Cyprus Bird watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD Tour, Paphos & Akrotiri 28/04/17
Little Bittern - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 28th I guided John Buttriss around the Paphos and Akrotiri sites for a photographic tour. We started by heading to Akrotiri and working our way backwards so we would stand a chance of photographing crake species, we managed to spot a Great Egret flying low from the Motorway just outside of Paphos, a good start. We were successful in getting good opportunities with Baillon's Crake and Water Rail. The Little Crake didn't want to show today unfortunately. There were many Little Bittern on show, managing to grab some close shots. At Lady's mile we had great photo opportunities with Curlew Sandpiper all in their stunning summer plumage, as well as Little Stint and Kentish Plover. On the Salt Lake we located and attempted to approach a Common Cuckoo which allowed us closer than expected on foot, but didn't allow the lens' to be raised. Here there were many waders, mainly ruff, Little Stint and Greater Flamingo but with a few Common and Little-ringed Plover here and there. We managed to find a Gull-billed Tern and Some Little Tern but they were not approachable. As we were leaving a White-winged Tern flew past.
Baillon's Crake - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We witnessed a huge flock of Glossy Ibis with a small party of grey and purple heron slightly above, and then quite a few more flocks of Glossy Ibis through the day. Before the Village we checked the wetland where I had previously seen the Great Snipe. There was a Common Snipe there today and also Squacco Heron, Turtle Doves darting around in the tree line at the back ... obviously well alert of the Eleonora's Falcon scouting them out in the nearby tree which sadly we didn't get on until it flew. When heading towards the Gravel Pits we came upon a near 100c flock of Collared Pratincoles flying around which was a sight to behold. At the Gravel Pits we had decent photo opportunities with Whinchat, Northern Wheatear and a Woodchat Shrike. A Red-backed Shrike and female Cyprus Wheatear were a bit too distant for good photos. At Kensington cliffs I tried to replicate the photo opportunities of Cyprus Warbler and Wheatear from the last tour there but as with birding, every day is different. We did manage some half-decent opportunities but the light was always wrong, the Cyprus Wheatears surprisingly didn't stick around. Paphos was quite a disappointment, all the Red-footed Falcons and Lesser Kestrels seemed to have cleared out. We got on two Cyprus Warblers at Anarita Park and that was it, no other birds in sight, very odd! On to the Paphos Sewage Plant for the Spur-winged Lapwing (which we got fairly close to) who we were told now have 3 eggs in the nest by the workers looking out for them.
Collared Pratincole - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
| Mallard Black francolin Little grebe Greater flamingo Purple heron Great egret Little egret Squacco heron Cattle egret Black-crowned night heron Little bittern Glossy ibis Eurasian kestrel Eleonora's falcon Water rail Baillon's crake Common moorhen Eurasian coot Spur-winged lapwing Ringed plover Little ringed plover Kentish plover Black-winged stilt Common snipe Marsh sandpiper Common greenshank Wood sandpiper Little stint Curlew sandpiper Ruff Collared pratincole Black-headed gull Gull-billed tern Little tern White-winged tern Common Wood pigeon European turtle dove Eurasian Collared dove Common cuckoo Alpine swift Common swift Crested lark Barn swallow Red-rumped swallow House martin Yellow wagtail Tree pipit Zitting cisticola (h) Cetti's warbler Savi's warbler (h) Sedge warbler Eurasian reed warbler Great reed warbler (h) Eastern Olivaceous Warbler (h) Eurasian blackcap Sardinian warbler Cyprus warbler Spotted flycatcher Common Redstart Whinchat Northern wheatear Cyprus wheatear Great tit Red-backed shrike Woodchat shrike Magpie Eurasian jackdaw Hooded crow Common chaffinch European greenfinch European goldfinch Common linnet House sparrow 73 |  Black-crowned Night Heron - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved  Common Cuckoo - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved  Little Bittern - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved  Little Bittern - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved  Water Rail - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved  Water Rail - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved |
Kentish Plover - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Curlew Sandpiper + Little Stint - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Glossy Ibis (Purple + Grey Herons top right) - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
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