Birding | Cyprus Birding Tours

September 8, 2014
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Akrotiri this morning, 8th September 2014

Went to Akrotiri for the morning hoping for some raptors – two Marsh Harrier, one juvenile Montagu’s Harrier, another ring-tailed too far away to ID and two Honey Buzzard was not the total I was hoping for – very disappointing.

There were good numbers of Turtle Dove around with some European Bee-eater passing over and several Lesser Grey Shrike and Whinchat. Both Bishop’s Pool and Zakaki Marsh had some interesting waders including Temminck’s and Little Stint, Common Greenshank, Dunlin, Spotted Redshank, Curlew Sandpiper, Common Ringed Plover and Collared Pratincole. At Zakaki there was a White-winged Tern and a Whiskered Tern was in the Gravel Pits area. Still several Little Egret, Glossy Ibis, Black-winged Stilt and Spur-winged Lapwing at Zakaki, where there were also two Common Kingfisher and a couple of Ferruginous Duck. A Great Reed Warbler and Hoopoe were at Phassouri Reed Beds.

Glossy Ibis, Zakaki Marsh 8th September 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

September 3, 2014
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Agia Napa and Larnaca area this morning, 3rd September 2014

Went to Agia Napa Sewage Works and Football Fields and then Oroklini and the Larnaca coast this morning. Really pleased to catch up with the male and female Cinereous Bunting that had been reported at the Agia Napa Sewage Works on Saturday. They don’t usually hang around but these birds are an exception to that. There were also several Ortolan and Cretzshmar’s in the area. I counted thirteen male Red-backed Shrike around there as well as nine females and one juvenile. There were many Willow Warbler and Lesser Whitehthroat and I also saw two Common Whitethroat, an Eastern Orphean Warbler and a couple of Eastern Olivaceous Warbler. European Bee-eater were flying over and there were two Eurasian Hoopoe, seven Spotted Flycatcher and a juvenile Common Cuckoo. All Masked Shrike seen were adult and there I only saw one Lesser Grey Shrike.

At Agia Napa Football Fields though there were at least twenty one Lesser Grey Shrike and just a few female Red-backed Shrike. Six Pallid Swift were flying over and there were also a couple of Whinchat. The water has nearly all gone from Oroklini Marsh but as I approached I saw a Great White Pelican flying over the motorway and it landed in the water as I parked. There were also over forty Spur-winged Lapwing on the mud together with several Common Ringed Plover, a Little Ringed Plover and some Little Stint.

On the fields next to the Larnaca Desalination Plant there was a flock of at least three hundred Yellow Wagtail feeding together with a Whinchat and an Isabelline Wheatear.

Spotted Flycatcher Agia Napa Sewage Works 3rd September 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

August 30, 2014
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Akrotiri area this morning, 30th August 2014

Joined up with the BirdLife Cyprus field trip this morning at Akrotiri Salt Lake. The target species were Demoiselle Crane but there was no sign of these although a group of Greater Flamingo seen flying in the distance raised hopes for a few seconds. A couple of European Roller and a Lesser Grey Shrike were seen while scanning for the cranes. A good collection of birds were at Bishop’s Pool including a Black-tailed Godwit, some Ruff, several Wood and Green Sandpiper, Little Stint, some Yellow Wagtail and at least four Eleonora’s Falcon one of which perched in one of the eucalyptus trees for a while.

A Broad-billed Sandpiper was on Lady’s Mile with several Little Stint, three Common Ringed Plover and many Kentish Plover. A Eurasian Spoonbill was on the muddy mound at Zakaki where there was also a couple of Little Egret, a Squacco and a Purple Heron, a Ferruginous Duck and a Garganey, several Little Stint, a Green Sandpiper, two juvenile Collared Pratincole, some Black-winged Stilt and Spur-winged Lapwing. Several Eurasian Reed Warbler were in the reeds as was a Great Reed Warbler. A Common Kingfisher was fishing in the area.

Broad-billed Sandpiper, Zakaki Marsh 30th August 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Eurasian Spoonbill, Zakaki Marsh, 30th August 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

August 28, 2014
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BirdLife Cyprus autumn raptor count 2014

Can you help BirdLife Cyprus on their 2014 Autumn Raptor count? See the below link for details:

http://www.birdlifecyprus.org/en/news-573-Autumn_raptor_counts.html

August 25, 2014
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Akamas area today, Monday 25th August 2014

Plenty of Lesser Grey Shrike in the Akamas area this morning with several Red-backed Shrike, a Whinchat, Eastern Orphean and Willow Warbler, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Hoopoe, Red-rumped Swallow, Lesser and Common Whitethroat. Off shore at Latchi were several flocks of Purple Heron throughout the day totalling over 200 individuals, a few Grey Heron, three Squacco Heron, seventeen Black-crowned Night Heron, over 200 Garganey and ten Northern Pintail. At Droushia nearly twenty Alpine Swift passed over at midday and at dusk a European Nightjar and two Scops Owls were near Smygies picnic site.

August 23, 2014
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Terns and Shrikes at Larnaca this morning, Saturday 23rd August 2014

Waterbird count time at Larnaca today. Everywhere still very dry so most birds were found at the Sewage Works. Garganey, Northern Shoveler and Eurasian Teal have joined the resident Mallard there and two Gull-billed Tern flew over towards the coast with a Whiskered Tern and two White-winged Tern feeding over the pools. Kentish Plover and Yellow-legged Gull were on Spiros Pool with a Common Kingfisher along the coast and sixteen Yellow Wagtail flying over the fields near the Desalination Plant.

Several Red-backed, Masked and a Lesser Grey Shrike were around the Salt Lake and three Pallid Swift were seen in with a small group of Barn Swallow.

August 10, 2014
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Mixed bag of birds around Larnaca and Pervolia this morning, 10th August 2014

Mixed bag of birds around Larnaca and Pervolia this morning. A Lesser Grey Shrike at Larnaca Airport Pools south; a flock of 16 Greater Flamingo flying over the Sewage Pools with another nine there feeding around the edges; also on the Sewage Pools were two eclipse Garganey, the long-staying Common Shelduck, five Ruff, a Common Sandpiper and a Little Stint. On the rocks of the Airport Coast ignoring the swimmers was a Common Kingfisher and in the fields at Pervolia near Cape Kiti were eight Collared Pratincole.

Greater Flamingo Larnaca Sewage Works 10th August 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

August 9, 2014
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Four species of shrike at Agia Napa Sewage Works this morning, 9th August 2014

An early morning visit to the area around the Agia Napa Sewage Works this morning produced a male and female Red-backed Shrike, a Woodchat and Lesser Grey Shrike and a juvenile Masked Shrike. There were several Eastern Orphean Warbler in the bushes and I was pleased to get a good view of a male out in the open for a few seconds. Other warblers around included a couple of Cyprus Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat and plenty of Eastern Olivaceous Warbler. A larger warbler skulking deep inside an olive tree was probably a juvenile Barred Warbler but wouldn’t cooperate to allow a definite ID.

Another Woodchat Shrike was at the Agia Napa Football Fields as was a Common Cuckoo, two Eurasian Hoopoe and a Common Whitethroat.

August 2, 2014
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Grey Wagtail juvenile at Kalopanagiotis and other birds in the Troodos area, 2nd August 2014

Spent yesterday and today around Kalopanagiotis and Troodos. Plenty of European Serin and Winter Wren heard around the river bed at Kalopanagiotis as well as a couple of male Blackbirds, a Cyprus Wheatear and plenty of Chaffinch. After sunset there were at least fifty House Martin flying over the village.

This morning near the Venetian Bridge at Kalopanagiotis I found a juvenile Grey Wagtail and was pleased to find evidence of breeding again this year. Plenty of Eurasian Jay around the Mount Olympos and Troodos cafes picking up scraps and stale bread. Several male Masked Shrike and adult Cyprus Wheatear were still in the area as well as two Common Swift flying over. Plenty of Coal Tit and Short-toed Treecreeper were heard but only a few were seen. At Moutoullas there were around six Red-rumped Swallow and a Eurasian Crag Martin as well as more House Martin and plenty of Barn Swallow.

July 24, 2014
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Spur-winged Lapwing chicks at Oroklini Marsh, July 2014

Three Spur-winged Lapwing chicks have be seen in front of the observation platform at Oroklini since early July. The parents are very protective and are always close by. They even chase away Little Stint and Little Ringed Plovers to ensure the youngsters can feed safely. So far all three have survived. Not the greatest photos I know but its good to record their progress