Today was the second morning out with Mike and Nancy and meant visits to Anarita Park, Agia Varvara and Minthis Hills. A quieter morning than that of last Thursday but with some excellent species seen. At Anarita Park we found two Great Spotted Cuckoo on the track in front of us as we drove in and later saw another pair and heard one more. There were at least five European Roller and more than ten Lesser Kestrel flying and feeding in the area. Three, maybe four, Red-footed Falcon headed north over the goat farm as did a female Montagu’s Harrier. We also had good views of a Little Owl, Red-rumped Swallow, two Spotted Flycatcher, a Woodchat Shrike and a Eurasian Hoopoe and spent some time watching a male Cyprus Wheatear singing. The area was full of Corn Bunting as well as several Ortolan Bunting and Whinchat.

At Agia Varvara we found another female Montagu’s Harrier migrating over and were able to compare a female with a male Cyprus Wheatear. Two Long-legged Buzzard flew to the north of Minthis Hills where we finished our morning out. Two singing male Cretzschmar’s Bunting brought the species total for the morning to thirty seven and that for our two mornings out to fifty seven. Quality rather than quantity!

Total species seen: 37

Little Egret, Montagu’s Harrier, Long-legged Buzzard, Lesser Kestrel, Common Kestrel, Red-footed Falcon, Chukar h, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Little Owl, Common Swift, European Roller, Eurasian Hoopoe, Crested Lark, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Whinchat, Cyprus Wheatear, Cetti’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Sardinian Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Spotted Flycatcher, Great Tit, Woodchat Shrike, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Common Linnet, Ortolan Bunting, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Corn Bunting