Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD Tour Paphos and Akrotiri 19/03/2018
Short-eared Owl - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 19th I had the pleasure of guiding Charlie, Sue and Becky around the Paphos and Akrotiri Sites for a birding tour (not photography related so took few photos). The winds were easterly again so there was a good chance of rarities and short-eared owls that usually glide in on an easterly.
We started out in the usual closest spot, the sewage works. Here we managed to see Zitting Cisticola and Spur-winged Lapwing also managing a few Ruff in the field and a Cattle Egret. Some European Serin were still around but in much smaller numbers and here we also had our first (of many) Isabelline Wheatear. A flock of Grey Heron flew over head very high making them quite difficult to identify as the heads were not visible and a young male Hen Harrier flew past.
Next stop was Anarita Park where we was treated to a Hoopoe and two Cyprus Wheatear plus three Cyprus Warblers singing on territory with one quite close by. We had distant views of a Male Pallid Harrier here and many Northern and Isabelline Wheatears. A Spectacled Warbler was a surprise sighting at a section I hadn't explored before, a little owl posed nicely and entertained and lastly an Eastern Subalpine Warbler provided mouth watering views.
Coming out of the area we saw a Hen Harrier fly over and a small party of Spanish and House Sparrows mixed, nest building.
We started out in the usual closest spot, the sewage works. Here we managed to see Zitting Cisticola and Spur-winged Lapwing also managing a few Ruff in the field and a Cattle Egret. Some European Serin were still around but in much smaller numbers and here we also had our first (of many) Isabelline Wheatear. A flock of Grey Heron flew over head very high making them quite difficult to identify as the heads were not visible and a young male Hen Harrier flew past.
Next stop was Anarita Park where we was treated to a Hoopoe and two Cyprus Wheatear plus three Cyprus Warblers singing on territory with one quite close by. We had distant views of a Male Pallid Harrier here and many Northern and Isabelline Wheatears. A Spectacled Warbler was a surprise sighting at a section I hadn't explored before, a little owl posed nicely and entertained and lastly an Eastern Subalpine Warbler provided mouth watering views.
Coming out of the area we saw a Hen Harrier fly over and a small party of Spanish and House Sparrows mixed, nest building.
Cyprus Wheatear - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Eastern Subalpine Warbler - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We then headed to Mandria seeing House Martin and Laughing Dove on entry. Further towards the beach we came across a Little Ringed Plover. There was extroidinary numbers of Northern and Isabelline Wheatear in the sand pit with a Cyprus Wheatear also showing nicely. A much larger group of Greater Short-toed Larks were now present with quite a few sub-species among them. Two Tawny Pipits entertained close to the car providing immense views.
We also witnessed a scrap between a Northern and Isabelline Wheatear, with the Northern surprisingly coming off the better.
At Larks corner we had a small group of Yellow Wagtail in flight but landing in the flora and also Shags on the rocks accompanied by a Little Egret. A Gull-billed Tern flying around the Potato pickers was an incredible sight, flying right up to the car and then out to sea. The large group of Greenfinch seemed a bit less but an impressive flock none-the-less and a Eurasian Hoopoe was foraging on the ground extremely close to the car.
We stopped for ice-cream on the way out. Just as we left Mandria I noticed a large raptor over the canal and so went in for a close view. A Common Buzzard ... which was then joined by another swooping for it ending up very low down. Another bit of action for the day.
We made a quick stop at Anarita masts seeing the Little Owls on the way and some Alpine Swift above. The Red-throated Pipits were there but a lorry was dumping cow dung at the time making the pipits a bit nervy, not providing the best views ... until we went a bit further down the road and was treated to two close by on the ground.
Then we headed to Akrotiri.
We also witnessed a scrap between a Northern and Isabelline Wheatear, with the Northern surprisingly coming off the better.
At Larks corner we had a small group of Yellow Wagtail in flight but landing in the flora and also Shags on the rocks accompanied by a Little Egret. A Gull-billed Tern flying around the Potato pickers was an incredible sight, flying right up to the car and then out to sea. The large group of Greenfinch seemed a bit less but an impressive flock none-the-less and a Eurasian Hoopoe was foraging on the ground extremely close to the car.
We stopped for ice-cream on the way out. Just as we left Mandria I noticed a large raptor over the canal and so went in for a close view. A Common Buzzard ... which was then joined by another swooping for it ending up very low down. Another bit of action for the day.
We made a quick stop at Anarita masts seeing the Little Owls on the way and some Alpine Swift above. The Red-throated Pipits were there but a lorry was dumping cow dung at the time making the pipits a bit nervy, not providing the best views ... until we went a bit further down the road and was treated to two close by on the ground.
Then we headed to Akrotiri.
Gull-billed Tern - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
 Gull-billed Tern - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved |  Little Ringed Plover - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved |
Our first stop was phassouri which was a bit dissapointing as it was busy and some bulls were walking all over the marsh pools. All we saw here was a few feldegg Yellow Wagtails and White Wagtails. No sign of the Glossy Ibis and Spotted Redshank reported recently and the two Squacco Herons that I got some days ago that should still be on site. We wasted no time and moved on. I did spot a Marsh Harrier on the ground prior to our arrival at the hide which took off after a few minutes.
At the Gravel Pits we saw a Short-eared Owl fly in off the sea shortly followed by another. A scarce bird in Cyprus providing incredible views both in flight and on the ground. There was an abundance of Wheatears here, mainly Northern and Isabelline but with a pale throated Eastern Black-eared Wheatear among them. Greater Short-toed Larks were foraging but sadly no sign of the Bimaculated Lark that i'm told is still around. We checked through the Larks twice over and then moved on. A flock of garganey were moving across the sea, around 60 of them.
At the Gravel Pits we saw a Short-eared Owl fly in off the sea shortly followed by another. A scarce bird in Cyprus providing incredible views both in flight and on the ground. There was an abundance of Wheatears here, mainly Northern and Isabelline but with a pale throated Eastern Black-eared Wheatear among them. Greater Short-toed Larks were foraging but sadly no sign of the Bimaculated Lark that i'm told is still around. We checked through the Larks twice over and then moved on. A flock of garganey were moving across the sea, around 60 of them.
Short-eared Owl - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Short-eared Owl - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
As we checked a pool at the gravel pits I flushed a Quail which we all got flight views of ... twice after I accidentally flushed it a second time. Whilst looking through some of the flora and serapia orchid species, Sue managed to find a Devil's Flower Mantis in the grass. One of our most rarest mantids and the first time I had seen the species. A right cracker!
As Sue is a botanist I thought it best to show her some of the orchids and a few endemic plants of Cyprus on the way to Bishop's Pool and so we ventured into an orchid patch that had many Orchis Fragrans, Ophrys Umbilicata and our Endemic Ophrys Kotschyi. Ophrys Iricolor and Himantoglossum Robertinum were quite withered here. After checking out the Persian Buttercups and Cyprus Chamomile we headed to Bishop's Pool, checking the Greater Flamingos on the way.
Here we ate our lunch whilst looking into the lake. There wasn't much life here aside some Ferruginous Ducks and Teal.
As Sue is a botanist I thought it best to show her some of the orchids and a few endemic plants of Cyprus on the way to Bishop's Pool and so we ventured into an orchid patch that had many Orchis Fragrans, Ophrys Umbilicata and our Endemic Ophrys Kotschyi. Ophrys Iricolor and Himantoglossum Robertinum were quite withered here. After checking out the Persian Buttercups and Cyprus Chamomile we headed to Bishop's Pool, checking the Greater Flamingos on the way.
Here we ate our lunch whilst looking into the lake. There wasn't much life here aside some Ferruginous Ducks and Teal.
Devil's Flower Mantis - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We then headed to Lady's Mile. Luckily some gulls were on the lake but not much diversity in species. Caspian, Armenian, Black-headed and Yellow-legged Gull were present as well as two Little Egret. We checked the shrubs and the salt flats to find Dunlin, Little Ringed Plover and Kentish Plover and another male Pallid Harrier flyby ... a great end to a great tour covering 73 Species!
Pallid Harrier - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
| Species: Common teal Mallard Garganey Ferruginous duck Chukar Black francolin (h) Common quail Little grebe Greater flamingo Great cormorant European shag Grey heron Little egret Cattle egret Western Marsh harrier Hen harrier Pallid harrier Common buzzard (Playing) Common kestrel Common moorhen Eurasian coot Spur-winged lapwing Little ringed plover Kentish plover Dunlin Ruff Yellow-legged gull Caspian gull Armenian gull Black-headed gull Gull-billed tern Common Wood pigeon Eurasian Collared dove Laughing dove Little owl Short-eared owl Alpine swift | Common swift Eurasian Hoopoe Greater short-toed lark Crested lark Barn swallow Common house martin White wagtail Yellow wagtail Tawny pipit Meadow pipit Red-throated pipit Song thrush Zitting cisticola Cetti's warbler (h) Eurasian blackcap Eastern Subalpine warbler Sardinian warbler Cyprus warbler Spectacled warbler Common stonechat Northern wheatear Cyprus wheatear Eastern Black-eared wheatear Isabelline wheatear Great tit Magpie Eurasian jackdaw Hooded crow Corn bunting Common chaffinch European greenfinch European goldfinch Common linnet European serin House sparrow Spanish sparrow 73 Species |
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