Another good day out with the Travelling Naturalist Cyprus group. Today we visited Cape Drepanum, Arodes and Smygies and we had the luck to witness first hand the amazing numbers of Painted Lady butterflies currently migrating through Cyprus. We estimate we saw at least 200,000 through the day. We also saw some good birds including more Cyprus Wheatear, migrating flocks of Grey Heron and Little Egret, Blue-headed Wagtail, Chukar, Hen Harrier, Black-eared Wheatear and a Great Spotted Cuckoo pair. We rounded the day off finding several new orchid species.
Painted Lady Baths of Aphrodite 22nd March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Second day guiding for Travelling Naturalist group in Cyprus travelling up to Troodos via Kouklia, Archimandrita, Agios Nikolaos and Platres. Highlights were good views of the endemic subspecies Coal Tit, Short-toed Treecreeper and Jay as well as Red Crossbill and low flying Pallid Swift. Also seen were several Cyprus Wheatear, European Serin, Corn Bunting and Laughing Dove at lower levels. Good collection of orchid species also seen as well as this crocus at Troodos.
Crocus Troodos 21st March 2019 (C) Cyprus Birding Tours
First day out guiding with the Travelling Naturalist group currently in Cyprus. Day around Paphos Headland and Archaeological site. Highlights: Black-headed Wagtail, Long-legged Buzzard, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Cyprus, Isabelline and Black-eared Wheatear, Tawny Pipit, Common Hoopoe, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Ruppell’s Warbler and Water Pipit. Photo of one of many Crested Lark.
Crested Lark, Paphos 20th March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
As well as the Demoiselle Cranes at Akrotiri on 16th March I also found several Great Spotted Cuckoo (photo), a Common Hoopoe, Water Pipit, Baltic and Slender-billed Gull, some Little Ringed Plover (photo) and a Purple Heron.
Great Spotted Cuckoo, Phasouri, 16th March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Purple Heron, Phasouri, 16th March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Little Ringed Plover, Phasouri, 16th March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
A wet Waterbird count around Larnaca today with counting done in between the rain. Highlights were two Little Gull (rising to three in the afternoon) (see photo), two Greater Sandplover, two Great Spotted Cuckoo (see photo), a Marsh Sandpiper, my first Lesser Whitethroat and Red-rumped Swallow of the year, Eurasian Curlew, Baltic Gull, Black-winged Stilt, Water Pipit and singing Eurasian Reed Warbler.
Great Spotted Cuckoo, Spiros Pool, 15th March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Little Gull, Spiros Pool 15th March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Spent most of the day at Cape Greco looking for early migrants. Some putting in an appearance – see list below – but the best was a lovely male Common Redstart of the samamisicus race (see photos). Also visited Oroklini Marsh and a couple of Agia Napa beaches where there were ten Greater Sandplovers (see photos).
Oroklini Marsh
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Black-tailed Godwit 5
Garganey 1m
Yellow Wagtail 1h
Northern Pintail 2m and 3f
Ferruginous Duck 7
Red-crested Pochard 1m and 5f
Black-winged Stilt c30
Spur-winged Lapwing 8
Common Redshank 1
Greater Flamingo 33
Common Swift 22
Cape Greco – from Kermia Beach to Agioi Anargyroi picnic site
Cyprus Warbler 6+ singing males
Ruppell’s Warbler 8m and 1f
Tree Pipit 1h
Cyprus Wheatear 4
Isabelline Wheatear 4
Greater Short-toed Lark 2
Northern Wheatear 1m
Yellow Wagtail 2 over
Blue Rock Thrush 1f
Common ‘Ehrenberg’s’ Redstart (samamisicus spp) 1m
After a very wet day yesterday and yet more rain overnight, I was pleased that the today was much better as I did an early February Waterbird Count around Larnaca. There were several Isabelline Wheatear on the coast and a flock of Common Swift, Barn Swallow and Northern House Martin to remind me that spring is on its way. Highlights were 26 Black-necked Grebe, a Ruddy Shelduck, two Little Gull, more than 2500 Greater Flamingo, some smart male Common Pochard, two Bluethroat and at least three Reed Bunting feeding on seed heads in the reeds. An adult Mediterranean Gull at Oroklini Beach was a good end to the day.
Isabelline Wheatear, Spiros Pool, 7th February 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Finally a sunny day with not a lot of wind and no rain coincided with a day I was free to go out. Went to the east again and checked out Oroklini, Achna, Paralimni Lake and the rocky coasts. A good collection of birds including Greater Flamingo, Greater Sandplover, Grey Plover, Slender-billed Gull, Audouin’s Gull, Blue Rock Thrush, Peregrine Falcon, several Western Marsh Harrier, Great Crested Grebe, Northern and Spur-winged Lapwing and Black-winged Stilt.
Photos of one of the Grey Plover and Greater Sandplover that were at Agia Trias, Paralimni
Back after a few weeks away and spent the day on the east of the island. All wetlands now have a lot of water and from the weather forecasts more is to come. Visited Oroklini, Akhna Dam, Paralimni Lake and the coastal sites of Agios Trias, Kermia and Macronissos Beaches. Highlights were:
Oroklini Marsh
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Northern Lapwing c70+
Spur-winged Lapwing 5+ (see photo)
Black-winged Stilt 5
Northern Pintail 2m and 1f
Red-crested Pochard 1m and 1f
Ferruginous Duck 2
Northern Shoveler 80+
Greater Flamingo 73
Grey Heron 1
Common Teal 30+
Common Starling 1
Cattle Egret 140+ evening roost
Akhna Dam
Great Crested Grebe 1
Grey Heron 2
Great Cormorant 6
Woodlark 3 (1 singing from wire)
Eurasian Skylark h
Common Starling 5
Corn Bunting 1
Paralimni Lake – a lot of water
Grey Heron 17
Northern Lapwing 79
Ruff 5
Common Redshank 1
Greater Flamingo 112
Common Teal 5
Western Marsh Harrier 2
Common Starling 8
Pied Avocet 2
Laughing Dove 1+
Have you been out bird watching in Cyprus during 2018? Then please don’t forget to send all your 2018 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. Short email lists are acceptable if you are not comfortable with either of those two methods. Users of the eBird recording scheme can download their sightings into an excel file and forward them in that format if they want.
So that the 2018 database can be completed, it would be appreciated if they are received by February 10th 2019. If you are unable to meet that deadline but still have 2018 records to submit please let the Recorder know.
Make your birdwatching count and ensure that your sightings are included in the 2018 country database.
Visited Oroklini Marsh, Akhna Dam, Paralimni Lake, Cape Greco, Agia Trias, Kermia Beach, Macronissos Beach and Leivadia.
Highlights were fly in Pallas’s Gull at Oroklini (which then flew out again straight away), Great Crested Grebe at Akhna, Grey Plover at Agia Trias, Audouin’s Gull at Kermia Beach (see photo) and Temminck’s Stint at Leivadia.
Cyprus Birding Tours 