Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Half-day Tour Paphos 25/10/2019
Water Pipit - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 25th I guided Mark and Christine on a half day tour around Paphos.
We started at Mavrokolympus Dam in hope of some Cyprus Warblers still being around. There was a few though they weren't showing overly well, which isn't uncommon for this time of year. A Cyprus Wheatear flew in and landed next to us for a fair amount of time, so both Endemics in the space of a few minutes.
Sardinian Warblers and many Stonechat were present and also a group of Chukar showed very well close to the car, with one sitting on top of a rock some meters from the road. There wasn't anything on the water and as we were walking back I spotted a female Common Redstart which showed very well for a lengthy period of time. European Robins were calling with some very brief views and a male Spanish Sparrow showed very well in a nearby bush.
We then headed to the Sewage Plant for the Spur-winged Lapwing, of-which 20-30 birds were showing (though none of the Northern Lapwings were present that I had seen recently). At the entrance we was greeted with a group of Water Pipit next to the road and at the irrigation puddles were White Wagtail, Grey Wagtail and Spanish Sparrow.
We started at Mavrokolympus Dam in hope of some Cyprus Warblers still being around. There was a few though they weren't showing overly well, which isn't uncommon for this time of year. A Cyprus Wheatear flew in and landed next to us for a fair amount of time, so both Endemics in the space of a few minutes.
Sardinian Warblers and many Stonechat were present and also a group of Chukar showed very well close to the car, with one sitting on top of a rock some meters from the road. There wasn't anything on the water and as we were walking back I spotted a female Common Redstart which showed very well for a lengthy period of time. European Robins were calling with some very brief views and a male Spanish Sparrow showed very well in a nearby bush.
We then headed to the Sewage Plant for the Spur-winged Lapwing, of-which 20-30 birds were showing (though none of the Northern Lapwings were present that I had seen recently). At the entrance we was greeted with a group of Water Pipit next to the road and at the irrigation puddles were White Wagtail, Grey Wagtail and Spanish Sparrow.
Spanish Sparrow - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
The Alfalfa field held many Red-throated Pipit and a few Tree Pipit also took up. Just before we left a Common Buzzard shot low over the tree line being mobbed by a big group of Hooded Crows.
Next we headed to Agia Varvara seeing a Long-legged Buzzard perched and in flight causing confusion due to the fact the white rump wasn't visible on this one, but various factors ruled out Common or Steppe Buzzard.
Next we headed to Agia Varvara seeing a Long-legged Buzzard perched and in flight causing confusion due to the fact the white rump wasn't visible on this one, but various factors ruled out Common or Steppe Buzzard.
Long-legged Buzzard - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We got great views of Common Snipe and Grey Wagtail plus some Pintail and a single Garganey on the pools. Reed Warblers were showing at the ford, Cetti's and Great Reed Warbler called in the distance. A pair of Wandering Glider dragonflies were in copula at the ford also which is a very uncommon sighting in Cyprus. A Green Sandpiper kept flying over but would not settle. Plenty of finches seemed to have arrived in the area recently, with good numbers of Linnet, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and Serin.
A quick stop at Anarita Park produced a single Finsch's Wheatear on winter territory, and then we finished up at Mandria seeing Skylark, Yellow-wagtail, many Northern Wheatear and a Falcon species very high up that could well have been a juvenile Saker.
We finished the half day with 49 Species.
A quick stop at Anarita Park produced a single Finsch's Wheatear on winter territory, and then we finished up at Mandria seeing Skylark, Yellow-wagtail, many Northern Wheatear and a Falcon species very high up that could well have been a juvenile Saker.
We finished the half day with 49 Species.
| Species List: Chukar Partridge (h)Black Francolin Northern Pintail Garganey Common Kestrel Common Buzzard Long-legged Buzzard (h)Water Rail (h)Common Moorhen Spur-winged Lapwing Common Snipe Green Sandpiper Yellow-legged Gull Common Wood-pigeon Eurasian Collared-dove Laughing Dove Eurasian Magpie Eurasian Jackdaw Hooded Crow Great Tit Crested Lark Eurasian Skylark Zitting Cisticola (h)Cetti's Warbler | Eurasian Reed-warbler (h)Great Reed-warbler Willow Warbler Common Chiffchaff Blackcap Sardinian Warbler Cyprus Warbler European Robin Common Redstart Common Stonechat Northern Wheatear Finsch's Wheatear Cyprus Wheatear House Sparrow Spanish Sparrow White Wagtail Yellow Wagtail (*Flava) Tree Pipit Red-throated Pipit Water Pipit (*Caucasian Water Pipit) European Serin European Greenfinch European Goldfinch Common Linnet Corn Bunting 49 |
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