Cyprus Birding Tours

Offering guided bird watching tours around Cyprus

Tag Archives: Great Spotted Cuckoo


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Cape Greco 13th March 2020

Lovely day around Cape Greco today – dodging some very heavy rain at times. Great birds including this male Masked Shrike (photo).

Other sightings included:

Isabelline Wheatear 28+
Northern Wheatear 12+
Common Hoopoe 20 incl a group of five in off sea together
Cyprus Wheatear 4
Common Crane 1 heading E 09:45
Black Redstart 10
Lesser Whitethroat 8+
Common Whitethroat 2
Song Thrush 7
Bluethroat 1
Black-eared Wheatear 2 pale throated and 5 dark throated
Ruppell’s Warbler 3m
Masked Shrike 1m
Blue Rock Thrush 3 (incl a pair with singing male)
Cyprus Warbler 3m
Common Nightingale 1
Great Spotted Cuckoo 1
Hen Harrier 1f
Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler 2
Common Redstart 1m and 1f
‘Ehrenberg’s’ Redstart 1f
Desert Wheatear 1m
Red-rumped Swallow 7
Black-headed Wagtail 30
Blue-headed Wagtail 2

Masked Shrike, Cape Greco 13th March 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Masked Shrike, Cape Greco 13th March 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Limassol area 21st January 2020

A lovely sunny day around Limassol visiting Germasogeia, the Akrotiri sites and Curium. Highlight was finally catching up with
one of the Booted Eagles that is around Phasouri at the moment. Also good to see a newly arrived Great Spotted Cuckoo at Akrotiri Gravel Pits and six Eurasian Crag Martin at Germasogeia.

List of interesting sightings:

Germasogeia Dam
Eurasian Crag Martin 6
Common Sandpiper 2
Western Marsh Harrier 1
European Serin 60+

Lady’s Mile
Slender-billed Gull 2 (see photo of immature)
Armenian Gull 20+
Caspian Gull 1

Zakaki Marsh
Eurasian Penduline Tit 2

Akrotiri Marsh (Phasouri Reed-beds)
Booted Eagle 1 dark morph to north of area being mobbed by Hooded Crows
Common Buzzard 3
Western Marsh Harrier 2
Great White Egret 3
Water Pipit 1
Western Water Rail 1h
Hawfinch 2+ (One seen and 1+ h)
Common Snipe 40
Woodlark 7
Eurasian Blackbird 1m
Cattle Egret 4 (see photo)

Akrotiri Gravel Pits
Great Spotted Cuckoo 1
Sandwich Tern 1 along coast
Common Buzzard 1
Meadow Pipit 50+

Kourio Stadium
Cyprus Warbler 2m

Cattle Egret, Phasouri, 21st January 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Cattle Egret, Phasouri, 21st January 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Slender-billed Gull, Lady's Mile 21st January 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Slender-billed Gull, Lady’s Mile 21st January 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Paphos area 14th April 2019

A great day out around Paphos guiding for Birdwatching Breaks. Starting with Little Bittern and Baillon’s Crake at Agia Varvara we then saw a singing male Cyprus Warbler and at least seven Great Spotted Cuckoo (one photographed). We had European Bee-eater over our heads in off the sea at Mandria, while we were searching for the female Caspian Plover seen there earlier. We caught up with the Caspian Plover after lunch and then moved onto Timi where we found two male and a female Citrine Wagtail. The day finished with good views of a Scops Owl.

Great Spotted Cuckoo, Anarita Park, 14th April 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Great Spotted Cuckoo, Anarita Park, 14th April 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Paphos area 23rd March 2019

Good start this morning out guiding for the Travelling Naturalist group with a showy male Cyprus Warbler to keep us entertained at Anarita Park. Other good birds included Spotted Crake and Peregrine Falcon at Agia Varvara; Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Long-legged Buzzard and Red-rumped Swallow at Anarita Park; and an Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler at Asprokremmos Dam. Plenty of Corn Buntings (photo) at all locations visited.

Corn Bunting, Anarita Park 23rd March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Corn Bunting, Anarita Park 23rd March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Akamas area 22nd March 2019

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

Painted Lady Baths of Aphrodite 22nd March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Paphos Headland 20th March 2019

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

Crested Lark, Paphos 20th March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Akrotiri area 16th March 2019

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

Great Spotted Cuckoo, Phasouri, 16th March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Purple Heron, 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

Little Ringed Plover, Phasouri, 16th March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Larnaca area today 15th March 2019

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

Great Spotted Cuckoo, Spiros Pool, 15th March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Little Gull, Spiros Pool 15th March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Little Gull, Spiros Pool 15th March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Oroklini, Achna Dam and Cape Greco today 10th April 2018

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.

Black-necked Grebe, Achna Dam, 10th April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Larnaca area today 2nd April 2018

Some of the more interesting sightings:

Meneou Pool

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater 1
Black-winged Stilt 7
Purple Heron 2

Spiros Beach

Eurasian Thick-knee 1
Greater Flamingo c200 flying E
Northern Wheatear 4m
Isabelline Wheatear 1

Spiros Pool

Kentish Plover 2
Pied Avocet 12 (seen later on Airport Pools south)

Larnaca Sewage Works

Northern Wheatear 5
Black-necked Grebe 3
Citrine Wagtail 2
Yellow Wagtail 7
Common Greenshank 1
Ruff 1
Spur-winged Lapwing 8+
Common Nightingale 1 singing in front of hide

Pervolia

Common Quail 1h
Black-headed Wagtail 8
Calandra Lark 3+
Common Hoopoe 1
Isabelline Wheatear 1

Petounta Point

Northern Wheatear 5
Common Kingfisher 1
Common Sandpiper 1

Kiti Dam

Laughing Dove 1
Isabelline Wheatear 1
Great Spotted Cuckoo 2
Eurasian Blackcap 1+
European Turtle Dove 1
Common Hoopoe 2

Kivisili

Lesser Kestrel 10+
Eurasian Thick-knee 1
Cyprus Wheatear 1
Common Hoopoe 1

Panagia Stazousa

Cyprus Wheatear 6
Cyprus Warbler 1
Common Cuckoo 1
Cretzschmar’s Bunting pair near known breeding location
Olivaceous Warbler 1 singing
Eurasian Stone Curlew, Spiros Beach 2nd April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Eurasian Stone Curlew, Spiros Beach 2nd April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Lesser Kestrel, Kivisili 2nd April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Lesser Kestrel, Kivisili 2nd April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Common Hoopoe, Kivisili 2nd April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Common Hoopoe, Kivisili 2nd April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

 


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Limassol area 10th & 11th March 2018

Spent the last two days in the Limassol area. The highlight was a Masked Shrike already on breeding territory at Prastio Kellakiou and two Bimaculated Lark in with a flock of Greater Short-toed Lark and Meadow Pipit on the coastline of Akrotiri Gravel Pits. Other interesting sightings during the two days:

Saturday 10th March

Zakaki Marsh
Water Rail 1h
Little Crake 1m
Penduline Tit 2

Lady’s Mile
Slender-billed Gull 2 ad and 1 imm
Heuglin’s Gull 1
Armenian Gull c30
Caspian Gull 2 imm
Isabelline Wheatear 1
Common Hoopoe 3 (See photo)
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Cyprus Wheatear 1

Akrotiri Salt Lake/Zakaki run off
Little Ringed Plover 20+
Common Ringed Plover 20+
Kentish Plover c100
Little Stint c30
Northern Shoveler c50
Greater Flamingo 800+
Dunlin 5
Western Marsh Harrier 1 ad male
Common Snipe 12
Black-headed Wagtail 1m

Akrotiri Gravel Pits
Kentish Plover 2
Isabelline Wheatear 1
Northern Wheatear 1m
Ruppell’s Warbler 1m
Greater Short-toed Lark 4

Phasouri Reed-beds
Subalpine Warbler 1f
Eurasian Reed Warbler 4+h
Red-throated Pipit 1h

Kensington Cliffs
Alpine Swift 14
Cyprus Warbler 2h

Sunday 11th March

Germasogeia Dam
Cyprus Warbler 3 singing males and 1f
Eurasian Reed Warbler 1h

Prastio Kellakiou
Masked Shrike 1m
Cyprus Warbler 4 singing males
Common Buzzard 1

Parekklishia
Great Spotted Cuckoo 1 flew over road

Akrotiri Gravel Pits coast
Bimaculated Lark 2 (Record shot below)
Greater Short-toed Lark 20+
Isabelline Wheatear 2
Black-eared Wheatear 1f

Common Hoopoe, Lady's Mile 10th March 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Common Hoopoe, Lady’s Mile 10th March 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Bimaculated Lark, Akrotiri Gravel Pits 11th March 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Bimaculated Lark, Akrotiri Gravel Pits 11th March 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Some interesting birds at Larnaca Sewage Works pools 29th & 30th June 2017

Just had 30 minutes to spare yesterday and today in the hide overlooking the Sewage Pools but managed a few decent birds there after a quiet couple of weeks. Two long staying Grey Heron and the breeding Spur-winged Lapwing, Mallard, Coot and Little Grebe have been joined at some stage by a White-winged Tern, up to seven fishing Little Tern, a Gull-billed Tern, an adult Slender-billed Gull, two Little Ringed Plover and up to six Black-winged Stilt. Feeding on caterpillars in the bushes along the fence line are an adult (photo) and a juvenile Great Spotted Cuckoo.

Great Spotted Cuckoo, Larnaca Sewage Works 30th June 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Great Spotted Cuckoo, Larnaca Sewage Works 30th June 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours