Managed to avoid most of the rain showers today and even had a good walk around Achna Dam – trying to find (and failing) the Pied Kingfisher that has been seen there on a couple of occasions over the last ten days. But despite that, at the three locations I visited I managed to see some good birds including Black-necked Grebe, Squacco Heron, Great Egret, Glossy Ibis, ‘Baltic’ Gull, Purple Heron, Marsh Sandpiper, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Black-winged Stilt, Temminck’s Stint, Garganey, Olivaceous Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Cyprus Wheatear and Warbler, Tawny Pipit, Black-eared Wheatear and Woodchat Shrike.
Out around Nicosia again today visiting Manglis Lake, Athalassa Dam and Agios Sozomenos. Best birds were:
Manglis Lake
Great Egret 1
Little Egret 1
Black-necked Grebe 1
Athalassa Dam
Grey Wagtail 1
Great Egret 2
Little Egret 1
Grey Heron 6
Black-crowned Night Heron 3ad and 1imm
Great Cormorant 60+
Black-necked Grebe 3
Ferruginous Duck 9
Eurasian Blackbird 1h
European Serin 2+
Plus plenty of Teal, Mallard, Shoveler, Coot, Moorhen and Little Grebe
Agios Sozomenos
Long-legged Buzzard 1
Hen Harrier 1 being chased away by Long-legged Buzzard
Spanish Sparrow 30+
Bonelli’s Eagle 1 ad and 1 imm
Finsch’s Wheatear 1m and 1f
Common Quail 1h calling from edge of field of alfalfa
Red-throated Pipit 2h
Black-crowned Night Heron (immature), Athalassa Dam 12th January 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Visited Achna Dam and Oroklini Marsh this morning after yesterday’s rain. Birds around included Hen and Western Marsh Harrier, Great Egret, Spur-winged Lapwing, Common Snipe, Common Kingfisher, my first Meadow Pipits of the winter and a Bluethroat. Photos of a female Northern Pintail and a Western Marsh Harrier from Achna.
Northern Pintail, Achna Dam 26th October 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Western Marsh Harrier, Larnaca 26th October 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
More Common Crane migrating over the island today. Over 50 reported over Tala, Paphos while I had 95 over Achna Dam around 9:30 this morning. Also at Achna were:
Hen Harrier 1 ringtail
Eurasian Sparrowhawk 1
Great Egret 1
Glossy Ibis 2
Northern Lapwing 2
Common Redshank 2
Wood Sandpiper 1
Common Snipe 1
Little Stint 2
Dunlin 1
Common Kingfisher 1
Red-throated Pipit 3
Northern Pintail 2
Common Crane, Achna Dam 17th October 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Peter, Pat, Paul and Janet were staying in Nicosia so we had a bit of a drive before we could start our morning’s birding. We headed to Achna Dam where water levels are still good and where I had seen some good birds on a trip there last week. We spent some time there getting good views of three Great White Egret, an immature Whiskered Tern, a Common Kingfisher and two Northern Pintail. A group of five Glossy Ibis feeding on the far shore left the area after a while – probably continuing their migration south. Ten newly arrived Northern Lapwing flew into the area from the north. Several Cattle and Little Egret and Grey Heron were also present and a couple of Willow Warbler were feeding in the shorter reeds. As we returned to the car we spotted two Dunlin, a Little Stint and a Little Ringed Plover feeding in a muddy area. A juvenile Western Marsh Harrier was quartering the area and we saw it fly up from the ground with something in its talons. Unfortunately although we heard several European Bee-eater flying over the area they were too high for us to see.
We searched the rocky beach at Ormedeia for a Greater Sandplover but had no joy so we had to make do with a single Kentish Plover and three more Northern Lapwing. A quick stop at Oroklini Marsh enabled us to see a large group of almost forty Spur-winged Lapwing as well as a couple of Common Redshank, a Little Ringed Plover and a Ruff.
We finished our morning driving through the valley of Panagia Stazousa as we headed back to Nicosia. We were hoping that there would still be some Cyprus Wheatear around and we were not disappointed. At least four were still present and dutifully obliged by sitting out in the open on the top of low bushes. While watching one of them we spotted a juvenile Red-backed Shrike and when it flew further away we were pleased to also see a juvenile Masked Shrike in another bush. Several Whinchat were seen resting as they migrated through the island. We also had brief views of a Spotted Flycatcher and a female Eurasian Blackcap but a female Common Redstart was more co-operative and sat low in a shrub enabling us to watch her through the telescope. An unexpected bird to finish the morning on. A morning on which we managed to see a good variety of species – a few more than I had anticipated.
Total species – 40
Northern Pintail, Little Grebe, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Coot, Glossy Ibis, Cattle Egret, Grey Heron, Great White Egret, Little Egret, Little Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Northern Lapwing, Spur-winged Lapwing, Ruff, Dunlin, Little Stint, Common Redshank, Whiskered Tern, Western Marsh Harrier, European Bee-eater (h), Common Kingfisher, Common Kestrel, Red-backed Shrike, Masked Shrike, Eurasian Magpie, Hooded Crow, Crested Lark, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Sardinian Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Common Redstart, Whinchat, Cyprus Wheatear, House Sparrow, White Wagtail, European Goldfinch
David, Diane and I spent the day out birding around Larnaca visiting Achna Dam, Ormeidia, Oroklini, Larnaca Sewage Works area, Pervolia, Kivisili and Panagia Stazousa. We had a good selection of species including Greater Sandplover, the endemic Cyprus Wheatear and Cyprus Warbler, White-winged and Whiskered Tern, Red-footed Falcon, Montagu’s Harrier, Ferruginous Duck, Chukar and Spur-winged Lapwing.
Highlights per location:
Achna Dam – Squacco Heron, Great White Egret, Little Ringed Plover, Common Snipe, Whiskered Tern, Western Marsh Harrier, European Bee-eater, Common Kingfisher
Ormedeia Beach – Greater Sandplover, Kentish Plover, Whinchat, European Shag
Oroklini – Little Ringed Plover, Spur-winged Lapwing, Northern Lapwing
Meneou Pool – Eurasian Thick-knee, Masked Shrike
Larnaca Sewage Works area – Ferruginous Duck, Northern Pintail, Greater Flamingo, Black-winged Stilt, Grey Plover, Spur-winged Lapwing, Common Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Eurasian Curlew, Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, White-winged Tern (inc 1 in breeding plumage), Whiskered Tern, Western Marsh Harrier, Red-backed Shrike, Sand Martin, Spotted Flycatcher, Western Yellow Wagtail
A visit to Manglis Lake in the suburbs of Nicosia this morning showed the importance of this and other wetlands to wintering birds here in Cyprus. There were nearly 50 Greater Cormorant, four Grey Heron, a Great Egret, a Little Egret, more than 20 Eurasian Coot, three Moorhen and a Little Grebe all feeding and resting there.
Grey Heron, Manglis Lake 2nd February 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Eurasian Coot, Manglis Lake 2nd February 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
First day out birding of 2017 on my return from UK. As I had missed out on adding Common Gull to my 2016 Cyprus list I was determined to get it for my 2017 list. So I decided to go to Lady’s Mile at Akrotiri where at least three of this uncommon Cyprus winter visitor have been present. I saw my target birds and in with the 1000+ wintering Common Black-headed Gull I also found a first winter Slender-billed Gull and three first winter Mediterranean Gulls. There were also several wintering Armenian and Caspian Gulls.
Other birds of interest in the area included:
Zakaki Marsh
Western Marsh Harrier 3 (in air at same time)
Eurasian Penduline Tit 1+ heard
Common Reed Bunting 1 heard
Gadwall 2f
Phassouri Reed-beds
Western Marsh Harrier 2
Spanish Sparrow 20
Germasogeia Dam
Cyprus Warbler 1m
Corn Bunting 22
Long-legged Buzzard 2
Great Egret 1
Adult Armenian Gull, Lady’s Mile 5th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
First winter Mediterranean Gull, Lady’s Mile 5th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Most of my time out today was spent doing the Waterbird count around Larnaca. After the rain a few weeks ago there is still some water in parts of the Salt Lake and isolated patches of water contained some good birds. Best birds were a Common Crane flying over the Sewage Works, a Gadwall and three Black-necked Grebe on the Sewage Pools, eight Eurasian Stone Curlew and eight Eurasian Curlew, hunting Western Marsh and female Hen Harrier, flocks of Eurasian Skylark, two Bluethroat (see photo), six Temminck’s Stint, a Water Rail and around thirty Common Snipe in the north east corner of the Salt Lake.
Akhna Dam had less birds than when I visited a month ago although there was a Great White Pelican there and some recently arrived thrushes including Song and Mistle Thrush and Fieldfare. More than sixty Spur-winged Lapwing were at Oroklini together with twenty four Northern Lapwing, around fifty Greater Flamingo and a Great Egret.
Bluethroat, Larnaca Salt Lake 18th November 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Spent a few hours at Athalassa Dam and saw the following:
Great Egret 3
Little Egret 2
Grey Heron 6
Great Cormorant 50+
Eurasian Spoonbill 1 juv
Cattle Egret 1
Black-crowned Night Heron 1 ad
Common Kingfisher 2
Grey Wagtail 2
Ferruginous Duck 2
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Black-winged Stilt 2
Common Snipe 1
Northern Shoveler 8
Eurasian Teal 30+
Mallard c30
Little Grebe, Eurasian Coot and Common Moorhen
Common Chaffinch, European Robin, Common Chiffchaff and White Wagtail.
Hooded Crow and Common Woodpigeon
Black-winged Stilt, Athalassa Dam 16th November 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Eurasian Spoonbill, Athalassa Dam 16th November 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Great Cormorant, Athalassa Dam 16th November 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Great Egret Athalassa Dam 16th November 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Grey Heron, Athalassa Dam 16th November 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Little Grebe 4, Athalassa Dam 16th November 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Mallard, Athalassa Dam 16th November 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Three days out with Peter who I had previously taken out this time last year. Although once again he was too late for Cyprus Wheatear we had some great birds and a good time with one of the highlights being a Peregrine Falcon roosting on Akrotiri Salt Lake for the second year running, photo friendly Eurasian Penduline Tits and Jack Snipe, an unexpected Cyprus Warbler at Phinikas, five Finsch’s Wheatear including a female for a change and good views of Eurasian Stone Curlew, Hen Harrier and Eurasian Griffon Vulture to name just three – oh and hundreds of Common Stonechat!
Monday 7th November – Day around Akrotiri Peninsula
Phasouri Reed-beds – Western Marsh Harrier 2, Eurasian Skylark h, Eurasian Penduline Tit 2, European Robin 6+
Akrotiri Gravel Pits – Western Marsh Harrier 1, Woodlark 2
Lady’s Mile – Western Marsh Harrier 1, Common Ringed Plover 2, Kentish Plover 100+, Little Stint c20, Dunlin c30, Armenian Gull 2 ad and 2 juv, Slender-billed Gull 4, Corn Bunting 4
Akrotiri Salt Lake – Grey Heron c60, Greater Flamingo c90, Peregrine Falcon 1 juv, Common Snipe 1, Water Pipit 2
Zakaki Marsh – Little Egret 2, Great Egret 1, Eurasian Teal 3, Water Rail 2+, Jack Snipe 1, Bluethroat 1, Song Thrush 1, Moustached Warbler 1, Common Starling 14, Common Reed Bunting 1
Kensington Cliffs – Eurasian Griffon Vulture 3
Friday 11th November – Day around Paphos
Mandria – European Shag 1, Hen Harrier 1 ringtail, Long-legged Buzzard 1, Eurasian Stone Curlew 25, European Golden Plover 1 flew over, Eurasian Skylark 40+, Meadow Pipit c60, Red-throated Pipit 20+, Western Black Redstart 1
Nata Ford – Eurasian Sparrowhawk 1, Bonelli’s Eagle 1 ad, Chukar 8, Song Thrush 4+, Eurasian Blackbird 1m, European Serin 6+, Corn Bunting 1
Phinikas (Asprokremmos Dam) – Great Cormorant 3, Eurasian Teal c90, Eurasian Sparrowhawk 1, Whiskered Tern 1, Little Owl 1, Common Kingfisher 1, Meadow Pipit 50+, Water Pipit 1, Western Black Redstart 4, Finsch’s Wheatear 3m, Blue Rock Thrush 1m, Cyprus Warbler 1m, European Serin 4, Common Linnet 3
Anarita Park – Long-legged Buzzard 1, Little Owl 1, Finsch’s Wheatear 1m and 1f, Spanish Sparrow 50+, Corn Bunting 3
Full species list – 80 species
Little Grebe, Great Cormorant, European Shag, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Greater Flamingo, Eurasian Teal, Mallard, Eurasian Griffon Vulture, Western Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Long-legged Buzzard, Bonelli’s Eagle, Common Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Chukar, Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Eurasian Stone Curlew, Common Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Eurasian Golden Plover, Spur-winged Lapwing, Little Stint, Dunlin, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Common Black-headed Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Armenian Gull, Whiskered Tern, Rock Dove, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Little Owl, Common Kingfisher, Crested Lark, Woodlark, Eurasian Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Red-throated Pipit, Water Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, European Robin, Bluethroat, Western Black Redstart, Common Stonechat, Northern Wheatear, Finsch’s Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Song Thrush, Eurasian Blackbird, Cetti’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Moustached Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Cyprus Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Great Tit, Eurasian Penduline Tit, Red-backed Shrike, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, Common Starling, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Common Chaffinch, European Serin, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Common Linnet, Common Reed Bunting, Corn Bunting.
Jack Snipe, Zakaki Marsh, 7th November 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Blue Rock Thrush, Phinikas, 11th November 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Whiskered Tern, Phinikas, 11th November 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
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