For the second day out with Pauline and Michael we decided to concentrate on the area north of Paphos with which Pauline was already familiar. Driving to the Baths of Aphrodite we spotted a Wryneck on a roadside bush but it was frightened off by a speeding pick up driving near us. Walking around the Bath’s of Aphrodite Caravan Park we were treated to a brief glimpse of a Bonelli’s Eagle over the top of the ridge and found a female Subalpine Warbler, two Wood Warbler, many Blackcap and Lesser Whitethroat and a Masked and Woodchat Shrike in the bushes.

Around Smigies and Neo Chorio we found another Woodchat Shrike, more warblers, heard a couple of Common Nightingale and saw Cyprus Wheatear and Serin. A Common Buzzard seemed to be migrating over the area.  Low cloud and a strong wind spoiled our visit to the gorge behind Arodes village and there were no raptors flying but we did find two pairs of Great Spotted Cuckoo and of course many Western Jackdaw breeding on the cliffs.

We headed to Akoursos where we heard several male Cyprus Warbler but had to wait over thirty minutes for one to finally brave the wind and sing out in the open. We finished the day at Kannaviou where we added the endemic sub-species of the Coal Tit to the day’s list and had great views of two Masked Shrike near the car while we had a late afternoon coffee.

The total number of species seen on 24^th March and 7^th April combined was 65 which was pleasing as we did not visit any wetland locations.

Species seen 7^th April – 47

Common Buzzard, Bonelli’s Eagle, Common Kestrel, Chukar, Black Francolin, Yellow-legged Gull, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Common Swift, Eurasian Hoopoe, Eurasian Wryneck, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail – flava and feldegg, White Wagtail, Northern Wheatear, Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, Cyprus Wheatear, Common Nightingale, Cetti’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Subalpine Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Cyprus Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Eurasian Blackcap, Wood Warbler, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Woodchat Shrike, Masked Shrike, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Common Chaffinch, European Serin, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Common Linnet, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Corn Bunting