Out doing a Roller survey at Panagia Stazousa this morning when I noticed this juvenile Little Owl watching me.
Juvenile Little Owl, Panagia Stazousa 14th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Juvenile Little Owl, 14th May 2018
Paphos and Akamas 10th and 11th May 2018
Enjoyed some good birding the last two days with plenty of European Bee-eaters as well as European Roller, Red-footed Falcon, Red-rumped Swallow (see photo), Cyprus Wheatear, Black-headed and Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Garden Warbler, European Golden Oriole, Spotted Flycatcher, European Turtle Dove, Long-legged Buzzard, Eurasian Hobby, Eleonora’s and Peregrine Falcon and Alpine Swift.
European Bee-eater, Arodes 11th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Red-rumped Swallow, Nata 10th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Akrotiri, 7th May 2018
Still some migrating waders around today with two Ruddy Turnstone and six Broad-billed Sandpipers the highlights. Plenty of Ruff, Little Stint, Wood Sandpiper, Common Ringed Plover and Black-winged Stilt. Also two Black-tailed Godwit and Marsh Sandpiper and a few Little Ringed Plover, a Curlew Sandpiper and a Common Greenshank. Still a large flock of Little Tern on Lady’s Mile so hopefully they will stay to breed. I also found two Woodchat Shrike and four Red-backed Shrike with a Black-eared Wheatear, a Whinchat, a female Common Redstart and several Spotted Flycatcher.
Little Ringed Plover, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Ringed Plover, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Ruddy Turnstone, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Female Red-backed Shrike, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Montagu’s Harrier, Larnaca 30th April 2018
One of four male Montagu’s Harrier over Kivisli fields this morning. Also present was a female Montagu’s and two Western Marsh Harrier.
Montagu’s Harrier, Kivisili 30th April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Akrotiri 28th April 2018
A very enjoyable day birding around Akrotiri even if I got a later start than intended. Highlight was definitely finding a female Semi-collared Flycatcher as I was checking the ID’s of several females near Bishop’s Pool – also a female Collared Flycatcher which was actually my first Collared for the year. In that area there were also Pied and Spotted Flycatcher, Wood Warbler, Blackcap and several beautiful male European Golden Oriole. Plenty of Woodchat Shrike around with a few Red-backed as well. A large group of more than twenty Little Tern were on Lady’s Mile in the morning as were nine Collared Pratincole and many Marsh Sandpiper and Common Greenshank (see photos).
Late in the afternoon I visited the eastern shore of the Salt Lake and the Zakaki run off. There I saw more than ten Temminck’s Stint, ten Black-tailed Godwit, a few Curlew Sandpiper, fishing Little Tern, feeding White-winged and Whiskered Tern and best of all – a resting flock of around 300 Collared Pratincoles (see photo). Lovely!
Collared Pratincole, Akrotiri Salt Lake 28th April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Common Greenshank, Lady’s Mile 28th April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Marsh Sandpiper, Lady’s Mile 28th April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Red-backed Shrikes, 26th April 2018
A large fall of Red-backed Shrike all over the island today with 50+ reported Akrotiri, I had 40+ at Cape Greco, double figures reported at Mandria and others at Anarita Park, Agia Varvara and Nata. Mainly males but some females around as well. These are two of the males I found at Cape Greco.
Red-backed Shrike, Cape Greco 26th April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Red-backed Shrike, Cape Greco 26th April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Long-eared Owl family, 24th April 2018
Long-eared Owl, 24th April 2018
Long-eared Owl, 24th April 2018
Long-eared Owl, 24th April 2018
Larnaca area over the weekend, 21st & 22nd April 2018
Unfortunately the best bird I saw over the weekend was not very user friendly – a brief glimpse of a male Namaqua Dove on the track at Petounta for a few seconds before it flew away and was not to be refound – despite a couple of hours search in total over the two days. Anyhow, elsewhere there were Lesser Kestrel and Montagu’s Harrier yesterday at Kivisili where today there were also five Red-footed Falcon (see photos). Calandra Lark were displaying at Pervolia where migrating Yellow Wagtail, Red-throated Pipit, Sand Martin, Red-rumped and Barn Swallow and Common Swift were present. Glossy Ibis and Little Egret were seen migrating along the coast and a couple of European Pied Flycatcher were in the trees at Kiti Dam and Spiros Pool.
Red-footed Falcon, Kivisili 22nd April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Red-footed Falcon, Kivisili 22nd April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Barn Swallow, Pervolia 21st April 2018
Although there are still many Barn Swallows migrating northwards through Cyprus at the moment, many of those that breed in Cyprus have already had their first brood. A family group was at Pervolia today, with the adults feeding a group of youngsters who were perched on watering equipment in the fields.
Barn Swallow , Pervolia 21st April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Baillon’s Crake, Agia Varvara 15th April 2018
Not the best photo of this long staying migrant but when you are working then getting yourself the best shot takes second place 
:p
Baillon’s Crake, Agia Varvara 15th April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Oroklini, Achna Dam and Cape Greco today 10th April 2018
Managed to avoid most of the rain showers today and even had a good walk around Achna Dam – trying to find (and failing) the Pied Kingfisher that has been seen there on a couple of occasions over the last ten days. But despite that, at the three locations I visited I managed to see some good birds including Black-necked Grebe, Squacco Heron, Great Egret, Glossy Ibis, ‘Baltic’ Gull, Purple Heron, Marsh Sandpiper, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Black-winged Stilt, Temminck’s Stint, Garganey, Olivaceous Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Cyprus Wheatear and Warbler, Tawny Pipit, Black-eared Wheatear and Woodchat Shrike.
Black-necked Grebe, Achna Dam, 10th April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Birding in Cyprus?
If you are birding in Cyprus at the moment don’t forget to add your records to the Cyprus database and make them count. Details on how to do this via the link below.
Cyprus Birding Tours 