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April 28th, 2018

28/4/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - 1/2 day tour - Akrotiri 27/04/2018

On the 27th I had the pleasure of guiding Jack and Eric around Akrotiri for a half day tour. Cyprus Warbler and Cyprus Wheatear were the only targets so we headed inland a bit. At our first site our first bird was a Cyprus Wheatear singing on top of a juniper tree and then a male Montagu's Harrier flew over low. A good start! Further up the track we came across many Sardinian Warblers and also a few Rollers, one perched in a tree and another in flight. A Great Spotted Cuckoo called though we could not find it in the dense woodland. The Cyprus Warblers were not at their territory so I recommended that we move on to another site nearby where I knew that they will be present. On the way out a big group of Golden oriole flew over with some landing in the Junipers and pines. Serin and Chaffinch could be heard.
At the next site we were greeted by a large group of Alpine Swift being very noisy and eventually flying very low. The next bird we saw was a Cyprus Warbler sitting on top of a tree quite close, it then flew towards us and landed in a bush meters away.
Then he vanished but was seen again later chasing a Sardinian Warbler around and providing incredible views in a low bush just meters away from us. A surprise bird here was a lone Greater Short-toed Lark that landed infront of the car.
Two Griffon Vultures were on the cliff and a small group of Eleonora's Falcons were in flight but quite far away.
We headed to the other side to get better views of Cyprus Wheatear of which we did.
Next destination was Phassouri Marsh. A Large flock of Glossy Ibis were flying over as we entered the site and two Serin were on the ground very close to the car. Black Francolin were calling all around and Marsh Harriers were hunting.
On the water we had a few Squacco Heron, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Garganey, mallard and ducklings, Moorhen and some Glossy Ibis.
Moving on to the gravel pits we came across Lesser Grey Shrike and Red-backed Shrike in close proximity to each other. Two Great Egret flew in from the sea and landed on some pools. The church only had a Spotted Flycatcher.
Heading to Lady's Mile we had a Chukar in the road near bishop's pool, with eastern olivaceous warbler singing in the acacia and a Pied Flycatcher darted across the road.
Lady's Mile held plenty of waders, mostly Marsh Sandpiper, Ruff and black-winged stilt with Little Stint and little terns. The highlight here was an Avocet.
Moving on to the salt lake we was treated to many Temminck's Stint very close to the car ... a very productive site but sadly we didn't get to spend much time here. We totaled 68 species for the half day tour!

Species:
Chukar Partridge
(h) Black Francolin
Mallard
Garganey
Greater Flamingo
Glossy Ibis
Squacco Heron
Cattle Egret
Great Egret
Little Egret
Common Kestrel
Eleonora's Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
Griffon Vulture
Western Marsh Harrier
Montagu's Harrier
Common Moorhen
Black-winged Stilt
Pied Avocet
Little Ringed Plover
Marsh Sandpiper
Common Greenshank
Wood Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Little Stint
Temminck's Stint
Ruff
Little Tern
Rock Dove
Common Wood-pigeon
European Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Common Cuckoo
(h) Great Spotted Cuckoo
Alpine Swift

Common Swift
European Roller
Red-backed Shrike
Lesser Grey Shrike
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Hooded Crow
Great Tit
Greater Short-toed Lark
Crested Lark
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow
Common House-martin
Zitting Cisticola
(h) Cetti's Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Eurasian Reed-warbler
(h) Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Blackcap
Sardinian Warbler
Cyprus Warbler
Cyprus Wheatear
Spotted Flycatcher
European Pied Flycatcher
House Sparrow
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail (flava)
(h) Common Chaffinch
European Serin
European Greenfinch
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet

68

April 24th, 2018

24/4/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - 1/2 day tour - Paphos 21/04/2018

On the 21st I had the pleasure of Guiding Dave and Josie around Paphos for a half day tour in the afternoon. As we approached our first destination the weather took a turn for the worst and it started raining with winds also picking up.
Not ideal conditions. At Anarita Park we found some Lesser Kestrel with a Common Kestrel posing very well for photos. There was quite a few European Rollers present, some providing some great photo opportunities. A Chukar sat on a rock meters from the car completely unfazed. Probably some of the best photo opportunities and views I've ever managed of them. We found a Woodchat shrike seeking shelter from the rain inside a thorny broom.

On to Agia Varvara we saw some Wood Sandpiper and a Little Grebe on the way. We had a quick look on the river to see if any Crakes were about since the water levels had increased after drying out recently. Unfortunately there were none around, though we did see two Turtle Doves.
A female Pallid Harrier flew in from the hills enabling some great views as it circled to gain height not far from us. A falcon followed the valley edge, very hard to identify from such a distance but a few record photos showed it to be a female Red-footed Falcon.
There were many Great Reed Warblers on the south side, with Eurasian Reed Warbler and a Sedge Warbler. Also a few Pied Flycatchers darted across the track. A Purple heron sat not far from the track enabling good views on the ground and in flight. I heard a faint call of a Great Spotted Cuckoo, though was unable to locate it.
There was also quite a few Whincat knocking about, I managed to get us very close to them on many occasions though they were very jittery and never allowed a shot. One even landed a few meters infront of the car foraging for food.
Moving on to Mandria we stopped to see the Laughing Doves which were perched on the wires. Many Yellow Wagtail were feeding on the football pitch as well as Barn Swallow and House Martin collecting mud.
There was a big group of Common Swifts, House Martin, Barn Swallow, and a few Alpine Swift and Sand Martin feeding over the fields.
Driving along the coast a Common Tern came in to view. A very uncommon sighting in Cyprus, and it flew fairly close to us. A small migrating group of Little Egret flew overhead quite low. We finally managed a photo opportunity of Zitting Cisticola here after hearing them just about everywhere.
A female Red-footed Falcon stood on top of a bare tree, we went in closer for a photo but a Hooded Crow flushed her and she just kept flying east which was a shame. On the far east side I showed them two Stone Curlew that had been on the same field for quite some time allowing some great views. A large group of Glossy Ibis were flying along the coast just as we were leaving the Stone Curlew and a Peregrine Shot across the fields to the coast though views were very restricted by the plastic agricultural tubes.

Last stop was the Paphos Sewage Plant to see the Spur-winged Lapwing which we saw quite a few of. We also managed a couple more Stone Curlew but much closer this time, a great way to end the tour managing 53 species with unfavourable weather conditions.

Species:
Chukar Partridge (A.c.cypriotes)
(h) Black Francolin
Little Grebe
Glossy Ibis
Cattle Egret
Purple Heron
Little Egret
Lesser Kestrel
Common Kestrel
Red-footed Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
Western Marsh Harrier
Pallid Harrier
Common Moorhen
Eurasian Stone Curlew
Spur-winged Lapwing
Wood Sandpiper
Yellow-legged Gull
Common Tern
(h) Great Spotted Cuckoo
Common Wood-pigeon
European Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Laughing Dove
Little Owl
Alpine Swift

Common Swift
European Roller
Woodchat Shrike
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Hooded Crow
Great Tit (P.m.aphrodite)
Crested Lark (G.c.cypriaca)
Barn Swallow
Common House-martin
Zitting Cisticola
Cetti's Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Eurasian Reed-warbler
Great Reed-warbler
Blackcap
Wood Warbler
Common Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat
Sardinian Warbler
Whinchat
Cyprus Wheatear
European Pied Flycatcher
House Sparrow
Yellow Wagtail (M.f.flava)
European Greenfinch
European Goldfinch
53

April 22nd, 2018

22/4/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - 3 day tour (Paphos/Night Tour, Akrotiri + Akamas)

On the 17th I had the pleasure of Guiding Marco and Theresa on a 3 day tour with a heavy photographic focus. We started the day at the Paphos Sewage plant as it was a cloudy morning and the sun was not high enough yet for our main site. At the sewage plant we had a flock of Purple heron flying low and eventually landing in some nearby trees, a Glossy Ibis stood in a field with quite a few Squacco Heron, Little and Cattle Egret. There was only 2 Spur-winged Lapwing
outside the fence and few Red-throated Pipit.
As the light got better we moved around to Agia Varvara where we failed to see any crake species. Then we moved on to our main site, Anarita Park. Here we was treated to many Lesser Kestrel that didn't seem to be very active.
Here we had photo opportunities with male and female Cyprus Warbler and also Cyprus Wheatear. There was decent photo opportunities with Ortolan Bunting also, another target species. We managed to spot a Greenfinch feeding its mate and then copulating briefly. We even saw a Large Whip Snake sun-bathing on the track.
Next stop was Mandria where we managed good photo opportunities with Greater Short-toed Lark and also had good views of Black Francolin, another target species. We was very lucky to see the (Cyprus Rarity 6th) Namaqua Dove that had previously been found in the area. We flushed it some 30 meters from the car.
We then moved on to Timi Beach where we had great views and photo opportunities with an adult male Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, and were also treated to a Yellow-legged Gull feeding another and then mating on a rock offshore. I saw a quail land in the vegetation and then flushed it whilst searching. Here we also came across a Mammoth Wasp and a Sand Wasp species carrying a dead Grasshopper. An usual occurrence here was 4 Swallowtail Butterflies all chasing each other and eventually landing all together. I guess competition for mating.
We managed 56 species for the day.

Swallowtail Butterfly

Sand Wasp (Tachysphex sp.)

Large Whip Snake

The second day was at Akrotiri and Episkopi. We started out at Phassouri for Black Francolin, we found one pretty quickly but it was tricky to photograph, a wary bird on this favoured perch. We did find another later for some photography.

As usual the entrance to the site held many Serin singing and a few Chaffinch.
Heading to the marsh there was a Wryneck perched in the reeds and two Purple Heron on the ground. From the hide there was many Cattle Egret and Little Egret nearby, as were Northern Shoveler, Mallard, Garganey, Ferruginous Duck and Glossy Ibis.

At the back 3 Great Reed Warblers showed well and in the small reeds much closer, Sedge and Eurasian reed Warbler flitted around.
The gravel pits held a few Woodchat Shrike, Pallid Harrier and a Eurasian Hobby on the ground at the pebbled beach. In a dry grassy area there were many Owlfly's on the wing. Unusually the church area was completely devoid of life.

We continued to Lady's Mile where there was many Ruff, Little Egret and a small party of Marsh Sandpiper and two Greenshank. There wasn't many Gulls around.
We then headed to the Salt Lake. On the way we came across a pair of Collared Pratincole on the ground and a huge group of Glossy Ibis both on the ground and in the air, of which many joined the passing flock. On the salt lake there was many Little Stint with a Temmincks stint very distant. There was a large stretch of Northern pintail on the ground as well as quite a few Greater Flamingo and Grey Heron. A Grey plover was an odd sighting here. Many Swift passed overhead with some Pallid among them.
A few little tern were fishing here and a White-winged Tern was resting on the ground.
On the other side there was a small group of Gull-billed Tern sitting next to some Yellow-legged and Armenian Gull. Slightly to the right was a small group of Kentish Plover and ... a male Caspian Plover, a Cyprus rarity. Two days and two rarities.

We then checked Episkopi on the way back for Griffon Vulture and saw one but it wasn't very close. An Eleonora's Falcon sat on the Cliffs in the distance and Alpine Swift buzzed past us many times. We managed a whopping 86 Species.

2 Hours of the tour were reserved for a quick night tour for Cyprus Scops Owl. We managed to find one but not at my trusted site which is now in need of evaluation. We found 4 Little Owls, an Egyptian Fruit Bat, a few Pipistrelle, a Nightjar churring and also a few encounters with Long-eared hedgehog.

The third day was to concentrate more on photography with the Endemics (and only 6 hours to do so) and also target Cretzschmar's Bunting, Ortolan Bunting, Masked Shrike and Eastern Olivaceous Warbler. It was an afternoon tour which was sadly overcast. We did however manage some superb photo opportunities despite the weather of all the mentioned species. I decided the Akamas on the north coast was the place to go.
Other highlights were a pair of Cuckoos, Whinchat, Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, 20+ Golden Oriole and almost nabbing a good photo of one, Serin, Great Tit fledglings everywhere, Little Owl, Hoopoe and many many Roller including one in display flight. A female Pallid Harrier did a close flyby and we saw two Eurasian Hobby's. A low count of 45 species for the day and bringing our total to 110 species.

Total:
Chukar Partridge
Black Francolin
Common Quail
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Garganey
Ferruginous Duck
Little Grebe
Greater Flamingo
Glossy Ibis
Squacco Heron
Cattle Egret
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Little Egret
European Shag
Lesser Kestrel
Common Kestrel
Eleonora's Falcon
Eurasian Hobby
Griffon Vulture
Western Marsh Harrier
Pallid Harrier
Steppe Buzzard
Long-legged Buzzard
Bonelli's Eagle
Common Moorhen
Common Coot
Black-winged Stilt
Spur-winged Lapwing
Grey Plover
Common Ringed Plover
Little Ringed Plover
Kentish Plover
Caspian Plover
Marsh Sandpiper
Common Greenshank
Green Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Little Stint
Temminck's Stint
Dunlin
Ruff
Armenian Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Little Tern
White-winged Tern
Rock Dove
Common Wood-pigeon
European Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Laughing Dove

Namaqua Dove
Common Cuckoo
Cyprus Scops Owl
Little Owl
(h) Eurasian Nightjar
Alpine Swift
Common Swift
Pallid Swift
European Roller
Eurasian Hoopoe
Eurasian Wryneck
Woodchat Shrike
Masked Shrike
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Hooded Crow
Great Tit
Greater Short-toed Lark
Crested Lark
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Common House-martin
Zitting Cisticola
Cetti's Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Eurasian Reed-warbler
Great Reed-warbler
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Blackcap
Lesser Whitethroat
Sardinian Warbler
Cyprus Warbler
Common Nightingale
Common Redstart
Whinchat
Northern Wheatear
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear
Cyprus Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
House Sparrow
Spanish Sparrow
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail (flava, feldegg)
Meadow Pipit
Tawny Pipit
Red-throated Pipit
Common Chaffinch
European Serin
European Greenfinch
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet
Corn Bunting
Ortolan Bunting
Cretzschmar's Bunting

110

April 20th, 2018

20/4/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD Tour 16/04/2018 Paphos

On the 16th I had the pleasure of Guiding April and Ian around the Paphos sites. There was only one target species: European Roller. We managed to find 4 during the tour with some good photo opportunities. We were even treated to one feeding another.

Highlight species were a female Pallid Harrier, Peregrine Falcon on territory with a Cyprus Scops Owl heard nearby, 4 Collared Pratincole flying low over Mandria for most of the time we spent there, Red-rumped Swallow coming down for nesting mud and a female Little Crake.

Species:

Black Francolin
Northern Pintail
Little Grebe
Grey Heron
Little Egret
European Shag
Common Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Pallid Harrier
Steppe Buzzard
Long-legged Buzzard
Little Crake
Common Moorhen
Spur-winged Lapwing
Collared Pratincole
Yellow-legged Gull
Baltic Gull
Common Wood-pigeon
European Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Cyprus Scops Owl (h)
Common Swift
European Roller
Eurasian Hoopoe
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Hooded Crow

Great Tit (P.m.aphrodite)
Greater Short-toed Lark
Crested Lark
Barn Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Common House-martin
Zitting Cisticola
Cetti's Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Eurasian Reed-warbler
Great Reed-warbler
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Blackcap
Sardinian Warbler
Cyprus Warbler
Whinchat
Northern Wheatear
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear
Cyprus Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
House Sparrow
Spanish Sparrow
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail
Red-throated Pipit
European Greenfinch
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet
Corn Bunting
Ortolan Bunting
57

April 15th, 2018

15/4/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD 8 Day Tour 07-14/04/2018 Lower Paphos, Upper Paphos, Akamas, Paphos Forest, Akrotiri & Limassol X2, Larnaca, Agia Napa & Famasgusta.

From the 7th I had the pleasure of guiding Mark and Lorna around Cyprus for an 8 day tour. Mark and Lorna favoured relaxed birding with regular stops and so the tempo was not high paced and the bird count was not a priority but rather good lengthy views of the species with many tea, coffee and ice cream stops. The first day was an afternoon tour concentrating on a few sites in lower and upper Paphos and finishing with a night tour for Cyprus Scops Owl of which we also managed to see a Barn Owl also. The highlights of the day was a low flying Bonelli's Eagle at Nata, Peregrine Falcon on territory doing food passes, quite a few newly arrived European Rollers, a lingering Blue Rock Thrush and a Black Francolin as well as Great Spotted Cuckoos, Cyprus Warblers and Cyprus Wheatears.
We managed 56 species for the day.

Little Owl Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Peregrine Falcon brookei action Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Day two was situated at the lower paphos sites. We started at Agia Varvara early for the Baillon's Crake that had been in the area recently. Sure enough we got close views of albeit a bit brief. Other notable birds for the day were a Steppe Buzzard quite low, a Hen Harrier, a Whimbrel, Laughing Dove, Great Spotted Cuckoo, immense views of Red-throated Pipit and the cherry on the cake was a pair of Cyprus Warblers with fledglings.
Unfortunately the Paphos headland was locked due to Easter which was an unnecessary inconvenience causing a change of plans and reducing our chances of getting some species.
We managed 52 species.

Baillons crake Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Cettis Warbler Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Sardinian Warbler Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Eurasian Hoopoe Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Red Throated Pipit Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

The third day was on the north coast of Cyprus and into the Paphos Forest. As we arrived in Latchi there was rain and thunderstorms which cleared up after an hour or so but really restricted our morning birding. On the beach we found a Caspian Gull and got great views. This was a another lifer for Mark.
At neo chorio we was treated to Serin quite close with some in display and also Cyprus Wheatear in display. I managed to locate a Creztschmar's Bunting calling which we all had great views of. Androlikou held some waders due to the downpour, common snipe and green sandpiper. Masked Shrike were around as was Common Cuckoo, Roller and a goat giving birth.
Moving on to the Paphos forest we came across a masked shrike that allowed very close observation. In the forest itsely we saw a Mouflon family with a newborn calf.
We managed 53 species for the day.

Masked Shrike Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Mouflon Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

On the fourth day we headed up to the mountains. On the way we had many Common Cuckoo and a few Cretzshmar's Bunting in the foothills. We managed all the endemic sub-species with very close views of all. We had Wren in display, Grey wagtails meters away, maybe over 60 Cyprus Wheatear with some in display, many masked Shrike, a family of Crossbill, a Serin that flew up to us on a tree sitting meters away singing for over a minute, some of the lengthiest views of Eastern Olivaceous warbler I have ever had (20+ minutes out in the open singing), a woodlark singing and in display for over 30 minutes and a low flying Bonelli's Eagle near one of the Venetian Bridges. A Woodcock was flushed but sadly I was the only one that could identify it in flight. A great day in the mountains totaling 48 species.

East Mediterranean Winter Wren Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

European Serin Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Cyprus Jay Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

European Turtle Dove Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Woodlark Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Grey Wagtail Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

We spent the fifth day on the Akrotiri peninsular with a slightly later start. Here the highlights were Coot and Mallard with young and many Little Stint which are a favoured species of Marks. A fair sized flock of Purple Heron migrating quite low was a spectacle and a spectacled warbler and common kingfisher provided close lengthy views. We came across a Black-necked Grebe in dazzling full summer plumage and the Griffon Vultures couldn't have shown better, with many passing very low overhead multiple times.
We managed 76 species for the day.

Garganey Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Eurasian Griffon Vulture Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Glossy Ibis Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Alpine Swift Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

On the sixth day we ventured to Agia Napa. We started by trying to twitch an Isabelline Shrike that was seen the day prior. Unfortunately it was not present, though we did find a Ruppell's Warbler being warded away from a bush by a Sardinian Warbler, this was a target species so definitely not a loss. At Cape Greco we got some views of a Hen Harrier and Marsh Harrier almost colliding. The Hen Harrier perched and allowed good views. Further near the masts we also managed to locate a female pallid harrier. Species were quite sparse here so we ventured to other locations. At a secret lake we were treated to another female Pallid Harrier and two Crake species. One we had closer views of which was a male Little Crake, the other based on size was a Spotted Crake, though we didn't locate and get good views of. A Reed Warbler sat in a reed meters from us, Night Heron and Purple Heron flew towards and above us in close proximity. But the real gem at this site was probably the rarest creature in Cyprus. The Critically endangered Cyprus Grass Snake (natrix natrix cypriaca) which swam right up to us. This is the first time I had actually ever seen this species (in 13 years of living on the island), a species largely wiped out by the introduction of Large Mouth Bass from America.
Heading back in to Larnaca we stopped at Achna Dam which had a Goshawk present being mobbed by Barn Swallow and then at the salt lake to view the Slender-billed Gull incase they migrated before our day in Larnaca.
We managed 75 species.

Cyprus Grass Snake Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Eurasian Reed Warbler Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Epaulet Skimmer Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

On the 7th day I suggested another day in Akrotiri would be more fruitful than Nicosia despite Mark wanting the Lillith Little Owl. Mark agreed and it proved to be a very wise decision.
We managed to get phenomenal views of the rare WP 1st Ocularis White Wagtail at Phassouri which was meters from us in a tree. We got incredible and lengthy views of a male Pallid Harrier hunting on the salt pans, something Mark really wanted to see. On the Salt Lake we got incredible views of the unique part-mellanistic Greater Flamingo as well as enormous numbers of waders including some black-tailed godwit, some breath-taking views of Black Francolin calling out meters from the car for a decent amount of time and a brief view of an Eastern Montpellier Snake dashing infront of the car. We had many Ortolan Bunting, a Common Redstart showed very well as did European Roller, Red-backed Shrike and Woodchat Shrike.
A fantastic day totaling 78 species.

Pallid Harrier Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Red-backed Shrike Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Siberian White Wagtail Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Kentish Plover Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Mellanistic Greater Flamingo Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

On the final day we ventured around Larnaca. At Oroklini we managed to find the Red-crested Pochard with Ducklings, a rare sight in Cyprus. Venturing west we came across a field full of Yellow Wagtail and red-throated Pipit but unfortunately could not locate any Calandra Lark there. Further on we found some Common and Great Spotted Cuckoo. The Great Spotted Cuckoo pair actually flew towards us and landed in tree meters away providing great views. A semi-collared flycatcher showed well but briefly allowing a few record photos. Unfortunately Mark and Lorna could not get to the viewing point in time before it vanished into the dense trees not to be seen again. A few Long-eared Owls were flushed here.
We managed 69 species for the day and brought the total number of species to 131, with much of the island covered with some great scenery and historical sites, some great flora and fauna and great company.
Some species did evade us that I usually have no trouble in finding and put it down to site disturbance (of which it seems there was many groups out this year walking through the sites) i.e Whinchat, Eastern Bonelli's Warbler, Wood Warbler, Eastern Orphean Warbler, Greater Sand Plover, Armenian Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Wryneck, Common Quail, Isabelline Wheatear and Lesser Kestrel.

Cattle Egret nests Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Red Crested Pochard Duckings Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Chukar Partridge (a.c.cypriotes)
Black Francolin
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Garganey
Common Teal
Red-crested Pochard
Ferruginous Duck
Little Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
Greater Flamingo
Glossy Ibis
Black-crowned Night-heron
Squacco Heron
Western Cattle Egret
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Little Egret
European Shag (p.a.desmarestii)
Common Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon (f.p.brookei)
Griffon Vulture
Western Marsh Harrier
Hen Harrier
Pallid Harrier
Northern Goshawk
Common Buzzard
Steppe Buzzard
Long-legged Buzzard
Bonelli's Eagle
(h) Water Rail
Little Crake
Baillon's Crake
Spotted Crake
Common Moorhen
Common Coot
(h) Eurasian Stone Curlew
Black-winged Stilt
Spur-winged Lapwing
Little Ringed Plover
Kentish Plover
*Eurasian Woodcock
Common Snipe
Black-tailed Godwit
Whimbrel
Marsh Sandpiper
Common Greenshank
Green Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Little Stint
Ruff
*Audouin's Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Caspian Gull
Baltic Gull
Slender-billed Gull
Rock Dove
Common Wood-pigeon
European Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Laughing Dove
Great Spotted Cuckoo
Common Cuckoo
Barn Owl
Cyprus Scops Owl
Little Owl

*Long-eared Owl
Alpine Swift
Common Swift
European Roller
Common Kingfisher
Eurasian Hoopoe
Red-backed Shrike
Woodchat Shrike
Masked Shrike
Eurasian Jay (g.g.glaszneri)
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Hooded Crow
Coal Tit (p.a.cypriotes)
Great Tit (p.m.aphrodite)
Greater Short-toed Lark
Crested Lark (g.c.cypriaca)
Wood Lark
*Sand Martin
Barn Swallow (inc. transitiva sb.sp)
Red-rumped Swallow
Common House-martin
Zitting Cisticola
Cetti's Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Eurasian Reed-warbler
Great Reed-warbler
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
(h) Willow Warbler
Common Chiffchaff
Blackcap
Common Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat
Rueppell's Warbler
Sardinian Warbler
Cyprus Warbler
Spectacled Warbler
Eurasian Wren (t.t.cypriotes)
Dorothy's (Short-toed) Treecreeper (c.b.dorothye)
Eurasian Blackbird
Common Nightingale
Common Redstart
Northern Wheatear
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear
Cyprus Wheatear
Blue Rock-thrush
*Semi-collared Flycatcher
House Sparrow
Spanish Sparrow
White Wagtail (inc. Ocularis sbsp.)
Yellow Wagtail (inc flava, thunbergi, feldegg, beema sbsp.)
Grey Wagtail
Tawny Pipit
Tree Pipit
Red-throated Pipit
Common Chaffinch
European Serin
European Greenfinch (c.c.muehlei)
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet
Red Crossbill (l.c.guillemardi)
Corn Bunting
Ortolan Bunting
Cretzschmar's Bunting
131 species

*= only seen well enough to ID (or photographed) by the guide.

April 05th, 2018

5/4/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD 04/04/2018 Paphos

On the 4th I had the pleasure of guiding Ingeborg and Graham around the Paphos sites. We started in the foothills where they were staying and managed to see a pair of Great Spotted Cuckoo fly in before we even got in the car, and a Cyprus Wheatear was singing nearby. A great start!
We headed down to Timi beach after a quick browse around the sewage works which produced some Spur-winged Lapwing and Spanish Sparrow. The previous afternoon I had spotted a beautiful summer plumaged Greater Sand Plover but unfortunately it was not still there, probably the result of dog walkers. Infact the whole area was completely devoid of life, not even a wheatear and so we continued on to Mandria. On the way there was a small group of Greater Short-toed Lark that provided great views and photo opportunities. At Mandria the Laughing Dove were showing as were a few yellow wagtails and a lingering Water Pipit. A Hoopoe probed the ground meters from the car and caught a grub allowing some action photos. The rest of Mandria was pretty poor unusually, we only had a few Little Egrets flying over.
We continued on to Anarita Park which was also quieter than it had been before. Unbelievably a Cetti's Warbler was showing well on quite a few occasions. A Wryneck posed well as did Cyprus Wheatear and Black-eared Wheatear, with many Tawny Pipits around but only 3 Lesser Kestrel still present. We also found Cyprus Warbler at three locations here.
A surprise bird here was an incredibly early Red-backed Shrike, a stunning male. Many Corn Bunting were singing still and a pair of Red-rumped Swallow kept returning to their nest.

We then continued on to Agia Varvara where we managed Black Francolin (target species), infact a few of them with also quite a few others heard. At the pools there was quite a few ruff on the water along with a Marsh Sandpiper, I had a brief glimpse of a Spotted crake in the corner though Ingeborg and Graham were unable to get on it before it retreated into the vegetation. Scanning to the right I noticed a Snipe showing a lot of white on the wings. GREAT SNIPE. I quickly got the scope out and put them on it. We had some great lengthy views of the Great Snipe and spotted a Sedge Warbler also in the area and a pair of Turtle Dove and then we moved on.
Next stop was Asprokremnos Dam for lunch. After we ate our lunch and saw an Eastern Bonelli's Warbler we moved around to the mast area where plenty of Hoopoe are still hanging out. There were some red-throated pipit here but not in their usual spot on the heaps.
We quickly checked Kouklia Soakaways which were bone dry including the river. Graham managed to spot a few Ortolan Bunting that were perched for a considerable amount of time.

Next we ventured back to the Sewage Plant in hope of getting better photo opportunities with the Spur-winged Lapwing. We managed to find a few Eurasian Stone Curlew flying in and out of an orchard.
On the coast there was a small group of Northern Pintail in the sea and on the alfalfa fields we had three cattle egret on the ground hunting in the fields. One pulled out a young Snake that Graham managed to get some shots of in the beak. A nice bit of action to finish a relatively slow day totaling 58 species.

Spiecies:
Northern pintail
Chukar, Alectoris chukar cypriotes
Black francolin
Little egret
Squacco heron
Cattle egret
Long-legged buzzard
Lesser kestrel
Common kestrel
Spotted crake
Common moorhen
Eurasian Stone curlew
Spur-winged lapwing
Great snipe
Marsh sandpiper
Ruff
Yellow-legged gull
Common Wood pigeon
European turtle dove
Eurasian Collared dove
Laughing dove
Great spotted cuckoo
Common swift
Eurasian Hoopoe
Eurasian wryneck
Greater short-toed lark
Crested lark
Barn swallow
Red-rumped swallow

Common house martin
White wagtail
Yellow wagtail
Tawny pipit
Tree pipit
Red-throated pipit
Water pipit, Anthus spinoletta coutelli
Zitting cisticola
Cetti's warbler
Sedge warbler
Eurasian reed warbler
Eastern Bonelli's warbler
Eurasian blackcap
Sardinian warbler
Cyprus warbler
Northern wheatear
Cyprus wheatear
Eastern Black-eared wheatear
Great tit, Parus major aphrodite
Red-backed shrike
Magpie
Hooded crow
Ortolan bunting
Corn bunting
European greenfinch
European goldfinch
House sparrow
Spanish sparrow

58

April 01st, 2018

1/4/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD 31/03/2018 Famagusta + Larnaca

On the 31st I had the pleasure of Guiding Tomas, Ingred and Lars around the Eastern sites. We started the day at Cape Greco where we were treated to good views of mostly everything and had good but brief views of a male Marsh Harrier hunting over a field. Spectacled and Cyprus Warbler were target species of which we had both up very close on many occasions and in song. We also found a female Eastern Suablpine Warbler, Common and Lesser Whitethroat, Ruppell's Warbler, Eastern Bonelli's Warbler and Sardinian Warbler with many Nightingale singing and jumping from the low shrub. The tour was to mainly concentrate on warblers so I was happy to get them out of the way early on. A Wryneck posed very nicely close to the car, kicking off a Cyprus Wheatear from its perch in the process. There were two pairs of Cyprus Wheatear displaying, buzzing around the female like an angry wasp/bee which was incredible to see, a rare thing to see in fact as even I had never witnessed it before.
An Audouin's Gull flew along the coast but was quite distant to ID by binoculars but luckily I managed a photo, followed by another gull that I couldn't identify and then some time later a Caspian Gull flew across, not a bad selection of gulls considering they were the only one's that we saw. There was many Northern Wheatears and just a single Isabelline around, and a few Tawny Pipits and a Yellow Wagtail. A Tree Pipit posed well incredibly close to us whilst we was on foot
and didn't seem disturbed at all by us in close proximity!

We then moved on to Oroklini where the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater was still present and showed very well for our duration there. Here we managed to spot a pair of Red-crested Pochard as well as various waterfowl including a lingering Pintail and Common Shelduck that should have moved on by now. Nearby we had a decent flock of Glossy Ibis on the ground feeding with two Squacco Herons nearby of which one walked up to us.

Then on to Menou which was still low on life, though we did manage to see the Black-necked Grebes in summer plumage that were not present on my last visit. Here we ate our lunch and then continued to Achna Dam which held quite a bit of life, namely wood and green sandpiper quite close together. But the star bird here was a Pied Kingfisher landing right next to the car but moving off quickly and not relocated! What a finish to a fantastic days guiding in the east of the island managing 79 species!

Species:
Common shelduck
Common teal
Mallard
Northern pintail
Garganey
Northern shoveller
Red-crested pochard
Ferruginous duck
Chukar
Black francolin (h)
Little grebe
Black-necked grebe
Greater flamingo
European shag
Grey heron
Little egret
Squacco heron
Cattle egret
Glossy ibis
Western Marsh harrier
Common kestrel
Common moorhen
Eurasian coot
Spur-winged lapwing
Kentish plover
Black-winged stilt
Common redshank
Common greenshank
Green sandpiper
Wood sandpiper
Ruff
Caspian Gull
Armenian gull
Audouin's gull
Slender-billed gull
Common Wood pigeon
Eurasian Collared dove
Laughing dove
Common swift

Eurasian Hoopoe
Pied kingfisher
Blue-cheeked bee-eater
Eurasian wryneck
Crested lark, Galerida cristata cypriaca
Barn swallow
Common house martin
White wagtail
Yellow wagtail, Motacilla flava feldegg
Tawny pipit
Tree pipit
Meadow pipit
Song thrush
Zitting cisticola
Cetti's warbler (h)
Sedge warbler (h)
Eurasian reed warbler (h)
Eastern olivaceous warbler (h)
Eastern Bonelli's warbler
Eurasian blackcap
Common whitethroat
Lesser whitethroat
Rüppell's warbler
Eastern Subalpine warbler
Sardinian warbler
Cyprus warbler
Spectacled warbler
Common Nightingale
Common stonechat
Northern wheatear
Cyprus wheatear
Isabelline wheatear
Great tit, Parus major aphrodite
Magpie
Eurasian jackdaw
Hooded crow
Ortolan bunting
European greenfinch
European goldfinch
House sparrow

79

March 30th, 2018

30/3/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD 3 day tour 27-30/03/2018

From the 28th I had the pleasure of guiding Jacob and Nancy on a 3 day tour. Unfortunately along with the continuing atmospheric dust and increased winds the Israeli's were doing military exercises with the Cypriots and low flying jets are certainly causing the birds stress.
Highlights included a Squacco Heron flying over, male and female Pallid Harriers hunting nearby, Laughing doves displaying, A Great Spotted Cuckoo showing well and calling out ... a species that seems to be in serious decline over recent years and proving a hard bird to find this year,
A small party of Water Pipit showing well and maybe more than 30 Eurasian Hoopoe at just 2 sites! Maybe the star birds were a pack of 11 Lesser Kestrels hovering and hunting all around the car providing amazing photo opportunities. A great start managing 58 species.

The second day was at Akrotiri. Driving out of Paphos the weather looked like it was going to be pretty grim ... though just before arriving the sky cleared. What a result. Though the day got gradually windier and dustier with some rain.
We started at Phassouri Marsh where a very rare Eastern Siberian White Wagtail (ocularis sp.) had been found the previous day. We couldn't find it, though no-one else did until 5pm. On entering the site we stopped to watch some European Serin feeding on the grassy verge and also some in display and worked our way through the finches before moving on to the marsh species. On the marsh we managed Black Francolin (Target Species), a few Squacco Herons, Little and Cattle Egret, Glossy Ibis, Ruff and a Greenshank among others. Heading onto the gravel pits we was treated to a few large mixed waterfowl flocks, mainly Paintail, Shoveler and Garganey... plus a small passage of Baltic Gull and Black-headed Gull. Wheatears were everywhere with the odd Isabelline still around, a lovely Woodchat Shrike posed well in the shrub though seemed quite nervous.
A Wryneck posed incredibly well on a wooden pole just meters from the car and many Lesser Whitethroat were hopping around the Acacia. After a quick look at our endemic Ophrys Kotschyi we continued.

Lady's Mile was fairly devoid of waders though we did find a pair of Kentish Plovers very close to us and Eurasian Hoopoe. A large flock of Greater Short-toed Lark foraged on the ground along with many Tawny Pipits.
The Gulls present were mainly all Armenian Gulls with one Caspian Gull and an Adult Yellow-legged Gull. Two Baltic Gull flew in and landed on the water and we was also treated to a Heuglin's gull flying in but unfortunately not landing ... presumably the same individual with
a broken bill that has been present for a long period of time in the area.
Zakaki Marsh didn't hold much and seems even more neglected with glass bottles thrown in the water infront of the hide ... what a sad state of affairs. We did hear a Common Kingfisher here as well as a Reed Warbler, and spotted a Marsh Harrier and a Willow Warbler flitting about in a nearby tamarisk.
Moving on to the Salt Lake we spotted many waders, the star bird here and for the day was a Eurasian Scops Owl .. a bird much lighter and browner than our endemic Cyprus Scops Owl. A great spot by Jacob, the bird was sitting in a shrub roughly 1 meter above the water, a very odd place for a Scops Owl to be, with a Common Snipe sleeping infront of it and a white wagtail to the side ... undoubtedly the only time I will see those species together in Cyprus.
Quite a rare sighting, though I imagine Jacob and Nancy would have much rathered our endemic one.

The Salt Lake held very little life compared to previous days and so we moved on to Bishops Pool to have our lunch. Highlights here was a Black-necked Grebe in summer plumage and some Ferruginous Duck.
Our last stop was at Kensington Cliffs for the Griffon Vultures. We was treated to a few close flyby's by three of the vultures. One of the vultures was being mobbed by a pair of Peregrine Falcons on entering the territory which was amazing to see.
As we left the site we also saw the Peregrines mobbing a Long-legged Buzzard which surprisingly fought back with a few dives at the falcons. A great bit of action and a great way to end the tour.
We managed a whopping 85 species.

The last day was situated at Cape Greco, Oroklini and Larnaca. We did visit Paralimni Lake but it seems to have dried up very quickly on the outer marshy areas.
We started at Oroklini where we saw the many Cattle Egrets nesting. Highights here was a female Little Crake very close to the hide, a pair of Squacco Herons, 2 Water Pipits in summer plumage, a pair of Red-crested Pochard and a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater amazingly still hanging around and posing well for us.
Moving on to Cape Greco the bird numbers were quite underwhelming considering recent sightings in the area. Best we managed here was a pair of Ruppell's Warbler (m&f), Cyprus Warbler (m&f), A few Woodchat Shrike, Wryneck an Ortolan Bunting, Nightingale and some Tawny Pipits. No sign of the Trumpeter finch seen the previous day. Lesser Whitethroat seem to have arrived in numbers here.
We stopped at Menou, Larnaca Sewage Pools and Larnaca Salt Lake on the way back... but seems to be a huge clear out of species, the salt lake was practically empty as well as the lakes aside some Greater Flamingo. The Sewage Pools held some yellow wagtail including
a dombowskii form, Teal, Shoveler, a Wigeon and a Green Sandpiper.
We managed 66 species for the day.
A very enjoyable tour bringing our total species count to 108 species.

SPECIES:
Eurasian wigeon
Common teal
Mallard
Northern pintail
Garganey
Northern shoveller
Red-crested pochard
Ferruginous duck
Chukar - (Alectoris chukar cypriotes)
Black francolin
Little grebe
Black-necked grebe
Greater flamingo
European shag - (Phalacrocorax aristotelis desmarestii)
Grey heron
Purple heron
Little egret
Squacco heron
Cattle egret
Glossy ibis
Griffon vulture
Western Marsh harrier
Pallid harrier
Eurasian sparrowhawk
Long-legged buzzard
Lesser kestrel
Common kestrel
Peregrine falcon
Little crake
Common moorhen
Eurasian coot
Eurasian Stone curlew
Spur-winged lapwing
Ringed plover
Little ringed plover
Kentish plover
Black-winged stilt
Common snipe
Common redshank
Common greenshank
Green sandpiper
Little stint
Dunlin
Ruff
Baltic Gull
Heuglin's Gull
Yellow-legged gull
Caspian gull
Armenian gull
Black-headed gull
Common Wood pigeon
Eurasian Collared dove
Laughing dove
Great spotted cuckoo

European scops owl - (Otus Scops)
Little owl
Alpine swift
Common swift
Eurasian Hoopoe
Common kingfisher (h)
Blue-cheeked bee-eater
Eurasian wryneck
Greater short-toed lark
Crested lark - (Galerida cristata cypriaca)
Barn swallow
Red-rumped swallow
Common house martin
White wagtail
Yellow wagtail - (flava, feldegg, Superciliaris, Dombrowskii)
Tawny pipit
Tree pipit
Meadow pipit
Red-throated pipit
Water pipit - (Anthus spinoletta coutelli)
Song thrush
Zitting cisticola
Cetti's warbler
Sedge warbler
Eurasian reed warbler
Willow warbler
Eastern Bonelli's warbler
Eurasian blackcap
Lesser whitethroat
Rüppell's warbler
Sardinian warbler
Cyprus warbler
Spectacled warbler
Common nightingale
Common redstart
Common stonechat
Northern wheatear
Cyprus wheatear
Eastern Black-eared wheatear
Isabelline wheatear
Great tit - (Parus major aphrodite)
Woodchat shrike
Magpie
Eurasian jackdaw
Hooded crow
Ortolan bunting
Corn bunting
Common chaffinch
European greenfinch (Chloris chloris muehlei)
European goldfinch
Common linnet
European serin
House sparrow
Spanish sparrow

108 species

March 27th, 2018

27/3/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD 5 day Tour 23-27/03/2018

On the 23rd I had the pleasure of guiding Maria and Ken for a 5 day tour. They both had an interest in all wildlife and wanted to incorporate some of the other biodiversity of the island, namely the flora.
The weather was dusty (Sands of Egypt and the Middle East) for most of the days with some high winds, making much of it quite a challenge.
Day one was situated in the lower Paphos sites. The highlights of the day included a large group of Spur-winged lapwings singing and displaying with a Eurasian Stone Curlew not too far away possibly sitting on an egg.
A male and female Desert Wheatear were still lingering around allowing close views and photo opportunities, and a lone injured Woodlark was present.
We was treated to a migrating flock of Garganey closely followed by a mixed flock of little and cattle egret and a lone juvenile Pallas' Gull.
The Laughing Dove were displaying/in song. Great photo opportunities were to be had with Red-throated Pipit and Red-rumped Swallow were coming down for nesting clay. But the star bird was a Cream-coloured Courser spotted earlier in the day by a local birder which showed well allowing decent photo opportunities from a coastal path.
We managed 55 species of bird, 7 species of butterfly including Eastern Dappled White and our Endemic Paphos Blue, 9 species of notable flora and 3 lizards, 2 of which are endemic.

On the second day our destination was the Akrotiri peninsular. Highlights here included a pair of male Lesser Kestrels hunting and flying over very close to the car, a Griffon Vultures turned up after some waiting, a Black Francolin crossed the road allowing decent views and a recently arrived Woodchat shrike hunted shield bugs just meters from the car.
We also had Garganey nearby on the ground and some Glossy Ibis feeding. There seemed to have been a fall of wheatears, Northern, Isabelline and Eastern Black-eared were everywhere.
The day was quite overcast and there was periods of rain and strong winds making the day a little bit difficult. Due to this the Salt Lake was not accessible and another site was closed and so we missed out on some species.
Though we still managed 61 species of bird, 18 species of notable flora of which 7 are endemic and 5 orchids. 2 Butterfly species and 1 Dragonfly.

The third day was situated in Larnaca and Agia Napa. Notable sightings here was Ferruginous Duck, Black-necked Grebe in summer plumage, Pallid Harrier flying in overhead, a very late migrating Jack Snipe, many Ruppell's Warblers showing well and possibly the first Whinchat of the year. Unfortunately Paralimni Lake was inaccessible due to a parade taking place which closed down the road.
The star bird of the day was a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater sat nearby for a very long period of time. We managed 79 species of bird, 3 Dragonfly species and an Arum.

On the fourth day we visited the Mountains. The drive up provided beautiful scenery and many Cyprus Wheatears calling and singing en route and a Eurasian Sparrowhawk most likely nesting nearby. We came across a group of Masked Shrike on the way and also Serin. We had an amazing
encounter with a Cretzschmar's Bunting singing and feeding just meters from us. Due to the platform it was feeding pretty much eye level with us.
We encountered a male Grey Wagtail singing, Dorothy's Short-toed Treecreepers provided fairly decent views as did the Coal Tits. The star birds here was a pair of Masked Shrikes that welcomed our presence close by as they went about
feeding and interacting. A surprise bird was a Hen Harrier flying over, and we also picked out quite a few Pallid Swift among the Commons. A male Goshawk provided decent but brief views flying over a dam and into some dense woodland.
We spent some time around the Botanical Garden also for some flora. Then with time left over we returned to the Akrotiri Salt lake and attempted to access the area again which had thankfully dried enough.
We managed 54 species of bird for the day and an incredible amount of notable flora which included many endemics. 5 Butterfly species including the Eastern Baton Blue, a very hard-to-find species in Cyprus that was predated by a Jumping Spider
right infront of us.

The last day was spent in the Akamas region, visiting the Paphos foothills and rounding up the end of the tour with a treat visit to an Egyptian Fruit bat cave. This tour was mainly about the flora of which we managed many rare species and quite a few orchids. Highlights of the day bird wize was a Squacco Heron hunting Dragonflies, the car being surrounded by Yellow Wagtails and Serin in Display. We managed 35 species of bird, 7 Butterflies, 30 species of notable flora of which 7 are endemic and 12 Orchids.

Common shelduck
Eurasian wigeon
Common teal
Mallard
Garganey
Northern shoveller
Common pochard
Ferruginous duck
Chukar
Black francolin
Little grebe
Black-necked grebe
Greater flamingo
European shag
Grey heron
Great egret
Little egret
Squacco heron
Cattle egret
Glossy ibis
Griffon vulture
Western Marsh harrier
Hen harrier
Pallid harrier
Eurasian sparrowhawk
Northern goshawk
Common buzzard
Long-legged buzzard
Lesser kestrel
Common kestrel
Peregrine falcon
Common moorhen
Eurasian coot
Eurasian Stone curlew
Spur-winged lapwing
Little ringed plover
Kentish plover
Black-winged stilt
Jack snipe
Common snipe
Black-tailed godwit
Eurasian curlew
Spotted redshank
Common redshank
Marsh sandpiper
Green sandpiper
Common sandpiper
Little stint
Dunlin
Ruff
Cream-coloured courser
Baltic Gull
Yellow-legged gull
Caspian gull
Armenian gull
Pallas's gull
Black-headed gull
Slender-billed gull
Rock dove
Common Wood pigeon
Eurasian Collared dove
Laughing dove
Great spotted cuckoo (h)
Little owl
Alpine swift
Common swift
Pallid swift
Eurasian Hoopoe
Common kingfisher
Blue-cheeked bee-eater
Greater short-toed lark
Crested lark
Woodlark
Barn swallow
Red-rumped swallow
Common house martin
White wagtail
Yellow wagtail
Grey wagtail
Tawny pipit
Tree pipit
Meadow pipit
Eurasian wren
Eurasian blackbird
Song thrush
Zitting cisticola
Cetti's warbler
Eurasian reed warbler
Eastern olivaceous warbler (h)
Eastern Bonelli's warbler
Eurasian blackcap
Lesser whitethroat
Rüppell's warbler
Sardinian warbler
Cyprus warbler
Spectacled warbler
Blue rock thrush
European robin
Common Nightingale
Whinchat
Common stonechat
Northern wheatear
Cyprus wheatear
Eastern Black-eared wheatear
Desert wheatear
Isabelline wheatear
Coal tit
Great tit
Dorothy's (Short-toed) treecreeper
Masked shrike
Woodchat shrike
Eurasian jay
Magpie
Eurasian jackdaw
Hooded crow
Cretzschmar's bunting
Reed bunting (h)
Corn bunting
Common chaffinch
European greenfinch
Eurasian siskin
European goldfinch
Common linnet
European serin
House sparrow
Spanish sparrow

126 Species

126

Ophrys kotschyi
Ophrys apifera
Ophrys iricolor
Ophrys Astarte
Orchis Fragrans
Himantoglossum Robertinum
Ophrys Morio
Oprhys Mammosa
Ophrys Alasiatica
Ophrys Sicula
Ophrys Aphrodite
Ophrys Elegans
Orchis Italica
Orchis punctulata
Orchis pyramidalis
Serapias Aphrodite
Serapias Vormeracea
Serapias Levantina

Akamas Tulip
Persian Lilly
Persian Buttercup
Anemone Coronaria
Blue Hounds Tongue
Lesser Star of bethlehem
Common Asphodel
Gladiolus triphyllus
Gladiolus italica
Alyssum akamasicum
Anchusa Azurea
Parentucellia latifolia subsp. flaviflora
Thompson's Spurge
Aphrodite's spurge
Pale Flax
Geropogon hybridus
Euphorbia valerianifolia
Valeriana italica
Reseda lutea
Paeonia mascula
Purple rock cress
Silene vulgaris
Muscari comosum
Common hyacinth
Common henbet
Gagea sp.
Cyprus cedar
Strawberry tree
Meiklei's poppy
Cyprus thyme
Will's Wild Onion
Persian cyclamen
Spiny Golden Star
Viola Sieheana
Hairy Nightshade
Red Valerian
Dwarf Pansey (Viola kitaibeliana)
Chamomile (Anthemis tomentosa)
Centauri Aegyptica
Purple Mustard
Rumex Cypria
Rough Poppy
Common Poppy
Cyprus Donkey Thistle
Fagonia cretica
Veined Sainfoin
Shrubby Golden Drop
Arum dioscoridis
Rock Rose
Wild Asparagus
Sage (various species)
Samphire
Silene Colorata
cyprus chamomile (Anthemis Tricolor)
Leopoldia comosa (Tassel hyacinth)
Orobanche mutelii
Orobanche Alba Cuprea

Banded orb weever
Jumping spider (Mogrus neglectus)

Jewel Beetles (Anthaxia (Melanthaxia) griseocuprea)

Ameles heldreichi

Swallowtail Butterfly
Paphos Blue
Long-tailed Blue
Red Admiral
Painted Lady
Clouded Yellow
Eastern festoon
Eastern Dappled White
Large White
Small White
Common Blue
Eastern Baton blue
Speckled Wood
Orange tip
Langs short-taile blue

Vagrant Emperor
Keeled skimmer
Red-veined darter
Blue emperor
Broad Scarlet
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Common Darter

Schreiber's Fringe-fingered Lizard
Sling-tailed Agama Lizard
Snake eyed Lizard
Troodos Lizard

Large Black Whipsnake

Egyptian Fruit Bat

March 21st, 2018

21/3/2018

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD Half day Tour Paphos 21/03/2018

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

On the 21st I had the pleasure of guiding Stephen Martin around the Paphos sites for a half day tour. 10 minutes prior to picking up Steve I got word of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater still present at the harbour and so asked Steve if he wanted to go for it, and ofcourse he did ... who wouldn't?
The bird was clearly visible on arrival sitting on top of the Jolly Roger pirate ship. After some great scoped views it flew towards the headland, so we got to see it in flight not too far away and hear its calls.
Cracking start to the day. We drove through the Sewage works and got the Spur-winged Lapwing and Cattle Egrets. Steve had Black Francolin and Stone Curlew down as target species, both of which are present here. Sadly we didn't see or hear any Black Francolins here but we did see a Stone Curlew and got some great scoped views. A Common Whitethroat showed briefly and we had a fly past of a Red-throated Pipit calling in flight. Here we also managed to pick out a Red-rumped swallow coming off the sea with a group of Barn Swallow.
We continued on to Timi beach where a Desert Wheatear was present as well as Isabelline and Northern Wheatear. Steve had actually managed to find a Desert Wheatear in Coral Bay not long ago but was more than happy to be seeing another of these smart scarce migrants in Cyprus. A Cattle Egret in summer plumage sat on one of the signs next to the main road in and there was a little egret patrolling beach. A couple of Common Kingfisher showed well too. We got incredibly close to the Desert Wheatear providing amazing views. On the way out we was treated to a Stone Curlew sitting very close to the car ... quite a few times, a Crested Lark was picking at a caterpillar on the other side of the path.

Desert Wheatear Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

We cut through to Mandria from here, where a female Marsh Harrier awaited us, sitting on the pathway extremely close to the car, having just gone round a bend I didn't notice her until we was right on her and so she flew within seconds. We still got some great lengthy flight views though. We went to the Laughing Dove area and found one fairly quickly, it started laughing too and then flew into someones front drive above an aircon fan where another was. A small party of Spanish Sparrows were in their usual spot providing very close views.
The sand bowl was quite devoid of life which was unusual considering it was teeming with birds just days before. A couple of tawny Pipits flew in quite close but seemed to be the only birds in the area. Behind the Picnic area Steve spotted a Hoopoe in the distance.
Further down and many Wheatears later there was a small group of yellow wagtails in with some white wagtails but were unfortunately flushed by dogs off their leash in a potato field before we could get a clear view. Sadly this is happening more and more with the authorities seemingly becoming very complacent with dogs in wildlife concentrated areas.
Coming out of Mandria we saw quite a few House Martins and Barn Swallow low and also two Marsh Harrier, one young male and one female.

Western Marsh Harrier Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Our next stop was Anarita Park. We stopped at Agia Varvara on the way and were treated to seeing a small group of Corn Bunting next to a Lesser Whitethroat and a stunning male Ruppell's Warbler all in close proximity. Black Francolins were calling here but unfortunately we couldn't locate any. A Ring-tailed Harrier flew over, presumably a Hen Harrier, but very distant.
At Anarita Park we managed to find the 2 Lesser Kestrels, 2 females flying together with one perched briefly on a wire. Another target species, though a tricky one to identify.
Here we managed to see the two Little Owls out on their nesting rock and a third Little Owl on the opposite side of the site. No sign of the Finsch's Wheatear, though we did see Northern, Isabelline and Eastern Black-eared Wheatear. A Female Blue Rock Thrush provided lengthy scoped views as it searched for food and returned to the same rock many times. Under usual circumstances most would be bummed out to be just seeing a drab female, though Steve had only ever seen the males before which worked out quite nicely. There was quite a few Common Swifts above us with a few Alpine Swifts among them and below was a Cyprus Warbler close to the car. In the distance we managed to both spot a male Pallid Harrier hunting over the hills and watched it for quite some time. As we went in for a better view point he started to ascend and then was joined by another, but the other was darker with much more black on the wing tips .... a Male Hen Harrier. Extraordinary to see both species together like that. They both ascended and went their separate ways. A fantastic end to a fantastic half day tour! Managing 54 species in just 4 hours.

Lesser Kestrel Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Northern Wheatear Cyprus Birding Birdwatching tours ecotours birdlife wildlife

Chukar
Black francolin (h)
European shag
Little egret
Cattle egret
Western Marsh harrier
Hen harrier
Pallid harrier
Lesser kestrel
Common kestrel
Eurasian Stone curlew
Spur-winged lapwing
Yellow-legged gull
Common Wood pigeon
Eurasian Collared dove
Laughing dove
Little owl
Alpine swift
Common swift
Eurasian Hoopoe
Common kingfisher
Blue-cheeked bee-eater
Crested lark
Barn swallow
Red-rumped swallow
Common house martin
White wagtail
Yellow wagtail
Tawny pipit
Meadow pipit
Red-throated pipit (flight view + Call)

Song thrush
Zitting cisticola
Cetti's warbler (h)
Common Chiffchaff
Common whitethroat
Lesser whitethroat
Rüppell's warbler
Sardinian warbler
Cyprus warbler
Blue rock thrush
Northern wheatear
Eastern Black-eared wheatear
Desert wheatear
Isabelline wheatear
Great tit
Magpie
Eurasian jackdaw
Hooded crow
Corn bunting
European greenfinch
European goldfinch
House sparrow
Spanish sparrow

54 species

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