Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Akrotiri & Paphos 27/12/2019
Bluethroat - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 27th I guided Tim and Alice around the Akrotiri and Paphos sites.
We started off at Phassouri Marsh where many Marsh Harrier and Penduline were seen along with Water rail. At the entrance to the site a Pale Morph Common Buzzard sat out in the open for a while and then flew off in the distance, the first time I had seen this colour phase in Cyprus.
We headed along the marsh banks seeing little aside Common Kingfisher. At the second hide we had great views of Common Kingfisher, Water Pipit and Shelduck flew overhead among many Common Snipe. Spur-winged Lapwing and Coot were on the Scrape. Reed Warbler called from the reed but were shy.
We started off at Phassouri Marsh where many Marsh Harrier and Penduline were seen along with Water rail. At the entrance to the site a Pale Morph Common Buzzard sat out in the open for a while and then flew off in the distance, the first time I had seen this colour phase in Cyprus.
We headed along the marsh banks seeing little aside Common Kingfisher. At the second hide we had great views of Common Kingfisher, Water Pipit and Shelduck flew overhead among many Common Snipe. Spur-winged Lapwing and Coot were on the Scrape. Reed Warbler called from the reed but were shy.
Common Shelduck - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Further down we were treated to great views of both male and female Black Francolin and also a pair of Cattle Egret roadside. A lone Little Egret was also feeding among the cattle.
We then ventured to the environmental center to scope the Flamingos.
Next was Ladies Mile which was fairly quiet aside the bulk of the Gulls. We managed to pick out Armenia, Caspian, Heuglin's, Mediterranean and a Slender-billed Gull among the Black-headed Gulls.
At Zakaki Marsh we was treated to great views of a Bluethroat, and concealed views of Moustached Warbler.
Next we headed to Kensington Cliffs where only one Griffon Vulture showed but amazingly there was two Cyprus Warbler calling and showing nearby. We stopped here for lunch and then continued to Paphos.
At Mandria we had some smashing views of Red-throated Pipit and the many Skylark. We also got close to a Laughing Dove here and distant views of a Bonelli's Eagle being mobbed by Hooded Crows. We stopped for coffee at a taverna and headed to the Sewage Plant where the Spur-winged Lapwings were proving tricky though a Green Sandpiper was unusually showy.
Next we went for the finsch's wheatear at Anarita Park which we got pretty decent views of two. A male Goshawk swooped in and attacked a Common Kestrel right above us which was a bonus. On the way to Episkopi we had brief views of Woodlark and Corn Bunting and at Episkopi we managed to see the Cyprus Scops Owl which is amazingly still around.
We then ventured to the environmental center to scope the Flamingos.
Next was Ladies Mile which was fairly quiet aside the bulk of the Gulls. We managed to pick out Armenia, Caspian, Heuglin's, Mediterranean and a Slender-billed Gull among the Black-headed Gulls.
At Zakaki Marsh we was treated to great views of a Bluethroat, and concealed views of Moustached Warbler.
Next we headed to Kensington Cliffs where only one Griffon Vulture showed but amazingly there was two Cyprus Warbler calling and showing nearby. We stopped here for lunch and then continued to Paphos.
At Mandria we had some smashing views of Red-throated Pipit and the many Skylark. We also got close to a Laughing Dove here and distant views of a Bonelli's Eagle being mobbed by Hooded Crows. We stopped for coffee at a taverna and headed to the Sewage Plant where the Spur-winged Lapwings were proving tricky though a Green Sandpiper was unusually showy.
Next we went for the finsch's wheatear at Anarita Park which we got pretty decent views of two. A male Goshawk swooped in and attacked a Common Kestrel right above us which was a bonus. On the way to Episkopi we had brief views of Woodlark and Corn Bunting and at Episkopi we managed to see the Cyprus Scops Owl which is amazingly still around.
Cyprus Scops Owl - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We finished the day with an impressive 67 species for this time of year.
| Species List: (h) Chukar Partridge Black Francolin Common Shelduck Mallard Northern Shoveler Common Teal Greater Flamingo Cattle Egret Little Egret Great Cormorant Common Kestrel Griffon Vulture Western Marsh Harrier Northern Goshawk Common Buzzard Bonelli's Eagle Water Rail Common Moorhen Common Coot Spur-winged Lapwing Common Snipe Green Sandpiper Heuglin's (Siberian) Gull Armenian Gull Caspian Gull Black-headed Gull Slender-billed Gull Mediterranean Gull Rock Dove Common Wood-pigeon Eurasian Collared-dove Laughing Dove Cyprus Scops Owl | Common Kingfisher Eurasian Magpie Eurasian Jackdaw Hooded Crow Great Tit Eurasian Penduline tit Crested Lark Wood Lark Eurasian Skylark Cetti's Warbler Moustached Warbler Eurasian Reed-warbler Common Chiffchaff Blackcap Sardinian Warbler Cyprus Warbler (h)European Robin Bluethroat Western Black Redstar Common Stonechat Finsch's Wheatear House Sparrow White Wagtail Meadow Pipit Red-throated Pipit Water Pipit (*Caucasian Water Pipit) Common Chaffinch European Serin European Greenfinch European Goldfinch Common Linnet Corn Bunting Common Reed Bunting 67 |
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