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May 24th, 2019

24/5/2019

 

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Tour - Paphos + Akrotiri 13/05/2019

Picture
Long-legged Buzzard - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 13th I guided Nigel around the Paphos and Akrotiri sites for his 50th Birthday. Nigel is a regular to Cyprus and wanted to see some of the lesser known sites and also an Egyptian Fruit Bat cave.
We started out in the Foothills of Paphos, at a Bonelli's Eagle Territory. Surely the Bonelli's Eagles didn't disappoint, though they were a bit more distant than usual and not on their favoured perches. Nigel gave me permission to use some of his stunning photos that he managed to get below:
Picture
Bonelli's Eagle - Nigel Bell ©
Picture
Bonelli's Eagle - Nigel Bell ©
Picture
Bonelli's Eagle - Nigel Bell ©
Picture
Bonelli's Eagle - Nigel Bell ©
​European Serin were showing well here and also a young Long-legged Buzzard flew in, which we went in for a close look due to its unusual stance, laying on the ground. Through the photos we could not see any sign of injury however on evaluating the shots when I got home it did show a minor injury likely to be from another raptor, but definitely not something that would hamper its flight or survival.
Picture
Long-legged Buzzard - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We moved down to Episkopi where we had a glance of a young Great Spotted Cuckoo and plenty of Cyprus Wheatear. The Cyprus Scops Owls were not at their roost and seemed to have moved on, possibly a failed nesting attempt. A recently fledged Peregrine Falcon was showing quite low on the rocks, but we didn't get to see the adults. 
We then moved up to Kathikas for Black-headed Bunting. We got to see many, mostly in song. 
Picture
Black-headed Bunting - Nigel Bell ©
We had a quick look around Pano Arodes where we was treated to many European Rollers on the wires and many hawking insects up high which is something I had not witnessed before. We dipped into a gorge as it was a site Nigel wanted to see for future reference. Cyprus Wheatears and Long Legged Buzzards were showing well here, plus a fly-by from an Eleonora's Falcon. We had good views of a male Red-backed shrike on the way out and a few Spotted Flycatcher.  
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Red-backed Shrike - Nigel Bell ©
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Spotted Flycatcher - Nigel Bell ©
Lastly we visited Minthis Hills for Creztschmar's Bunting. They were not being very showy but we got good views of one and good views of Corn Bunting. We visited the Lake also which has changed vastly due to construction of buildings and tarmac roads. We found a Night Heron roosting in its usual tree and some Hoopoe en-route and then we visited the Egyptian fruit bat cave at the undisclosed site.
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Egyptian Fruit Bats - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Picture
Egyptian Fruit Bats - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Then we headed to Akrotiri. We visited the Rabbit shed Pools which is mostly dry now. There we had Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Greenshank, Black-winged stilt and Spur-winged Lapwing. The only thing of note at the Salt Lake run-off was a group of Greater Flamingo close over the mound, with one seemingly building a nest mound with an egg.
Our last stop was Ladies Mile where quite a few Broad-billed Sandpipers were showing well with the Little Stint and Common Ringed Plovers plus a small party of Little Tern bringing our total to 66 Species.
Species List:

Chukar Partridge (A.c.cypriotes)   
(h) Black Francolin    
Greater Flamingo
Glossy Ibis
Black-crowned Night-heron
Squacco Heron
Cattle Egret
Grey Heron
Little Egret
Common Kestrel   
Eleonora's Falcon  
Peregrine Falcon (F.p.brookei)
Long-legged Buzzard     
Bonelli's Eagle    
Common Moorhen  
Black-winged Stilt 
Spur-winged Lapwing
Common Ringed Plover 
Kentish Plover    
Common Greenshank 
Wood Sandpiper 
Common Sandpiper 
Little Stint 
Curlew Sandpiper 
Broad-billed Sandpiper 
Ruff 
Yellow-legged Gull 
Black-headed Gull 
Little Tern     
Rock Dove 
​
Common Wood-pigeon   
European Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Great Spotted Cuckoo
(h)Little Owl
Alpine Swift   
Common Swift
European Roller   
European Bee-eater   
Eurasian Hoopoe 
Red-backed Shrike 
Eurasian Magpie    
Eurasian Jackdaw   
Hooded Crow
Great Tit (P.m.aphrodite)
Crested Lark  (G.c.cypriaca)
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow 
Red-rumped Swallow   
Common House-martin    
Zitting Cisticola  
(h)Cetti's Warbler
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler 
Sardinian Warbler
Cyprus Wheatear
Spotted Flycatcher
House Sparrow 
Spanish Sparrow    
(h)Common Chaffinch 
European Serin 
European Greenfinch (C.c.muehlei)    
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet
Corn Bunting
Cretzschmar's Bunting 
Black-headed Bunting

66

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    Mostly all photos are taken with a
    - Canon 7D mkii (older photos with mk1)
    and a
    - Canon 400mm Ef-s USM l f5.6 Lens. 
    - no teleconverter.

    Macro: 
    Tamron sp 90mm f017
    (older: Canon sx50 HS)


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