Plenty of Red-backed and Masked Shrike at Cape Greco this morning as well as many Whinchat and some migrating raptors. Full list of the more interesting sightings: Cape Greco Northern Wheatear 3 Isabelline Wheatear 3 European Honey Buzzard 27 Cyprus Wheatear 9 Eastern Orphean Warbler 1 juv Whinchat 11 Black-eared Wheatear 3 Cyprus Warbler 4 Red-backed Shrike 11 (see photo of juvenile) Common Hoopoe 2 Greater Short-toed Lark 6+ Willow Warbler 12+ Spotted Flycatcher 2 Eleonora’s Falcon 2 Western Marsh Harrier 6 Montagu’s Harrier 1m Eurasian Hobby 1 Eurasian Wryneck 1 European Bee-eatear many passing over heard only
Agia Napa Sewage Works Masked Shrike 7ad and 1 juv (all within 1km of each other) Red-backed Shrike 7 Ortolan Bunting 2 Lesser Whitethroat 2 Isabelline Wheatear 1 Woodchat Shrike 1 Whinchat 3
Agia Napa Football fields Red-backed Shrike 3 Cattle Egret 11 Tree Pipit 2 Isabelline Wheatear 2 Lesser Grey Shrike 1
Although I could only get distant photos of Lesser Grey Shrike and a female Red-backed Shrike this morning at Cape Greco there was plenty moving about in the bushes near Agia Napa Sewage Works:
Eastern Orphean Warbler 12+ (probably double that)
Barred Warbler 1 juv (and one possible other)
Lesser Whitethroat 4
Olivaceous Warbler 20+
Cyprus Warbler 1m, 1f and 2 juv
Spectacled Warbler 6 (inc 2 juvs)
European Bee-eater h high over
Little Grebe 19
Common Sandpiper 1
Spur-winged Lapwing 1
Common Hoopoe 1
Lesser Grey Shrike 1 (see photo)
Woodchat Shrike 1 (see photo)
Red-backed Shrike 1f
Lesser Grey Shrike, Agia Napa Sewage Works 14th August 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Red-backed Shrike female, Agia Napa Sewage Works 14th August 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
A quick visit to Agia Napa this morning to check for migrant warblers. Plenty of Eastern Olivaceous Warblers still around and there were a couple of Lesser Whitethroat. I was especially pleased to see at least five Eastern Orphean Warbler flying around the area and perching in the open and good views of one juvenile Barred Warbler in an olive tree plus poor views of a possible other. An Eleonora’s Falcon flew over the pools and was chased off by two Spur-winged Lapwing. I also saw a female Cyprus Warbler, several Spectacled Warbler and a Masked and a Woodchat Shrike. At the football fields there was a Lesser Grey Shrike and at least twenty five Cattle Egret taking advantage of the freshly watered pitches.
Cattle Egret, Agia Napa Football Fields 12th August 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Two days out with Martin and Rosemary to several of the Paphos hotspots gave us several lifers for Martin, despite the strong winds and lack of numbers of migrants around at the moment which limited the species we could have seen. However we were pleased with our species list in the end, although we felt we had worked hard to get some of the birds!
Highlights from locations visited:
Saturday 19th March:
Baths of Aphrodite: Long-legged Buzzard, Cyprus Wheatear, European Serin, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Yellow-legged Gull
Good numbers of Rueppell’s Warbler at Cape Greco this afternoon – mainly males but a few females as well as well as a few Eastern Subalpine Warbler and an Eastern Orphean Warbler. Birds seen included:
Eastern Orphean Warbler 1
Rueppell’s Warbler 10+m and 3f
Eastern Subalpine Warbler 3m and 1f
Isabelline Wheatear 14
Lesser Whitethroat 2
Eastern race of Stonechat – prob Siberian 1m
Blue Rock Thrush 2
Northern Wheatear 4m
Cyprus Warbler 1m setting up territory
Song Thrush 7
Red-rumped Swallow 1
Eurasian Hoopoe 1
Cyprus Wheatear 2m
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear 1m dark throated
Masked Shrike 1
Cretzschmar’s Bunting 2+
Raptor watching at Cape Greco this morning to kick off the autumn migration survey there. For a location that can be very good but also very quiet, it was a reasonable first day with two juvenile Pallid Harrier, five Western Marsh Harrier, three Honey Buzzard and a Black Kite all by 10.00 am. Then the only other bird of prey was a Eurasian Hobby who heading south in the company of the many hirundines that were migrating over the area. There were more than 400 Barn Swallow, 180+ Sand Martin, nine Common House Martin and five Red-rumped Swallow moving S over my observation point.
Also in the area to keep me interested once the raptor movement slowed were six Cretzschmar’s and then one Ortolan Bunting, three juvenile Eastern Orphean Warbler, twelve Eurasian Turtle Dove, two Pallid Swift, an Isabelline Wheatear, at least one Tawny Pipit, two Spotted Flycatcher, Common and Lesser Whitethroat, two Eurasian Hoopoe, a male Blue Rock Thrush and the inevitable Masked, Red-backed and Lesser Grey Shrike.
Well I knew it had been hot in Cyprus while I had been away but I had hoped that at 7am it would be bearable. It wasn’t really but there were a few interesting species around. At least 18 Pallid Swift were over Agia Napa Sewage Works where almost every bush seemed to have several Eastern Olivaceous Warbler in it. I also saw eight Eastern Orphean Warbler but I am sure there were more unseen. A lone Cyprus Wheatear was also there as were several Spectacled Warbler.
A male Lesser Grey Shrike was at the Agia Napa Football Fields together with a Woodchat Shrike. Nearly 50 Cattle Egret were feeding on the watered pitches together with a couple of Black Francolin.
At Oroklini Marsh there were at least 22 Spur-winged Lapwing – several of them juvenile – and 25 Black-winged Stilt (again with several juvenile). At least twenty Little Stint were feeding in what is left of the water with some Little Ringed Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Ruff and a single Marsh Sandpiper.
Cattle Egret, Agia Napa Football Fields 8th August 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Went to Agia Napa Sewage Works and Football Fields and then Oroklini and the Larnaca coast this morning. Really pleased to catch up with the male and female Cinereous Bunting that had been reported at the Agia Napa Sewage Works on Saturday. They don’t usually hang around but these birds are an exception to that. There were also several Ortolan and Cretzshmar’s in the area. I counted thirteen male Red-backed Shrike around there as well as nine females and one juvenile. There were many Willow Warbler and Lesser Whitehthroat and I also saw two Common Whitethroat, an Eastern Orphean Warbler and a couple of Eastern Olivaceous Warbler. European Bee-eater were flying over and there were two Eurasian Hoopoe, seven Spotted Flycatcher and a juvenile Common Cuckoo. All Masked Shrike seen were adult and there I only saw one Lesser Grey Shrike.
At Agia Napa Football Fields though there were at least twenty one Lesser Grey Shrike and just a few female Red-backed Shrike. Six Pallid Swift were flying over and there were also a couple of Whinchat. The water has nearly all gone from Oroklini Marsh but as I approached I saw a Great White Pelican flying over the motorway and it landed in the water as I parked. There were also over forty Spur-winged Lapwing on the mud together with several Common Ringed Plover, a Little Ringed Plover and some Little Stint.
On the fields next to the Larnaca Desalination Plant there was a flock of at least three hundred Yellow Wagtail feeding together with a Whinchat and an Isabelline Wheatear.
Spotted Flycatcher Agia Napa Sewage Works 3rd September 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Two early starts on Monday and Wednesday in order to take out Simon who was staying in Latchi. That way we managed to beat the worse of the late August heatwave and caught up with several good species as well. On Monday 25th August we started behind Neo Chorio near the Smygies picnic site and had great views of around seven Cretzschmar’s Bunting. One even sang on the top of a pine tree in front of us – a lifer for Simon that I had not been optimistic of finding. We also found several Cyprus Wheatear, a male Red-backed Shrike and a couple of Masked Shrike. Willow Warbler, Lesser and Common Whitethroat were around but the best warbler was an Eastern Orphean in a carob tree. Several Red-rumped Swallow were migrating over the area during our time there and a flock of nearly 50 Purple Heron flew over heading SW. We were pleased to pick out a Little Owl in the distance as we were searching the some noisy Chukar who were not so easy to see.
Visiting the area behind Arodes village we were treated to the first of the many Lesser Grey Shrike we saw on both mornings. We had six of them sitting in a group together on some electricity wires. A great sight. More were seen on the road between Kathikas and Akoursos. Another male Red-backed Shrike was at Akoursos where we had brief glimpses of a male Cyprus Warbler skulking in the bushes.
To get a better view of the Cyprus Warbler we headed straight to Asprokremmos Dam on the Wednesday morning where we found at least one male – which Simon was able to get a record shot of – and yet more Lesser Grey Shrike and several female Red-backed Shrike. A Whinchat was also present and two male Ortolan Bunting flew in and landed in front of us before flying off again. It was good to be able to compare them with the Cretzschmar’s we had seen on Monday. Finally Simon got good views of Chukar here with at least five perched on a ridge in full view. There were several Eurasian Hoopoe in the trees near the car park and two Spectacled Warbler were near the mast.
We made a quick detour to Petra tou Romiou and were treated to a couple of minutes fly-past from two Eleonora’s Falcon and then we headed inland over Minthis Hills towards Tsada and then over to Evretou Dam. Two Long-legged Buzzard were flying over Minthis Hills and yet more shrikes were perched on scattered bushes.
It was very hot by the time we reached Evretou Dam – our last point of call. Single Little Egret, Glossy Ibis and Green Sandpiper were on the water’s edge and an adult European Roller was flying around. At least two Yellow Wagtail were feeding on the drying mud. The orchards held many Willow Warbler with double figures in one carob tree alone.
I drove Simon back to Latchi pleased that we had managed to see most of his target species – Black Francolin let us down. Two enjoyable mornings’ birding.
Full species list – 41
Little Egret, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis, Long-legged Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Eleonora’s Falcon, Chukar, Green Sandpiper, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Little Owl, European Roller, Eurasian Hoopoe, Crested Lark, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Yellow Wagtail, Whinchat, Cyprus Wheatear, Zitting Cisticola, Spectacled Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Cyprus Warbler, Eastern Orphean Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Great Tit, Red-backed Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Masked Shrike, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Common Linnet, Ortolan Bunting, Cretzschmar’s Bunting
Plenty of Lesser Grey Shrike in the Akamas area this morning with several Red-backed Shrike, a Whinchat, Eastern Orphean and Willow Warbler, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Hoopoe, Red-rumped Swallow, Lesser and Common Whitethroat. Off shore at Latchi were several flocks of Purple Heron throughout the day totalling over 200 individuals, a few Grey Heron, three Squacco Heron, seventeen Black-crowned Night Heron, over 200 Garganey and ten Northern Pintail. At Droushia nearly twenty Alpine Swift passed over at midday and at dusk a European Nightjar and two Scops Owls were near Smygies picnic site.
An early morning visit to the area around the Agia Napa Sewage Works this morning produced a male and female Red-backed Shrike, a Woodchat and Lesser Grey Shrike and a juvenile Masked Shrike. There were several Eastern Orphean Warbler in the bushes and I was pleased to get a good view of a male out in the open for a few seconds. Other warblers around included a couple of Cyprus Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat and plenty of Eastern Olivaceous Warbler. A larger warbler skulking deep inside an olive tree was probably a juvenile Barred Warbler but wouldn’t cooperate to allow a definite ID.
Another Woodchat Shrike was at the Agia Napa Football Fields as was a Common Cuckoo, two Eurasian Hoopoe and a Common Whitethroat.
Cyprus Birding Tours 