Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Tour - Paphos + Akrotiri 11/02/2019
Cyprus Warbler - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 11th I guided Jimmy around the Paphos and Akrotiri Sites. We started out at the headland for Greater Sand Plover, one of the four present there before was starting to change into summer plumage which was nice to see, a Common Sandpiper showed well as did the European Golden plover though no sign of the Turnstone or long staying whimbrel. There seemed to be less numbers on the ground today, athough we still got good views of Crested, Eurasian Skylark, Meadow Pipit and Red-throated Pipit as well as many finches inc. Linnet. There seemed to be more Corn Bunting in the area singing as well as the large flock of Common Starling.
Heading through the Sewage Plant we saw many Spur-winged Lapwing with one providing great photo opportunities. The Grey wagtail was showing well too, as was a large group of various finches (chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, serin and spanish sparrow) and a very showy woodlark singing away. We got a single cattle egret on the far western entrance.
Moving on to Anarita Park we located a Peregrine Falcon on a pylon, Little Owl on its nesting boulder and 2 male Finsch's Wheatear, the latter showing well quite close on some Spiny Shrub. We couldn't locate the Blue Rock Thrush but got cracking views of Cyprus Warbler, which showed out in the open often for long periods. There was a few more Cyprus Warblers that had arrived in the area since my last visit. Chukar Partridge were plenty calling away and sitting on nearby rocks throughout the site.
Heading through the Sewage Plant we saw many Spur-winged Lapwing with one providing great photo opportunities. The Grey wagtail was showing well too, as was a large group of various finches (chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, serin and spanish sparrow) and a very showy woodlark singing away. We got a single cattle egret on the far western entrance.
Moving on to Anarita Park we located a Peregrine Falcon on a pylon, Little Owl on its nesting boulder and 2 male Finsch's Wheatear, the latter showing well quite close on some Spiny Shrub. We couldn't locate the Blue Rock Thrush but got cracking views of Cyprus Warbler, which showed out in the open often for long periods. There was a few more Cyprus Warblers that had arrived in the area since my last visit. Chukar Partridge were plenty calling away and sitting on nearby rocks throughout the site.
Cyprus Warbler - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We then headed to Mandria after a quick detour to the entrance to Agia Vavara which produced a Long-legged Buzzard.
We were quick to find a Laughing Dove and a recently arrive Eurasian Hoopoe ... my first of the year. An Isabelline Wheatear was showing well near the picnic site, another lifer for Jimmy.
Our next site was Zakaki in Akrotiri. En-route we came across a few Common Buzzards along the motorway.
Arriving at Zakaki it seemed very devoid of life and the wind had picked up. I heard a few Eurasian Penduline Tit but we was unable to find them.
We moved on to Ladie Mile quickly where 4 Greater Flamingo were feeding and the large group of gulls were settled. We had quite a few Slender-billed Gulls among the Black-headed Gulls and a pair of young Mediterranean Gulls. Behind the restaurant we found quite a few Armenian Gulls of all ages but no Caspian Gulls this time around.
Our next stop was Phassouri Marsh where we ate our lunch in the hide and watched the Marsh Harriers hunting. I got a fleeting glimpse of a Common Kingfisher here but Jimmy didn't manage to get on it quick enough. A group of 5 Northern lapwings flew in from the east and landed in one of the concealed pools which held some Common Teal that were put up by the Marsh harriers from time to time.
After we finished our lunch we headed to the Kensington Cliffs where a Griffon Vulture was seen on entry. It landed in a pine tree and stripped a branch and carried it back to the nest. The only other bird of note here was some pure Rock Doves.
We were quick to find a Laughing Dove and a recently arrive Eurasian Hoopoe ... my first of the year. An Isabelline Wheatear was showing well near the picnic site, another lifer for Jimmy.
Our next site was Zakaki in Akrotiri. En-route we came across a few Common Buzzards along the motorway.
Arriving at Zakaki it seemed very devoid of life and the wind had picked up. I heard a few Eurasian Penduline Tit but we was unable to find them.
We moved on to Ladie Mile quickly where 4 Greater Flamingo were feeding and the large group of gulls were settled. We had quite a few Slender-billed Gulls among the Black-headed Gulls and a pair of young Mediterranean Gulls. Behind the restaurant we found quite a few Armenian Gulls of all ages but no Caspian Gulls this time around.
Our next stop was Phassouri Marsh where we ate our lunch in the hide and watched the Marsh Harriers hunting. I got a fleeting glimpse of a Common Kingfisher here but Jimmy didn't manage to get on it quick enough. A group of 5 Northern lapwings flew in from the east and landed in one of the concealed pools which held some Common Teal that were put up by the Marsh harriers from time to time.
After we finished our lunch we headed to the Kensington Cliffs where a Griffon Vulture was seen on entry. It landed in a pine tree and stripped a branch and carried it back to the nest. The only other bird of note here was some pure Rock Doves.
Eurasian Griffon Vulture - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Eurasian Griffon Vulture - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We had a bit of time left over and so Jimmy opted to visit one last site in Paphos. We went to Timi beach where 2 Isabelline Wheatear were showing well and provided good photo opportunities and a good way to wrap up the tour producing 67 Species for the day.
Isabelline Wheatear - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
| Species: Chukar Partridge Mallard Common Teal Little Grebe Greater Flamingo Cattle Egret Great Cormorant Common Kestrel Peregrine Falcon Griffon Vulture Western Marsh Harrier Common Buzzard Long-legged Buzzard Common Moorhen Common Coot Northern Lapwing Spur-winged Lapwing Eurasian Golden Plover Greater Sand Plover Common Sandpiper Armenian Gull Yellow-legged Gull Black-headed Gull Slender-billed Gull Mediterranean Gull Rock Dove Common Wood-pigeon Eurasian Collared-dove Laughing Dove Little Owl Common Kingfisher Eurasian Hoopoe Eurasian Magpie | Eurasian Jackdaw Hooded Crow Great Tit Eurasian Penduline tit (h) Crested Lark Wood Lark Eurasian Skylark Barn Swallow Common House-martin Zitting Cisticola Cetti's Warbler (h) Common Chiffchaff Blackcap (h) Sardinian Warbler Cyprus Warbler Common Starling Song Thrush European Robin (h) Western Black Redstart Common Stonechat Finsch's Wheatear Isabelline Wheatear House Sparrow Spanish Sparrow White Wagtail Grey Wagtail Meadow Pipit Red-throated Pipit Common Chaffinch European Serin European Greenfinch European Goldfinch Common Linnet Corn Bunting 67 |
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