CYPRUS BIRD WATCHING TOURS
  • Home
  • About
  • Book A Tour
  • The Birds of Cyprus ↧
    • Endemics
    • Regional Specialities
    • Checklist
  • Gallery
  • Tour Reports ↧
  • Home
  • About
  • Book A Tour
  • The Birds of Cyprus ↧
    • Endemics
    • Regional Specialities
    • Checklist
  • Gallery
  • Tour Reports ↧

October 07th, 2019

7/10/2019

 

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Akrotiri + Paphos 1 Day + 1/2 Day Tour 27+30/09/2019  

Picture
European Honey Buzzard - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 27th and 30th I guided George and Lorna on a day and a half birding tour around Akrotiri and Paphos.
On our first day we set out to the Akrotiri Peninsular with Phassouri being our first site. In the Tower hide car park we had great views of a Roller, some Bee-eater and a pair of Gull-billed Tern flying over. As we ventured round to the main hide we was treated to a few Black Francolin next to the road.
Picture
Black Francolin - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
As we approached the next hide a Great Reed Warbler showed in some vegetation on the opposite side, as well as Red-backed Shrike and Whinchat.
Picture
Great Reed Warbler - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
At the main hide Spur-winged Lapwing showed in the distance and large groups of Mallard and Garganey were landing behind the reeds. A Marsh Harrier swooped in and put up a party of White Winged and Whiskered Tern with one Whiskered still in its summer plumage. Water Rail briefly showed at the waters edge and Sedge Warbler. Common Kingfishers were darting around with one flying right up to the hide. A large party of Greenshank kept buzzing around the hide sounding alarm calls, coming very close at times.
Picture
Greenshank - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
A few Glossy Ibis were on the ground as well as many Little and Cattle Egret with a few Great Egret and Grey Heron flying over. We also had a European Honey Buzzard fly over us low which must have been roosting in a nearby tree.
We then continued to the gravel pits, seeing a few more Black Francolins on the way. At the oasis pool a Bar-tailed Godwit was at the waters edge, a scarce bird for Cyprus and likely the same bird I found flying in the area the day prior. Quite a few Turtle doves were flying from bush to bush here.
Next we ventured into the Eucalyptus woodland and got fantastic views of a Honey Buzzard in a low tree right infront of the car.
Picture
European Honey Buzzard - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Near the Salt lake edge from the north we got great views of a pair of Greater Short-toed Lark.
We continued to the run-off side of the salt lake and watched the thousands of Greater Flamingo nearby. Eleonora's Falcon were hunting here and a few Honey Buzzards flew over high. Yellow wagtails were moving about here as they were at Phassouri earlier but not much else seemed to be visiting the area so we moved on.
Picture
Western Yellow Wagtail - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We stopped at the Environmental Center where many Red-rumped Swallow were flying over low.
A quick visit along ladies mile produced Common and Little Ringed Plover, Little Stint and Kentish Plover, quite a poor selection of waders for this time of year. Bishop's Pool held little aside a Whiskered Tern, a newly arrived Common Teal and Shoveler.
We stopped at the Tower Hide for lunch and got to see the Bee-eaters coming down to bath. 
Picture
European Bee-eater - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Picture
European Bee-eater - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We finished up the day at the Bee-hives getting Pallid Swift, more Honey Buzzards, a ring-tail Harrier, Hobby, Red-footed Falcon and many Marsh Harriers with a pair of Spotted Flycatcher making some strange noises in the orchard behind us. No sign of the Levant Sparrowhawk, Lesser Spotted Eagle and Booted Eagle that I had seen the day before here which must have went straight through.
We managed 66 species for the day.
Picture
Greater Sand Plover - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
The half day tour was in Paphos. We started at the headland and got amazing close views of the long staying Whimbrel and also a single Greater Sand Plover.
Picture
Whimbrel - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
A Common Sandpiper was feeding in the rocks nearby also and a Kingfisher showed a few times on the rocks during our stay. Lorna put us on to 3 newly arrived Great Cormorant as we approached the corner point.
We continued to the Sewage Works as Lorna and George wanted closer views of Spur-winged Lapwing and sure enough got them.
Picture
Spur-winged Lapwing - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Red-throated Pipit had arrived at the area but we could only manage flight views.
At Mandria we had great close views of Laughing Dove and also great views of Eurasian Stone Curlew in their usual field.
Picture
Laughing Dove - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Northern and Isabelline Wheatear were present on the field and Greater Short-toed Lark were heard and not seen. Some newly arrived White Wagtail showed well on the fields too.
We ventured in land to cut across Episkopi to Minthis hills in hope of seeing Long-legged Buzzard and Bonelli's Eagle on this route, unfortunately we didn't but got great views of Cyprus Wheatear. 
Minthis hills wasn't great for life, but we did see Eurasian Hobby's hunting dragonflies very close at times and flushed a small party of Corn Bunting.
We finished the half-day tour with 48 species totaling 82 Species overall.
Species List:

Chukar Partridge
Black Francolin    
Mallard    
Northern Shoveler
Garganey   
Common Teal
Little Grebe
Greater Flamingo
Glossy Ibis
Cattle Egret
Grey Heron
Great Egret
Greater Cormorant
Little Egret
Common Kestrel   
Red-footed Falcon    
Eleonora's Falcon  
Eurasian Hobby
European Honey-buzzard
Western Marsh Harrier  
Ring-tailed Harrier
Water Rail
Common Moorhen  
Common Coot
Eurasian Stone Curlew
Spur-winged Lapwing
Common Ringed Plover 
Little Ringed Plover 
Kentish Plover    
Greater Sand Plover
Whimbrel 
BAR-TAILED GODWIT
Common Greenshank 
Little Stint 
Ruff 
Yellow-legged Gull 
Gull-billed Tern 
Whiskered Tern
White-winged Tern
Common Wood-pigeon   
European Turtle-dove
​Eurasian Collared-dove

Laughing Dove
Pallid Swift   
European Roller   
Common Kingfisher
European Bee-eater   
Red-backed Shrike 
Masked Shrike 
Eurasian Magpie    
Eurasian Jackdaw   
Hooded Crow
Great Tit
Greater Short-toed Lark
Crested Lark  
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow 
Red-rumped Swallow   
Zitting Cisticola  
Willow Warbler
Cetti's Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Eurasian Reed-warbler
Great Reed-warbler
Blackcap
Sardinian Warbler
Whinchat
Spotted Flycatcher
Northern Wheatear 
Cyprus Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
House Sparrow 
Spanish Sparrow
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail (*Flava)   
Black-headed Wagtail 
Grey Wagtail
Tree Pipit 
Red-throated Pipit
European Greenfinch    
European Goldfinch
Corn Bunting
82

Comments are closed.
    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)


    *** The blog layouts are not available to those viewing on a mobile device.

    Bird is the Word



    Archives

    March 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    April 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    September 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015


    RSS Feed


    Site Promotion
    • thegamblingbird

    • CABS

    • Life For Birds fb

    • Animal Party Cyprus fb

    • Birdguides.com

    • Stop the Cull

    • Fat Birder

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.