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March 15, 2014
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Cyprus Birding Tours Trip Report – Day’s Guiding Kouklia and Limassol 14th March 2014

Out with Harry and Jacky again who were over here for their annual spring visit. As usual they wanted to visit new locations and were especially keen to see birds of prey. We went to Kouklia Soakaways where we found Long-legged and Common Buzzard and a Eurasian Sparrowhawk. On to Germasogeia Dam where the highlights were a ring tail Hen Harrier, a singing male Cyprus Warbler and on the water a drake Northern Pintail together with two male and a female Garganey.

Around the Akrotiri Peninsula we visited Phassouri Reed Beds and the Gravel Pits. We saw the juvenile Bonelli’s Eagle that has been in the area most of the winter, several Western Marsh Harrier, another Hen Harrier and a couple of Common Buzzard. We also had Water Pipit, Black-headed Wagtail, Ruff, Eurasian Curlew, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Blue Rock Thrush and best of all were treated to a singing Subalpine Warbler at the church.

We ended an enjoyable day at Kensington Cliffs where we watched several Alpine Swift and heard another Cyprus Warbler.

Sixty one species –

Little Grebe, Great Cormorant, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Eurasian Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Garganey, Western Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Long-legged Buzzard, Bonelli’s Eagle, Common Kestrel, Chukar, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Ruff, Eurasian Curlew, Green Sandpiper, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared, Rock Dove, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Common Swift, Alpine Swift, Crested Lark, Eurasian Skylark, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Water Pipit, Black-headed Wagtail, White Wagtail, European Robin, Western Black Redstart, Common Stonechat, Isabelline Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Song Thrush, Cetti’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Sedge Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Cyprus Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Great Tit, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Common Chaffinch, European Serin, European Goldfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet

March 13, 2014
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Waterbird count around Larnaca 13th March 2014

Another rainy day although I managed to get the waterbird count done without getting wet. The numbers of Northern Shoveler, Teal, Mallard, Little Grebe and Coot were much lower with just over three hundred Shoveler and less than a hundred each of the others. There were no gulls on the Sewage Pools but there was a male Garganey, a male Northern Pintail, two Ferruginous Duck and a single Black-necked Grebe in breeding plumage. Eight Spur-winged Lapwing were around the edge and two were mating. The best birds at the Sewage Works though were not on the water – a male Subalpine Warbler and a Common Whitethroat were in the bushes in front of the hide together with some singing male Spectacled Warbler and several Red-throated Pipit flying around.

After a tip off from another birder I checked the Desalination fields for four Whimbrel he had seen there. I located them along the coast near the airport perimeter fence but they flew off eastwards as a patrol car drove close to them. A female Northern Wheatear was looking very bedraggled and several Kentish Plover were on the beach.

A surprise awaited me on the main Salt Lake – there were just under a thousand Greater Flamingo present – in February I had found just 69. There are still around 200 Common Shelduck present and over seven hundred Common Black-headed Gull were on the water. Also on the water were over 250 Slender-billed Gull – nearly all adults with a pinkish tinge and looking very smart. On the east side of the lake there was a Heuglin’s Gull as well as tens of Dunlin, Kentish Plover and Little Stint feeding on the mud. In the reeds I saw at least four Reed Bunting and the same number of Reed Warbler. As the clouds got lower and darker many Common Swift, Barn Swallow and House Martin flew into the area together with at least ten Red-rumped Swallow.

After the rain cleared I went to Kiti Dam which also had a good number of Swifts and Swallows as well as two Green Sandpiper. But again it was a warbler that was the best bird. There was an Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler calling from the trees and it took me some time to finally see it. One of my favourite birds!

Greater Flamingo Larnaca Salt Lake March 13th 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

March 11, 2014
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Cyprus Birding Tours Trip Report – Morning’s guiding around Akrotiri 11th March 2014

Spent this morning around Akrotiri with Lesley who was on holiday in Cyprus. We managed to avoid the heaviest of the showers by being in the car at the time and still saw a varied collection of birds in a few hours.

Our first stop was Phassouri Reed Beds where at least two Western Marsh Harrier and a Common Buzzard were quartering the reeds. Many Common Swift and Barn Swallow were flying over the area with a few House Martin and Sand Martin in with them. A couple of Ruff flew into the area and there were Meadow and Water Pipit feeding in the wet grass together with a single Black-headed Wagtail. Several Cattle Egret and a Little Egret were present and we heard Little Grebe and Common Coot from deep in the reeds. A couple of Mallard and a Northern Shoveler flew over. After seeing some movement in the reeds we finally located a Moustached Warbler although just for brief views.

Crossing Akrotiri Gravel Pits we spotted a male Blue Rock Thrush perched on a low tree and when we got out of the car to get better views two Great Spotted Cuckoo flew off. We managed to relocate one of them only for it to fly away again. A Eurasian Hoopoe was also present as were a couple of Isabelline Wheatear. A male Sardinian Warbler flew to the top of a bush and later near the Church we were able to compare him with a male Cyprus Warbler we found there. In that area after a shower there were also many Meadow Pipit together with many Serin and Goldfinch and a female Black Redstart. Seven Grey Heron were migrating over the area.

At Lady’s Mile the wind got up and the sky dark again but we managed to see good numbers of Kentish Plover there as well as some Dunlin and Little Stint which were still mainly in winter plumage. There were no gulls around although we also saw a Common Ringed Plover. A quick scan of Zakaki produced another Little Egret and a Water Pipit.

To finish the morning we checked the Limassol Port channel and had much better views of a Moustached Warbler there creeping low down in the reeds. We also added a Grey Wagtail to our list.

Species seen (55) –

Little Grebe, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Western Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Coot, Common Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Little Stint, Dunlin, Ruff, Rock Dove, Common Woodpigeon, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Common Swift, Eurasian Hoopoe, Greater Short-toed Lark, Crested Lark, Eurasian Skylark, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Sand Martin, Meadow Pipit, Water Pipit, Black-headed Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, European Robin, Western Black Redstart, Common Stonechat, Isabelline Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Song Thrush, Cetti’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Moustached Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Sardinian Warbler, Cyprus Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Chiffchaff, Great Tit, Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Common Chaffinch, European Serin, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Common Linnet

March 10, 2014
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More early migrants at Cape Greco this morning 10th March 2014

At Cape Greco again for the raptor count. A familiar spring sound as I parked my car was a singing male Cyprus Wheatear. As the morning went on the wind became stronger and again there were no large raptors around. The resident Common Kestrel chased off a Peregrine Falcon and a flock of 70 Common Shelduck flew from the east and headed north east around the cape. There was a Lesser Whitethroat in the bushes around the view point and two Red-rumped Swallow flew in off the sea.

A drive around the area later produced two Woodchat Shrike, a male Masked Shrike, three Northern Wheatear, at least six Isabelline Wheatear , a European Robin, two male Blue Rock Thrush and four Tawny Pipit.

A quick stop at Oroklini, where another Peregrine Falcon was seen. This time he was doing the chasing, although the Barn Swallows quickly got out of his way. On the water there were two male and a female Red-crested Pochard, a male Northern Pintail and plenty of Northern Shoveler, Black-headed Gull, several Common Teal and lots of Common Coot. Eleven Greataer Flamingo and the same number of Black-winged Stilt were there, as was a single Water Pipit and the Black-tailed Godwit that has been present since last week.

March 8, 2014
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Desert Wheatears, Paphos area 7th March 2014

Found two male Desert Wheatears in the Paphos area yesterday. One was at Mandria and had been present for a few days. The other was at Paphos Headland.

Desert Wheatear Paphos Headland 7th March 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Desert Wheatear Mandria, 7th March 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

March 5, 2014
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Some early spring migrants seen over the last two days, 4th & 5th March 2014

Was really pleased to find a male Desert Wheatear at Petounta yesterday afternoon. Others had been seen at Paphos Headland and Akrotiri Gravel Pits over the last few days. There was also a single Greater Short-toed Lark there as well as two Isabelline Wheatear, four Little Ringed Plover, two Water Pipit, a Hoopoe and a male Black-headed Wagtail. Earlier, near the Desalination Plant at Larnaca there were four Hoopoe feeding together and on Spiros Pool there were two Greater Sand Plover and more than twenty Ruff. Three Sandwich Tern were fishing offshore and a Calandra Lark was in display flight.

Today I was at Cape Greco for my first raptor survey of the spring. No migrating raptors to count but the local Common Kestrel pair were very active and the House Sparrows around the shelter on the top of the view point were happily mating and ignoring me. If it hadn’t been for some migrating Black-headed Gulls and Great Cormorant I could have thought it was a waste of a morning.

Luckily I decided to drive around the area when I finished and was then really pleased to see a male Ruppell’s Warbler and locate a calling Cretzschmar’s Bunting that looked as if it had just come in off the sea. There was a dark-throated female Finsch’s Wheatear nearby and three Greater Short-toed Lark. Plenty of Isabelline Wheatear as well and a single male Northern Wheatear. Another warbler disappearing into a bush could have been a Subalpine Warbler but I didn’t get a good enough view to be certain. I later heard that one had been seen at Mandria today.

On Oroklini Beach on the way home there were two Mediterreanean Gull, three Sandwich Tern and an adult Armenian Gull in with the Black-headed Gull. No Little Gull on the Marsh but there was a Black-tailed Godwit, a Common Redshank, some Spur-winged Lapwing and three Black-winged Stilt.

Cretzschmar’s Bunting Cape Greco 5th March 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Desert Wheatear Petounta 4th March 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

March 3, 2014
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Petounta Point this morning 3rd March 2014

A quick visit to Petounta Point this morning before the Bank Holiday picnickers descended on the area. Migrants seen were two Hoopoe, a male Northern Wheatear, an Isabelline Wheatear, four Green Sandpiper, two Little Ringed Plover, two male Black-headed Wagtail and a male Blue-headed Wagtail. There is still a Reed Bunting in the area as well as plenty of Meadow Pipit, at least four Common Snipe, a Water Rail, up to three calling Black Francolin, overwintering Chaffinch and two Eurasian Skylark. A small group of migrating gulls offshore turned out to be Common Black-headed Gull.

Black-headed Wagtail Petounta 3rd March 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Little Ringed Plover Petounta 3rd March 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Northern Wheatear Petounta 3rd March 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

March 2, 2014
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Early morning around Larnaca Sewage Works area, 2nd March 2014

Some evidence of migration this morning around the coastal area south of Larnaca airport. There were two Black-winged Stilt on Meneou Pool together with three juvenile Greater Flamingo and two Isabelline Wheatear in the scrub. In front of the Sewage Works hide there was a small flock of around twenty Red-throated Pipit – some of them in breeding plumage and sporting red throats. On Spiros Pool there was a flock of over forty Ruff feeding with around twenty Golden Plover. There were also a few Kentish Plover, Dunlin and Little Stint.

A small group of eleven Great Cormorant flew east along the coast at Spiros Beach but a much larger one of over 100 flew over the fields south of Pervolia village while I was looking for the Steppe Grey Shrike. It had last been seen on Wednesday in one of the many fields of artichokes there. I had no luck finding it today but did find a ploughed field which had many Eurasian Skylark, at least one Calandra Lark, three Isabelline Wheatear, a male Northern Wheatear and a male dark throated Eastern Black-eared Wheatear.

Black Francolin Larnaca Sewage Works 2nd March 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Ruff and Golden Plover Spiros Pool 2nd March 2014. (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

March 1, 2014
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Isabelline Wheatear, Petounta Point, Larnaca 1st March 2014

Isabelline Wheatear Petounta Point 1st March 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

The Isabelline Wheatear is very common on passage through Cyprus during both the spring and autumn. It is usually the first wheatear to be seen and among the first migrants of the year. Also seen on migration are the Northern Wheatear, Eastern Black-eared Wheatear and Desert Wheatear. The Cyprus Wheatear is an endemic migrant breeder. Finsch’s Wheatear are localised winter visitors between October and March with a few occuring on passage. Hooded, Mourning, Kurdish, Pied and White-crowned have occured as vagrants.

February 28, 2014
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Paralimni area and Oroklini Beach today, 28th February 2014

Started at Kermia Beach this morning where I found a Little Egret, two adult Audouin’s Gull, a Grey Plover, a Kentish Plover and a Greater Sand Plover. Around Cape Greco there were four Isabelline Wheatear, four Blue Rock Thrush, including a singing male, and a female Finsch’s Wheatear – which I was especially pleased to find as it had eluded me on other visits this winter. At Agia Trias there was a Common Sandpiper, a Common Kingfisher and two more Grey Plover but no sign of the Red-breasted Merganser that were there last week.

On Oroklini Beach in the late afternoon there were around twenty Armenian Gull, hundreds of Common Black-headed Gull, a single Mediteranean Gull and five Sandwich Tern. I had been hoping to find a Little Gull there so I was pleased to see that there was one on Oroklini Marsh along with many Cattle Egret, Northern Shoveler, Common Teal, Cattle Egret, Barn Swallow and a few Greater Flamingo.

Audouin’s Gull Kermia Beach February 28th 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

February 26, 2014
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Akrotiri and Amathus today, 26th February 2014

My planned visit to Akrotiri today luckily coincided with the discovery yesterday of a Cream-coloured Courser at Akrotiri Gravel Pits. Fortunately it was easy to find and as well as seeing that I got my first Isabelline Wheatears (six in total) and Great Spotted Cuckoo of the year. On the coast there were two Eurasian Curlew and in the reeds at Phassouri I found a ReedBunting. There were at least three Western Marsh Harrier and three Common Buzzard in the area. Several Barn Swallows and House Martin were flying around and before I arrived another birder had seen a group of around fifty Common Swift pass over.

I later found one of the Laughing Doves that are now breeding in a residential area of Limassol. They are probably escapes but are well established in the area. Afterwards I went to Amathus where I found another Isabelline Wheatear, five Black Redstart, sixty Spanish Sparrow, over thirty Common Linnet, several Song Thrush and a female Blackbird, two male Cyprus Warbler, a couple of Chukar and more than twelve Corn Bunting.