Birding | Cyprus Birding Tours

May 21, 2014
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Agios Sozomenos, Nicosia this morning, 21st May 2014

Western Jackdaw Agios Sozomenos May 21st 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

One of the many Western Jackdaw breeding on the cliffs at Agios Sozomenos outside Nicosia.

In the area I also saw three European Roller, a Peregrine Falcon, a Little Owl and heard a Hoopoe calling and severalEastern Olivaceous Warbler singing. Near the Vathi Gonia Water Treatment Plant there were a couple of Eurasian Reed Warbler as well as a Common Greenshank and several Little Stint around the pool. A surprise spot was a Barn Owl peering out from one of the many holes in the cliffs there. There were many Barn Swallows on the wires including a good number of fledglings.

May 10, 2014
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Cattle Egret – another breeding species for Oroklini Marsh

Thanks to all the work being done under the Life+ Project, Oroklini Marsh has become the first area in Cyprus that can be classed as a ‘nature reserve’ on a par with others in Europe. It was good therefore to see a new bird added to their list of breeders when I visited there this morning.

There are at least four Cattle Egret nests in some of the tamarisk bushes in the Lake area. Cattle Egret are added to the site’s breeding Spur-winged Lapwing, Black-winged Stilt and Red-crested Pochard as well as the commoner Little Grebe, Coot, Mallard and Moorhen. Cetti’s Warbler and Reed Warbler could be heard in the reeds so I imagine they are also nesting there. Two Little Tern were flying around so maybe they will try out the newly constructed shingle ‘islands’ in the drier area of the Marsh.

May 10, 2014
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Morning around Larnaca, 10th May 2014

Finally a sunny morning! Went out around Larnaca and the highlights were:

Pervolia – Calandra Lark 6+, Black-headed Bunting 1 male singing, Glossy Ibis 17 flying over migrating eastwards

Petounta area – Greater Short-toed Lark 2, Turtle Dove 1, Wood Sandpiper 1

Kivisilli Fields – Pallid Harrier 2f, Lesser Kestrel 3, Red-footed Falcon 3, European Roller 2 being chased by a Magpie

Oroklini Marsh – Little Tern 2, Cattle Egret 8, Spotted Flycatcher 1, Spur-winged Lapwing 3, Black-winged Stilt 10+

Spiros Pool – Collared Pratincole 4, European Roller 2

Black-headed Bunting Perivolia May 10th 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Roller Spiros Pool May 10th 2014 ( c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Wood Sandpiper, Petounta May 10th 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Red-footed Falcon Kivisilli May 10th 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

May 9, 2014
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Perivolia Fields, near Larnaca this evening 9th May 2014

Decided to visit Perivolia fields this evening to see what was around. No rarities as with the Steppe Grey Shrike earlier this year although there was a male Red-backed Shrike perched on the same bush I had seen it on. In the fields towards the village the sound of singing Calandra Lark was dominant. I saw at least eight either in display flight or chasing over the potato plants but there must have been more in among the crops. I was surprised to also hear a Black-headed Bunting and found a male singing from the top of an artichoke seed head. Not a usual site for them so am guessing it could be passing through.

There were many Barn Swallow as well as at least 12 Black-headed Wagtail and three Whinchat. As I returned to the car twenty European Bee-eater passed overhead.

May 7, 2014
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Larnaca Sewage Works area today 7th May 2014

A big clearout of all the passerines from last night – not even a Spotted Flycatcher around. Just one Whinchat. There were several Turtle Doves and I heard European Bee-eaters passing over. A Marsh Harrier was putting the House Sparrows up from the surrounding fields.

On the Sewage Pools there were over 80 Ruff, some Little Stint, a Common Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper and Common Sandpiper. More interesting were a single Ruddy Turnstone, two Ferruginous Duck, a male Garganey, a male Northern Shoveler and a Common Shelduck. A Little Tern was fishing offshore.

May 6, 2014
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Grounded migrants this afternoon at Larnaca, 6th May 2014

A quick drive around Larnaca Sewage Works area once the rain stopped this afternoon. Lovely male Red-backed Shrike and Woodchat Shrike, nearly twenty Spotted Flycatcher, two female Northern Wheatear, one male and two female Common Redstart, three Common Redstart, two Turtle Dove, three Whinchat, a Black-crowned Night Heron, many Common Ringed Plover and Little Stint, and five Common Sandpiper on the beach.

May 4, 2014
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Birds seen on Tsakistra/Kampos road today 4th May 2014

Spent nearly five hours taking part in the BirdLife Cyprus Forest survey this morning along the road from Gerakies to Selladi tou Marouliou via Tsakistra and Kampos. Lovely scenery and weather and some good forest birds including Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Cyprus Wheatear, Masked Shrike, Common Nightingale, Eurasian Scops Owl, Red-rumped Swallow, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Winter Wren, European Jay, Woodlark, Coal Tit, Serin and lots of European Chaffinch. A surprise find was a male Black-headed Bunting at the site of my first point count.

View outside Kampos 4th May 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

April 30, 2014
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Akrotiri Salt Lake this afternoon, 30th April 2014

Visited the eastern edge of Akrotiri Salt Lake this afternoon – my first visit there this spring. Although the run-off from Zakaki Marsh is dry there is still water in the Salt Lake. I found at least eighty Greater Flamingo, two Eurasian Spoonbill, four Black-winged Stilt, thirty Common Shelduck, thirty two Gull-billed Tern, eleven Little Tern and several Ruff, Little Stint and Kentish Plover.

Before leaving Limassol I revisited both Akrotiri Gravel Pits and Zakaki Marsh where I had been in the morning. Of interest in the afternoon were a female Semi-collared Flycatcher in the Agios Georgios Church, a European Roller at Akrotiri Gravel Pits and a Temminck’s Stint at Zakaki.

Greater Flamingo and a Eurasian Spoonbill Akrotiri Salt Lake 30th April 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

April 28, 2014
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Larnaca Salt Lake area today, Monday 28th April 2014

Spent the morning doing survey work in the Larnaca area. Migrating waders were thin on the ground for the time of year but wherever there was some remaining water there were Ruff, Little Stint, Dunlin and Wood Sandpiper. There were several Kentish Plover on Meneou Pool and one pair had two small chicks. Black-winged Stilt were only on the Sewage Works Pools which also had a pair of Garganey as well as the resident Mallard, Little Grebe and Coot.

A flock of Little Egret with one Cattle Egret among them flew along the coast at Spiros Pool and there were six Sguacco Heron on the beach. Two Common Tern flew over and a Little Tern was fishing offshore. On the north shore of the main Salt Lake, there was a Spotted Crake and many singing Reed Warbler.

A couple of Eastern Olivaceous Warbler were heard during the morning and other birds of interest included a male Northern Wheatear, several male Black-headed Wagtail, a male Common Redstart, two Woodchat Shrike and a male Red-backed Shrike. Two Great Spotted Cuckoo and a couple of Turtle Dove were in the Meneou area and some European Bee-eater were heard passing over there. Other Bee-eaters were seen at Kiti Dam and Cape Kiti. A couple of Spotted Flycatcher and a female Collared Flycatcher were also at Kiti Dam.

April 23, 2014
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More coastal migration this morning 23rd April 2014

Saw several flocks of Purple Heron, Little Egret and Glossy Ibis this morning at both Spiros Pool and Petounta Point. A Great Reed Warbler was at Petounta flying between the stands of reeds and a couple of Tawny Pipit were present. Another Great Reed Warbler was near the Alaminos Fishing Shelter. Behind Alaminos I found many singing male Cyprus Warbler as well as two pairs of European Roller near to a cliff suitable for nesting. Two pairs of Great Spotted Cuckoo were also in the area. A ringtail Montagu’s Harrier was at Kivisilli fields and at least eleven Lesser Kestrel were over the fields.

April 22, 2014
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Rose-coloured Starling and other migrants at Cape Greco today, 22nd April 2014

Finally saw an adult Rose-coloured Starling when one was found this morning roosting inside the unfinished Environment Centre at Cape Greco. Luckily it was still there when I finished the Raptor Count in the area at midday, although it took some finding looking through the fence and the girders there. It had been one of my Cyprus targets for 2014!

Several flocks of Little Egret totalling 110 were migrating around Cape Greco this morning as were 23 Slender-billed Gull. Three flocks of at least 350 Spanish Sparrow passed over the area as well between 8.30 and 12.30. I was in the area to do the Raptor Count but the only raptor I saw was a European Hobby and of course the local Common Kestrel.

Birdwatching afterwards around Cape Greco produced Ortolan Bunting, Turtle Dove, Common Redstart, Northern Wheatear, Spotted, Pied and Collared Flycatcher, Common Whitethroat, European Bee-eater, Willow Warbler and Woodchat and Masked Shrike. And of course the Rose-coloured Starling!

A male Montagu’s Harrier was the only bird of note at Sotira Pools and a couple of Garganey and more than twenty Little Egret were at Oroklini.

Ortolan Bunting Cape Greco 22nd April 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Little Egret migrating Cape Greco 22nd April 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Cyprus Wheatear, Cape Greco 22nd April 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

April 19, 2014
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Birding around a rainy Larnaca 19th April 2014

Rainy weather in Larnaca but still managed to see a few interesting birds today. Plenty of Ruff on the Salt Lake as well as at least one pair of Spur-winged Lapwing near the old airport and possibly another on the roundabout nearby. There has been a big clear out of birds on the Sewage Pools although there are still a couple of Northern Shoveler there. Three Little Tern were flying around and five migrating Black-headed Gull were present together with twelve Squacco Heron and several Black-winged Stilt.

Ten more Black-winged Stilt flew in off the sea onto the nearby beach. Four Turtle Dove were on Spiros Pool as were two Whinchat and a Spotted Flycatcher. Nine Black-crowned Night Heron were flying over Petounta when I got there and on the rocky plateau were at least seven Whinchat and three female Black-eared Wheatear.

At Kivisilli there were at least sixteen Whinchat in an olive grove. Two Turtle Dove were also in the area. By the time I arrived it was raining hard but there were still up to six Lesser Kestrel feeding over the fields. More Kestrels were in the distance but it was impossible to see if they were Common or Lesser. Two female Red-footed Falcon were looking very bedraggled on the electricity lines. The bird of the morning though was a female Montagu’s Harrier that I found perched on a pile of soil and then watched as she caught and ate a grasshopper.

Spur-winged Lapwing Larnaca 19th April 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Montagu’s Harrier Kivisilli Fields April 19th 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

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