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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

Comments are closed.
    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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