November 03rd, 2017

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Paphos - Half Day Tour 02/11/2017

Caucasian Water Pipit - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved

On the 2nd I had the pleasure of guiding Simon, Jill and Chris around Paphos for a Half day tour. We started out at the Paphos Headland for the Greater Sand Plover, sure enough we found one very quickly though it was hiding perfectly behind a Dunlin for a while and eventually came better into view. I saw a bird flying out at sea coming closer, which turned out to be a Hen Harrier arriving in Cyprus for winter. On the way out we had good views of the long staying Whimbrel sitting on top of the dry sea weed heaps. Next we checked out the Sewage Plant for Spur-winged Lapwing. Here we saw huge flocks of Water and Meadow Pipit with Red-throated and Tree Pipit among them. There was over 10 Spur-winged Lapwing on a field feeding, a Northern Lapwing flew over head. There was a very large passage of Eurasian Skylark overhead, as far as the eye could see which was an incredibly impressive sight to behold. Woodlark were also calling but sadly we couldn't locate them. On the way out we came across a small group of European Serin, which were the first that I had seen since Spring. Next to the plant Chris managed to find a Budak's Snake-eyed Skink (our smallest lizard) among the fallen bougainvillea leaves and shortly after a Snake-eyed Lizard emerged from nearly the same place.

Zitting Cisticola - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved

We then headed to Mandria where we had good views of a Hen Harrier hunting Skylark with a small group of Woodlark flying around. Here we also had the assortment of Pipits only with much better views as they came to a few puddles for drinking and bathing. Our last call was Asprokremnos Dam where we was lucky to see an Osprey fishing albeit very distantly and a very late Eurasian Hoopoe which we managed great views of. We managed to locate male and female Cyprus Warblers fluttering around the broom shrub with good but short views and then we had a Long-legged Buzzard fly low near us to finish the day off as well as one of our Endemic Sling-tailed Agama lizards oddly sitting on top of a Broom Shrub. A very good half day tour totaling 47 species.

Chukar (Island Chukar)
Great Cormorant
Osprey
Hen Harrier
Common buzzard
Long-legged buzzard
Common kestrel
Eurasian Coot
Northern Lapwing
Spur-winged Lapwing
Greater Sand Plover
Whimbrel
Dunlin
Yellow-legged Gull
Common Wood Pigeon
Eurasian Collared Dove
Little Owl
Eurasian Hoopoe
Crested Lark
Woodlark
Eurasian Skylark
Barn Swallow
White Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
Tree Pipit
Meadow Pipit
Red-throated Pipit
Water Pipit (Caucasian Water pipit)
Zitting Cisticola
Cetti's Warbler
Common Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler
Sardinian Warbler
Cyprus Warbler
European Robin (h)
Western Black Redstart
European Stonechat
Great Tit
Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Hooded Crow
Corn Bunting
Common Chaffinch
European Goldfinch
European Serin
House Sparrow
Spanish Sparrow
47