Took a drive around Pyrga and Panagia Stazousa this morning and was treated to a flying display from what looked like newly fledged European Bee-eaters. Paler than their parents they were very noisy as they flew between carob and eucalyptus trees. There were also several European Rollers in the area as well as family parties of both Cyprus Wheatear and Warbler – in fact at one stage I had a few of each species in the same bush! Elsewhere a Eastern Olivaceous Warbler family were making a lot of noise. The Little Owl was on guard at its nest site but no sign of any young there. A Long-legged Buzzard flew over the area being mobbed by Common Kestrels.
European Roller Pyrga 4th July 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Less wind than on previous days in the Larnaca area as summer takes hold. Had a quick look around Cape Kiti and Larnaca Sewage Works this morning. Was surprised to find a European Bee-eater on the wires near Meneou. Just one Calandra Lark was seen at Pervolia with none heard singing today. Single Little Terns were at Meneou Pool and Larnaca Sewage Works where there was also a scruffy looking Whiskered Tern. An Audouin’s Gull was with several Yellow-legged Gulls on Spiros Pool.
A few hours in the Agios Sozmenos area late this afternoon produced four European Roller, a couple of hundred Corn Bunting in post breeding flocks, several calling Black Francolin, some Spanish Sparrow, at least three Green Sandpiper, Stone Curlew, Black-winged Stilt, Spur-winged Lapwing and a juvenile Great Spotted Cuckoo begging its Magpie parent for food.
Spent a few hours in the vineyards to the north west of Omodos where there were many singing Black-headed Bunting and Cyprus Wheatear. Had good views of Cyprus Warbler, Serin, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler and Long-legged Buzzard as well and there were many Common House Martin with a few Red-rumped and Barn Swallow overhead.
The best part of the time there was when I drove along the road to Agios Nikolaos and found a family party of four Black-headed Bunting juveniles flying from mosphilia bush to the vines and back. At one stage there were several young Corn Bunting, a couple of juvenile Spanish Sparrow, a young Common Linnet and Sardinian Warbler and two of the Black-headed Bunting in the same bush! Great birding moment! Light was really bad so the photo of one of the young Black-headed Bunting with a young Spanish Sparrow is the best of a very poor bunch.
Black-headed Bunting juvenile with Spanish Sparrow juvenile Omodos 20th June 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Was out doing some survey work this morning in the Larnaca area and came across five juvenile Great Spotted Cuckoo being fed by Magpies – one Magpie had two – and another being fed by a Hooded Crow. Also several Cyprus Warbler family parties were about as was a juvenile Cetti’s Warbler. There were some pairs of European Roller around but no young birds yet. Several hundred Common Swift were over the fields around Kivisilli towards Teresfanou. A Long-legged Buzzard was over the road between Mazotos and Alaminos with two over Anglisides.
At the coast Spiros Pool is drying up although a couple Ruff and some Black-winged Stilt were there. On the beach a sub-adult Audouin’s Gull was feeding on what looked to be a red mullet and warding off raiding Yellow-legged Gulls.
Our first stop was at Kensington Cliffs as Stuart and Frances were keen to see as many raptors as possible. We found at least five Eleonora’s Falcon sitting on cliffside ledges as we first scanned the area but then two dark morph birds flew in front of us shortly followed by several light morph individuals. We were treated to their aerial display during our time there with several Alpine Swift also flying around. Checking the rocks at the bottom of the western cliff face we found six Eurasian Shags. A single Baltic Gull was a surprise find in the bay and then we were pleased to see two Griffon Vulture fly up from behind the cliffs, circle over Episkopi Garrison and then head inland.
Pleased with our start we moved to Akrotiri where we visited Phassouri Reed Beds, Akrotiri Gravel Pits, Lady’s Mile and Zakaki Marsh. Far fewer migrants were around than when I had visited the area at the weekend –especially waders – but we still managed to get good views of European Bee-eater, Temminck’s Stint, Glossy Ibis, Squacco Heron, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Woodchat Shrike, Ferruginous Duck, Armenian Gull, Spur-winged Lapwing and Kentish Plover.
We then headed inland and ate our lunch in a valley behind Omodos. There we watched at least four singing Black-headed Bunting, two singing Cretzschmar’s Bunting, at least one Long-legged Buzzard, several Cyprus Wheatear, a Corn Bunting, two Red-rumped Swallow and several European Serin. On the way back to Larnaca we visited the Panagia Stazousa valley where we added Chukar, Eurasian Turtle Dove, European Roller, Eurasian Hoopoe and (Stuart and Frances’ bird of the day), a Little Owl to our day’s list of species.
A good variety of birds even considering that migrating species at Akrotiri were much reduced now as we move to the end of May.
Species seen – 54
European Shag, Squacco Heron, Little Egret, Glossy Ibis, Mallard, Ferruginous Duck, Eurasian Griffon Vulture, Long-legged Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Eleonora’s Falcon, Chukar, Black Francolin (h), Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Kentish Plover, Spur-winged Lapwing, Temminck’s Stint, Baltic Gull (Lesser Black-backed Gull), Armenian Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Eurasian Turtle Dove, Little Owl, Common Swift, Alpine Swift, European Bee-eater, European Roller, Eurasian Hoopoe, Crested Lark, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Common House Martin, Cyprus Wheatear, Cetti’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Great Tit, Woodchat Shrike, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, Common Chaffinch, European Serin, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Common Linnet, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Black-headed Bunting, Corn Bunting
Cyprus Wheatear, Omodos, May 21st 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
At least seven European Rollers in the area but the best bird was found when I was trying to find a Masked Shrike that had flown into an old olive tree. I then realised that in the top of the tree was a nest and from it emerged a juvenile Great Spotted Cuckoo which then flew off noisily.
Interesting sightings:
Pyrga – European Roller 1, Cretzschmar’s Bunting 1, Cyprus Warbler 3m, European Bee-eater h, Eurasian Hoopoe 4, Cyprus Wheatear 1m
Panagia Stazousa – European Bee-eater h, Eurasian Scops Owl 1h, Eurasian Turtle Dove 2, European Roller 6, Cyprus Warbler 2m, Cyprus Wheatear 7, Little Owl 1, Great Spotted Cuckoo 2 juveniles (one seen another heard)
Klavdia – Lesser Grey Shrike 1
Great Spotted Cuckoo juvenile 17th May 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Much quieter around Akrotiri today than it was when I visited on Tuesday, with a big clear out of waders especially. Still some good sightings though: two male Honey Buzzard over Phassouri Plantations being mobbed by Hooded Crows; two Eleonora’s Falcon putting up a flock of around one hundred marsh terns – mainly White-winged – over Akrotiri Salt Lake; good views of three White-winged, 14 Little and two Gull-billed Tern at the Zakaki outflow; and a European Roller behind Lady’s Mile.
On the Larnaca Sewage Works Pools there were twelve White-winged Tern and a Eurasian Spoonbill was on Spiros Pool where the numbers of waders has also decreased compared to the last few days.
White-winged Tern and Little Tern Akrotiri Salt Lake 16th May 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Eurasian Spoonbill Spiros Pool 16th May 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Found the melanistic Greater Flamingo today in with the others on Larnaca Salt Lake – not as interesting a find to be honest as the Lesser Flamingo found on Tuesday at Kouklia Reservoir outside Famagusta. The first record of this species in Cyprus and it seems it may have been overlooked on other occasions in with the group of Greater Flamingo there, and has been there at least a week. Would be nice if it decided to move further south to give others the chance to see it. After all the melanistic bird showed that the species is quite mobile when here in Cyprus moving between wetlands.
Other interesting species included Gull-billed, Little and White-winged Tern, Temminck’s Stint and Broad-billed Sandpiper.
For our second day out this spring, I met John and Madeline at Avdimou and we headed for Kensington Cliffs. We stopped to watch a singing male Sardinian Warbler and then scanned the bay. We quickly found several Eleonora’s Falcon on the cliffs and then watched as others flew close to us and around the bay. On some rocks in the bay five Squacco Heron were resting. Both that species and strangely Common House Martin were present at most of the coastal sites we visited during the day. Spotted Flycatcher were also present in good numbers around the Akrotiri Peninsula and we found our first of the day at Phassouri Reed Beds where we also had at least five Squacco Heron, a Cattle Egret, several Little Egret, six Glossy Ibis , a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron, up to sixteen Wood Sandpiper and a single Ruff. Five Eurasian Turtle Dove flew over as did a Western Marsh Harrier. In the reeds were several Eurasian Reed Warbler and also a Woodchat Shrike, while two female Black-headed Wagtail were feeding in the footsteps of one of the grazing cattle.
The Gravel Pits were quieter but we did find a Purple Heron, Kentish Plover, Whinchat and Spotted Flycatcher. In the gardens of Agios Georgios Church we found another Woodchat Shrike and at least five Spotted Flycatcher. Madeline located a yellowish warbler in one of the pines which then started singing. The ID was then obvious – an Icterine Warbler – the star bird of the day and a lifer for John and Madeline. We could see around a hundred Greater Flamingo on the main Salt Lake and spotted a Great Egret feeding at the edge with several Little Egret. A female Montagu’s Harrier flew over the area. We had our lunch in the shade of the trees near Bishop’s Pool watching European Bee-eater and yet another Spotted Flycatcher. As we drove on a male Golden Oriole flew in front of us.
There had been a clear out of waders on Lady’s Mile since I was last there although on the eastern end we found nearly twenty Common Ringed Plover, several Ruff, many Little Stint and some Wood Sandpiper. Another good find was a Little Gull and six Squacco Heron were migrating along the coast. At the Zakaki Marsh hide we watched more Wood Sandpiper and female Black-headed Wagtail. We also found another Squacco Heron together with six Little Egret and a Grey Heron. We then visited the east side of the Salt Lake to get better views of some of the waders we had seen there when watching the Greater Flamingo. The light and heat haze were against us but we did see four Little Tern, several Black-winged Stilt and more Ruff, Common Ringed Plover and Little Stint. In the distance we could see a hazy flock of terns feeding – it was impossible to ID them with any certainty but it is likely they included White-winged and Whiskered.
We then headed inland to our final location at Kellakiou. On the way a Collared Flycatcher was seen from the side of the road. At Kellakiou we found a couple of Cyprus Wheatear and a single Cyprus Warbler. Eastern Olivaceous Warbler were singing and European Bee-eater migrating over the area. Eurasian Turtle Dove, European Serin, Common Chaffinch, Spanish Sparrow and juvenile European Goldfinch were coming down to drink at a small pool of water. Four Red-rumped Swallow were also flying down to drink there. At least three male Black-headed Bunting were singing and we were able to get close views of two of them as well as of at least seven Cretzschmar’s Bunting. A lone Masked Shrike was seen flying across the valley. This great experience, both listening and watching both migrant and resident breeders setting up territories ended our day out.
Total species seen – 68
Little Grebe, Black-crowned Night Heron, Squacco Heron, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis, Greater Flamingo, Mallard, Western Marsh Harrier, Montagu’s Harrier, Common Kestrel, Eleonora’s Falcon, Black Francolin, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Black-winged Stilt, Common Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Little Stint, Spur-winged Lapwing, Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, Little Gull, Common Black-headed Gull, Tern spp, Little Tern, Yellow-legged Gull, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Eurasian Turtle Dove, Eurasian Scops Owl (h), Common Swift, European Bee-eater, Crested Lark, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Common House Martin, Black-headed Wagtail, Whinchat, Cyprus Wheatear, Cetti’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Cyprus Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Collared Flycatcher, Great Tit, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Woodchat Shrike, Masked Shrike, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Common Chaffinch, European Serin, European Goldfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Black-headed Bunting.
Seventeen White-winged Tern and six Whiskered Tern were feeding over Larnaca Sewage Pools this evening as was a Little Gull. There was a good selection of wader on Spiros Pool – many of them in breeding plumage which we don’t often get the chance to see. There were single Red-necked Phalarope and Broad-billed Sandpiper, three Black-winged Godwit, several Curlew Sandpiper, five Dunlin, many Ruff and Little Stint, some Common Ringed Plover and Wood Sandpiper.
Two Collared Pratincole were on the Desalination Plant fields where more Wood Sandpiper and Ruff were feeding. It was good to see a small group of European Bee-eater and there was also a Whinchat and a Woodchat Shrike.
Some good birds still around including an Icterine Warbler at Cape Greco this morning. Mixing Common Bird Monitoring transects with some birding afterwards!
Birds seen included:
Agia Napa Sewage Works – Black-headed Bunting 2m singing, Eurasian Turtle Dove 1, Cyprus Warbler 1m, Common Redstart 1f, Collared Flycatcher 2f, Laughing Dove 2
Photo below is of one of a pair of Laughing Dove near Agia Napa Sewage Works this morning. Wild birds are rare vagrants to Cyprus; this bird is from a small population established in the area by escapees from local collections. Others, again thought to be escapees, are now breeding in a couple of locations in Limassol.
Laughing Dove, Agia Napa Sewage Works May 9th 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Cyprus Birding Tours 