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September 16th, 2020

16/9/2020

 

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - Paphos & Akrotiri 16/09/2020

Picture
Eurasian Hoopoe - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
​On the 16th I guided Ian around the Akrotiri and Paphos sites. We started at Phassouri Marsh where we was greeted with many European Bee-eaters on the trees, feeding in-flight and bathing and we also flushed a female Black Francolin as we approached the tower hide. At the first hide we had a pair of Common Kingfisher and at the flooded part near the entrance we was treated to another pair and also Garganey, Glossy Ibis, Wood Sandpiper, Cattle and Little Egret.
Picture
Garganey - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
A Sedge Warbler flitted around the reeds and a Little Bittern and Water rail called from deep in the reeds and unfortunately not seen. A small party of 4 Black-tailed Godwit flew overhead as well as many flocks of Little and Great White Egret. We put up a few Snipe here.
There wasn't much to be seen at the second hide so we didn't stay long. There was a lot of activity on the far fields, over 70 Glossy Ibis, Yellow Wagtails everywhere, Squacco Herons and also a juvenile Black Stork took the spotlight.
Picture
Black Stork & Glossy Ibis - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Moving round to the gravel pits we saw quite a few Whinchat, Red-backed Shrike and a Spotted Flycatcher. At the pools there was a pair of Curlew Sandpiper.
We then headed to the salt lake to see the Greater Flamingo of which we got great views of. There wasn't much else around here aside Black-winged Stilt and some Eleonora's Falcon hunting. Just as we was leaving a European Honey Buzzard flew in and landed nearby.
Next we scouted ladies mile that held no surprises and on to Bishop's pool. Here we saw Shoveler, a Pochard, Ferruginous Duck and many Garganey. The best birds of note was a Peregrine Falcon and a very rare Saker Falcon as well as maybe over 50 European Turtle Dove.
We decided to give the Gravel Pits another go as it seemed the better destination for the wave of Honey Buzzards that were imminent and although most were quite high we got just that. Over 100 including 5 Black Kite soared over us. We also managed to add Masked Shrike to our day list.
After stopping off at Kensington Cliffs for Eleonora's Falcons and seeing a Green Turtle in the bay we made our way back to Paphos stopping at Mandria Picnic site for lunch.
Picture
Green Turtle - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
At Mandria we managed to locate an Isabelline Wheatear and many Whinchat and Greater Short-toed Lark as well as a Tawny Pipit.
Moving to Agia Varvara we was greeted with the long staying White Storks which provided amazing views and photo opportunities.
Our last stop was the Sewage Works where we got very close to Spur-winged Lapwing, Cattle Egret, Yellow Wagtail, Lesser Grey Shrike and quite a few Hoopoes finishing the day with 76 Species in total.
Picture
White Stork - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Species List:

Black Francolin    
Mallard    
Northern Shoveler
Garganey   
Common Pochard   
Ferruginous Duck    
Little Grebe
Greater Flamingo
Black Stork
White Stork
Glossy Ibis
Squacco Heron
(h)Little Bittern
Cattle Egret
Grey Heron
Great Egret
Little Egret
European Shag  
Common Kestrel   
Eleonora's Falcon  
Saker Falcon    
Peregrine Falcon
European Honey-buzzard
Black Kite   
Western Marsh Harrier  
Common Moorhen  
Common Coot
(h)Water Rail
Black-winged Stilt 
Spur-winged Lapwing
Common Ringed Plover 
Kentish Plover    
Common Snipe 
Black-tailed Godwit   
Wood Sandpiper 
Little Stint 
Dunlin 
Curlew Sandpiper 
Yellow-legged Gull 
Rock Dove 
Common Wood-pigeon   
European Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Laughing Dove
European Roller   
Common Kingfisher
European Bee-eater   
Eurasian Hoopoe 
Red-backed Shrike 
Lesser Grey Shrike
Masked Shrike 
Eurasian Magpie    
Eurasian Jackdaw   
Hooded Crow
Great Tit
Greater Short-toed Lark
Crested Lark  
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow 
Red-rumped Swallow   
Zitting Cisticola  
Cetti's Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Eurasian Reed-warbler
Willow Warbler 
Lesser Whitethroat 
Sardinian Warbler
Whinchat
Isabelline Wheatear
Spotted Flycatcher
House Sparrow 
Yellow Wagtail (*Flava)   
Black-headed Wagtail 
Tawny Pipit  
European Greenfinch    
European Goldfinch
76

September 14th, 2020

14/9/2020

 

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - Paphos & Akrotiri 14/09/2020

Picture
White Stork - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 14th I guided Luis around the Paphos and Akrotiri sites for my first tour of the year (due to the covid madness).
We started in the foothills of Paphos for Bonelli's Eagle, a target species. We was unfortunate not seeing one at their territory although I got a fleeting view of one low from behind, we managed to spot many Cyprus Wheatear here which were also a target species and also a single whinchat. We moved on to Minthis Hills where many Little Grebe and Garganey were on the drainage pool. Warblers were flitting around everywhere around the ornamental lake, here we got Common and Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Sardinian Warbler and Cyprus Warbler, another target species. In the hills we had great views of a Pallid and Montagu's Harrier as well as a few European Honey Buzzards riding the thermals.
Next stop was Episkopi for Cyprus Scops Owl which were not to be seen at their day roost. We continued to Agia Varvara where the many White Storks were still present, coming in to land at the pools enabling great views, in the air we counted over 50 of them, at one point they was accompanied by a Long-leggged Buzzard and some time later a 1st plumaged Bonelli's Eagle shot past.
On the water we had sedge warbler and some reed warblers calling out. We had a brief view of Black Francolin here in flight, another target species. 
Moving on to the sewage plant we had fantastic views of Lesser Grey Shrike lining the trees around an Alfalfa field which held many Spur-winged Lapwing, Yellow Wagtail and Glossy Ibis, we also managed to spot a Red-backed Shrike here and also a Black Francolin crossing the road. Many Cattle Egret were also present in the area.
Picture
Glossy Ibis - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Picture
Glossy Ibis - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Many shrikes later and a lone Tree Pipit we ventured to Akrotiri stopping at Kensington Cliffs on the way fro Eleonora's Falcon, another target species. Luis said this was the highlight of the trip as not only did we get fantastic flight views but Luis managed a photo of a dark morph on the cliff just less than 10 meters away. We also had views of one feeding a recently fledged youngster. Unfortunately the Griffon Vultures didn't show.
Picture
Eleonora's Falcon - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Next stop was Bishop's Pool for ferruginous duck, another target, we had around 3-4 here and also a Common Pochard and an out of place Great Cormorant. We stopped here to have lunch.
After a brief visit to the Salt lake run-off and Ladies Mile where we saw many waders; Kentish and Common Ringed Plover, Little and Temmincks stint etc we brushed past the Gravel Pits, only seeing a lone Tawny Pipit and enteretd Phassouri marsh where there was an abundance of Great White, Little and Cattle Egret as well as Glossy Ibis, Squacco Heron and Grey Heron feeding in the marshes. At the first hide we had a fleeting glimpse of a female Little Crake running into the reeds and European Bee-eaters were everywhere. Quite a few European Rollers were about of which there was also some on the wires at Ladies Mile providing good photo opportunities.
The tower hide was fairly unfruitful aside a few Common Kingfishers, we finished up the tour at the bee-hives raptor migration spot which produced many Marsh Harriers and some Honey Buzzards as well as a Hobby. We finished the day with 76 Species.
Species List:

(h)Chukar Partridge    
Black Francolin    
Mallard    
Northern Shoveler
Garganey   
Common Pochard   
Ferruginous Duck    
Little Grebe
Greater Flamingo
White Stork
Glossy Ibis
Squacco Heron
Cattle Egret
Grey Heron
Great Egret
Little Egret
Great Cormorant   
European Shag  
Common Kestrel   
Eleonora's Falcon  
Eurasian Hobby
European Honey-buzzard
Western Marsh Harrier  
Pallid Harrier
Montagu's Harrier  
Long-legged Buzzard     
Bonelli's Eagle    
Little Crake
Common Moorhen  
Common Coot
Spur-winged Lapwing
Common Ringed Plover 
Kentish Plover    
Common Snipe 
Green Sandpiper 
Little Stint 
Temminck's Stint 
Yellow-legged Gull 
Slender-billed Gull 
Rock Dove 
Common Wood-pigeon   
European Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Laughing Dove

European Roller   
Common Kingfisher
European Bee-eater   
Red-backed Shrike 
Lesser Grey Shrike
Eurasian Magpie    
Eurasian Jackdaw   
Hooded Crow
Great Tit
Crested Lark  
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow 
Zitting Cisticola  
Cetti's Warbler
Sedge Warbler
(h)Eurasian Reed-warbler
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler 
Willow Warbler 
Common Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat 
Sardinian Warbler
Cyprus Warbler 
Spectacled Warbler  
Whinchat
House Sparrow 
Yellow Wagtail (*Flava)   
Black-headed Wagtail 
Tawny Pipit  
Tree Pipit 
European Greenfinch    
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet

76
    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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