Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Tour - Paphos + Akrotiri 19/05/2019
Black Francolin - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 19th I guided Paddy around the Paphos and Akrotiri sites. Target species were Roller, Bee-eater, Black-headed Bunting, Cretzschmar's Bunting, Little Owl, Little Bittern, Eastern olivaceous Warbler, Collared Pratincole and Calandra Lark but already stated there was no chance of Calandra lark outside of Larnaca, and the Collared Pratincole migration seemingly finished.
We started in the Foothills of Paphos for Black-headed Bunting of which we got many singing and some low down over the vin yards.
We started in the Foothills of Paphos for Black-headed Bunting of which we got many singing and some low down over the vin yards.
Black- headed Bunting - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Black- headed Bunting - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We had one point where a Black Francolin was calling from some rocks less than 20 meters away to the left, a Black-headed Bunting and Zitting Cisticola on the wires infront of the car and a small party of European Bee-eaters land on the wires too infront of us, a bit of a surreal scene with many corn bunting and spanish sparrow also in sight. We managed great photo opportunities of the Black-francolin, enabling Paddy to get the closest shots of him calling ... and also the Black-headed Bunting. On our exit we saw two Long-legged Buzzards perched in a not too distant tree.
We dropped down to Minthis where a Hoopoe had a large Mole cricket in its beak on an olive tree presumably about to feed young but alerted to our prescense so we moved on so-as not to disturb its important duty.
We dropped down to Minthis where a Hoopoe had a large Mole cricket in its beak on an olive tree presumably about to feed young but alerted to our prescense so we moved on so-as not to disturb its important duty.
Eurasian Hoopoe - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
At the lake we had a pair of Eurasian Hobbies presumably hawking dragonflies high up. We had many Corn Bunting singing here and an inquisitive Cyprus Warbler that showed well. There wasn't any Night Herons in their usual tree but we did get brief glimpses of a Garden Warbler which is a fairly scarce bird in Cyprus. On the green a pair of Hoopoes were fighting and also many Sling-tailed Agama lizards were clinging to the rocks.
On the Minthis track we had a nice male Cretzschmar's Bunting in song and calling close by in a shrub but sadly an unfavourable light angle for great photos.
Next we dropped down to Episkopi where we had a single young Peregrine Falcon sitting high on the rocks. In the valley we had great views and photo opportunities of Eastern Olivaceous Warbler that were flycatching on the tracks grassy edges and a very inquisitive Sardinian Warbler that was at times on the ground right next to the car. Here we also had Turtle Doves, Rollers, Cyprus Wheatear and a Spotted Flycatcher as well as many finch species.
Our last stop in Paphos was Anarita Park for Little Owl. One was sitting above a boulder which we got great photo ops with and a pair of Red-rumped swallows flew low and close.
On the Minthis track we had a nice male Cretzschmar's Bunting in song and calling close by in a shrub but sadly an unfavourable light angle for great photos.
Next we dropped down to Episkopi where we had a single young Peregrine Falcon sitting high on the rocks. In the valley we had great views and photo opportunities of Eastern Olivaceous Warbler that were flycatching on the tracks grassy edges and a very inquisitive Sardinian Warbler that was at times on the ground right next to the car. Here we also had Turtle Doves, Rollers, Cyprus Wheatear and a Spotted Flycatcher as well as many finch species.
Our last stop in Paphos was Anarita Park for Little Owl. One was sitting above a boulder which we got great photo ops with and a pair of Red-rumped swallows flew low and close.
Little Owl - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Red-rumped Swallow - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Rollers also showed very well here with some good photo opportunities.
We then headed to Akrotiri with Little Bittern in mind. We went to an area of the salt lake where Little Bittern are presumed to be nesting and sat nearby in the car. After a lengthy wait both the male and female showed well catching fish. Eleonora's Falcon showed above the car briefly and Serin, Goldfinch and Reed Warbler came down to the water with chaffinch and bee-eater calling nearby.
Ladies Mile had Little Stint, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover and a few Curlew Sandpiper but no sign of the Broad-billed Sandpipers that were present recently. Little Tern were still plenty.
Our last stop was Kensington Cliffs where we had lengthy views of a Griffon Vulture on the cliff edge, Alpine Swifts, a 2nd year Peregrine Falcon and Eleonora's Falcons both flying at eye level and a few Shags on the far rocks bringing our day total to 56 species and all attainable targets met.
We then headed to Akrotiri with Little Bittern in mind. We went to an area of the salt lake where Little Bittern are presumed to be nesting and sat nearby in the car. After a lengthy wait both the male and female showed well catching fish. Eleonora's Falcon showed above the car briefly and Serin, Goldfinch and Reed Warbler came down to the water with chaffinch and bee-eater calling nearby.
Ladies Mile had Little Stint, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover and a few Curlew Sandpiper but no sign of the Broad-billed Sandpipers that were present recently. Little Tern were still plenty.
Our last stop was Kensington Cliffs where we had lengthy views of a Griffon Vulture on the cliff edge, Alpine Swifts, a 2nd year Peregrine Falcon and Eleonora's Falcons both flying at eye level and a few Shags on the far rocks bringing our day total to 56 species and all attainable targets met.
Alpine Swift - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
 Peregrine Falcon 2cy - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved |  Eleonora's Falcon - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved |
| Species List: Chukar Partridge (A.c.cypriotes) Black Francolin Greater Flamingo Little Bittern Little Egret European Shag Common Kestrel Eleonora's Falcon Eurasian Hobby Peregrine Falcon (F.p.brookei) Griffon Vulture Long-legged Buzzard Common Ringed Plover Kentish Plover Little Stint Curlew Sandpiper Yellow-legged Gull Black-headed Gull Little Tern Rock Dove Common Wood-pigeon European Turtle-dove Eurasian Collared-dove Little Owl Alpine Swift Common Swift European Roller | European Bee-eater Eurasian Hoopoe Eurasian Magpie Eurasian Jackdaw Hooded Crow Great Tit (P.m.aphrodite) Crested Lark (G.c.cypriaca) Barn Swallow Red-rumped Swallow Zitting Cisticola Cetti's Warbler Sedge Warbler Eurasian Reed-warbler Eastern Olivaceous Warbler Garden Warbler Sardinian Warbler Cyprus Warbler Cyprus Wheatear Spotted Flycatcher House Sparrow Spanish Sparrow Common Chaffinch European Serin European Greenfinch (C.c.muehlei) European Goldfinch Common Linnet Corn Bunting Cretzschmar's Bunting Black-headed Bunting 56 |
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