Spent the day at Troodos which was full of breeding residents and summer visitors including Cyprus Wheatear, Masked Shrike, Spotted Flycatcher, Olivaceous Warbler, Common Hoopoe, Red Crossbill, Eurasian Blackbird, Coal Tit, Short-toed Treecreeper, Grey Wagtail, Northern Wren, Red-rumped Swallow, Eurasian Jay and Eurasian Crag Martin.
Cyprus Wheatear, Troodos, 2nd June 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Grey Wagtail, Troodos, 2nd June 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Olivaceous Warbler, Troodos, 2nd June 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Northern Wren, Troodos, 2nd June 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Spotted Flycatcher, Troodos, 2nd June 2020(c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Masked Shrike, Troodos 2nd July 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
A relaxing morning in the Troodos area. Several family parties seen – of Masked Shrike, Northern Wren, Olivaceous Warbler, Cyprus Wheatear, Eurasian Jay as well as several Spotted Flycatcher, Coal Tit, Common Chaffinches, European Goldfinch and Greenfinch. Also a couple of Eurasian Crag Martin, two Grey Wagtail and a Common Hoopoe. This Masked Shrike looked the worse for wear – after a tiring breeding season I’m guessing.
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
Plenty of the ‘usual suspects’ around Troodos this morning. Especially good views of Masked Shrike, Spotted Flycatcher, Eurasian Jay, Cyprus Wheatear and Red-rumped Swallow. A male Blue Rock Thrush was singing at Amiantos.
Below is a photo of a Eurasian Jay – a Cyprus endemic sub species – taking a bath in one of the many water troughs at a picnic site.
Eurasian Jay, Troodos, 28th June 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Spent the day visiting several of the Troodos picnic sites which are usually a good area to find migrant and resident breeders and find some endemic sub-species. Some of the plumage of the breeding birds was looking very worn.
Platania
Spotted Flycatcher 1 ad and at least 4 juvs
Red-rumped Swallow 1
Eurasian Blackbird pair seen and 1 other male singing
Common Hoopoe 1
Masked Shrike 2m and 1f (1m having bath in stream)
Coal Tit 3 juvs
Northern Wren 1 having bath in stream
Livadi tou Pashia
Eurasian Blackbird 2m and 1f
European Serin 2+
Northern Wren 2
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler 4+
Masked Shrike 1 pair feeding unseen juvs and another feeding 3 fledged juvs
plus 3 other males
Eurasian Jay 3 juvs, one seen fighting with male Blackbird
Northern House Martin 100+
Spent the morning around Akrotiri where it was quiet with the best birds at least three Little Bittern at Zakaki Marsh, a group of a couple of hundred Greater Flamingo still on the Salt Lake where there were also Little Tern, Black-winged Stilt and Slender-billed Gull.
Akrotiri Salt Lake/Zakaki Run off
Greater Flamingo 300+
Slender-billed Gull 6
Little Tern 6+
Black-winged Stilt 21
Little Egret 2
Grey Heron 2
Little Stint c40
Ruff 8
Yellow Wagtail 1 in flight
Lady’s Mile
Little Egret 6 inc grey morph
Phasouri Reed-beds
Squacco Heron 2
European Turtle Dove 2
But the best part of the day was the two hours I spent at Prastio Kellakiou in the late afternoon. Full of migrant breeders – Eurasian Hoopoe, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Masked Shrike, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, European Turtle Dove and Cyprus’ endemic sub-species Coal Tit and Jay. But the star was the hardworking male Black-headed Bunting who was kept busy feeding two fledglings in the shade of some olive trees (see the photo below that was taken at a distance). At least four other Black-headed Bunting males and one female were also in the area.
Spent several hours at a few Troodos picnic sites. As well as the usual enedemic sub-species Coal Tit, Eurasian Jay and Short-toed Tree Creeper there was a good selection of winter visitors around including this Yellowhammer (see record shot photo). Until recently Yellowhammers were vagrants but small numbers are recorded most years now.
A male and two female Hawfinch spent at least an hour hiding behind branches and leaves at Troodos today, finally coming down the drink as the light faded!
Some sightings from the Troodos area and the Omodos vineyards. Many Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Common Chaffinch, Coal Tit and Short-toed Treecreeper also seen:
Amiandos
Eurasian Crag Martin 2
Livadi tou Pashia
Eurasian Hoopoe 1h
Winter Wren 5+
Spotted Flycatcher 5
Masked Shrike 3m and 2f and 4 juveniles (two in one area, two others elsewhere)
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler 8+ and 2+ family groups
Red Crossbill 1 seen and another heard
Eurasian Jay 2
Eurasian Blackbird 1m
Red-rumped Swallow 2
Almirolivado
Masked Shrike 3m and 1f
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler 4+
Winter Wren 4+
Eurasian Blackbird 1
Start of Caledonia Trail (Troodos end)
Grey Wagtail 1m and 1 juv plus another prob heard.
Eurasian Blackbird 1m an 1f
Winter Wren 3+
Spotted Flycatcher 1
Mandria (Platres) – Agios Nikolaos road
Cyprus Wheatear 4m
Masked Shrike 1
Agios Nikolaos road to Omodos
Cyprus Wheatear 3
Masked Shrike 1m and 1f
Long-legged Buzzard 2
Black-headed Bunting 4 singing males
Omodos
Black-headed Bunting 3 males
Corn Bunting 1
Red-rumped Swallow 5
Eurasian Jay, Livadi tou Pashia, 10th June 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Had a great day around Troodos today – relaxing birding! Found two Red-rumped Swallow collecting mud from near the stream in the Platania picnic site. They would fly in together and one would sit on a nearby stem or bush while the other collected the mud and then they flew off together – presumably to make a nest or repair one they have already used. Spent some time watching a male Masked Shrike feeding a downy recently fledged youngster at Livadi tou Pashia and was pleased to see a Grey Wagtail at the Troodos end of the Caledonia Trail. Lots of Coal Tit, Short-toed Tree-creeper, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler and Common Chaffinch around.
Main sightings:
Platania Picnic Site
Red-rumped Swallow 2 coming down to take mud
Masked Shrike 2m and 1f
European Serin 6+
Eurasian Blackbird 1m and 1f
Eurasian Hoopoe 2
Winter Wren 1
Eurasian Jay 1
Livadi tou Pashia
Spotte Flycatcher 3
Eurasian Hoopoe 2
Eurasian Blackbird 2m, 1f and one juvenile
Eurasian Jay h
Masked Shrike 2m – one feeding a downy fledgling
European Serin 4+
Winter Wren 2 plus family party of 6+
Cyprus Wheatear 2m
Start of Artemis trail
Common Swift c70
Pallid Swift 3+
Eurasian Hoopoe 1h
Cyprus Wheatear 3m
European Serin h
Eurasian Blackbird 1 singing male
Eurasian Jay 1
Platania Old Road
European Turtle Dove 2
Cyprus Wheatear 1
Caledonia Trail (Troodos end)
Grey Wagtail 1 ad
Winter Wren 10+ and young in family parties
Eurasian Blackbird 3m and 2f
Common Nightingale 1h singing
Spotted Flycatcher 1
Troodos Environment Centre area
Eurasian Blackbird 1m
Common House Martin c30
Common Swift c200 with at least 30 probable Pallids
Kampos tou Livadiou
Winter Wren 1
Troodos Botanical Gardens – Amiandos
Cyprus Wheatear 1m, 1f and 1 fledgling
Masked Shrike 1m
Eurasian Jay 2
European Serin 2+
Eurasian Blackbird 2+m
Red-rumped Swallow 30+
Common House Martin c40
European Turtle Dove 1
Red-rumped Swallow, Platania, 31st May 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
I had previously taken Gareth out in April 2015 when we had visited Akrotiri and managed to see 90 species. We knew that we couldn’t reach that total today around Paphos but we had some great birding moments – quality rather than quantity being the order of the day. We started at Anarita Park where we saw seven species of raptor – Bonelli’s Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, Western Marsh Harrier, Common Kestrel, Lesser Kestrel, Amur Falcon and Red-footed Falcon. We also found both the Cyprus endemics – Cyprus Wheatear and Cyprus Warbler, at least six Great Spotted Cuckoo, watched a displaying European Roller, enjoyed the feeding antics of many European Bee-eater and in return were watched by two Little Owls.
We spent several hours at Anarita Park and then moved on to Petra tou Romiou where we saw at least three Eleonora’s Falcon, an Alpine Swift and then – my birds of the day – a female Peregrine Falcon with two young birds flying out over the sea and near the cliff face. A great spectacle watching them trying out aerial manouvres and chasing each other. A quick detour into the village of Kouklia meant we found two of Cyprus’ newest colonisers, Laughing Dove. Usually noted as a vagrant to Cyprus, a population of escapees has bred for several years in Agia Napa and Limassol and they are now spreading, although the exact origin of the Kouklia birds is unclear. While eating our lunch in the Agia Varvara valley we added Squacco Heron and Spotted Flycatcher to our day list and again were entertained by European Bee-eaters.
We then drove to the area around Kannaviou Dam. There was little on the dam itself – a single Purple Heron but in the nearby wooded area we found two of Cyprus’ endemic sub-species – Coal Tit and Eurasian Jay – as well as Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Masked Shrike, Cretzschmar’s Bunting and European Serin. There was no sign though of any Black-headed Buntings which have been seen near the Dam in previous years. So we headed towards Kathikas where we heard at least two singing males and got good views of one in the vineyards. A nearby soaring Long-legged Buzzard completed a great day’s birding.
Total species – 50
Squacco Heron, Purple Heron, Western Marsh Harrier, Long-legged Buzzard, Bonelli’s Eagle, Lesser Kestrel, Common Kestrel, Red-footed Falcon, Amur Falcon, Eleonora’s Falcon, Peregrine Falcon, Yellow-legged Gull, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Eurasian Turtle Dove, Laughing Dove, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Little Owl, Common Swift, Alpine Swift, European Bee-eater, European Roller, Crested Lark, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Common House Martin, Cyprus Wheatear, Cetti’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Cyprus Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Masked Shrike, Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Common Chaffinch, European Serin, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Common Linnet, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Black-headed Bunting, Corn Bunting
Peregrine Falcon, Petra tou Romiou 7th May 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Red-footed Falcon, Anarita Park 7th May 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Red-footed Falcon female, Anarita Park 7th May 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
All the usual suspects at Troodos today – plenty of Coal Tits, Winter Wren, Short-toed Treecreeper, Eurasian Jay, Common Chaffinch and Eurasian Blackbird. Of more interest was a male Yellowhammer and a Mistle Thrush at Almirolivado, two Goldcrest at Livadi tou Pashia and at least twelve European Siskin at Platania.
Photograph below of a Coal Tit at Livadi tou Pashia. One of the Cyprus endemic sub-species.
Coal Tit Troodos 20th November 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Cyprus Birding Tours 