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March 30th, 2018

30/3/2018

 

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD 3 day tour 27-30/03/2018

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Lesser Kestrel - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
From the 28th I had the pleasure of guiding Jacob and Nancy on a 3 day tour. Unfortunately along with the continuing atmospheric dust and increased winds the Israeli's were doing military exercises with the Cypriots and low flying jets are certainly causing the birds stress.
Highlights included a Squacco Heron flying over, male and female Pallid Harriers hunting nearby, Laughing doves displaying, A Great Spotted Cuckoo showing well and calling out ... a species that seems to be in serious decline over recent years and proving a hard bird to find this year,
A small party of Water Pipit showing well and maybe more than 30 Eurasian Hoopoe at just 2 sites! Maybe the star birds were a pack of 11 Lesser Kestrels hovering and hunting all around the car providing amazing photo opportunities. A great start managing 58 species.
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Eurasian Stone Curlew - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Lesser Kestrel - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Peahen + Chukar - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Corn Bunting - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Eurasian Hoopoe and Superciliaris form of Yellow Wagtail - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
The second day was at Akrotiri. Driving out of Paphos the weather looked like it was going to be pretty grim ... though just before arriving the sky cleared. What a result. Though the day got gradually windier and dustier with some rain.
We started at Phassouri Marsh where a very rare Eastern Siberian White Wagtail (ocularis sp.) had been found the previous day. We couldn't find it, though no-one else did until 5pm. On entering the site we stopped to watch some European Serin feeding on the grassy verge and also some in display and worked our way through the finches before moving on to the marsh species. On the marsh we managed Black Francolin (Target Species), a few Squacco Herons, Little and Cattle Egret, Glossy Ibis, Ruff and a Greenshank among others. Heading onto the gravel pits we was treated to a few large mixed waterfowl flocks, mainly Paintail, Shoveler and Garganey... plus a small passage of Baltic Gull and Black-headed Gull. Wheatears were everywhere with the odd Isabelline still around, a lovely Woodchat Shrike posed well in the shrub though seemed quite nervous.
A Wryneck posed incredibly well on a wooden pole just meters from the car and many Lesser Whitethroat were hopping around the Acacia. After a quick look at our endemic Ophrys Kotschyi we continued.
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Eurasian Wryneck - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Lady's Mile was fairly devoid of waders though we did find a pair of Kentish Plovers very close to us and Eurasian Hoopoe. A large flock of Greater Short-toed Lark foraged on the ground along with many Tawny Pipits.
The Gulls present were mainly all Armenian Gulls with one Caspian Gull and an Adult Yellow-legged Gull. Two Baltic Gull flew in and landed on the water and we was also treated to a Heuglin's gull flying in but unfortunately not landing ... presumably the same individual with
a broken bill that has been present for a long period of time in the area.
Zakaki Marsh didn't hold much and seems even more neglected with glass bottles thrown in the water infront of the hide ... what a sad state of affairs. We did hear a Common Kingfisher here as well as a Reed Warbler, and spotted a Marsh Harrier and a Willow Warbler flitting about in a nearby tamarisk.
Moving on to the Salt Lake we spotted many waders, the star bird here and for the day was a Eurasian Scops Owl ..  a bird much lighter and browner than our endemic Cyprus Scops Owl. A great spot by Jacob, the bird was sitting in a shrub roughly 1 meter above the water, a very odd place for a Scops Owl to be, with a Common Snipe sleeping infront of it and a white wagtail to the side ... undoubtedly the only time I will see those species together in Cyprus.
Quite a rare sighting, though I imagine Jacob and Nancy would have much rathered our endemic one.
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White Wagtail, Eurasian Scops Owl and Common Snipe - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Eurasian Scops Owl - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Eurasian Scops Owl - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
The Salt Lake held very little life compared to previous days and so we moved on to Bishops Pool to have our lunch. Highlights here was a Black-necked Grebe in summer plumage and some Ferruginous Duck.
Our last stop was at Kensington Cliffs for the Griffon Vultures. We was treated to a few close flyby's by three of the vultures. One of the vultures was being mobbed by a pair of Peregrine Falcons on entering the territory which was amazing to see.
As we left the site we also saw the Peregrines mobbing a Long-legged Buzzard which surprisingly fought back with a few dives at the falcons. A great bit of action and a great way to end the tour.
We managed a whopping 85 species.
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Eurasian Griffon Vulture - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Eurasian Griffon Vulture - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
The last day was situated at Cape Greco, Oroklini and Larnaca. We did visit Paralimni Lake but it seems to have dried up very quickly on the outer marshy areas.
We started at Oroklini where we saw the many Cattle Egrets nesting. Highights here was a female Little Crake very close to the hide, a pair of Squacco Herons, 2 Water Pipits in summer plumage, a pair of Red-crested Pochard and a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater amazingly still hanging around and posing well for us.
Moving on to Cape Greco the bird numbers were quite underwhelming considering recent sightings in the area. Best we managed here was a pair of Ruppell's Warbler (m&f), Cyprus Warbler (m&f), A few Woodchat Shrike, Wryneck an Ortolan Bunting, Nightingale and some Tawny Pipits. No sign of the Trumpeter finch seen the previous day. Lesser Whitethroat seem to have arrived in numbers here.
We stopped at Menou, Larnaca Sewage Pools and Larnaca Salt Lake on the way back... but seems to be a huge clear out of species, the salt lake was practically empty as well as the lakes aside some Greater Flamingo. The Sewage Pools held some yellow wagtail including 
a dombowskii form, Teal, Shoveler, a Wigeon and a Green Sandpiper.  
We managed 66 species for the day. 
A very enjoyable tour bringing our total species count to 108 species.
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Blue-cheeked Bee-eater - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Blue-cheeked Bee-eater - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Tawny Pipit - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
SPECIES:
​Eurasian wigeon
Common teal
Mallard
Northern pintail
Garganey
Northern shoveller
Red-crested pochard
Ferruginous duck
Chukar - (Alectoris chukar cypriotes)
Black francolin
Little grebe
Black-necked grebe
Greater flamingo
European shag - (Phalacrocorax aristotelis desmarestii) 
Grey heron
Purple heron
Little egret
Squacco heron
Cattle egret
Glossy ibis
Griffon vulture
Western Marsh harrier
Pallid harrier
Eurasian sparrowhawk
Long-legged buzzard
Lesser kestrel
Common kestrel
Peregrine falcon
Little crake
Common moorhen
Eurasian coot
Eurasian Stone curlew
Spur-winged lapwing
Ringed plover
Little ringed plover
Kentish plover
Black-winged stilt
Common snipe
Common redshank
Common greenshank
Green sandpiper
Little stint
Dunlin
Ruff
Baltic Gull
Heuglin's Gull
Yellow-legged gull
Caspian gull
Armenian gull
Black-headed gull
Common Wood pigeon
Eurasian Collared dove
Laughing dove
Great spotted cuckoo
European scops owl - (Otus Scops)
Little owl
Alpine swift
Common swift
Eurasian Hoopoe
Common kingfisher (h)
Blue-cheeked bee-eater
Eurasian wryneck
Greater short-toed lark
Crested lark - (Galerida cristata cypriaca)
Barn swallow
Red-rumped swallow
Common house martin
White wagtail
Yellow wagtail - (flava, feldegg, Superciliaris, Dombrowskii)
Tawny pipit
Tree pipit
Meadow pipit
Red-throated pipit
Water pipit - (Anthus spinoletta coutelli)
Song thrush
Zitting cisticola
Cetti's warbler
Sedge warbler
Eurasian reed warbler
Willow warbler
Eastern Bonelli's warbler
Eurasian blackcap
Lesser whitethroat
Rüppell's warbler
Sardinian warbler
Cyprus warbler
Spectacled warbler
Common nightingale
Common redstart
Common stonechat
Northern wheatear
Cyprus wheatear
Eastern Black-eared wheatear
Isabelline wheatear
Great tit - (Parus major aphrodite) 
Woodchat shrike
Magpie
Eurasian jackdaw
Hooded crow
Ortolan bunting
Corn bunting
Common chaffinch
European greenfinch (Chloris chloris muehlei)
European goldfinch
Common linnet
European serin
House sparrow
Spanish sparrow

108 species

March 27th, 2018

27/3/2018

 

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD 5 day Tour 23-27/03/2018

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Cream-coloured Courser - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 23rd I had the pleasure of guiding Maria and Ken for a 5 day tour. They both had an interest in all wildlife and wanted to incorporate some of the other biodiversity of the island, namely the flora.
The weather was dusty (Sands of Egypt and the Middle East) for most of the days with some high winds, making much of it quite a challenge.
Day one was situated in the lower Paphos sites. The highlights of the day included a large group of Spur-winged lapwings singing and displaying with a Eurasian Stone Curlew not too far away possibly sitting on an egg. 
A male and female Desert Wheatear were still lingering around allowing close views and photo opportunities, and a lone injured Woodlark was present.
We was treated to a migrating flock of Garganey closely followed by a mixed flock of little and cattle egret and a lone juvenile Pallas' Gull. 
The Laughing Dove were displaying/in song. Great photo opportunities were to be had with Red-throated Pipit and Red-rumped Swallow were coming down for nesting clay. But the star bird was a Cream-coloured Courser spotted earlier in the day by a local birder which showed well allowing decent photo opportunities from a coastal path.
We managed 55 species of bird, 7 species of butterfly including Eastern Dappled White and our Endemic Paphos Blue, 9 species of notable flora and 3 lizards, 2 of which are endemic.
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Desert Wheatear - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Desert Wheatear - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Spur-winged Lapwing - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the second day our destination was the Akrotiri peninsular. Highlights here included a pair of male Lesser Kestrels hunting and flying over very close to the car, a Griffon Vultures turned up after some waiting, a Black Francolin crossed the road allowing decent views and a recently arrived Woodchat shrike hunted shield bugs just meters from the car.
We also had Garganey nearby on the ground and some Glossy Ibis feeding. There seemed to have been a fall of wheatears, Northern, Isabelline and Eastern Black-eared were everywhere.
The day was quite overcast and there was periods of rain and strong winds making the day a little bit difficult. Due to this the Salt Lake was not accessible and another site was closed and so we missed out on some species.
Though we still managed 61 species of bird, 18 species of notable flora of which 7 are endemic and 5 orchids. 2 Butterfly species and 1 Dragonfly.
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Woodchat Shrike - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
The third day was situated in Larnaca and Agia Napa. Notable sightings here was Ferruginous Duck, Black-necked Grebe in summer plumage, Pallid Harrier flying in overhead, a very late migrating Jack Snipe, many Ruppell's Warblers showing well and possibly the first Whinchat of the year. Unfortunately Paralimni Lake was inaccessible due to a parade taking place which closed down the road. 
The star bird of the day was a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater sat nearby for a very long period of time. We managed 79 species of bird, 3 Dragonfly species and an Arum.
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On the fourth day we visited the Mountains. The drive up provided beautiful scenery and many Cyprus Wheatears calling and singing en route and a Eurasian Sparrowhawk most likely nesting nearby. We came across a group of Masked Shrike on the way and also Serin. We had an amazing 
encounter with a Cretzschmar's Bunting singing and feeding just meters from us. Due to the platform it was feeding pretty much eye level with us. 
We encountered a male Grey Wagtail singing, Dorothy's Short-toed Treecreepers provided fairly decent views as did the Coal Tits. The star birds here was a pair of Masked Shrikes that welcomed our presence close by as they went about
feeding and interacting. A surprise bird was a Hen Harrier flying over, and we also picked out quite a few Pallid Swift among the Commons. A male Goshawk provided decent but brief views flying over a dam and into some dense woodland. 
We spent some time around the Botanical Garden also for some flora. Then with time left over we returned to the Akrotiri Salt lake and attempted to access the area again which had thankfully dried enough.
We managed 54 species of bird for the day and an incredible amount of notable flora which included many endemics. 5 Butterfly species including the Eastern Baton Blue, a very hard-to-find species in Cyprus that was predated by a Jumping Spider
right infront of us. 
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Cretzschmar's Bunting - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Grey Wagtail - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Meiklie's Poppy - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Cretzschmar's Bunting - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Eurasian Siskin - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Masked Shrike - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Jumping Spider VS Eastern Baton Blue - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
The last day was spent in the Akamas region, visiting the Paphos foothills and rounding up the end of the tour with a treat visit to an Egyptian Fruit bat cave. This tour was mainly about the flora of which we managed many rare species and quite a few orchids. Highlights of the day bird wize was a Squacco Heron hunting Dragonflies, the car being surrounded by Yellow Wagtails and Serin in Display. We managed 35 species of bird, 7 Butterflies, 30 species of notable flora of which 7 are endemic and 12 Orchids.
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Ophrys Aphrodite - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Black-headed Wagtail - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Sling-tailed Agama - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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Egyptian Fruit Bat - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved

Common shelduck
Eurasian wigeon
Common teal
Mallard
Garganey
Northern shoveller
Common pochard
Ferruginous duck
Chukar
Black francolin
Little grebe
Black-necked grebe
Greater flamingo
European shag
Grey heron
Great egret
Little egret
Squacco heron
Cattle egret
Glossy ibis
Griffon vulture
Western Marsh harrier
Hen harrier
Pallid harrier
Eurasian sparrowhawk
Northern goshawk
Common buzzard
Long-legged buzzard
Lesser kestrel
Common kestrel
Peregrine falcon
Common moorhen
Eurasian coot
Eurasian Stone curlew
Spur-winged lapwing
Little ringed plover
Kentish plover
Black-winged stilt
Jack snipe
Common snipe
Black-tailed godwit
Eurasian curlew
Spotted redshank
Common redshank
Marsh sandpiper
Green sandpiper
Common sandpiper
Little stint
Dunlin
Ruff
Cream-coloured courser
Baltic Gull
Yellow-legged gull
Caspian gull
Armenian gull
Pallas's gull
Black-headed gull
Slender-billed gull
Rock dove
Common Wood pigeon
Eurasian Collared dove
Laughing dove
Great spotted cuckoo (h)
Little owl
Alpine swift
Common swift
Pallid swift
Eurasian Hoopoe
Common kingfisher
Blue-cheeked bee-eater
Greater short-toed lark
Crested lark
Woodlark
Barn swallow
Red-rumped swallow
Common house martin
White wagtail
Yellow wagtail
Grey wagtail
Tawny pipit
Tree pipit
Meadow pipit
Eurasian wren
Eurasian blackbird
Song thrush
Zitting cisticola
Cetti's warbler
Eurasian reed warbler
Eastern olivaceous warbler (h)
Eastern Bonelli's warbler
Eurasian blackcap
Lesser whitethroat
Rüppell's warbler
Sardinian warbler
Cyprus warbler
Spectacled warbler
Blue rock thrush
European robin
Common Nightingale
Whinchat
Common stonechat
Northern wheatear
Cyprus wheatear
Eastern Black-eared wheatear
Desert wheatear
Isabelline wheatear
Coal tit
Great tit
Dorothy's (Short-toed) treecreeper
Masked shrike
Woodchat shrike
Eurasian jay
Magpie
Eurasian jackdaw
Hooded crow
Cretzschmar's bunting
Reed bunting (h)
Corn bunting
Common chaffinch
European greenfinch
Eurasian siskin
European goldfinch
Common linnet
European serin
House sparrow
Spanish sparrow

126 Species

126
Ophrys kotschyi
Ophrys apifera
Ophrys iricolor
Ophrys Astarte
Orchis Fragrans
Himantoglossum Robertinum
Ophrys Morio
Oprhys Mammosa
Ophrys Alasiatica
Ophrys Sicula
Ophrys Aphrodite
Ophrys Elegans
Orchis Italica
Orchis punctulata
Orchis pyramidalis
Serapias Aphrodite
Serapias Vormeracea
Serapias Levantina

Akamas Tulip
Persian Lilly
Persian Buttercup
Anemone Coronaria
Blue Hounds Tongue
Lesser Star of bethlehem
Common Asphodel
Gladiolus triphyllus
Gladiolus italica
Alyssum akamasicum
Anchusa Azurea
Parentucellia latifolia subsp. flaviflora
Thompson's Spurge

Aphrodite's spurge
Pale Flax
Geropogon hybridus
Euphorbia valerianifolia
Valeriana italica
Reseda lutea
Paeonia mascula
Purple rock cress
Silene vulgaris
Muscari comosum 
Common hyacinth
Common henbet
Gagea sp.
Cyprus cedar
Strawberry tree
Meiklei's poppy
Cyprus thyme
Will's Wild Onion
Persian cyclamen
Spiny Golden Star
Viola Sieheana
Hairy Nightshade
Red Valerian
Dwarf Pansey (Viola kitaibeliana)
Chamomile (Anthemis tomentosa)
Centauri Aegyptica
Purple Mustard
Rumex Cypria
Rough Poppy
Common Poppy
Cyprus Donkey Thistle
Fagonia cretica
Veined Sainfoin
Shrubby Golden Drop
Arum dioscoridis
Rock Rose
Wild Asparagus
Sage (various species)
Samphire
Silene Colorata
cyprus chamomile (Anthemis Tricolor)
Leopoldia comosa (Tassel hyacinth)
Orobanche mutelii
Orobanche Alba Cuprea

Banded orb weever
Jumping spider (Mogrus neglectus)

Jewel Beetles (Anthaxia (Melanthaxia) griseocuprea)

Ameles heldreichi


Swallowtail Butterfly 
Paphos Blue
Long-tailed Blue
Red Admiral
Painted Lady
Clouded Yellow
Eastern festoon
Eastern Dappled White
Large White
Small White
Common Blue
Eastern Baton blue
Speckled Wood
Orange tip
Langs short-taile blue

Vagrant Emperor
Keeled skimmer
Red-veined darter
Blue emperor
Broad Scarlet
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Common Darter

Schreiber's Fringe-fingered Lizard
Sling-tailed Agama Lizard
Snake eyed Lizard
Troodos Lizard

Large Black Whipsnake

Egyptian Fruit Bat

March 21st, 2018

21/3/2018

 

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD Half day Tour Paphos 21/03/2018

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 21st I had the pleasure of guiding Stephen Martin around the Paphos sites for a half day tour. 10 minutes prior to picking up Steve I got word of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater still present at the harbour and so asked Steve if he wanted to go for it, and ofcourse he did ... who wouldn't?
The bird was clearly visible on arrival sitting on top of the Jolly Roger pirate ship. After some great scoped views it flew towards the headland, so we got to see it in flight not too far away and hear its calls.
Cracking start to the day. We drove through the Sewage works and got the Spur-winged Lapwing and Cattle Egrets. Steve had Black Francolin and Stone Curlew down as target species, both of which are present here. Sadly we didn't see or hear any Black Francolins here but we did see a Stone Curlew and got some great scoped views. A Common Whitethroat showed briefly and we had a fly past of a Red-throated Pipit calling in flight. Here we also managed to pick out a Red-rumped swallow coming off the sea with a group of Barn Swallow.
We continued on to Timi beach where a Desert Wheatear was present as well as Isabelline and Northern Wheatear. Steve had actually managed to find a Desert Wheatear in Coral Bay not long ago but was more than happy to be seeing another of these smart scarce migrants in Cyprus. A Cattle Egret in summer plumage sat on one of the signs next to the main road in and there was a little egret patrolling beach. A couple of Common Kingfisher showed well too. We got incredibly close to the Desert Wheatear providing amazing views. On the way out we was treated to a Stone Curlew sitting very close to the car ... quite a few times, a Crested Lark was picking at a caterpillar on the other side of the path.
Desert Wheatear Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Desert Wheatear (taken previous day) - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We cut through to Mandria from here, where a female Marsh Harrier awaited us, sitting on the pathway extremely close to the car, having just gone round a bend I didn't notice her until we was right on her and so she flew within seconds. We still got some great lengthy flight views though. We went to the Laughing Dove area and found one fairly quickly, it started laughing too and then flew into someones front drive above an aircon fan where another was. A small party of Spanish Sparrows were in their usual spot providing very close views.
The sand bowl was quite devoid of life which was unusual considering it was teeming with birds just days before. A couple of tawny Pipits flew in quite close but seemed to be the only birds in the area. Behind the Picnic area Steve spotted a Hoopoe in the distance.
Further down and many Wheatears later there was a small group of yellow wagtails in with some white wagtails but were unfortunately flushed by dogs off their leash in a potato field before we could get a clear view. Sadly this is happening more and more with the authorities seemingly becoming very complacent with dogs in wildlife concentrated areas. 
Coming out of Mandria we saw quite a few House Martins and Barn Swallow low and also two Marsh Harrier, one young male and one female. 
Western Marsh Harrier Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Western Marsh Harrier - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Our next stop was Anarita Park. We stopped at Agia Varvara on the way and were treated to seeing a small group of Corn Bunting next to a Lesser Whitethroat and a stunning male Ruppell's Warbler all in close proximity. Black Francolins were calling here but unfortunately we couldn't locate any. A Ring-tailed Harrier flew over, presumably a Hen Harrier, but very distant.
At Anarita Park we managed to find the 2 Lesser Kestrels, 2 females flying together with one perched briefly on a wire. Another target species, though a tricky one to identify. 
Here we managed to see the two Little Owls out on their nesting rock and a third Little Owl on the opposite side of the site. No sign of the Finsch's Wheatear, though we did see Northern, Isabelline and Eastern Black-eared Wheatear. A Female Blue Rock Thrush provided lengthy scoped views as it searched for food and returned to the same rock many times. Under usual circumstances most would be bummed out to be just seeing a drab female, though Steve had only ever seen the males before which worked out quite nicely. There was quite a few Common Swifts above us with a few Alpine Swifts among them and below was a Cyprus Warbler close to the car. In the distance we managed to both spot a male Pallid Harrier hunting over the hills and watched it for quite some time. As we went in for a better view point he started to ascend and then was joined by another, but the other was darker with much more black on the wing tips .... a Male Hen Harrier. Extraordinary to see both species together like that. They both ascended and went their separate ways. A fantastic end to a fantastic half day tour! Managing 54 species in just 4 hours.  
Lesser Kestrel Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Lesser Kestrel - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Northern Wheatear Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Northern Wheatear - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Chukar
Black francolin (h)
European shag
Little egret
Cattle egret
Western Marsh harrier
Hen harrier
Pallid harrier
Lesser kestrel
Common kestrel
Eurasian Stone curlew
Spur-winged lapwing
Yellow-legged gull
Common Wood pigeon
Eurasian Collared dove
Laughing dove
Little owl
Alpine swift
Common swift
Eurasian Hoopoe
Common kingfisher
Blue-cheeked bee-eater
Crested lark
Barn swallow
Red-rumped swallow
Common house martin
White wagtail
Yellow wagtail
Tawny pipit
Meadow pipit
Red-throated pipit (flight view + Call)

Song thrush
Zitting cisticola
Cetti's warbler (h)
Common Chiffchaff
Common whitethroat
Lesser whitethroat
Rüppell's warbler
Sardinian warbler
Cyprus warbler
Blue rock thrush
Northern wheatear
Eastern Black-eared wheatear
Desert wheatear
Isabelline wheatear
Great tit
Magpie
Eurasian jackdaw
Hooded crow
Corn bunting
European greenfinch
European goldfinch
House sparrow
Spanish sparrow

54 species

March 19th, 2018

19/3/2018

 

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD Tour Paphos and Akrotiri 19/03/2018

Short eared Owl Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Short-eared Owl - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 19th I had the pleasure of guiding Charlie, Sue and Becky around the Paphos and Akrotiri Sites for a birding tour (not photography related so took few photos). The winds were easterly again so there was a good chance of rarities and short-eared owls that usually glide in on an easterly.
We started out in the usual closest spot, the sewage works. Here we managed to see Zitting Cisticola and Spur-winged Lapwing also managing a few Ruff in the field and a Cattle Egret.  Some European Serin were still around but in much smaller numbers and here we also had our first (of many) Isabelline Wheatear. A flock of Grey Heron flew over head very high making them quite difficult to identify as the heads were not visible and a young male Hen Harrier flew past.
Next stop was Anarita Park where we was treated to a Hoopoe and two Cyprus Wheatear plus three Cyprus Warblers singing on territory with one quite close by. We had distant views of a Male Pallid Harrier here and many Northern and Isabelline Wheatears. A Spectacled Warbler was a surprise sighting at a section I hadn't explored before, a little owl posed nicely and entertained and lastly an Eastern Subalpine Warbler provided mouth watering views.
Coming out of the area we saw a Hen Harrier fly over and a small party of Spanish and House Sparrows mixed, nest building. 
Cyprus Wheatear Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Cyprus Wheatear - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Eastern Subalpine Warbler Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Eastern Subalpine Warbler - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We then headed to Mandria seeing House Martin and Laughing Dove on entry. Further towards the beach we came across a Little Ringed Plover. There was extroidinary numbers of Northern and Isabelline Wheatear in the sand pit with a Cyprus Wheatear also showing nicely. A much larger group of Greater Short-toed Larks were now present with quite a few sub-species among them. Two Tawny Pipits entertained close to the car providing immense views.
We also witnessed a scrap between a Northern and Isabelline Wheatear, with the Northern surprisingly coming off the better.
At Larks corner we had a small group of Yellow Wagtail in flight but landing in the flora and also Shags on the rocks accompanied by a Little Egret. A Gull-billed Tern flying around the Potato pickers was an incredible sight, flying right up to the car and then out to sea. The large group of Greenfinch seemed a bit less but an impressive flock none-the-less and a Eurasian Hoopoe was foraging on the ground extremely close to the car.
We stopped for ice-cream on the way out. Just as we left Mandria I noticed a large raptor over the canal and so went in for a close view. A Common Buzzard ... which was then joined by another swooping for it ending up very low down. Another bit of action for the day.
We made a quick stop at Anarita masts seeing the Little Owls on the way and some Alpine Swift above. The Red-throated Pipits were there but a lorry was dumping cow dung at the time making the pipits a bit nervy, not providing the best views ... until we went a bit further down the road and was treated to two close by on the ground.
Then we headed to Akrotiri.
Gull-billed Tern Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Gull-billed Tern - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Gull-billed Tern Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Gull-billed Tern - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Little Ringed Plover Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Little Ringed Plover - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Our first stop was phassouri which was a bit dissapointing as it was busy and some bulls were walking all over the marsh pools. All we saw here was a few feldegg Yellow Wagtails and White Wagtails. No sign of the Glossy Ibis and Spotted Redshank reported recently and the two Squacco Herons that I got some days ago that should still be on site. We wasted no time and moved on. I did spot a Marsh Harrier on the ground prior to our arrival at the hide which took off after a few minutes.
At the Gravel Pits we saw a Short-eared Owl fly in off the sea shortly followed by another. A scarce bird in Cyprus providing incredible views both in flight and on the ground. There was an abundance of Wheatears here, mainly Northern and Isabelline but with a pale throated Eastern Black-eared Wheatear among them. Greater Short-toed Larks were foraging but sadly no sign of the Bimaculated Lark that i'm told is still around. We checked through the Larks twice over and then moved on. A flock of garganey were moving across the sea, around 60 of them.
Short-eared Owl Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Short-eared Owl - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Short-eared Owl Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Short-eared Owl - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
As we checked a pool at the gravel pits I flushed a Quail which we all got flight views of ... twice after I accidentally flushed it a second time. Whilst looking through some of the flora and serapia orchid species, Sue managed to find a Devil's Flower Mantis in the grass. One of our most rarest mantids and the first time I had seen the species. A right cracker!
As Sue is a botanist I thought it best to show her some of the orchids and a few endemic plants of Cyprus on the way to Bishop's Pool and so we ventured into an orchid patch that had many Orchis Fragrans, Ophrys Umbilicata and our Endemic Ophrys Kotschyi. Ophrys Iricolor and Himantoglossum Robertinum were quite withered here. After checking out the Persian Buttercups and Cyprus Chamomile we headed to Bishop's Pool, checking the Greater Flamingos on the way.
Here we ate our lunch whilst looking into the lake. There wasn't much life here aside some Ferruginous Ducks and Teal. 
Devil's Flower Mantis Thistle Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Devil's Flower Mantis - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We then headed to Lady's Mile. Luckily some gulls were on the lake but not much diversity in species. Caspian, Armenian, Black-headed and Yellow-legged Gull were present as well as two Little Egret. We checked the shrubs and the salt flats to find Dunlin, Little Ringed Plover and Kentish Plover and another male Pallid Harrier flyby ... a great end to a great tour covering 73 Species!
Pallid Harrier Male Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Pallid Harrier - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Species:
Common teal
Mallard
Garganey
Ferruginous duck
Chukar
Black francolin (h)
Common quail
Little grebe
Greater flamingo
Great cormorant
European shag
Grey heron
Little egret
Cattle egret
Western Marsh harrier
Hen harrier
Pallid harrier
Common buzzard (Playing)
Common kestrel
Common moorhen
Eurasian coot
Spur-winged lapwing
Little ringed plover
Kentish plover
Dunlin
Ruff
Yellow-legged gull
Caspian gull
Armenian gull
Black-headed gull
Gull-billed tern
Common Wood pigeon
Eurasian Collared dove
Laughing dove
Little owl
Short-eared owl
Alpine swift

Common swift
Eurasian Hoopoe
Greater short-toed lark
Crested lark
Barn swallow
Common house martin
White wagtail
Yellow wagtail
Tawny pipit
Meadow pipit
Red-throated pipit
Song thrush
Zitting cisticola
Cetti's warbler (h)
Eurasian blackcap
Eastern Subalpine warbler
Sardinian warbler
Cyprus warbler
Spectacled warbler
Common stonechat
Northern wheatear
Cyprus wheatear
Eastern Black-eared wheatear
Isabelline wheatear
Great tit
Magpie
Eurasian jackdaw
Hooded crow
Corn bunting
Common chaffinch
European greenfinch
European goldfinch
Common linnet
European serin
House sparrow
Spanish sparrow

73 Species

March 17th, 2018

17/3/2018

 

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - 3 Day Tour; Paphos, Akrotiri, Troodos and Larnaca 14, 15+16th/03/2018

Caspian Plover Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife rarity
Caspian Plover - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 14th I had the pleasure of guiding Dave and Anna on a 3 day tour across the island. Migration still wasn't rolling quite the same as previous years for this time but we did manage to get some good migrants and a total of 114 species.
Starting out in Paphos we headed for the Sewage works and got the usual Spur-winged Lapwing and Cattle Egret, a few Hoopoes were still in the area allowing very close views and photo opportunities but no surprises.
Eurasian Hoopoe Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Eurasian Hoopoe - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Next stop was Mandria where we managed to locate the nesting Laughing Doves, we saw over 5 in a small area with one being very close to the car. A large flock of Spanish Sparrows provided some incredibly close viewing. Moving through the sand pit we managed to find many Isabelline and Northern wheatears scampering about near a few Greater Short-toed Larks and a small party of tawny pipits that were at times very close to the car. I heard two Yellow Wagtails fly over head and managed to track them as they came down.
They were a Black-headed Wagtail and a "Superciliaris" race which we managed to view for only a minute before they was scared off by the large group of Greenfinch that are still in the area. I scouted the coast for possible shorebirds, but there was quite a few fisherman near the water that would have scared anything off. As we were checking the European Shags on the rocks we observed something quite peculiar. A young bird (from last year) harassed one of the adults
and looked as though there was going to be a squabble, but the adult actually fed the youngster. Definitely not a young bird from this year as it is too early, so a very strange thing to see. We checked the Picnic area and surroundings to see more Greater Short-toed Lark and Isabelline Wheatear and then moved on. We had a quick run around Timi beach but there was little there aside a few skylark in the air, flushed by dog walkers.   
Then on to Anarita park which was currently holding military exercizes of which we were told by other birders that there was immense disturbance in the area prior to our arrival ... and then I heard news of a Caspian Plover being discovered at Mandria near the picnic site where we just was ... so it must have just come in off the sea. We managed to get a Cetti's Warbler out in the open very close to the car which was great but brief as it always is with this shy species. 
Inside the quarry we had a male and female (Dark throated) finsch's wheatear sitting together, which is possibly the first time I have ever seen that happen. A male Blue Rock Thrush posed high on the rocks only allowing its face to be seen for a very lengthy period. A pair of adult Bonelli's Eagles flew over low which was amazing to see, an area they usually hunt in though I haven't seen them there much at all this year. We moved round to the shrubs where we located male and female Cyprus Warbler with great views. There was many Paphos Blue Butterflies on the wing still. Heading to the peak of the site we was treated to some incredibly low flying Alpine Swift and Common Swift with an early Pallid Swift coming down close also. We also had a pair
of Lesser Kestrel fly over.  
Laughing Dove Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Laughing Dove - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Yellow Wagtail Superciliaris Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Yellow Wagtail ("Superciliaris" race) - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
I asked Dave and Anna if they wanted to go for the Caspian Plover, to which they were very excited and happy to do so ... after all who doesn't want to see such a smart rarity. Sure enough it was there and was incredibly confiding, after only being there a few minutes it scurried towards the car for some amazing views and photo opportunities. After spending quite a bit of time here we headed to Asprokremnos Dam car park to eat our lunch. 
After lunch we moved on to Anarita Masts which had quite a few Red-throated Pipit still around. Also there was quite a few Vagrant Emperor dragonflies feeding in the open areas.
Our final stop for the day was to be at Minthis Hills to see if any Cretzschmar's bunting were on territory already but sadly we ran out of time and so used the remaining time at Nata Ford (now a bridge) where we saw Little Ringed Plover on territory already, and some Red-rumped Swallows coming down for some clay for their nests. Further down the river we managed quite a few Eurasian Stone Curlew, mostly flight views and some distant scoped views ... they did fly very
close to us at one point though. Black Francolins were heard in the area but not seen, and no sign of the Great Spotted Cuckoos that are usually present. We stopped at Episkopi Monolith on the way back but no Peregrines were on the rock, though we did see one very high before the monolith. A Verbascum Levanticum was just coming into flower on the rock which was nice to see. A fantastic first day with a Rarity totaling 57 species.
Finsch's Wheatear Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Finsch's Wheatear (M&F) - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Red-throated Pipit Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Red-throated Pipit - 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
Picture
Verbascum Levanticum - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Eurasian Stone Curlew Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Eurasian Stone Curlew - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
The next day we headed to Akrotiri. First stop was Phassouri Marsh which had Serin feeding on the ground on entrance and a pair of Black Francolin meters from the car in the road. I could tell it was going to be a great day!
On the water were two Squacco herons providing great views and a Little Egret. Little Grebe and Coot were chasing each other and Penduline Tit were heard in the reeds but again not located. There wasn't much round the other side aside another male black francolin which we scoped. 
Black Francolin Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Black Francolin - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We checked an area of the Gravel Pits for a Bimaculated Lark that had been found there recently, but there was nothing around, not even any Short-toed Larks. Around the church we checked out some of the orchids, Orchis Fragrans was blooming better now, O.Iricolor and O.Kotschyi were still out too. Here we also saw some Cyprus Chamomile (Tristhemis tricolor). 
We checked some of the bushes in the area for migrant warblers, but the best we could find was two Common Stonechats.
We continued on to Lady's Mile, seeing a Marsh Harrier on the way. We had to drive past military exercizes on the salt flats which was quite exciting. A small party of Kentish Plover were scurrying around a pair of gunners who were prone, though we thought it best not to stop. At Ladies mile we managed to see plenty of Isabelline Wheatear and a few northern and a few Hoopoes. There was a lot of Linnet and Greenfinch flying around. A group of waders were behind the shrubland, mainly ruff but with little stint and kentish plover. Later on we had a pair of Curlew here. By the port we looked through the gulls to see Armenian, Caspian, Yellow-legged, Black-headed and Slender-billed Gull. A Black-winged Stilt and Spur-winged Lapwing were also here. A flock of herons were distant out at sea but coming closer, we waited around until they were close enough to identify, which turned out to be Grey Herons .... no luck with any early Purples.
Zakaki Marsh was dreadful with only a Grey Wagtail about so we moved on quickly wasting no time. Though we did find an Epaulet Skimmer Dragonfly and also a Slender Skimmer which is possibly the first record of the year.
Orchis Fragrans Anacamptis Orchid Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Orchis Fragrans - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Slender Skimmer Dragonfly Odonata Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Slender Skimmer - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Eurasian Curlew Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Eurasian Curlew - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We headed to the Zakaki run-off which was quite wet. We managed to see a Spectacled Warbler, but mainly in flight and not hanging around the tops of the shrubs considering the wind. We scoped through the greater flamingo and many waders.
We found Common and Little Ringed Plover here as well as a few large groups of Ruff, Kentish Plover, Little Stint, a possible temminck's stint though I was too slow to get the scope on it before it flew away and a stunning water pipit provided great scoped views for a decent amount of time. A few yellow wagtails and Short-toed larks flew over as well as a decent flock of Common Snipe overhead. We briefly managed a Merlin in flight moving very quickly towards Lady's Mile.
Unfortunately we couldn't get to the water flow because of the dampness of the ground and so continued to Bishop's Pool to eat our lunch. We did see a pair of Broad Scarlet Dragonflies on the way, a Tiger Beetle Species, a Marbled Orb Weaver Spider and more Mosquitoes than we'd have liked.
Tiger Beetle Species Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife Cindella
Tiger Beetle Sp. - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
At Bishop's Pool there was still some Waterfowl around. Ferruginous Duck were our targets here of which we saw many. Whilst eating our lunch a pair of Lesser Emperor dragonflies were fighting, two males. A Winter Damselfly decided to come and land right next to us on  blade of grass. We had two surprises here, a Black-crowned Night Heron decided to fly in pretty much towards us providing incredible views and photo opportunities. The other was a female Goshawk shooting across the corner of the lake at a small group of feral pigeons. A species I can't recall seeing at this site before.
Black Crowned Night Heron Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Black-crowned Night Heron - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We decided to check for the Bimaculated Lark again on the way back which was a good decision! Half way down the track a small party of Short-toed Larks were feeding and the much much larger Bimaculated Lark stood out well allowing us very close
for long periods of time to snap some amazing photos and superb views. A scarce migrant in Cyprus.
We then finished up at Kensington Cliffs where a pair of Griffon Vultures put on a some good flight display. Unfortunately the area they were landing in was conceiled from our view point but we had fantastic flight views. A small group of 
cormorants flew over head here. Some endemic Veined Sainfoin was in flower here providing its lovely aroma. 
Driving back on the motorway we was treated to a rare occurrence of a second plumaged Bonelli's Eagle swooping down a few times over a group of feral pigeons on a farm hutch near the Aphrodite's Rock area. Sadly there was no stopping here 
or any sign of an entrance to the area ... though we was close enough to see clearly with the naked eye. A fantastic end to a fantastic days guiding seeing a total of 80 species! 
Bimaculated lark Scarce Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Bimaculated Lark - 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
Day 3 was to be spent in the mountains and the larnaca area.
On the way up to the mountains we was treated to a pair of Bonelli's Eagles flying low over the Diarizos Valley, a good start. The abundance of Rock cress (Arabis Purpurea) on the way up was pleasant to see. Arriving at Platres we went looking for early nightingales setting up territory. We was unsuccessful, it didn't seem like any had arrived yet. We got a lovely male Serin singing away in a tree above us and there was Wren singing closer to the water flow. There was plenty of our Endemic Aphrodite's Spurge growing here and an Arum species not yet in flower. Quite a few
Eastern Festoon (Endemic Sub-species) Butterflies flying around here was a surprise to me as I didn't realize their range extended to this high altitude.
Coming back out of this area a Collared Flycatcher flew into a tree not far away but was well concealed. I walked down for a closer view but flushed it into another tree higher up which was even harder to see into. We got flight views of the bird which had to do. Usually Collared flycatchers are much later than Pied and Semi-collareds in Cyprus, I would have thought Semi-collared but saw the "full collar" on the bird in flight.
Rock Cress Arabis Purpua Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Rock Cress - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Aphrodite's Spurge Euphorbia Veneris Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife Endemic
Aphrodite's Spurge - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Next we checked the square which had quite a few of our Coal Tits around providing good views. The star bird here was a Hawfinch in summer plumage providing incredible views and photo opportunities. 
Moving down to the picnic sites we came across Dorothy's Short-toed Treecreepers (a target species) which provided good views, though mainly in the shade. A small party of Siskin showed well coming down for water. We found a few cyprus crocus' though they were at the end of their cycle. There was another Hawfinch around but only seen in flight. We saw a few Blackbirds but most species seemed short in numbers and we unfortunately did not manage to locate any Crossbill or Jays.
We did find the Dutchman's Pipe vine (eastern festoons host plant) and also some Buttercups (Ranunculus cadmicus cyprius ... an endemic sub-species).
We had a walk around the Botanical Gardens, Anna wanted to see some violets and so was quite impressed with the Viola species.
Hawfinch Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Hawfinch - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Dwarf Pansey Viola kitaibeliana Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Dwarf Pansey - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Cyprus Buttercup Endemic Subspecies Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife Ranunculus cadmicus cyprius
Cyprus Buttercup - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Then onward to Larnaca. On the way we saw a Common Buzzard being mobbed by some Hooded Crows and then further on a Hen Harrier being mobbed by a Sparrowhawk. A good bit of action to make the lengthy journey seem less.
Arriving at Menou we stopped infront of the Greater Flamingos and had lunch. A small group of Little Stint flew along the water towards the airport with a larger wader among them. A Greater Sand Plover had been reported there the day prior and it could well have been that, sadly we was unable to locate the area they landed.
Heading towards the Sewage Pools hide there was a fall of warblers. Eastern Sub-alpine, Chiffchaff and Ruppell's Warbler were everywhere in the low shrubs and acacia. A few Spectacled Warblers briefly showed also. A Tree pipit briefly landed in some nearby shrub calling on take off.
There wasn't much on the water and the winds had picked up making it uncomfortable. A quick browse through provided a Yellow Wagtail (feldegg), Spur-winged Lapwing, Mallard, Black-necked Grebes in summer plumage, Little Grebe, some Pochard, Common Teal and Northern Shoveler. There was probably more around though we decided to move on due to the windy conditions. 
Moving on to the salt lake we manage to spot a small group of Black-crowned Night Heron along the coast that looked as though they would land in the trees, but turned out to be just fighting the wind.
Ruppell's Warbler Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Ruppell's Warbler - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Black Crowned Night Heron Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Black-crowned Night Heron - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
The Salt Lake held a few Redshank and Ruff, Greater Flamingo and Black-headed and Slender-billed Gulls. The other side was full of life, a pair of Bluethroat had a squabble (one red spotted and one white spotted), my first Wood Sandpiper of the year showed well as did two Common Kingfisher. There was a few Green Sandpiper in the area also which were more timid. Around 6-7 Common Snipe were in the area but very hard to see on the banks. A Little Egret and Spur-winged lapwing were flushed and a Water Pipit posed nicely on a metal pole. An extremely obliging Chukar appeared infront of us feeding which may have been injured. Some intense birding to finish the day which held 75 species ... bringing the total to 114 with much of the Island seen and providing some great memorable moments as well as a Cyprus rarity.
Water Pipit Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Water Pipit - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Chukar Partridge Island Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Island Chukar - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Caspian plover rarity Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Caspian Plover - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Common teal
Mallard
Northern shoveler
Common pochard
Ferruginous duck
Chukar
Black francolin
Little grebe
Black-necked grebe
Greater flamingo
Great cormorant
European shag
Grey heron
Little egret
Squacco heron
Cattle egret
Black-crowned night heron
Griffon vulture
Western Marsh harrier
Hen harrier
Eurasian sparrowhawk
Northern goshawk
Common buzzard
Long-legged buzzard
Bonelli's eagle
Lesser kestrel
Common kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine falcon
Common moorhen
Eurasian coot
Eurasian Stone curlew
Spur-winged lapwing
Common Ringed plover
Little ringed plover
Kentish plover
CASPIAN PLOVER
Black-winged stilt
Common snipe
Eurasian curlew
Common redshank
Green sandpiper
Wood sandpiper
Little stint
Dunlin
Ruff
Yellow-legged gull
Caspian gull
Armenian gull
Black-headed gull
Slender-billed gull
Rock dove
Common Wood pigeon
Eurasian Collared dove
Laughing dove
Alpine swift
Common swift

Pallid swift
Eurasian Hoopoe
Common kingfisher
Bimaculated lark
Greater short-toed lark
Eurasian Skylark
Crested lark
Barn swallow
Red-rumped swallow
Common house martin
White wagtail
Yellow wagtail
Grey wagtail
Tawny pipit
Tree pipit
Meadow pipit
Red-throated pipit
Water pipit
East Mediterranean winter wren (h)
Eurasian blackbird
Song thrush
Zitting cisticola
Cetti's warbler
Eurasian reed warbler
Chiffchaff
Eurasian blackcap
Rüppell's warbler
Eastern Subalpine warbler
Sardinian warbler
Cyprus warbler
Spectacled warbler
Blue rock thrush
Collared flycatcher
European robin
Bluethroat (red spotted and white spotted)
Western Black redstart
Common stonechat
Northern wheatear
Finsch's wheatear
Isabelline wheatear
Coal tit 
Great tit
Dorothy's (Short-toed) treecreeper
Eurasian penduline tit (h)
Magpie
Eurasian jackdaw
Hooded crow
Corn bunting
Common chaffinch
European greenfinch
Eurasian siskin
European goldfinch
Common linnet
European serin
Hawfinch
House sparrow
Spanish sparrow

March 12th, 2018

12/3/2018

 

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Paphos & Akrotiri 11/03/2018

Ruppell's Warbler Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Rüppell's warbler - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 11th I had the pleasure of guiding Rosy and Ann around the Paphos and Akrotiri sites. We started the day at the Sewage Works where we had a brief low flyby of a Eurasian Sparrowhawk on entrance, and also a Fox moving quickly across the field being mobbed by Hooded Crows.
We had fantastic views of Spur-winged Lapwings feeding in the freshly cut field and also one in the road. Plus there was huge numbers of Red-throated Pipits present, with one calling in a group on the wires overhead. A newly arrived Eurasian Hoopoe provided superb views, sometimes less than 4 meters close to the car. A nice surprise here was a male Ruppell's Warbler sitting in the top of a bramble bush, spotted by Rosy. It was very showy, sitting very close to the car for over 4 minutes.
Red-throated Pipit Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Red-throated Pipit - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Rough Poppy Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Rough Poppy - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Eurasian Hoopoe Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Eurasian Hoopoe - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We continued to Agia Varvara where we had a very close encounter with a Common Buzzard that didn't seem to mind us being close to it (that may have been concentrating more on the Chukar Partridge just up the road) and also many Sardinian Warblers and Blackcaps flitting around in the bushes. Here there was also a leaf warbler type with a darkish face, I put it down as being a slightly wet Common Chiffchaff, as quite a few of the Sardinian Warblers were also wet. Zitting Cisticola showed well here as usual, and Black Francolins called from the surrounding hills. We also came across some Rough Poppy's (Papaver Hybridum), one of my favourite species.
Next stop was Anarita Park where the Corn Buntings were in song, some meters from the car. A Blue Rock Thrush provided good scoped views for over 10 minutes and the Little Owl was on show also. A pair of Cyprus Warblers stole the show here, a male and female drying off after a bath in close proximity. We also managed to locate 2 more Male Cyprus Warblers, one was in display flight briefly. Many Endemic Paphos Blue butterflies were on the wing here as well as Wall Brown, Large White, Small White, Eastern Dappled White, Painted Lady, Swallowtail, Clouded Yellow and Orange Tip. We also saw a few an Endemic Chamomile (Tristhemis Tricolor) in flower too. ​
Zitting Cisticola Fan-tailed Warbler Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Zitting Cisticola - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Cyprus Warbler Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Cyprus Warbler - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Cyprus Warbler Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Cyprus Warbler - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Paphos Blue Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Paphos Blue - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Next stop was Mandria with a quick stop off for some ice cream. We quickly managed to locate some Laughing Dove and get very close, one was even laughing briefly.
There was quite a few Isabelline and Northern Wheatears present around the sand pit, as well as quite a few Tawny Pipit and the huge flock of Greenfinch that has been around for some time. A Bluethroat had been seen at the picnic site just before our arrival as well as an Eastern Subalpine Warbler, but unfortunately neither would show for us. A lone Shag was on the rocks out at sea and some Yellow-legged Gulls in the distance.
We then had a quick drive around Timi beach which had little to offer considering how busy it was with locals. A few Skylark were seen flying over as well as a Greater Short-toed Lark...plus a few yellow-legged Gull on rocks out at sea accompanied by a Caspian Gull.
Laughing Dove Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Laughing Dove - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Common Kestrel Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Common Kestrel - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We then ventured to Akrotiri, first stop at Phassouri Marsh which was disappointing this time around with only Coot on the water and Penduline Tits calling in the distance. We did manage to find a small group of Serin at the entrance, one was in display flight but vanished quickly.
On the other side we were treated to another Hoopoe and another Greater Short-toed Lark flew over. Sadly no raptors on the ground here this time around.
The Gravel Pits held very little, though we did not cover much of it due to time management. We did have a quick look at the orchid patch which had our Endemic Ophrys Kotshyi, Endemic Ophrys Astarte, Ophrys Iricolor, Orchis Morio, Ophrys Umbilicata, Himantoglossum Robertinum and also some freshly emerging Orchis Fragrans.
We then moved on to Lady's Mile stopping on the salt flats on the way to see a small party of Kentish plover and a quick scope through the Greater Flamingos. Again there was not much on the lakes aside a small party of Black-winged Stilts. Near the port we was lucky that the gulls decided to land from the fish farm, a nice assortment of Black-headed Gulls, Caspian, Armenian, yellow-legged and a few juvenile and adult Slender-billed Gulls. We was rudely disturbed here by some locals who walked to the waters edge and flushed the gulls and so we did not stick around .. like the gulls. An unfortunate common occurrence here. A Hen Harrier was hunting near the salt lake and a few small flocks of Linnet and Greenfinch were feeding on the outskirts.
Zakaki marsh held very little so we did not spend much time here, as we departed the area back to Paphos we had some great views of a Marsh Harrier in flight. 
A great tour with some superb views totaling 62 species. 
Slender-billed Gull Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Slender-billed Gull - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Chukar
Black francolin (h)
Greater flamingo
European shag
Cattle egret
Western Marsh harrier
Hen harrier
Eurasian sparrowhawk
Common buzzard
Common kestrel
Common moorhen
Eurasian coot
Spur-winged lapwing
Kentish plover
Black-winged stilt
Yellow-legged gull
Caspian gull
Armenian gull
Black-headed gull
Slender-billed gull
Common Wood pigeon
Eurasian Collared dove
Laughing dove
Little owl
​
Common swift
Eurasian Hoopoe
Greater short-toed lark
Crested lark
Eurasian Skylark
Barn swallow
Common house martin
White wagtail
Slender-billed Gull Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Slender-billed Gull - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Tawny pipit
Meadow pipit
Red-throated pipit
Song thrush
Zitting cisticola
Cetti's warbler
Common Chiffchaff
Eurasian blackcap
Rüppell's warbler
Sardinian warbler
Cyprus warbler
Blue rock thrush
European robin (h)
Western Black redstart
Common stonechat
Northern wheatear
Isabelline wheatear
Great tit
Eurasian penduline tit (h)
Magpie
Eurasian jackdaw
Hooded crow
Corn bunting
Common chaffinch
European greenfinch
European goldfinch
Common linnet
European serin
House sparrow
Spanish sparrow (h)
62

March 10th, 2018

10/3/2018

 

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Paphos & Akrotiri 06+09/03/2018

Hen Harrier Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Hen Harrier - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 6th and 9th of March I had the pleasure of Guiding Costas around the Paphos and Akrotiri sites for a day and a half tour, birding and photography (I only took a few record photos). 
We started at the Paphos Headland for the Greater Sandplover, there was different birds present with different plumage to my last visit indicating their migration is underway. Close by was a Common Sandpiper, a Ruddy Turnstone and a Dunlin. The Golden Plovers must have left. There was many pipits and larks flying over, I made out the calls of Tawny Pipit and Greater Short-toed Lark overhead, and we watched Meadow and Red-throated Pipit on the ground as well as 
Eurasian Skylark and Crested Lark.
We moved on to the Sewage Works where the Spur-winged Lapwings were feeding. We sat with them as they approached the car. There was many red-throated pipits feeding in the fields, a huge number...but no yellow wagtails yet.
We then moved on to Agia Varvara where we managed to locate one of our target species, a Great Spotted Cuckoo, 5 meters from the car sat in an Almond Tree providing amazing photo opportunities (I took a record photo through the windscreen) whilst a Eurasian Sparrowhawk flew over. 
Zitting Cisticolas and Common Linnets were very showy and vocal here. We then visited Anarita Park for Finsch's Wheatear. We located the male Finsch's Wheatear and managed superb close photo opportunities with the male, the female was unaproachable as per usual. Here we also found a male Blue Rock Thrush, Woodlark were heard and also we tracked down a few male and female Cyprus Warblers. A young Male Hen Harrier was a star bird here, hunting and 
perching a few times inside the quarry nearby. A Cyprus Scops Owl briefly called out from somewhere in the area.
Laughing Dove Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Laughing Dove - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
​We checked Mandria out which was fairly quiet aside Isabelline and Northern Wheatear and Greater Short-toed Larks on the ground. Coming into Mandria and heading out we managed to find (and photograph) more than 6 Laughing Dove and also observed one flying into a palm tree with some nesting material. On to Asprokremnos Dam where a few Great Cormorant were in the air. We located more Cyprus Warbler and also some obliging Sardinian Warbler and Chukar. 
Nearby we found a stunning male Black Redstart showing well and two more Great Spotted Cuckoo as well as a huge flock of finches, mainly Linnet and Serin. 5 Lesser Kestrel were high up above the farm presumably migrants passing over the island (identified by primary tips length). Here we ate our lunch and then moved on to the foothills to try and locate some raptors. We was sadly unsuccessful in doing so as thick dust and fog rolled in (aside a common buzzard perched in a tree nearby), though some spectacular views of the Akamas and Theletra more than made up for that, including some great orchid species (Orchis Italica + Endemic Ophrys Alasiatica) and hearing a Wren singing away. We managed 56 species on a fairly slow day. 
Great Spotted Cuckoo Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Great Spotted Cuckoo (uncropped, taken through windscreen) - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 9th we visited Akrotiri. Starting at Phassouri Marsh which is now actually starting to show signs of life after the RSPB restored the site. Here we found two newly arrived Squacco Heron, a Common Snipe, a Spur-winged Lapwing, Little Grebes chasing each other, Coot, A small party of Ruff and a promising pair of Ferruginous Duck that fled the area after seeing a Marsh Harrier appear over the reeds. On the Gravel Pits we came across a newly arrived Eurasian Hoopoe, another target species, though not much else was present here aside a few Green Sandpiper, 6 in total.
We skipped Bishops Pool as Costas had visited the site a few days prior on the Birdlife Cyprus Fieldtrip and so we concentrated on Ladies Mile. Unfortunately none of the Gulls were behind the restaurant or on the pool and only a single Kentish Plover was present on all of Ladies Mile lakes. We checked Zakaki where we saw a Common Kingfisher, Green Sandpiper and Cetti's Warbler. We heard Moustached Warbler and Penduline Tit but were unable to locate them mainly due
to the non-existent site management/maintanence. Here we also saw some newly arrived Eurasian Reed Warbler.
Checking around the salt flats and Salt Lake we came across many Northern and Isabelline Wheatear. Many Greater Flamingo were present, as were many Kentish Plover, Little Stint and Common Ringed Plover. As we was leaving the site 3 Yellow Wagtails flew low overhead, also a Greater Short Toed Lark and a small group of Red-throated Pipit flew in. Spectacled Warblers were flitting around the bushes, but in very small numbers.
Then on to Episkopi to see the Griffon Vultures which sadly didn't show in our limited remaining time, though we did get good views of Alpine Swift and a Peregrine Falcon flew past on our exit. 
Here we also found two endemic plant species in close proximity (Tristhemis Tricolour and Onobrychis Venosa) as well as a big Banded Orb Weaver spider (Argiope trifasciata) and a few Vagrant Emperor dragonflies (Anax ephippiger) 
all of which are fairly rare species. We managed 57 species on a half day tour bringing our total to 81 species.  
Squacco Heron Ruff Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Squacco Heron and Ruff - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Species:
Ferruginous duck
Chukar
Black francolin (h)
Little grebe
Greater flamingo
Great cormorant
European shag
Squacco heron
Cattle egret
Western Marsh harrier
Hen harrier
Eurasian sparrowhawk
Common buzzard
Lesser kestrel
Common kestrel
Peregrine falcon
Common moorhen
Eurasian coot
Spur-winged lapwing
Common ringed plover
Kentish plover
Greater sandplover
Common snipe
Green sandpiper
Common sandpiper
Ruddy turnstone
Little stint
Dunlin
Ruff
Baltic gull
Yellow-legged gull
Rock dove
Common Wood pigeon
Eurasian Collared dove
Laughing dove
Great spotted cuckoo
Cyprus Scops Owl (h)
Little owl
Alpine swift
Common swift
Eurasian Hoopoe
Common kingfisher
Greater short-toed lark
Crested lark
Woodlark (h)
Eurasian Skylark
Barn swallow
Common house martin
White wagtail
(Black-headed) Yellow Wagtail
Tawny pipit (h)
Meadow pipit
Red-throated pipit
Eurasian Wren (h)
Song thrush
Zitting cisticola
Cetti's warbler
Moustached warbler (h)
Eurasian reed warbler
Common Chiffchaff
Eurasian blackcap (h)
Sardinian warbler
Cyprus warbler
Spectacled warbler
Blue rock thrush
Western Black redstart
Common stonechat
Northern wheatear
Finsch's wheatear
Isabelline wheatear
Great tit
Eurasian penduline tit
Magpie
Eurasian jackdaw
Hooded crow
Corn bunting
Common chaffinch
European greenfinch
European goldfinch
Common linnet
House sparrow
Spanish sparrow

Total: 81
Great Cormorant Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Great Cormorant - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
    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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