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