Out doing Wetland count around Larnaca today and had some good luck – Spotted a Merlin on the ground near Larnaca Sewage Works and then realised it had prey under its claws – a lark which it then proceeded to eat and ignored me so I managed to get some photos.
Spent much longer out birding than I had originally intended but it was worth it with the best birds being a sub adult Bonelli’s Eagle, two Long-legged Buzzard, three (maybe four) Finsch’s Wheatear, Red-throated Pipit, Spotted Crake, Water Pipit and a female Merlin which scattered the waders at Oroklini Marsh.
Interesting birds seen:
Agios Sozomenos
Bonelli’s Eagle 1 ad
Long-legged Buzzard 2 (see photo)
Peregrine Falcon 1
Finsch’s Wheatear 1m and 2f (prob 3f)
Red-throated Pipit 7+
Black Redstart 5
Spanish Sparrow 30+
Oroklini Marsh
Greater Flamingo 15
Spur-winged Lapwing 52+
Northern Lapwing 18
Black-headed Gull 13
Armenian Gull 1 ad
Northern Pintail 3
Little Stint 37
Common Ringed Plover 1
Common Redshank 8
Marsh Sandpiper 1
Common Snipe 2
Spotted Crake 1
Water Pipit 2
Merlin 1f
Grey Heron 1
Spiros Pool
Eurasian Golden Plover 27
Long-legged Buzzard, Agios Sozomenos 11th November 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Went to Paralimni Lake and sites around Cape Greco. Not a lot to see but some good views of male and female Finsch’s Wheatear, hunting Hen Harrier, Merlin and Peregrine Falcon, my first Audouin’s Gull for a couple of months and a Greater Sand Plover.
Common Kingfisher 1
Male Finsch’s Wheatear, Cape Greco, 6th December 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Female Finsch’s Wheatear, Cape Greco, 6th December 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Greater Sand Plover, Agia Trias 6th December 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
The third day out with Peter and Jean was spent around Paphos. We stopped at Achelia Dam on our way to Anarita Park. There we found the lone Ferruginous Duck that has been there for at least a week as well as fourteen Great Cormorant – one of which we watched struggle with a large fish it had caught. Onto Anarita Park, where it took us longer than expected to find a Finsch’s Wheatear, but with a little help from another birder we finally had some good views of a male. We also spent time watching two Little Owls and then were treated to the spectacle of two adult Bonelli’s Eagle flying to the east of the area being mobbed by a Long-legged Buzzard. Three Woodlark were also seen as well as a couple of Western Black Redstart and the ubiquitous Common Stonechat.
Some Yellow-legged Gulls, two Grey Heron and two Great Cormorant were the only water birds on Asprokremmos Dam so we headed to the mast area to the west of the water where we had brief views of a male and female Cyprus Warbler and a couple of Spectacled Warbler. A late Northern Wheatear was a surprise but the best bird of the area was a male Merlin we saw speeding over the scrub and fields putting the large flocks of European Goldfinch and Greenfinch, Spanish Sparrow, Meadow Pipit and Corn Bunting into a panic. Down by the water’s edge we also found large flocks of European Serin. A Long-legged Buzzard was also flying over the area.
We finished our day at Lower Ezousas, a site that has been very busy over the last few days since a pair of Cyprus rarities, the Bearded Reedling, had been seen on Saturday. We saw the female as soon as we arrived and the male as we left. We also had close up views of at least one Moustached Warbler, a Grey Wagtail, two Water Rail and a Bluethroat as well as several Cetti’s Warbler and Chiffchaff. As we left the light was fading – some good birds to round off the day.
The new species that we saw today brought the total seen over the three trips to 77.
Today’s species – 52
Little Grebe, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Mallard, Ferruginous Duck, Long-legged Buzzard, Bonelli’s Eagle, Common Kestrel, Merlin, Chukar, Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Yellow-legged Gull, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Little Owl, Crested Lark, Woodlark, Eurasian Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, European Robin, Bluethroat, Western Black Redstart, Common Stonechat, Northern Wheatear, Finsch’s Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Song Thrush, Cetti’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Moustached Warbler, Spectacled Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Cyprus Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Chiffchaff, Great Tit, Bearded Reedling, Eurasian Magpie, Hooded Crow, Western Jackdaw, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Common Chaffinch, European Serin, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Common Linnet, Corn Bunting
Water Rail Lower Ezousas 16th November 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Moustached Warbler Lower Ezousas 16th November 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Cyprus Birding Tours 