Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Half day Tour - Paphos 26/03/201
Little Owl - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 26th I had the pleasure of guiding Dave Dimmock arouond the Paphos sites for a half day tour. I did a tour last year for Dave also which was very productive.
We started out a Timi beach seeing a Common Buzzard enroute. There was plenty of Lesser Whitethroats in every bush and we managed to located a few Ruppell's and Eastern Subalpine Warblers among them. There wasn't much on the water aside a few Little Egrets and a Black-crowned Night Heron flying above being harassed by a hoody.
Eastern Black-eared Wheatears were absolutely everywhere again, enabling some really good views, and more Northern Wheatears had turned up.
Just as we was leaving a Little Ringed Plover flew in and we heard the call of a Spur-winged Lapwing, but was unable to see it.
We then headed to Mandria and did a quick sweep through. It was also teeming with warblers, Eastern Subalpine, Ruppell's Warbler, Lesser and Common Whitethroat and also an Eastern Oprhean Warbler. Tawny Pipit and various Wheatears were in the sand bowl as well as Hoopoe's. We also saw a Crested lark gathering nesting material and being guarded by her mate. A quail called from near us in the dense barley and Black Francolin called too from a distance.
We located a Stone Curlew showing well in the western field and a surprise Northern Lapwing flew over the car.
We started out a Timi beach seeing a Common Buzzard enroute. There was plenty of Lesser Whitethroats in every bush and we managed to located a few Ruppell's and Eastern Subalpine Warblers among them. There wasn't much on the water aside a few Little Egrets and a Black-crowned Night Heron flying above being harassed by a hoody.
Eastern Black-eared Wheatears were absolutely everywhere again, enabling some really good views, and more Northern Wheatears had turned up.
Just as we was leaving a Little Ringed Plover flew in and we heard the call of a Spur-winged Lapwing, but was unable to see it.
We then headed to Mandria and did a quick sweep through. It was also teeming with warblers, Eastern Subalpine, Ruppell's Warbler, Lesser and Common Whitethroat and also an Eastern Oprhean Warbler. Tawny Pipit and various Wheatears were in the sand bowl as well as Hoopoe's. We also saw a Crested lark gathering nesting material and being guarded by her mate. A quail called from near us in the dense barley and Black Francolin called too from a distance.
We located a Stone Curlew showing well in the western field and a surprise Northern Lapwing flew over the car.
Tawny Pipit - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Tawny Pipit - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Crested Lark - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
A quick check at Aspro Dam car park produced a Common Redstart and Black Redstart plus many Alpine Swift low overhead.
Next stop was Anarita Park where we got fantastic photo opportunities with a Cyprus Wheatear and also a pair of Little Owls sat next to each other. Cretzschmar's Bunting also showed well next to the car. The Great Spotted Cuckoos showed well also flying around, perching and being very vocal.
Next stop was Anarita Park where we got fantastic photo opportunities with a Cyprus Wheatear and also a pair of Little Owls sat next to each other. Cretzschmar's Bunting also showed well next to the car. The Great Spotted Cuckoos showed well also flying around, perching and being very vocal.
Cyprus Wheatear - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Eurasian Hoopoe - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Now knowing that Dave is a Peregrine Falcon guard in the UK I asked if he wanted to visit a site to see our Mediterranean Sub-species. Ofcourse!
So we finished the day watching the Peregrines bring food back to their territory, and also seeing a Cyprus Scops Owl in the foothills...which more than made up for the fact the Cyprus Warblers weren't showing. A super half day tour producing a record breaking 68 species.
So we finished the day watching the Peregrines bring food back to their territory, and also seeing a Cyprus Scops Owl in the foothills...which more than made up for the fact the Cyprus Warblers weren't showing. A super half day tour producing a record breaking 68 species.
Peregrine Falcon - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Cyprus Scops Owl - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
| Species List: Chukar Partridge (a.c.cypriotes) (h)Black Francolin (h)Common Quail Black-crowned Night-heron Little Egret European Shag (p.a.desmarestii) Common Kestrel Peregrine Falcon (f.p.brookei) Common Buzzard Eurasian Stone Curlew Northern Lapwing (h)Spur-winged Lapwing Little Ringed Plover (h)Green Sandpiper Yellow-legged Gull Common Wood-pigeon Eurasian Collared-dove Laughing Dove Great Spotted Cuckoo Cyprus Scops Owl Little Owl Alpine Swift Common Swift Eurasian Hoopoe Eurasian Magpie Eurasian Jackdaw Hooded Crow Great Tit (p.m.aphrodite) Greater Short-toed Lark Crested Lark (g.c.cypriaca) Sand Martin Barn Swallow | Red-rumped Swallow Common House-martin Zitting Cisticola Cetti's Warbler Willow Warbler Common Chiffchaff Blackcap Common Whitethroat Lesser Whitethroat Eastern Orphean Warbler Rueppell's Warbler Sardinian Warbler Eastern Subalpine Warbler Song Thrush European Robin (h)Common Nightingale Western Black Redstart Common Redstart Common Stonechat Northern Wheatear Eastern Black-eared Wheatear Cyprus Wheatear Isabelline Wheatear House Sparrow Spanish Sparrow White Wagtail Yellow Wagtail (Flava)) Black-headed Wagtail Tawny Pipit Meadow Pipit Red-throated Pipit European Greenfinch (c.c.muehlei) European Goldfinch Common Linnet Corn Bunting Cretzschmar's Bunting 68 |
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