate the Whimbrel and Ruddy Turnstones. We heard Red-throated Pipit but decided against searching for them as we would be visiting two more sites where they would be present and better for photography. Just as we left the site a small murmuration of European Starling darted across the Archaeological Park and a European Shag flew low over the sea.

Ruddy Turnstone Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

We moved on to the Sewage Plant, spotting a grey heron quite close on the Ezousas River, and a male & female Black Francolin together in the road at the entrance which were unfortunately startled by the horse ranches dog. We quickly located the Red-throated Pipits feeding in a freshly cut field. The Spur-winged Lapwings were present also feeding in the field along with any Zitting Cisticola flitting around, two Cattle Egret feeding and also many White Wagtail in Summer Plumage. A lone European Starling was on the wires.
Heading on to Agia Varvara for closer encounters with Zitting Cisticola didn't dissapoint, here we also managed good photo opportunities with Common Linnet and also European Stonechat perched close on vivid ripe Aloe Vera. The Resevoir held just a Green Sandpiper.

European Common Stonechat Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Anarita Park was relatively quiet, probably due to the heavy rainful and winds the previous day. We still managed to locate the male and female Finsch's Wheatear. As we approached the male it started to rain which caused the bird to be less rattled for some reason. We managed to get very close to the male and some great photos. We moved to higher ground here and parked up next to a male Cyprus Warbler and Western Black Redstart of which both briefly had a fight.

finsch's wheatear Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Our next stop was Mandria which was also relatively quiet though we did manage a large group of Alpine and Common Swifts, possibly the first to be reported this year and also the recently arrived Isabelline Wheatear feeding heavily.

alpine swift Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

We then proceeded to Anarita Masts where we saw presumably the same group of swifts again. Here we managed more views of Cyprus Warbler, though the stronger winds prevented them from sitting on the tops of the thorny shrubs. A male Sardinian Warbler showed well though providing mouth watering photo opportunities.
Whilst we were concentrating on the Warblers, two Eurasian Hoopoe flew towards the car and over. One chasing the other and calling in flight ... spring is definitely in the air.
We headed round the corner to try and track down some red-throated pipits. Sure enough we found one in stunning plumage, and managed to get incredibly close. Also a small group of Serin showed well, our second flock of the day and brief glimpseof two Spectacled warblers chasing each other. An unfortunate sight was seeing the many abandoned hunting dogs here ... sadly a common occurence here every year.

Red-throated Pipit Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Then on to Secret Valley to see our only target species; the mighty Bonelli's Eagle. We stopped at Kouklia Soakaways on the way and managed to find two small flocks of Spanish Sparrow. We walked to the resevoir which must have only recently had water in as only coots and moorhen were on the water. Here we ate our lunch, and just before finishing, sure enough an adult Bonelli's Eagle flew in from the valley edge and proceeded to rise. After some good scoped views we was ready to leave and then heard the call of the Cyprus Scops Owl.
I asked Jessica and Liam what they wanted to do next, and we all ageed on seeing the Griffon Vultures, So we headed for Episkopi, seeing a newly arrived flock of House Martins on the way. 8 Griffon Vultures were seen on arrival and provided some close fly-by's ... not as close as seen
previously, but it was quite a windy day ... so much so that they had to attempt to land a few times before they got it right. Driving out of Episkopi we was even treated to another low fly-by.

Eurasian Griffon Vulture Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

As I dropped Jessica and Liam back at their apartment in Coral Bay, a very large group of Great Cormorants flew over in a giant V. What an end to a great tour totaling 60 Species with some fantastic photo opportunities.

Great Cormorant Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Chukar
Black francolin
Great cormorant
European shag
Grey heron
Cattle egret
Griffon vulture
Eurasian sparrowhawk
Common buzzard
Bonelli's eagle
Common kestrel
Peregrine falcon
Common moorhen
Eurasian coot
Spur-winged lapwing
European golden plover
Greater sandplover
Whimbrel
Green sandpiper
Ruddy turnstone
Dunlin
Yellow-legged gull
Rock dove
Common Wood pigeon
Eurasian Collared dove
Cyprus Scops Owl (h)
Alpine swift
Common swift
Eurasian Hoopoe
Crested lark

Skylark
Barn swallow
Common house martin
White wagtail
Meadow pipit
Red-throated pipit
Song thrush
Zitting cisticola
Cetti's warbler (h)
Chiffchaff
Sardinian warbler
Cyprus warbler
Spectacled warbler
Western Black redstart
European stonechat
Finsch's wheatear
Isabelline wheatear
Great tit
Magpie
Eurasian jackdaw
Hooded crow
European starling
Corn bunting
Common chaffinch
European greenfinch
European goldfinch
Common linnet
European serin
House sparrow
Spanish sparrow

60

February 17th, 2018

17/2/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Paphos, Limassol, Troodos, Larnaca, Famagusta, Nicosia, Agia Napa 12-16/02/2018

On the 12th I had the pleasure of Guiding Nisse for a 4 day tour island wide (originally for 3 days but Nisse opted for a 4th) for a more photography focused tour. We started the first day at the Akrotiri sites arriving first at Zakaki Marsh. The Moustached Warblers were flitting about the bottom of the reeds and the Common Kingfisher made a few appearances. Eurasian Penduline Tit, Reed Bunting and Water Rail were all heard but sadly not seen. We heard the call of a Black Francolin nearby and with a little scoping I shortly found one on a nearby mound which was shortly joined by another. We moved the car in for some photography.
After having little luck with anything else showing at Zakaki marsh mostly due to the shockingly bad site maintenance we moved on to Lady's Mile where the large flock of gulls had all been scared off by an abandoned hunting dog, we found a few black-headed gull behind the restaurant along with a Mediterranean Gull and some Armenian. Along the strip we found a Little Stint. Heading onto the outskirts of the Salt Lake we tracked down a few Isabelline wheatears, newly arrived migrants. We also found a group of Ruff joined by some Kentish Plover on the salt flats.
We then moved onto Bishops Pool which was extremely quiet. The 3 Black-necked Grebes were still present though and a young male Marsh Harrier was hunting over the water. A Gadwall and Wigeon were also present as well as many Ferruginous duck which were our target species here.

Black Francolin Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

The Salt Lake held the usual, Greater Flamingo and Common Shelduck. We stopped for a meal (traditional Sheftalia) at the Kollossi Restaurant and then ventured to Kensington Cliffs were the Griffon Vultures were sadly no-where to be seen. We wasted little time and headed to Germasogeia Dam mainly for Cyprus Warbler. We located the Cyprus Warblers relatively quickly though we didn't manage any Crag Martin which are frequently seen at this site in winter. We were treated to many finches coming down for water in the feeder stream, mostly Serin and Goldfinch. There wasn't anything on the water of the dam which was disturbing, though on the way out we saw 2 Peregrines hunting on the big hill and also a Long-legged Buzzard flyby and several flocks of newly arrived Barn Swallow. Great way to end the first day clocking 61 Species.

Cyprus Warbler Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

On the second day we ventured to the east. We started at Cape Greco that held many Cyprus and Spectacled warblers. We found another Isabelline Wheatear here accompanied by a stunning male Blue Rock Thrush. Chukar Partridge were the only other species of note here and so we moved on to the football fields ... which was in use that day so we then ventured to Oroklini. On the way we saw a big group of Eurasian Stone Curlew in flight along the motorway at the Xylofagou football pitch.

Blue Rock Thrush Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Oroklini Lake held quite a few species present, maybe the best were two extremely early White-winged Terns in Summer Plumage frantically feeding in the water. After checking both hides and channels we continued to the Dolphin Rocks beach which had 5 Sandwich Terns feeding, resting and bathing very close to shore providing fantastic photo opportunities. Also here was 3 Mediterranean Gulls, an Adult in Summer plumage, one heading into Summer plumage and a 1cy bird.

Greater Flamingo Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Sandwich Tern Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

White Winged Tern Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Mediterranean Gull Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

We stopped here to eat lunch and then continued on to the Airport area. Menou Pools had many Greater Flamingo present and all very well fed and pink. One of the adults was accompanying two youngsters from last year and provided great photo opportunities.
On the other pool there was a big group of gulls, mostly Armenian but with a few Heuglin's Gulls.
The Sewage Pools were the quietest I had seen them. Only species of note here were 2 Northern Pintail, a few Common Pochard and around 30 Black-necked Grebe. Some in full summer plumage but too far for photo. As we were leaving a few Caspian Gulls flew in, also a Eurasian Curlew flew in and landed nearby.
We then ventured around the Salt Lake of which as we joined back on to the motorway a Northern Goshawk flew over the car very low coming from the direction of the Salt Lake, a female bird that I though was a buzzard at first due to her size. An odd place to see this arboreal species, but then they do move around a bit in winter.
We then finished at the Kamares Aquaduct which has some construction going on. The aquaduct area was pretty good, here we had Spur-winged lapwing, a young Peregrine Hunting pigeons, flocks of Teal, many Water Pipit, around 4 Common Snipe and our first Little Egret.
The East held 64 Species.

Heuglin's Gull Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Day 3 was the Paphos area. Our first bird was a Common Kingfisher on the Acheleia Canal. We moved on to the Headland to start so we could get the Greater Sand Plover before there was too much disturbance in the area. Sure enough we located 3 with one nearing Summer Plumage. Also present here was a Common Sandpiper, a Whimbrel, a few Dunlin which were literally walking around Nisse's feet and a group of Ruddy Turnstone on the seaweed piles. Away from the rocks we had Red-throated, Water and Common Pipit along with Crested Lark and Skylark. Here we saw our first Yellow-legged Gull.

Dunlin Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

We then moved on to the Sewage Plant where we had great views and photo opportunities with Cattle Egret feeding in the Alfalfa fields. Also the many Spur-winged lapwing were present, many landing very close to us in the road. Red-throated and meadow pipit
were in large numbers here and we managed a very close photo opportunity with a male European Stonechat here as promised.
There was a Grey Wagtail on the waste area singing away but sadly no Bluethroat yet but a suprise show was a very early Common Nightingale very briefly seen flying into some dense vegatation on the side of the road as leaving the site.

Cattle Egret Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

We continued to Anarita Park for our Finsch's Wheatear. We located the male and female very quickly and also saw another Isabelline Wheatear of which to my amazement was attacked by the Finsch's Wheatear. It was always my belief that the Isabelline wheatears do all the attacking. Here I managed to get Nisse incredibly close to the Male Finsch's Wheatear, quite a task considering how shy they are.
We got a few more Cyprus Warbler here and Chukar and quite a few Woodlark. We also had great photo opportunities with singing Corn Bunting. We had a quick look around Agia Varvara, target here was the Zitting Cisticola for good photos ... we managed to get quite close to a few perched, one was flying quite erratically here and diving towards the other which could have been a display or forcing another male from its territory. Here we also got another Isabelline Wheatear providing frame filling photo opportunities.

Corn Bunting Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

We then headed to Mandria for lunch and then had a quick sweep of the beach seeing Laughing Dove on the wires on the way. There was a European Shag on the rocks and plenty of Skylark in the fields but no sign of the Hen Harrier that has been showing well over the previous week. Spanish Sparrow providing some great photo opportunities here as did a Common kestrel.

Spanish Sparrow Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Common Kestrel Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

We then went to the Anarita Masts, the Little Owl wasn't present and none of the pipits were about so we moved on quickly checking Kouklia fish farm on the way for the Salvonian Grebe which sadly must have moved on.
We stopped in at Episkopi to try for the Vultures again. This time we had one sitting on the cliffs and flew very close as we were heading back. I then noticed one sitting in a pine tree as we were leaving the site... fantastic!
The west held 56 species.

Griffon Vulture Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Our final day was overcast and dusty though we managed to miss the rain. We headed to the mountains. A quick walk around the Visitors center produced many Chaffinch, Coal Tit and a Short-toed Treecreeper.
We searched the Atlante Trail for Short-toed Treecreeper of which we found many but all staying near the tops of the trees. I heard a Mistle Thrush here but sadly we couldn't locate it.
In the Square we had a few Crossbill, an Adult male and Female sitting at the top of a small pine tree. Unfortunately a Search and Rescue helicopter decided to inconveniently fly past very low at this precise time flushing them before we could get into the best position for photographs.
We then headed into Livadi tou Passia where many birds were singing and squabbling. I heard a yellowhammer singing too but also couldn't locate it. Here there were two Jays providing good photo opportunities and quite a few Short-toed Treecreepers.
We moved on to Almyrolivadou were we saw two Wrens fighting and also a small party of Coal Tits fighting.
We headed to Platania to eat our food and were treated to a small group of Siskin feeding in the Alder Trees in front of us.

Common Crossbill Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

We then headed to Athalassa in Nicosia and then on to Achna Dam. Achna Dam had unusually high water levels restricting access to much of the site. We found another Isabelline Wheatear that provided great photo opportunities in the shallow end along with a huge flock of coot, 3 Green Sandpiper and 5 Northern Lapwing. Meadow pipit and White Wagtail were everywhere here. Just a lone Great Cormorant on the north side of dam. The day provided 45 species.

Isabelline Wheatear Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

All in all a great four day tour with a good species count (107 species) for winter in Cyprus and most of the island seen.

Common shelduck
Eurasian wigeon
Common teal
Mallard
Northern pintail
Northern shoveler
Common pochard
Ferruginous duck
Chukar
Black francolin
Little grebe
Black-necked grebe
Greater flamingo
Great cormorant
European shag
Grey heron
Little egret
Cattle egret
Griffon vulture
Western Marsh harrier
Eurasian sparrowhawk
Northern goshawk
Common buzzard
Long-legged buzzard
Common kestrel
Peregrine falcon
Water rail (h)
Common moorhen
Eurasian coot
Eurasian Stone curlew
Northern lapwing
Spur-winged lapwing
Kentish plover
Greater sandplover
Black-winged stilt
Common snipe
Whimbrel
Eurasian curlew
Common redshank
Green sandpiper
Common sandpiper
Ruddy turnstone
Little stint
Dunlin
Ruff
Heuglin's gull
Yellow-legged gull
Caspian gull
Armenian gull
Mediterranean gull
Black-headed gull
Sandwich tern
White-winged tern

Rock dove
Common Wood pigeon
Eurasian Collared dove
Laughing dove
Common kingfisher
Crested lark
Woodlark
Skylark
Barn swallow
White wagtail
Grey wagtail
Meadow pipit
Red-throated pipit
Water pipit
Eurasian wren (T.t.cypriotes)
Eurasian blackbird
Song thrush
Mistle thrush (h)
Zitting cisticola
Cetti's warbler
Moustached warbler
Common Chiffchaff
Eurasian blackcap
Sardinian warbler
Cyprus warbler
Spectacled warbler
Blue rock thrush
European robin
Nightingale
Western Black redstart
European stonechat
Finsch's wheatear
Isabelline wheatear
Coal tit (P.a.cypriotes)
Great tit
Dorothy's (Short-toed) treecreeper (C.b.dorotheae)
Eurasian penduline tit (h)
Eurasian jay (G.g.glaszneri)
Magpie
Eurasian jackdaw
Hooded crow
European starling
Yellowhammer (h)
Reed bunting (h)
Corn bunting
Common chaffinch
Common crossbill (L.c.guillemardi)
European greenfinch
Eurasian siskin
European goldfinch
Common linnet
European serin
House sparrow
Spanish sparrow

107

February 09th, 2018

9/2/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Akrotiri & Troodos 08/02/2018

On the 8th of February I had the pleasure of guiding Dennis and Gaye around Akrotiri and Troodos for the first tour of 2018. They both wanted to see the Troodos mountains and a good variety of birds. The weather report stated it would be partly cloudy that day, instead it was mostly cloudy, dusty and rained on and off from 10am onwards...which were not ideal conditions.
As soon as we left the hotel and for the Port there was over 10 Laughing Doves (recent colonizers to the island) all along the seafront strip. Arriving at Zakaki, highlights were Moustached Warbler and an obliging Penduline Tit and Common Kingfisher. A few Reed Bunting showed well also. Due to very bad maintenance to the site we were unable to see into the actual lake and so moved on.
At Ladies Mile a few Grey Herons were in the pools along with hundreds of Black-headed Gulls. Among them we managed to pick out Armenian gulls and a few Slender-billed Gulls, two of which were near summer plumage.
A Hen Harrier glided behind the pool for most of our stay here.
Unfortunately the Common Gull, Sandwich Tern and Mediterranean Gull that are usually present did not show ... but are species Dennis and Gaye see regularly in the UK so we moved on. On our way to bishops pool we saw a Kentish Plover, an extremely obliging Linnet sat next to the car shortly joined by another and then a Crested Lark. Easy birding :)

Slender Billed Gull Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

At Bishops pool the waterfowl numbers had dropped significantly since my last visit, no sign of any Pintail, but the other species were present but in small numbers. Star birds here were 3 Black-necked Grebe.
Moving on to the Gravel Pits with a quick stop on the way to check the Flamingos on the salt lake which also produced many Common Shelduck and also to check a small patch of shrubland for some good orchid species. We managed to find Orchis Syriaca, Ophrys Sicula, Ophrys Levantina, Ophrys Elegans (Endemic Sub-species) and Ophrys Cinerophilia all in the space of 5 minutes. We also heard the calls of Black Francolin and Chukar in the area but could not locate them mainly due to the waterlogged and dangerous terrain around the salt lake.
The gravel pits was sadly quite bare, I was hoping with the strong easterly winds the night before that something rare would have been blown in. All that was on offer was a Black-necked Grebe, some Meadow Pipit, A Black Redstart, Common Stonechat, a Song Thrush and Corn Bunting. We also found Ophrys Iricolour and The Giant Orchid here.

Giant Little Yellow Syrian Green Winged Rainbow Cyprus Early Spider Crocus Aphrodites Spurge Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

We then headed towards Episkopi, stopping at the Ancient Curium (Roman Settlement) on the way for a coffee. We arrived at Kensington Cliffs and soaked in the amazing views. 4 Griffon Vultures were perched on the cliff face allowing great scoped views. A Peregrine Falcon swooped in chasing Rock Dove and a Long-legged Buzzard flew in and over the barracks. Here we came across a few Sand Crocus (romulea tempskyana). Gaye said she saw a small black bird flitting about on the cliff edge but we couldn't locate the bird before it disappeared. It could well have been a wallcreeper. On the rocks below we picked out a few Yellow-legged and Caspian Gull along with a group of Mediterranean Shag. We were then treated to a few extremely close fly-bys from a Griffon Vulture, around about 5 meters overhead showing the 8th largest flying bird in the world its true majesty.
Later Dennis and Gaye stated this was definitely the highlight of their tour.

Sand Crocus romulea tempskyana Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

We then headed into the foothills in hope of seeing some Cyprus Warbler. The weather was not helpful at this point and it is possible that many of them had not returned to their territories yet and thus sadly we could not locate any.
On to Troodos we struggled to find a Short-toed Treecreeper but eventually got a few and also the brief call of a Wren sounded. Here we also saw hundreds of Endemic and Vulnerable Crocus (Crocus cyprius). Birding was very hard work in the mountains for some reason but the landscape was great with snow still in some places, plus our endemic Cedar Trees and beautiful Strawberry Trees. Not a song or mistle thrush in sight. Even the Coal Tits were in short supply.
There was an extremely large number of Chaffinch and Greenfinch though, at times we were surrounded by hundreds and whilst listening hard to the calls managed to hear and locate some Siskin and Crossbill. At Amiantos we didn't see hardly any birds except a Long-legged Buzzard at the highest altitude that I had ever seen one. Here we came across an Endemic Plant to Cyprus; Aphrodite's Spurge (Euphorbia veneris)
On the drive back I noticed a few large finch sitting at the top of a tree and so quickly pulled over ... Hawfinch! Gaye managed a brief view of a Jay on the drive back. At Platres there was a Common Buzzard ominously sat on a tree slightly above a group of Wood Pigeon sat on a telephone wire.
Approaching the Hotel we stopped to have a quick last look at a Laughing dove along the coastal strip in Limassol before calling it a day.

A great tour despite the weather, with a fantastic bird count for this time of year:
65

Common shelduck
Eurasian wigeon
Common teal
Mallard
Northern shoveler
Ferruginous duck
Chukar (h)
Black francolin (h)
Little grebe
Black-necked grebe
Greater flamingo
European shag
Grey heron
Griffon vulture
Western Marsh harrier
Hen harrier
Common buzzard
Long-legged buzzard
Common kestrel
Peregrine falcon
Common moorhen
Eurasian coot
Kentish plover
Yellow-legged gull
Caspian gull
Armenian gull
Black-headed gull
Slender-billed gull
Rock dove
Common Wood pigeon
Eurasian Collared dove
Laughing dove
Common kingfisher

Crested lark
White wagtail
Meadow pipit
East Mediterranean winter wren (h)
Eurasian blackbird
Song thrush
Cetti's warbler
Moustached warbler
Chiffchaff
Eurasian blackcap
Sardinian warbler
European robin
Western Black redstart
European stonechat
Coal tit (p.a.Cypriotes) - Endemic sub-species
Great tit
Dorothy's (Short-toed) treecreeper (c.b.Dorotheae) - Endemic sub-species
Eurasian penduline tit
Eurasian jay (g.g.Glaszneri) - Endemic sub-species
Magpie
Eurasian jackdaw
Hooded crow
Common Reed bunting
Corn bunting
Common chaffinch
Common crossbill (l.c.Guillemardi)
European greenfinch
Eurasian siskin
European goldfinch
Common linnet
Hawfinch
House sparrow