Common Buzzard | Cyprus Birding Tours

January 21, 2020
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Limassol area 21st January 2020

A lovely sunny day around Limassol visiting Germasogeia, the Akrotiri sites and Curium. Highlight was finally catching up with
one of the Booted Eagles that is around Phasouri at the moment. Also good to see a newly arrived Great Spotted Cuckoo at Akrotiri Gravel Pits and six Eurasian Crag Martin at Germasogeia.

List of interesting sightings:

Germasogeia Dam
Eurasian Crag Martin 6
Common Sandpiper 2
Western Marsh Harrier 1
European Serin 60+

Lady’s Mile
Slender-billed Gull 2 (see photo of immature)
Armenian Gull 20+
Caspian Gull 1

Zakaki Marsh
Eurasian Penduline Tit 2

Akrotiri Marsh (Phasouri Reed-beds)
Booted Eagle 1 dark morph to north of area being mobbed by Hooded Crows
Common Buzzard 3
Western Marsh Harrier 2
Great White Egret 3
Water Pipit 1
Western Water Rail 1h
Hawfinch 2+ (One seen and 1+ h)
Common Snipe 40
Woodlark 7
Eurasian Blackbird 1m
Cattle Egret 4 (see photo)

Akrotiri Gravel Pits
Great Spotted Cuckoo 1
Sandwich Tern 1 along coast
Common Buzzard 1
Meadow Pipit 50+

Kourio Stadium
Cyprus Warbler 2m

Cattle Egret, Phasouri, 21st January 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Slender-billed Gull, Lady’s Mile 21st January 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

January 8, 2018
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Nicosia birding this morning 8th January 2018

Back in Cyprus after a few weeks away and time to get the 2018 year list under way. Visiting Manglis Lake and Agios Sozomenos in Nicosia with the Black-necked Grebe I found at the former in mid December still present and good views of Long-legged Buzzard, Bonelli’s Eagle, Little Owl and Finsch’s Wheatear at the latter.

interesting sightings:

Manglis Lake
Black-necked Grebe 1
Northern Shoveler 13
Common Teal 1m
Little Egret 1
Great Cormorant 1

Agios Sozomenos
Cattle Egret 1
Red-throated Pipit 6
European Serin 2
Spectacled Warbler 3 singing males
Long-legged Buzzard 1
Bonelli’s Eagle 2
Little Owl 1 (see photo)
Northern Lapwing c50
Common Buzzard 2
Finsch’s Wheatear 1m and 1f
Corn Bunting 2 singing

Little Owl, Agios Sozomenos 8th January 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

November 5, 2016
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Larnaca area this morning 5th November 2016

An unexpected visit to Larnaca this morning and good to see some water at the wetlands after the rain earlier in the week. Notable were an Osprey, a Pied Avocet and two Ruddy Shelduck at the Sewage Works and more than sixty Spur-winged Lapwing at Oroklini Marsh (see photo). Water levels at Oroklini were good and there was also a Black-necked Grebe there as well as many Eurasian Teal and Northern Shoveler. A Common Buzzard was chased away from the area by Hooded Crows.

Spur-winged Lapwing, Oroklini Marsh 5th November 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

February 5, 2016
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Troodos, Zakaki area and Germasogeia Dam, 5th February 2016

Underestimated how much snow was still around at Troodos and most of my usual sites were difficult to explore. There were large flocks of Common Chaffinches around and the Coal Tits were very vocal and chasing through the trees. Unfortunately I didn’t have the chance to check the finch flocks for anything more interesting.

Down at Zakaki I found: Common Buzzard 1, Common Reed Bunting 4, Water Rail 1h, Bluethroat 1, Eurasian Penduline Tit 2+h, Western Marsh Harrier 2, Hen Harrier 1 ring tail, Spur-winged Lapwing 2, Green Sandpiper 1

Finishing the day at Germasogeia Dam there were at least 12 Eurasian Crag Martin, five Common House Martin and five Barn Swallow plus an adult Bonelli’s Eagle flying over the area, two Bluethroat, two Water Pipit, a Grey Wagtail, two European Serin and flocks of Corn Bunting, Common Chaffinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Spanish Sparrow, and Meadow Pipit.

Bluethroat Germasogeia Dam 5th February 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Common Buzzard Lady’s Mile 5th February 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Hooded Crow Lady’s Mile 5th February 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

October 23, 2015
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Finsch’s Wheatear and interesting raptors outside Nicosia this morning, 23rd October 2015

Found my target species today at Agios Sozomenos – a newly arrived male Finsch’s Wheatear (well he wasn’t there on Wednesday!) was setting up his winter territory there. An interesting selection of raptors was flying over the area – all receiving close attention from the local Western Jackdaws – first a juvenile Bonelli’s Eagle, then a Long-legged Buzzard, a Common Buzzard and finally a Eurasian Sparrowhawk all had to run the gauntlet. The only raptor that the Jackdaw’s didn’t bother was a Peregrine Falcon flying around the cliffs.

I only saw one White Stork in the nearby clover fields but I understand that two had been present earlier in the morning.