Cyprus Bird Watching Tours - BIRD is the WORD - Akrotiri 16/09/2019
European Honey Buzzard juv - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
On the 16th I guided my friend Allen around Akrotiri. Allen has taken multiple tours with over the past few years and chose Autumn to get some raptors and hopefully some more lifers.
As we set out early many Stone Curlew were calling from a field nearby the hotel. We started out at Phassouri where many Bee-eaters and a Great Reed Warbler showed nicely. A few Grey Heron and Glossy Ibis flew over as well as a medium flock of Black-crowned Night Heron that passed us twice. Marsh Harrier were hunting nearby and a small party of Spur-winged Lapwing were not too far off. Sardinian Warbler, Reed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat and a Red-backed Shrike were showing in the bushes and trees. Water Rail and Little Bittern called from the reeds but were unfortunately not seen. A Whiskered tern fed over the pool for quite a few minutes and we also had small groups of White-winged Tern and Turtle Dove flying over a few times as well as European Roller that was flying around and perching a few times.
As we set out early many Stone Curlew were calling from a field nearby the hotel. We started out at Phassouri where many Bee-eaters and a Great Reed Warbler showed nicely. A few Grey Heron and Glossy Ibis flew over as well as a medium flock of Black-crowned Night Heron that passed us twice. Marsh Harrier were hunting nearby and a small party of Spur-winged Lapwing were not too far off. Sardinian Warbler, Reed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat and a Red-backed Shrike were showing in the bushes and trees. Water Rail and Little Bittern called from the reeds but were unfortunately not seen. A Whiskered tern fed over the pool for quite a few minutes and we also had small groups of White-winged Tern and Turtle Dove flying over a few times as well as European Roller that was flying around and perching a few times.
Great Reed Warbler - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
 Whiskered Tern - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved |  Whiskered Tern - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved |
Black-crowned Night heron - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
European Bee-eater - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Our next stop was the Salt Lake where nearly 8000 Greater Flamingos were showing close with Yellow-legged and Slender-billed Gull among them and a small party of Glossy Ibis. Great, Little and Cattle Egret were also on the lake including a large party of Grey Heron as well as Mallard, Garganey and Coot. A Greater-short-toed Lark was scurrying around some meters from us from our view point. Eleonora's Falcon and Marsh Harrier were hunting in the area not too far away.
We then moved on to the Gravel Pits where a Masked Shrike showed briefly as well as many Whinchat. There was many European Honey Buzzards flying over and we even managed to get quite a few on the ground close. We ended up with nearly 200 for the day. We was told that we just missed a Bar-tailed Godwit on one of the pools here. We heard a curlew call in the distance but was unable to see it.
We then moved on to the Gravel Pits where a Masked Shrike showed briefly as well as many Whinchat. There was many European Honey Buzzards flying over and we even managed to get quite a few on the ground close. We ended up with nearly 200 for the day. We was told that we just missed a Bar-tailed Godwit on one of the pools here. We heard a curlew call in the distance but was unable to see it.
European Honey Buzzard Pale Juv - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
European Honey Buzzard - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
European Honey Buzzard - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We then headed back on ourselves to Ladies Mile to get some waders after hearing of a Broad-billed Sandpiper being sighted, we saw Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Little Stint, Kentish Plover, Common and Little Ringed Plover quite close but the bb sand must have moved on. A pair of Tree Pipit flew over here and identified on call.
We then finished up the day at the Phassouri Bee-hives where we had a few Black Kite and Montagu's Harrier (Black Kite being a target for the day), some more Honey Buzzard, most of the hirundines and best of all a pair of Lesser Kestrel and a Short-toed Eagle.
We then finished up the day at the Phassouri Bee-hives where we had a few Black Kite and Montagu's Harrier (Black Kite being a target for the day), some more Honey Buzzard, most of the hirundines and best of all a pair of Lesser Kestrel and a Short-toed Eagle.
Short-toed Snake Eagle - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Montagu's Harrier juv - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
Lesser Kestrel - Cyprus Bird Watching Tours Bird is the Word © Matt Smith All Rights Reserved
We finished up with 79 species for the day.
| Species List: Chukar Partridge Black Francolin Mallard Garganey Greater Flamingo Glossy Ibis (h)Little Bittern Black-crowned Night-heron Cattle Egret Grey Heron Great Egret Little Egret Lesser Kestrel Common Kestrel Eleonora's Falcon Eurasian Hobby European Honey-buzzard Black Kite Short-toed Snake-eagle Western Marsh Harrier Montagu's Harrier Steppe Buzzard (h)Water Rail Common Moorhen Common Coot (h)Eurasian Stone Curlew Spur-winged Lapwing Common Ringed Plover Little Ringed Plover Kentish Plover (h)Eurasian Curlew (h)Common Greenshank Ruddy Turnstone Little Stint Dunlin Curlew Sandpiper Yellow-legged Gull Slender-billed Gull Sandwich Tern | Whiskered Tern White-winged Tern Common Wood-pigeon European Turtle-dove Eurasian Collared-dove Alpine Swift Common Swift Pallid Swift European Roller Common Kingfisher European Bee-eater Eurasian Hoopoe Red-backed Shrike Lesser Grey Shrike Masked Shrike 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 Eurasian Reed-warbler Great Reed-warbler Lesser Whitethroat Sardinian Warbler Spectacled Warbler Whinchat Northern Wheatear House Sparrow Yellow Wagtail (*Flava) Tree Pipit Common Chaffinch European Greenfinch European Goldfinch 79 |
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