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March 26th, 2019

26/3/2019

 

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Tour - Akrotiri + Paphos 25/03/2019

Picture
Eurasian Hoopoe - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 25th I guided Ashley and Maureen around the Akrotiri and Paphos sites.
As we set off from Paphos to join the Motorway we was greeted with a Great Spotted Cuckoo being chased by a magpie, flying right for the car. Brief but exciting views!
Our first stop was Zakaki marsh. It was fairly quiet as far as marshland birds are concerned though we did have a tamarisk bush full of Lesser Whitethroat and Chiffchaff, with a Cetti's showing briefly too. Around the side we were treated to a Wryneck, a bit distant and concealed at times but still a good sighting. Many Swifts and Swallows were in the Sky. We managed to pick out a few Pallid Swift and Red-rumped Swallow amongst them. A small migrating flock of Great Cormorant were seen over the eucalyptus trees. After we flushed a snipe and had brief views of Sedge Warbler and a singing Reed Warbler at the top of a reed, we moved on.
Ladies Mile was absolutely teeming with Lesser Whitethroat and Common Whitethroat. We had quite a few Ruppell's Warblers, mainly female though and a single female Eastern Subalpine Warbler. Cretzschmar's Bunting and Red-throated Pipit were near the port along with many Eastern Black-eared Wheatear. Tawny Pipit and Greater Short-toed Lark were feeding on the ground showing very close as did quite a few Hoopoes and stunning Woodchat Shrike showing close at the top of a bush.
On the water we had a Greater Flamingo and some Little Egret. But no Gulls.
On a shallow body of water we saw many Kentish Plover, with a Dunlin and some Little Stint among them. 
We scouted the Salt Lake with a Black Francolin flying over the car en-route. The salt lake held many Greater Flaming and Slender Billed Gull. A small group of Greater Flamingo were courting, which was great to see.
Phassouri was more rich in life than my previous visit. A newly arrived party of Glossy Ibis were at the far west, many Cattle Egret had arrived feeding around the cattle, and a newly cut field was full of various Yellow Wagtails including a Syke's (Beema).
At the water body at the gravel pits there was many waders, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Greenshank and many Little Ringed Plover. Further in to the gravel pits we saw a Collared Flycatcher, my first black and white flycatcher for the year and an instant favourite for the day!

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Long-legged Buzzard - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
​Our next destination was Kensington Cliffs where we ate our lunch. The Griffon Vultures didn't show unfortunately, though we did get cracking views of a male Blue Rock Thrush, many Cyprus Wheatears in song, Alpine Swift flying over and also a Long-legged Buzzard that decided to fly close over our heads. The Long-legged Buzzard was Maureen's favourite bird of the day, and what a  bird it is (Ashley's was the Marsh Sandpipers, a very elegant species).
We then headed back to Paphos and tracked down some Laughing Doves at Mandria and some big flocks of Greater Short-toed lark and many Hoopoe and various Wheatears (mainly Black-headed). 
Then on to Anarita Park for Cyprus Warbler, which showed well but distant and for brief moments due to the increase in wind. We also saw Chukar, Great Spotted Cuckoo and Little Owl here to wrap up the day managing a total of 86 species!
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Chukar Partridge - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Species List:

Chukar Partridge    
Black Francolin     
Mallard    
(h)Little Grebe
Greater Flamingo
Glossy Ibis
Cattle Egret
Grey Heron
Little Egret
Great Cormorant   
European Shag  
Common Kestrel   
Long-legged Buzzard     
Common Moorhen  
Common Coot
Little Ringed Plover 
Kentish Plover    
Common Snipe 
Marsh Sandpiper 
Common Greenshank 
Green Sandpiper 
Wood Sandpiper 
Little Stint 
Dunlin 
Ruff 
Yellow-legged Gull 
Black-headed Gull 
Slender-billed Gull 
Rock Dove 
Common Wood-pigeon   
Eurasian Collared-dove
Laughing Dove
Great Spotted Cuckoo
Little Owl
Alpine Swift   
Common Swift
Pallid Swift   
Eurasian Wryneck 
Woodchat Shrike 
Eurasian Magpie    
Eurasian Jackdaw   
Hooded Crow
Great Tit
(h)Eurasian Penduline tit
Greater Short-toed Lark
Crested Lark  
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow 
Red-rumped Swallow   
Common House-martin    
Zitting Cisticola  
Cetti's Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Eurasian Reed-warbler
Common Chiffchaff 
Blackcap 
Common Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat 
Rueppell's Warbler
Sardinian Warbler
Cyprus Warbler 
Eastern Subalpine Warbler
Song Thrush   
(h) Nightingale
Common Stonechat
Northern Wheatear 
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear
Cyprus Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
Blue Rock-thrush 
Collared Flycatcher
House Sparrow 
Spanish Sparrow    
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail (*Flava)   
Black-headed Wagtail 
Sykes Wagtail
Tawny Pipit  
(h)Tree Pipit 
Meadow Pipit 
Red-throated Pipit
European Greenfinch    
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet
Corn Bunting
Cretzschmar's Bunting 

86

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