Spent the Monday and Tuesday around the Paphos area with Steve who wanted especially to see Cyprus Wheatear and Black Francolin – both of which would be lifers. Cyprus Wheatear was easy but Black Francolin was harder at this time of year. We caught up with one outside Polemi this morning when a male was both seen and heard.

Altogether we saw a total of forty six species with highlights of at least 7 Eleonora’s Falcon including a dark morph; Alpine Swift flying over our heads at Petra tou Romiou; a male and female Black-headed Bunting; plenty of Roller and Masked Shrike; a couple of Cretzschmar’s Bunting and Red-rumped Swallow; around 20 Corn Bunting most of which were juvenile; a couple of Coal Tit (endemic sub-species) at Kannaviou.

Total species seen and heard – 46

Black-crowned Night Heron, Squacco Heron, Cattle Egret, Grey Heron, Common Kestrel, Eleonora’s Falcon, Chukar, Black Francolin, Green Sandpiper, Spur-winged Lapwing, Yellow-legged Gull, Rock Dove, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Eurasian Turtle Dove, Little Owl, Common Swift, Alpine Swift, European Bee-eater, European Roller, Eurasian Hoopoe, Crested Lark, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Common House Martin, Cyprus Wheatear, Cetti’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Spectacled Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Cyprus Warbler, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Masked Shrike, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Common Linnet, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Black-headed Bunting, Corn Bunting.