Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD 5 day Tour 23-27/03/2018
Cream-coloured Courser - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 23rd I had the pleasure of guiding Maria and Ken for a 5 day tour. They both had an interest in all wildlife and wanted to incorporate some of the other biodiversity of the island, namely the flora.
The weather was dusty (Sands of Egypt and the Middle East) for most of the days with some high winds, making much of it quite a challenge.
Day one was situated in the lower Paphos sites. The highlights of the day included a large group of Spur-winged lapwings singing and displaying with a Eurasian Stone Curlew not too far away possibly sitting on an egg.
A male and female Desert Wheatear were still lingering around allowing close views and photo opportunities, and a lone injured Woodlark was present.
We was treated to a migrating flock of Garganey closely followed by a mixed flock of little and cattle egret and a lone juvenile Pallas' Gull.
The Laughing Dove were displaying/in song. Great photo opportunities were to be had with Red-throated Pipit and Red-rumped Swallow were coming down for nesting clay. But the star bird was a Cream-coloured Courser spotted earlier in the day by a local birder which showed well allowing decent photo opportunities from a coastal path.
We managed 55 species of bird, 7 species of butterfly including Eastern Dappled White and our Endemic Paphos Blue, 9 species of notable flora and 3 lizards, 2 of which are endemic.
The weather was dusty (Sands of Egypt and the Middle East) for most of the days with some high winds, making much of it quite a challenge.
Day one was situated in the lower Paphos sites. The highlights of the day included a large group of Spur-winged lapwings singing and displaying with a Eurasian Stone Curlew not too far away possibly sitting on an egg.
A male and female Desert Wheatear were still lingering around allowing close views and photo opportunities, and a lone injured Woodlark was present.
We was treated to a migrating flock of Garganey closely followed by a mixed flock of little and cattle egret and a lone juvenile Pallas' Gull.
The Laughing Dove were displaying/in song. Great photo opportunities were to be had with Red-throated Pipit and Red-rumped Swallow were coming down for nesting clay. But the star bird was a Cream-coloured Courser spotted earlier in the day by a local birder which showed well allowing decent photo opportunities from a coastal path.
We managed 55 species of bird, 7 species of butterfly including Eastern Dappled White and our Endemic Paphos Blue, 9 species of notable flora and 3 lizards, 2 of which are endemic.
 Desert Wheatear - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved |  Desert Wheatear - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved |
Spur-winged Lapwing - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the second day our destination was the Akrotiri peninsular. Highlights here included a pair of male Lesser Kestrels hunting and flying over very close to the car, a Griffon Vultures turned up after some waiting, a Black Francolin crossed the road allowing decent views and a recently arrived Woodchat shrike hunted shield bugs just meters from the car.
We also had Garganey nearby on the ground and some Glossy Ibis feeding. There seemed to have been a fall of wheatears, Northern, Isabelline and Eastern Black-eared were everywhere.
The day was quite overcast and there was periods of rain and strong winds making the day a little bit difficult. Due to this the Salt Lake was not accessible and another site was closed and so we missed out on some species.
Though we still managed 61 species of bird, 18 species of notable flora of which 7 are endemic and 5 orchids. 2 Butterfly species and 1 Dragonfly.
We also had Garganey nearby on the ground and some Glossy Ibis feeding. There seemed to have been a fall of wheatears, Northern, Isabelline and Eastern Black-eared were everywhere.
The day was quite overcast and there was periods of rain and strong winds making the day a little bit difficult. Due to this the Salt Lake was not accessible and another site was closed and so we missed out on some species.
Though we still managed 61 species of bird, 18 species of notable flora of which 7 are endemic and 5 orchids. 2 Butterfly species and 1 Dragonfly.
Woodchat Shrike - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
The third day was situated in Larnaca and Agia Napa. Notable sightings here was Ferruginous Duck, Black-necked Grebe in summer plumage, Pallid Harrier flying in overhead, a very late migrating Jack Snipe, many Ruppell's Warblers showing well and possibly the first Whinchat of the year. Unfortunately Paralimni Lake was inaccessible due to a parade taking place which closed down the road.
The star bird of the day was a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater sat nearby for a very long period of time. We managed 79 species of bird, 3 Dragonfly species and an Arum.
The star bird of the day was a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater sat nearby for a very long period of time. We managed 79 species of bird, 3 Dragonfly species and an Arum.
On the fourth day we visited the Mountains. The drive up provided beautiful scenery and many Cyprus Wheatears calling and singing en route and a Eurasian Sparrowhawk most likely nesting nearby. We came across a group of Masked Shrike on the way and also Serin. We had an amazing
encounter with a Cretzschmar's Bunting singing and feeding just meters from us. Due to the platform it was feeding pretty much eye level with us.
We encountered a male Grey Wagtail singing, Dorothy's Short-toed Treecreepers provided fairly decent views as did the Coal Tits. The star birds here was a pair of Masked Shrikes that welcomed our presence close by as they went about
feeding and interacting. A surprise bird was a Hen Harrier flying over, and we also picked out quite a few Pallid Swift among the Commons. A male Goshawk provided decent but brief views flying over a dam and into some dense woodland.
We spent some time around the Botanical Garden also for some flora. Then with time left over we returned to the Akrotiri Salt lake and attempted to access the area again which had thankfully dried enough.
We managed 54 species of bird for the day and an incredible amount of notable flora which included many endemics. 5 Butterfly species including the Eastern Baton Blue, a very hard-to-find species in Cyprus that was predated by a Jumping Spider
right infront of us.
encounter with a Cretzschmar's Bunting singing and feeding just meters from us. Due to the platform it was feeding pretty much eye level with us.
We encountered a male Grey Wagtail singing, Dorothy's Short-toed Treecreepers provided fairly decent views as did the Coal Tits. The star birds here was a pair of Masked Shrikes that welcomed our presence close by as they went about
feeding and interacting. A surprise bird was a Hen Harrier flying over, and we also picked out quite a few Pallid Swift among the Commons. A male Goshawk provided decent but brief views flying over a dam and into some dense woodland.
We spent some time around the Botanical Garden also for some flora. Then with time left over we returned to the Akrotiri Salt lake and attempted to access the area again which had thankfully dried enough.
We managed 54 species of bird for the day and an incredible amount of notable flora which included many endemics. 5 Butterfly species including the Eastern Baton Blue, a very hard-to-find species in Cyprus that was predated by a Jumping Spider
right infront of us.
 Cretzschmar's Bunting - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved  Grey Wagtail - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved  Meiklie's Poppy - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved |  Cretzschmar's Bunting - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved  Eurasian Siskin - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved  Masked Shrike - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved |
Jumping Spider VS Eastern Baton Blue - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
The last day was spent in the Akamas region, visiting the Paphos foothills and rounding up the end of the tour with a treat visit to an Egyptian Fruit bat cave. This tour was mainly about the flora of which we managed many rare species and quite a few orchids. Highlights of the day bird wize was a Squacco Heron hunting Dragonflies, the car being surrounded by Yellow Wagtails and Serin in Display. We managed 35 species of bird, 7 Butterflies, 30 species of notable flora of which 7 are endemic and 12 Orchids.
 Ophrys Aphrodite - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved  Black-headed Wagtail - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved |  Sling-tailed Agama - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved  Egyptian Fruit Bat - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved |
| Common shelduck Eurasian wigeon Common teal Mallard Garganey Northern shoveller Common pochard Ferruginous duck Chukar Black francolin Little grebe Black-necked grebe Greater flamingo European shag Grey heron Great egret Little egret Squacco heron Cattle egret Glossy ibis Griffon vulture Western Marsh harrier Hen harrier Pallid harrier Eurasian sparrowhawk Northern goshawk Common buzzard Long-legged buzzard Lesser kestrel Common kestrel Peregrine falcon Common moorhen Eurasian coot Eurasian Stone curlew Spur-winged lapwing Little ringed plover Kentish plover Black-winged stilt Jack snipe Common snipe Black-tailed godwit Eurasian curlew Spotted redshank Common redshank Marsh sandpiper Green sandpiper Common sandpiper Little stint Dunlin Ruff Cream-coloured courser Baltic Gull Yellow-legged gull Caspian gull Armenian gull Pallas's gull Black-headed gull Slender-billed gull Rock dove Common Wood pigeon Eurasian Collared dove Laughing dove Great spotted cuckoo (h) Little owl Alpine swift Common swift Pallid swift Eurasian Hoopoe Common kingfisher Blue-cheeked bee-eater Greater short-toed lark Crested lark Woodlark Barn swallow Red-rumped swallow Common house martin White wagtail Yellow wagtail Grey wagtail Tawny pipit Tree pipit Meadow pipit Eurasian wren Eurasian blackbird Song thrush Zitting cisticola Cetti's warbler Eurasian reed warbler Eastern olivaceous warbler (h) Eastern Bonelli's warbler Eurasian blackcap Lesser whitethroat Rüppell's warbler Sardinian warbler Cyprus warbler Spectacled warbler Blue rock thrush European robin Common Nightingale Whinchat Common stonechat Northern wheatear Cyprus wheatear Eastern Black-eared wheatear Desert wheatear Isabelline wheatear Coal tit Great tit Dorothy's (Short-toed) treecreeper Masked shrike Woodchat shrike Eurasian jay Magpie Eurasian jackdaw Hooded crow Cretzschmar's bunting Reed bunting (h) Corn bunting Common chaffinch European greenfinch Eurasian siskin European goldfinch Common linnet European serin House sparrow Spanish sparrow 126 Species 126 | Ophrys kotschyi Ophrys apifera Ophrys iricolor Ophrys Astarte Orchis Fragrans Himantoglossum Robertinum Ophrys Morio Oprhys Mammosa Ophrys Alasiatica Ophrys Sicula Ophrys Aphrodite Ophrys Elegans Orchis Italica Orchis punctulata Orchis pyramidalis Serapias Aphrodite Serapias Vormeracea Serapias Levantina Akamas Tulip Persian Lilly Persian Buttercup Anemone Coronaria Blue Hounds Tongue Lesser Star of bethlehem Common Asphodel Gladiolus triphyllus Gladiolus italica Alyssum akamasicum Anchusa Azurea Parentucellia latifolia subsp. flaviflora Thompson's Spurge Aphrodite's spurge Pale Flax Geropogon hybridus Euphorbia valerianifolia Valeriana italica Reseda lutea Paeonia mascula Purple rock cress Silene vulgaris Muscari comosum Common hyacinth Common henbet Gagea sp. Cyprus cedar Strawberry tree Meiklei's poppy Cyprus thyme Will's Wild Onion Persian cyclamen Spiny Golden Star Viola Sieheana Hairy Nightshade Red Valerian Dwarf Pansey (Viola kitaibeliana) Chamomile (Anthemis tomentosa) Centauri Aegyptica Purple Mustard Rumex Cypria Rough Poppy Common Poppy Cyprus Donkey Thistle Fagonia cretica Veined Sainfoin Shrubby Golden Drop Arum dioscoridis Rock Rose Wild Asparagus Sage (various species) Samphire Silene Colorata cyprus chamomile (Anthemis Tricolor) Leopoldia comosa (Tassel hyacinth) Orobanche mutelii Orobanche Alba Cuprea Banded orb weever Jumping spider (Mogrus neglectus) Jewel Beetles (Anthaxia (Melanthaxia) griseocuprea) Ameles heldreichi Swallowtail Butterfly Paphos Blue Long-tailed Blue Red Admiral Painted Lady Clouded Yellow Eastern festoon Eastern Dappled White Large White Small White Common Blue Eastern Baton blue Speckled Wood Orange tip Langs short-taile blue Vagrant Emperor Keeled skimmer Red-veined darter Blue emperor Broad Scarlet Blue-tailed Damselfly Common Darter Schreiber's Fringe-fingered Lizard Sling-tailed Agama Lizard Snake eyed Lizard Troodos Lizard Large Black Whipsnake Egyptian Fruit Bat |
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