A day out on Tuesday with many of the sightings reminiscent of a UK birding day out. After popping in quickly to Zakaki I got a quick view of the Red Knot there – a rare and irregular winter visitor and passage migrant to Cyprus – I headed to Paphos where many of the birds were familiar northern European birds wintering here. A Eurasian Griffon Vulture flying over the motorway and Black Francolin, Long-legged Buzzard and Finsch’s Wheatear were the best reminders that I was actually in Cyprus!
Zakaki area
Red Knot 1
Paramali
Eurasian Griffon Vulture 1
Kouklia Soakaways
Long-legged Buzzard 1
Black Francolin 1
Asprokremmos Dam area
Water Pipit 4
Woodlark 2
Long-legged Buzzard 1
Corn Bunting 1h
Mandria
Eurasian Golden Plover 2
Common Linnet c60
Paphos Sewage Works
Cattle Egret 1
Common Buzzard 1
Eurasian Teal 1 in flight
European Serin c80
Red-throated Pipit 3
A leisurely bird watch around some locations outside Larnaca. Highlights were Great Crested Grebes at Akhna Dam, two Bluethroats at Oroklini Marsh, Temminck’s Stint at Leivadia, Laughing Dove at Aradippou and a Dunnock at Panagia Stazousa.
Oroklini Marsh
Northern Shoveler 160+
Eurasian Teal c180
Eurasian Coot 80+
Greater Flamingo 54
Spur-winged Lapwing 5
Western Marsh Harrier 2
Eurasian Skylark c60
Water Pipit 1
Barn Swallow 3
Bluethroat 2
Common Shelduck 1
Eurasian Wigeon 1m
Grey Heron 3
Cattle Egret 1
Green Sandpiper 1
Oroklini Beach
Caspian Gull 5
Armenian Gull 4
Ormidia Fishing Shelter
Common Sandpiper 2 (see photo)
Akhna Dam
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Great Crested Grebe 2
Grey Heron 2
Song Thrush 2
Great Cormorant 24
Long-legged Buzzard 1
Visited some of the Limassol sites today and although it was quite quiet (unless you like Common Black-headed Gulls!) I still saw some interesting birds, including a pair of Bonelli’s Eagle, and finished the afternoon watching seven Eurasian Griffon Vultures circling over Kensington Cliffs.
Germasogeia Dam
Bonelli’s Eagle 2ad over dam wall
Grey Wagtail 2
Water Rail 1h
Cyprus Warbler 1h in song
Akrounta Creek
Fox
Cyprus Warbler 1h
Zakaki Marsh
Little Egret 1
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Long-legged Buzzard 1
Lady’s Mile
Siberian Stonechat 1 poss
Common Black-headed Gull c700
Common Gull 3
Sandwich Tern 1
Kensington Cliffs
Eurasian Blackbird 1
Eurasian Griffon Vulture 7+ (seven seen in air at same time and then others flying in ones and twos which could have been same birds)
Yellow-legged Gull c20
Peregrine Falcon 2
Kourion Stadium
Cyprus Warbler 2m seen
Armenian Gull, Lady’s Mile 25th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
The first guided trip of 2017 was a morning around two of the Nicosia birding spots. Josh and Toni were hoping to see Finsch’s Wheatear and Blue Rock Thrush so we headed straight to Agios Sozomenos where we had a good chance of both. Entering the area we had good views of Zitting Cisticola and heard and saw a singing Corn Bunting in the distance. We stopped to scan the area for Finsch’s Wheatear and as we saw a flash of white wheatear rump fly off, a brown bird started singing on the top of a thorny bush. We were pleased to see that it was a Bluethroat which very obligingly sat out in the open for several minutes. A Spectacled Warbler and several Chiffchaffs flitted in and out of the bush at the same time. When the Bluethroat flew off we searched again for the Finsch’s Wheatear but no joy. We moved along the road and a grey-brown bird flew across the rocks – a female Finsch’s Wheatear. We stopped and watched her and then continued around the corner where we came across a male Finsch’s Wheatear. One of our two target species seen and well watched. We returned to the deserted village where two Long-legged Buzzard and a Peregrine Falcon treated us to fly-bys.
In the fields, we found plenty of Meadow Pipit, Zitting Cisticola, Common Stonechat and a large flock of noisy European Serin that sat obligingly in a small tree next to the track. We watched a male Spanish Sparrow feeding while others flitted unseen between the bushes. Large flocks of the resident Western Jackdaw flew over the area. As we had not managed to find the Blue Rock Thrush we decided to spend a little longer re checking the cliffs and rocks. Still no joy with that species although we found the male Finsch’s Wheatear we had missed earlier (minus the Bluethroat this ime) and then, best of all – a pair of adult Bonelli’s Eagle that treated us to an aerial display for at least ten minutes. The highlight of the morning.
Moving on to Athalassa Dam we found most of the expected waterfowl including a Ferruginous Duck and six Tufted Duck (scarce for Cyprus). Here the highlights were three adult and two immature Black-crowned Night Heron and the unseasonal Whiskered Tern that has been in the area for most of the winter. A great morning out with a good list of species for a January morning out away from the coast, and thanks to Josh and Toni for their company.
Total number of species: 45
Little Grebe, Great Cormorant, Black-crowned Night Heron, Cattle Egret, Grey Heron, Eurasian Teal, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Ferruginous Duck, Tufted Duck, Long-legged Buzzard, Bonelli’s Eagle, Common Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Whiskered Tern, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Meadow Pipit, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, European Robin, Bluethroat, Western Black Redstart, Common Stonechat, Finsch’s Wheatear, Song Thrush, Cetti’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Spectacled Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Chiffchaff, Great Tit, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Common Chaffinch, European Serin, European Goldfinch, Common Linnet, Corn Bunting.
Out counting the waterbirds around Larnaca today was very enjoyable – not a lot of Greater Flamingos to count (last year there were 12000+ on this day!) – but lots of interesting birds including the largest flock of Greylag Geese in Cyprus for more than 30 years, five Pallas’ Gulls, two Common Quail, two Barn Swallow and plenty more. One of the Pallas’ Gulls was sitting at the north end of the Salt Lake with some Greater Flamingos (see record photo below).
Greater Flamingo and a Great Black-backed Gull, Larnaca Salt Lake, 14th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Meneou Pool
Common Redshank 4
Greater Flamingo 97
Common Shelduck 43
Common Ringed Plover 2
Kentish Plover 2
Larnaca Airport Pools South
Eurasian Stone Curlew 5
Larnaca Sewage Works
Eurasian Curlew 17
Great Cormorant 24
Greater White-fronted Goose 8
Eurasian Wigeon 16
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Eurasian Teal 736
Northern Shoveler 16
Mallard 232
Great Black-headed Gull (Pallas Gull) 2 ad and 2 imm
Black-necked Grebe 3
Northern Pintail 4
Tufted Duck 1m
Caspian Gull 3
Meadow Pipit c30
Great White Pelican 1
Mediterranean Gull 1 imm
Spiros Pool
Greater Flamingo 37
Eurasian Wigeon 3
Eurasian Golden Plover 336
Larnaca Airport Coast
European Shag 2
Larnaca Airport Pools North
Greater Flamingo 37
Common Shelduck 26
Northern Shoveler 41
Kentish Plover 4
Common Redshank 3
Dunlin 12
Larnaca Salt Lake
Common Starling 50
Greater Flamingo 1028
Common Shelduck 576
Common Ringed Plover 8
Little Stint 39
Common Redshank 7
Common Black-headed Gull 261
Greylag Geese 57 (presumably same birds as those at Akrotiri during the week)
Dunlin 62+
Hen Harrier 1
Black-necked Grebe 12
Slender-billed Gull 1 ad
Caspian Gull 60+
Armenian Gull 24
Great Black-headed Gull 1 ad
Common Quail 2 flushed
Corn Bunting c60
Common Buzzard 2
Common Snipe 4
Spanish Sparrow 20+
Common Reed Bunting 1h
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Song Thrush 2
Eurasian Blackbird 1
Marsh Sandpiper 1
Common Greenshank 1
Kamares area
Spur-winged Lapwing 3
Common Chiffchaff 50+
Moustached Warbler 1
Yellow Wagtail 1 1st winter bird – same as seen there in mid Dec
Common Snipe 1
Green Sandpiper 1
Common Redshank 1
Common Ringed Plover 1
Western Jackdaw 15
Barn Swallow 2
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Water Pipit 2
Considering that I always say I don’t really like gulls I seem to be spending a lot of time watching them at the moment. Spent a while watching this Little Gull on Lady’s Mile – it appears to be dirty – possibly oiled – but was very active and able to fly well. Also got another photo of one of the three Common Gulls present – this time in the sunshine, as opposed to the rain last weekend – and an adult Armenian Gull making fun of me its seemed.
Little Gull, Lady’s Mile 13th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Common Gull, Lady’s Mile 13th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Armenian Gull, Lady’s Mile 13th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
A break from the rain today and I started at Akhna Dam which now has almost double the amount of water than when I last visited. Plenty of Eurasian Coot and some Grey Heron but more interesting was the female Red-crested Pochard, two Great Crested Grebe and the immature Great White Pelican that has been in the area since mid November 2016. At the coast at Agia Trias I found three Grey Plover, two Greater Sand Plover and three Common Sandpiper (see photo). An immature Slender-billed Gull flew in for a few minutes and then flew off again south (see photo).
A quick look at Cape Greco with only a female Blue Rock Thrush, a female Hen Harrier and Cyprus Warbler of note. Single Little Egret were on Kermia Beach, Makronissos Beach and Dekeleia. Nearly twenty Armenian Gull, a big male Caspian Gull and an adult Mediterranean Gull were on Oroklini Beach and a large flock of Common Starling were flying around before roosting. There were four Temminck’s Stint and six Common Ringed Plover at the JUMBO drainage channel. I finished the day at the Larnaca Sewage Works hide. No sign of the Pallas’ Gull that have been there for a few days but there were seven Greater White-fronted Geese in the fields.
Chukar 11th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Common Sandpiper, Agia Trias, 11th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Both Common Gull and Mediterranean Gull are uncommon winter visitors to Cyprus- the latter more frequent than the former.
The Common Gull below was photographed in the rain on 7th January 2017 in the sea off Lady’s Mile, Limassol and the Mediterranean Gulls on Oroklini Beach on 8th January 2017 in yet more rain.
Common Gull, Lady’s Mile 8th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Once again some good birds in Nicosia; this time at Athalassa Dam where highlights were ten Tufted Duck, a Black-necked Grebe and two fishing Whiskered Terns (unusual for January, they are usually passage migrants through Cyprus).
Main birds seen:
Black-crowned Night Heron 2 ad
Cattle Egret 1
Little Egret 2
Grey Heron 3
Great Cormorant 2
Black-necked Grebe 1
Common Pochard 1m
Ferruginous Duck 3
Tufted Duck 10 (inc 4 males)
Grey Wagtail 2
Eurasian Blackbird 2m
Whiskered Tern 2
Northern Shoveler c80
Eurasian Teal c50
Mallard c40
Common Chiffchaff 20+
Black-crowned Night Heron, Athalassa Dam, Nicosia, 6th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
First day out birding of 2017 on my return from UK. As I had missed out on adding Common Gull to my 2016 Cyprus list I was determined to get it for my 2017 list. So I decided to go to Lady’s Mile at Akrotiri where at least three of this uncommon Cyprus winter visitor have been present. I saw my target birds and in with the 1000+ wintering Common Black-headed Gull I also found a first winter Slender-billed Gull and three first winter Mediterranean Gulls. There were also several wintering Armenian and Caspian Gulls.
Other birds of interest in the area included:
Zakaki Marsh
Western Marsh Harrier 3 (in air at same time)
Eurasian Penduline Tit 1+ heard
Common Reed Bunting 1 heard
Gadwall 2f
Phassouri Reed-beds
Western Marsh Harrier 2
Spanish Sparrow 20
Germasogeia Dam
Cyprus Warbler 1m
Corn Bunting 22
Long-legged Buzzard 2
Great Egret 1
Adult Armenian Gull, Lady’s Mile 5th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
First winter Mediterranean Gull, Lady’s Mile 5th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Have you been out bird watching in Cyprus during 2016? Then please don’t forget to send all your 2016 sightings in to the Recorder if you haven’t already done so. They can be sent either via the Global portal of the BTO BirdTrack database http://app.bto.org/birdtrack2/main/data-home.jsp or on the excel form which you can either download from the BirdLife Cyprus website or the Recorder can send to you. Email lists are acceptable if you are not comfortable with either of those two methods.
So that the 2016 database can be completed it would be appreciated if they are received by February 10th 2017. If you are unable to meet that deadline but still have 2016 records to submit please let the Recorder know.
Make your birdwatching count and ensure that your sightings are included in the 2016 country database. Please note that the only way for your records to be included in the database is to ensure that the Recorder receives them. Unfortunately, she is unable to include those only noted on various social media sites, ‘round-robin’ emails, “BirdLine” etc.
An extremely busy year for Cyprus Birding Tours – a big thanks to all of you who asked me to take you out during the year – I hope you all enjoyed yourselves as much as I did. 46 days out on which we saw such species as the endemic Cyprus Warbler and Cyprus Wheatear and many others including: Black Francolin, Greater Sand Plover, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Spur-winged Lapwing, Ferruginous Duck, Black-headed Bunting, Long-legged Buzzard, Bonelli’s Eagle, Northern Goshawk, Masked Shrike, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Bluethroat, Moustached Warbler, Eurasian Penduline Tit, Finsch’s Wheatear, Pallid, Montagu’s and Hen Harrier, Red-footed Falcon, Lesser Kestrel, White-winged and Whiskered Tern, Jack Snipe, Armenian, Caspian and Slender-billed Gull, Greater Flamingo, Common Crane, Chukar, Yellow and Citrine Wagtail, Temminck’s Stint, Eastern Bonelli’s and Ruppell’s Warbler, Namaqua and Laughing Dove, Desert Wheatear, Greater Short-toed and Calandra Lark, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush and so much more. In addition Ann and Peter were lucky enough to be out on the day that the first Brown-necked Raven for Cyprus was seen at Cape Greco and we twitched it together and several of you saw one of the other Cyprus firsts of the spring – the Amur Falcon that stayed at Anarita Park in Paphos for several weeks from the end of April.
Here’s hoping for a healthy and happy 2017 with lots of good birds!
Jack Snipe, Zakaki Marsh, 7th November 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Broad-billed Sandpiper, Akrotiri, 31st August 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Bluethroat, Zakaki Marsh, 14th November 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Namaqua Dove, Mandria 15th March 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Cyprus Birding Tours 