Joined the BirdLife Cyprus field trip around Armou and the Ezousas Valley. Lots of finches around, some Woodlark and thrushes. Most interesting were the seven species of raptors that we saw – Common Kestrel obviously but also a male and a ringtail Hen Harrier, several Long-legged Buzzard, a Common Buzzard, a female European Sparrowhawk and a male Peregrine Falcon. But the stars were the two adult Bonelli’s Eagle and another young one that were in the Ezousas Valley.
Tag Archives: Cyprus birdwatching
Waterbird Count Larnaca 14th February 2014
Out around Larnaca doing the February Waterbird Count. Started the day in sunshine and luckily just finished before a thunder storm with hail and strong winds hit the area.
I only found one Greater Flamingo on the Salt Lake but just around eighty were on Meneou Pool together with five Stone Curlew and a few Armenian Gull. Two male Black Francolin were having a standoff in a corner of the pool but one of them was frightened off by a male Hen Harrier which flew over. The other celebrated by calling loudly.
The number of ducks on the Sewage Works was much reduced from last month and neither the Greater White-fronted Geese nor the single Greylag Goose were there – maybe they were out on the fields somewhere but I didn’t see them. There were just over five hundred Northern Shoveler, two hundred and thirty Common Teal, a hundred or so Mallard and around 160 Little Grebe. The Coot numbers were up – four hundred and eighty. The Black-necked Grebe (eighteen in total) were with the Little Grebe near to the hide so I could got great views of them – at least four are now in full breeding plumage and the others are acquiring it. There was a single Northern Pintail, five Eurasian Wigeon and two female Gadwall. Three Black-winged Stilt were feeding around the edge.
No water birds on Spiro’s Pool although a Bluethroat flew to the top of a bush briefly and I could make out two Sandwich Tern on the offshore buoys. There were still plenty of Common Shelduck on the main Salt Lake – around 700, together with many Common Black-headed Gull, some Armenian Gull and a few Caspian Gull. There were also five Slender-billed Gull. Kentish Plover, Dunlin, Little Stint and a few Common Ringed Plover were around the edge of the water. A couple of Marsh Harrier were quartering the area and two Little Owl were near Tekke Mosque. In that area there were also many Linnet, Corn Bunting and European Goldfinch.
At Kiti Dam there was a lone Green Sandpiper and twelve Barn Swallow and around twenty House Martin were feeding over the water.
Male Kentish Plover at Petounta Point, February 13th 2014
Kentish Plover Petounta Point February 13th 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Akrotiri and Germasogeia today 12th February 2014
Another sunny day with the winter seeming to have passed us by this year. Plenty of Water Pipit still at Phassouri Reed Beds and several Western Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier and Common Buzzard around. Flocks of Greenfinch, Linnet and Serin were flying over the Gravel Pits. On Lady’s Mile there were several Kentish Plover and Little Stint with a lone Common Ringed Plover and some Armenian Gulls.
At Germasogeia Dam there were several Barn Swallow feeding over the water and again flocks of finches as well as a flock of Spanish Sparrow and Corn Bunting. Two adult Long-legged Buzzard were present and there were at least five Common Snipe around the edge. I was pleased to see a Mistle Thrush and a Cyprus Warbler on the nature trail but the best bird was a Bluethroat feeding out in the open near the water’s edge.
Serin Germasogeia Dam 12th February 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
CYPRUS BIRD REPORT 2012
The Cyprus Bird Report 2012 is now available.
The report contains 40 colour photos, the 2012 Systematic List of 294 observed species which was compiled from nearly 57,000 records, the 2012 Ringing report, papers on the first Crested Honey Buzzard in Cyprus, the Yellow Wagtail species complex, House Martin colonies in western Cyprus, small predator species and the effects of a fire on the local bird species density. The Report includes species charts and tables and a full Cyprus bird List. The front cover features the country’s 2nd Sociable Lapwing.
Copies can be purchased from birdlifecyprus@birdlifecyprus.org.cy
Early migrant update, 11th February 2014
Barn Swallows, House Martins and now Common Swift are being reported in small numbers (max 50 at a time – usually less) at locations such as Oroklini Marsh, Zakaki Marsh, Phassouri Reed Beds and Germasogeia Dam. This morning there were three Barn Swallow at Manglis Lake in Nicosia. Less than for this time other years when by now I would have expected House Martin and Common Swift there as well.
A late report that the first Great Spotted Cuckoo for the year was seen on January 22nd at Phassouri. Another has been seen at Germasogeia.
Lets see what this week brings – on February 14th 2013 the first Isabelline and Cyprus Wheatear were reported from Cape Greco in the east and Cape Drepanum in the west. A Tawny Pipit had been at Akrotiri Gravel Pits on February 2nd and by mid February a few Yellow Wagtail and a single Desert Wheatear had been seen. The first Hoopoe was seen at Oroklini on 8th February 2013.
Birding around Nicosia, 7th February 2014
Decided to limit my birding to the Nicosia area today. Started at Manglis Lake in Lakatameia where the single Gadwall is still present after several weeks keeping company with some Common Coot, a Grey Heron, a Little Egret and a Common Kingfisher. As I walked round I disturbed a Green Sandpiper that was feeding at the edge and flew off noisily. Several Spanish Sparrow were in the water side trees and a couple of Song Thrush flew over.
At Agios Sozomenos I was pleased to find four male Finsch’s Wheatear were still around – each of them in the same place as on previous visits. There was also a male Blue Rock Thrush. On the Water Treatment Pool at Vathi Gonia there was a Common Sandpiper as well as six Northern Shoveler. A couple of male Spectacled Warbler were singing in the sunshine.
The usual suspects were at Athalassa Park – many Woodpigeon and Hooded Crow were flying around and on the water there were two Great Egret, five Grey Heron, twelve Little Egret, a couple of Cattle Egret and a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron. Over sixty Great Cormorant were present as were some Northern Shoveler and Common Teal.
Agios Sozomenos 7th February 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Paphos Headland and Anarita Park today 5th February 2014
Visited Anarita Park this afternoon to see if could relocate the Red-fronted Serin that had been found there on Friday. Went with the local birders who found it but we had no luck. There were several small flocks of finches around – mainly European Serin and Goldfinch with a few Chaffinch and Greenfinch as well as at least thirty Corn Bunting. We had good views of a male Finsch’s Wheatear, one of the area’s resident Little Owls and a male Hen Harrier so they made up for it. Two Long-legged Buzzard were soaring in the distance over Anarita village.
In the morning I had visited the Paphos Headland. There were forty nine Golden Plover, four Greater Sand Plover and a Dunlin on the coast and in the archaeological site I found at least eleven Woodlark, a couple of Common Starling and the usual winter visitors – Eurasian Skylark, Common Stonechat, Black Redstart, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Song Thrush and resident Common Linnet, Sardinian Warbler and Spanish Sparrow.
Sardinian Warbler Paphos Headland 5th February 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Akrotiri and Larnaca this weekend 1st & 2nd February 2014
Two very different days this weekend weatherwise. On Saturday I had been to Akrotiri on the BirdLife Cyprus field trip there. The number of Common Buzzard and Harriers in the area was notable – more than six Common Buzzard, at least four Western Marsh Harrier and two Hen Harrier. I arrived too late to see the Bittern, Eurasian Curlew and Bluethroat at Phassouri but caught up with a couple of Water Pipit there and then several Ferruginous Duck, a female Common Pochard and two female Northern Pintail at Bishop’s Pool.
I went to Kensington Cliffs late in the afternoon and enjoyed a fly-pass of two Griffon Vulture who were then joined in the air by a third and a Peregrine Falcon who was vying for attention. The sun shone and the sea was calm.
Completely different at Larnaca this morning. Rough sea and strong wind meant three Western Marsh Harriers were seen battling against the wind over the Sewage Works pools being mainly ignored by the hundreds of Northern Shoveler and Common Teal, the Mallard, Common Coot and Little Grebe which were there as usual. The Greylag Goose is still present as are the thirteen Greater White-fronted Geese. In with the other birds I found two Gadwall, five Wigeon and at least twelve Black-necked Grebe: two of which are now acquiring breeding plumage.
A flock of around a hundred Golden Plover flew over the area and as well as a single Heuglin’s Gull and eight Armenian Gull I also found three Eurasian Stone Curlew on the Airport Pools.
Griffon Vulture Kensington Cliffs February 1st 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Stone Curlew Larnaca 2nd February 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Agias Trias, Cape Greco and Oroklini today, 29th January 2014
Out birding today in the wind to the east of Larnaca. At Agias Trias I found the four Grey Plover and two Greater Sand Plover that had been there earlier in the month. A walk around Cape Greco produced two male Blue Rock Thrush, several Chukar, lots of Meadow Pipit, some Black Redstart and Spanish Sparrow, and a Hen Harrier. Two Audouin’s Gull flew offshore and there were three more on the rocks at Kermia Beach together with a single Yellow-legged Gull. There was a juvenile Armenian Gull in with all the Black-headed Gull on Oroklini Beach and a Sandwich Tern was fishing out past the rocks there. Around twenty European Shag were roosting on the buoys off Dhekelia Power Station.
I had my first House Martin of the year at Oroklini Marsh where there was a male Marsh Harrier hunting. It put up a flock of around twenty Spur-winged Lapwing as well as the Cattle Egret that were collecting there for their evening roost. Two Moustached Warbler were heard in the reeds and there were many White Wagtail flying over to roost and around a hundred Common Starling flying around the area. On the water there were eight Northern Pintail in with the Northern Shoveler, Common Teal, Coot and Mallard.
Grey Plover Agias Trias January 29th 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Waiting for the first spring migrants of 2014
Last Thursday the first Barn Swallows of the year were seen at Zakaki Marsh and Phassouri Reed Beds with another at Paphos Sewage Works on Friday – which was an unusually early record for the west of the island. Two House Martins were seen at the Finikaria end of the Germasogeia Dam the same day. Most January records of hirundines are usually from the east of the island and more will be expected from now on, with both species being regularly seen from mid-February onwards. The first Common Swift are usually seen in January as well – again most likely to be recorded in the east first.
Wetlands such as those around Limassol and Larnaca are good places to visit to catch the first hirundines of the spring and the first reports of these migrants whet the appetite for the other early spring migrants that will follow – usually Eurasian Hoopoe, Great Spotted Cuckoo and then Isabelline, Northern and Cyprus Wheatear.
Cyprus Birding Tours Trip Report – Day’s Guiding Paphos 24th January 2014
A day of Cyprus winter birding with Angela and Ronald around Paphos. On our way to Evretou Dam we passed over the Tsada/Minthis Hill track and stopped to watch flocks of finches – Serin, Linnet, Chaffinch. Greenfinches and Goldfinches as well as several singing Corn Bunting. Near the deep end of Evretou Dam two Long-legged Buzzard were soaring and they passed over us later when we arrived at the shallow end. On the dam we found Grey Heron, Northern Shoveler, Common Coot. Great Cormorant and Little Grebe. A stop in orchards along the stream which runs parallel to the track from Skarafos Bridge gave us good views of male and female Blackcap, Grey Wagtail, Chiffchaff, Sardinian Warbler, European Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush and Chaffinch. A rail-type species flew into the deep vegetation too quickly for us to get any ID pointers.
Heading south back into Paphos we saw a couple of Common Buzzard near the road side. Our next stop was Anarita Park where we were able to get good views of three male Finsch’s Wheatear – one of them obligingly close to where we ate our lunch in the winter sunshine. Two large birds of prey flew low into the area in front of us and landed on a slope. The local Magpie population headed straight towards them and we were pleased to see an adult and a juvenile Bonelli’s Eagle. They stayed for about fifteen minutes until flying off heading north. A Little Owl sat perched on a rock watching us throughout our stay while many Stonechat, a couple of Western Black Redstart, a Chukar and seven Woodlark were also seen.
At Paphos Sewage Works we found at least fifteen Spur-winged Lapwing as well as six Cattle Egret and more flocks of finches as well as many Meadow Pipit, several Spanish Sparrow and some Eurasian Skylark. At least 300 Common Wood-pigeon were in the area as were many Hooded Crow. The best bird of that location though was an impressive male Hen Harrier that flew over the alfalfa fields putting all the small birds to flight. The surprise of the day was also seen there – a single Barn Swallow – an early sighting for the west of the island.
At Asprokremmos Dam we checked the large flock of Yellow-legged Gull on the water and were able to pick out a couple of adult Caspian Gull although there may well have been more. A singing male Cyprus Warbler held our attention for a while until the setting sun meant it was time to return Angela and Ronald to their hotel in Kato Paphos. Some good birds on a warm winter day and thanks to Angela and Ronald for their company.
Forty nine species seen:
Little Grebe, Great Cormorant, Cattle Egret, Grey Heron, Northern Shoveler, Hen Harrier, Common Buzzard, Long-legged Buzzard, Bonelli’s Eagle, Common Kestrel, Chukar, Eurasian Coot, Spur-winged Lapwing, Yellow-legged Gull, Caspian Gull, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Little Owl, Crested Lark, Woodlark, Eurasian Skylark, Barn Swallow, Meadow Pipit, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, European Robin, Western Black Redstart, Common Stonechat, Finsch’s Wheatear, Eurasian Blackbird, Song Thrush, Cetti’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Sardinian Warbler, Cyprus Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Chiffchaff, Great Tit, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Common Chaffinch, European Serin, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Common Linnet, Corn Bunting.
Cyprus Birding Tours 