There were several Western Marsh Harrier and Common Buzzard at Phassouri Reed Beds this morning together with at least twenty Water Pipit and a possible pair of Penduline Tit seen briefly in the reeds. There were two Common Snipe but no sign of the Great Snipe reported there earlier this week. On Akrotiri Gravel Pits there was a Reed Bunting, four Common Shelduck and twenty Golden Plover as well as more Marsh Harrier and another Common Buzzard.

At Bishop’s Pool there were at least four Ferruginous Duck, two Common Shelduck, a female Common Pochard, two female Northern Pintail as well as at least two Northern Shoveler and several Mallard and Common Teal.  There seemed to be even more Greater Flamingo on the Salt Lake than I saw last week – maybe up to 10,000 as well as many Common Shelduck. Only a small number of gulls at Lady’s Mile – twenty Armenian Gull (adults and juvenile) and around 50 Common Black-headed Gull.

At the Finikaria end of Germasogeia Dam there were many Chiffchaff in the reeds as well as a couple of Cetti’s coming out of the reeds to feed on the mud and also the bird of the morning – a Moustached Warbler – which kept low down at the base of the reeds but was visible during most of the time spent there. A Long-legged Buzzard was perched on a grassy slope nearby and the area was full of small passerines including Meadow Pipit, Stonechat, Chaffinch, Robin, Serin, Linnet as well as a Song Thrush and a couple of Blackbird.