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September 10th, 2019

10/9/2019

 

Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Akrotiri 09/09/2019

Picture
Demoiselle Crane - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 9th I guided Dennis around Akrotiri.
We started out at the entrance to Phassouri tower hide where Bee-eaters were flying over-head and Lesser Whitethroat were showing in the bushes. A Wood Sandpiper called from a distance. 
On the Salt Lake we managed to find an adult Demoiselle Crane at the waters edge and got fantastic views of that. A probable Pallid Harrier was a little way away but spooked as we tried to get in closer to get an accurate ID. We also flushed a few Greater Short-toed Lark here, saw a Hoopoe and heard a Sectacled Warbler nearby.
We then headed round to the run-off. The Curlew wasn't in sight but the Flamingo's were there as usual and the small party of Glossy Ibis. In the distance there was a big line of Grey Heron and a giant mixed flock of little and cattle Egret with a small party of Black-winged Stilt. There was a few Mallard and Garganey on the water as well as a small party of coot. Yellow Wagtail were flitting around and we had a fly-over Montagu's Harrier and many Marsh Harrier.
Next we continued around to ladies mile, seeing a female Black-francolin en-route (A target species). There was plenty of Lesser Grey Shrike here and one had even caught a Scorpion.
Picture
Lesser Grey Shrike + Cyprus Scorpion - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
A few Red-backed Shrike were also knocking about here as well as a few Northern Wheatear. On the small puddles of water we got Common Ringed Plover and Little Stint, but the majority of birds here were Kentish Plover aside two young Black-winged Stilt and a single Glossy Ibis very close. We heard a Common Kingfisher call out near zakaki though we did not see it.
A quick drive around the Gravel Pits produced a Tawny Pipit, a few Whinchat, many European Rollers and a few Turtle Doves in flight.
Picture
Tawny PIpit - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We checked Phassouri and found another female Black Francolin, there wasn't much infront of the hide due to the reeds being vastly overgrown, though we ventured around the side to get a view of the scrape where a pair of Little Ringed Plovers and a Greenshank were, and also 3 Spur-winged Lapwing and a Spotted Flycatcher a bit further down.  
Our next stop was Bishop's Pool and at the entrance we saw a kettle of around 80 Honey Buzzards, mostly adults not too high up.
Picture
European Honey Buzzard - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We stopped to have our lunch at Bishop's Pool and the only other birds of note here was a Purple Heron, Green Sandpiper Calling out and a White-winged Tern. Cetti's and Willow Warbler called from the trees and another Montagu's Harrrier flew over as well as some more Honey Buzzard and Marsh Harrier. I got a txt about 20 Spoonbill just arriving on the salt lake, but Dennis wasn't too fussed to see them and so we ventured to Kensington Cliffs. We got great views of Eleonora's Falcon here, mostly in flight but some perching on the cliffs and trees. We also saw 3 Griffon Vultures, though they did not fly in close.
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Eleonora's Falcon - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the drive back a Long-legged Buzzard was low over the motorway and that brought our total to 69 Species.
Species List:

Black Francolin    
Mallard    
Garganey   
Little Grebe
Greater Flamingo
Glossy Ibis
Cattle Egret
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Little Egret
European Shag  
Common Kestrel   
Eleonora's Falcon  
European Honey-buzzard
Griffon Vulture
Western Marsh Harrier  
(prob)Pallid Harrier
Montagu's Harrier  
Long-legged Buzzard     
(h)Water Rail
Common Moorhen  
Common Coot
Demoiselle Crane    
Black-winged Stilt 
Spur-winged Lapwing
Common Ringed Plover 
Little Ringed Plover
Kentish Plover    
Common Greenshank 
(h)Green Sandpiper 
(h)Wood Sandpiper 
Little Stint 
Yellow-legged Gull 
Slender-billed Gull 
White-winged Tern
Rock Dove 
Common Wood-pigeon   
European Turtle-dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
European Roller   
(h)Common Kingfisher
European Bee-eater   
Eurasian Hoopoe 
Red-backed Shrike 

Lesser Grey Shrike
Eurasian Magpie    
Eurasian Jackdaw   
Hooded Crow
Great Tit
Greater Short-toed Lark
Crested Lark  
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow 
Zitting Cisticola  
(h)Cetti's Warbler
Eurasian Reed-warbler
(h)Willow Warbler 
Lesser Whitethroat 
Sardinian Warbler
(h)Spectacled Warbler  
Whinchat
Northern Wheatear 
Spotted Flycatcher
House Sparrow 
Yellow Wagtail (*Flava)   
Black-headed Wagtail 
Tawny Pipit  
European Greenfinch    
European Goldfinch

69

Large Whipsnake
Schreiber's Fringe-fingered Lizard

African Grass Blue
Painted Lady

Tiger Beetle

Blue Emperor
Lesser Emperor
Slender Skimmer
Wandering Glider
Red-veined Darter
Violet Dropwing

Cyprus Scorpion

Sea Daffodil

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    - no teleconverter.

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    (older: Canon sx50 HS)


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