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March 25th, 2017

25/3/2017

 

Cyprus Bird watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD Tour, Akrotiri & Troodos 24/03/17

On the 24th March I had the pleasure of guiding Tomas Hedmark around the Akrotiri and Troodos Sites, a great day providing 88 Species and a good laugh too. It was a lovely clear and hot day, perfect for birding. We started at Zakaki where our first birds were a Baillon's and Little Crake, plus Penduline Tit, Garganey and Ferruginous Duck (the latter being one of Tomas' target species). Not a bad start to the tour which only picked up further when (I believe) the first Squacco Heron of the year turned up. There was unfortunately an absense of Slender-billed Gulls at Lady's Mile, and the Marsh Sandpipers present had obviously moved on ... but a stunning adult Baltic Gull kept following us around. A quick look on the Salt Lake provided great views of a heated conflict between two Isabelline Wheatears, the winner was observed eating a caterpillar on the way back. There was a small group of Greater Short-toed larks in the air but we didn't manage any views of them on the ground. Then we was treated to a male Pallid Harrier hunting the salt lake shrub and then joined up with a Female near the masts. A trip around the Gravel Pits provided an Ehrenberg's Redstart (Eastern Common Redstart), a Eurasian Hoopoe, plenty of Cretzschmar's Bunting, an Eastern Bonelli's Warbler hover hunting over a shrub and some excellent close views of Eastern Subalpine Warbler. A visit to the foothills of Akrotiri provided great views of Cyprus Warbler and Cyprus Wheatear in song. Troodos was exceptional , the snow had just melted with a few patches here and there, and all the sites were open to the public. We had exceptional views of a Dorothy's (Short-toed) Treecreeper in song with plenty of others around and also our Coal Tit. We heard the calls of a Goshawk, and pursued ... only to find a pair of Jays mimicking! We managed to find plenty of Siskin, Hawfinch and to our surprise ... the Countries 9th Pine Bunting! A stunning male bird on the ground, not too far away from the (1of2) endemic Crocusses (Crocus Cyprius) that are abundent at this site. A great way to wrap the tour up with a Cyprus Rarity.
Baltic Gull Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Baltic Gull - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Cretzschmar's Bunting Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Cretzschmar's Bunting - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Picture
Crocus Cyprius - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Picture
Crocus Cyprius - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Hawfinch Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Eurasian Hawfinch - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Species:
Common Teal
Mallard
Garganey
Ferruginous Duck
Chukar (A.c.cypriotes)
Black Francolin (Heard)
Little Grebe
Greater Flamingo
Grey Heron
Little Egret
Squacco Heron
Great Bittern (roadkill)
Pallid Harrier
Common Buzzard
Common Kestrel
Water Rail (heard)
Little Crake
Baillon's Crake
Common Moorhen
Eurasian Coot
Common Ringed Plover
Little Ringed Plover
Kentish Plover
Black-winged Stilt
Common Snipe
Green Sandpiper
Little Stint
Dunlin
Ruff
Baltic Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Caspian Gull
Armenian Gull
Mediterranean Gull
Black-headed Gull
Common Wood Pigeon
European Turtle Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove
Common Swift
Pallid Swift
Eurasian Hoopoe
Crested Lark (G.c.cypriaca) 
Greater Short-toed Lark
Barn Swallow
House Martin
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail (Black-headed)
Tree pipit
Meadow Pipit
Water Pipit
Eastern Mediterranean Winter Wren (heard) (T.t.cypriotes)
Eurasian Blackbird
Song Thrush
Zitting Cisticola
Cetti's Warbler (heard)
Sedge Warbler
Eurasian Reed Warbler
Common Chiffchaff
Eastern Bonelli's Warbler
Eurasian Blackcap
Lesser Whitethroat
Eastern Subalpine Warbler
Sardinian Warbler
Cyprus Warbler
Spectacled Warbler
Nightingale
Western Black Redstart
Common Redstart (P.p.samamisicus )
European Stonechat
Cyprus Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
Coal Tit (P.a.cypriotes)
Great Tit (P.m.aphrodite)
Dorothy's Treecreeper (C.b.dorotheae)
Eurasian Penduline Tit
Eurasian Jay (G.g.glazneri)
Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Hooded Crow
Pine Bunting
Cretzschmar's Bunting
Corn Bunting (heard)
Common Chaffinch
European Greenfinch
Eurasian Siskin
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet
Hawfinch
House Sparrow
88
Dorothy's SHort-toed Treecreeper Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Dorothy's (Short-toed) Treecreeper - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Eastern Subalpine Warbler Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Eastern Subalpine Warbler - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Eurasian Reed Warbler Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Eurasian Reed Warbler - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Ferruginous Duck Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Ferruginous Duck - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Garganey Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Garganey - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Pallid Harrier Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Pallid Harrier - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Pallid Harrier Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Pallid Harriers - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Sites Visited:
​Zakaki Marsh, Lady's Mile, Akrotiri Salt Lake, Bishop's Pool, Akrotiri Gravel Pits, Phassouri Reedbeds, Souni Hills, Troodos Square, Livadi Tou Passia, Amiantos/Giant Junipers.
Little Crake Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Little Crake (fem) - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Pine Bunting Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Pine Bunting (9th Cyprus Record) - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Squacco Heron Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife
Squacco Heron - 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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