Cyprus 18 - Summary

Well, that's the end of another birding adventure and it was a blinder!!! It turned out to be far better than I could've hoped and that's saying something! It ticks all the boxes for us...

• Great weather - only had any significant rain on the last day. Temps in high teens to mid-twenties. Plenty of SUNSHINE!!!
• Solid infrastructure - excellent road system including an almost empty Motorway!
• No language problems - all signs in English
• Insect issues low - only had one encounter with mosquitoes.
• Paphos has many bars and restaurants and a beautiful harbour area.
• Two excellent Malls (for the good lady) and decent supermarkets for self-catering. 
• Oh and the birds were pretty good also!!!

March is the ideal time to go IMHO. It gets us away from the dreaded British winter...which is on-going as I write! The island is quiet, tourist wise, yet migration has started and as seen below you've a great chance of seeing some rarities. Sure I miss some "later" species but that doesn't bother me as I like to be back for our migration...if it ever starts!

I thought I'd do a summary of the highlights...with a few pics...

Firstly Ruppell's Warbler. I was keen to get decent views of this stunning Sylvia and I managed to connect at Timi beach...

I'd never seen a Red-throated Pipit in summer plumage...until this trip...

There were some stunning Yellow Wagtails. None better than the Black-headed...

Last year Bill Stacey pointed out a fly-over Bimaculated Lark. This year I got a much better view...

One of the absolute highlights was seeing a male CASPIAN PLOVER down to 10 yards at Mandria from my car...

The most exciting chase was definitely the Cream-coloured Courser. What an elegant bird this is...

The super-lemon Citrine Wagtail was a stunner...

Catching this chap on the last day was a real bonus...

Rock Thrush

Top billing has to go to the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater as it was a Lifer for me...

Not a bad haul!

Other memorable moments included...the spectacle of swarms of Yellow Wagtails of various races. Three male Pallid Harriers at close quarters was definitely memorable as well as quality views of various Wheatears.

Extremely pleased and fortunate to re-find Caspian Plover, Cream-coloured Courser, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Rock Thrush, Blythe's Pipit plus "ocularis" White Wagtail and probable Caspian Stonechat. The next step is to FIND something!!!

Full list - (Cyprus ticks in red)

Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
Eurasian Wigeon (Anas Penelope)
European Teal (Anas crecca)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
Garganey (Anas querquedula)
Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)
Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca)
Chukar (Alectoris chukar)
Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix)
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)
Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan mauretanicus)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
European Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)
Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides)
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)
Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber)
Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus)
Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus)
Bonelli's Eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus)
Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni)
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
Black Francolin (Francolinus francolinus)
Spotted Crake (Porzana porzana)
Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
Coot (Fulica atra)
Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus)
Cream-coloured Courser (Cursorius cursor)
Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)
Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
Greater Sand Plover (Charadrius leschenaultii)
Caspian Plover (Charadrius asiaticus)
Spur-winged Plover (Vanellus spinosus)
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)
Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)
Common Redshank (Tringa totanus)
Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)
Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)
Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
Common Sandpiper (Tringa hypoleucos)
Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)
Slender-billed Gull (Larus genei)
Baltic Gull
Heuglin's Gull
Armenian Gull
Yellow-legged Gull (Larus cachinnans [argentatus])
Caspian Gull (Larus argentatus cachannins)
Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis)
Rock Dove (Columba livia)
Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus)
Laughing Dove (Streptopelia senegalensis)
Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur)
Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius)
Little Owl (Athene noctua)
Common Swift (Apus apus)
Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus)
Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba)
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops persicus [superciliosus])
Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
Wryneck (Jynx torquilla)
Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra)
Bimaculated Lark (Melanocorypha bimaculata)
Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla [cinerea])
Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)
Wood Lark (Lullula arborea)
Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Sand Martin (Riparia riparia)
Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
House Martin (Delichon urbica)
Red-rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica)
Blyth's Pipit (Anthus godlewskii [campestris])
Tawny Pipit (Anthus campestris)
Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis)
Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)
Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus)
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba)
"Ocularis" White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail (Montacilla flava)
Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola)
Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra)
Stonechat (Saxicola torquata)
Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola torquata maura)
Caspian Stonechat
Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina)
Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)
Finsch's Wheatear (Oenanthe finschii)
Cyprus Wheatear (Oenanthe cypriaca)
Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe hispanica)
Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti)
Rock Thrush (Monticola saxatilis)
Blue Rock-thrush (Monticola solitarius)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
Cetti's Warbler (Cettia cetti)
Fan-tailed Warbler [Zitting Cisticola] (Cisticola juncidis)
Moustached Warbler (Acrocephalus melanopogon)
Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus)
Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca)
Spectacled Warbler (Sylvia conspicillata)
Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia cantillans)
Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)
Rüppell's Warbler (Sylvia rueppelli)
Cyprus Warbler (Sylvia melanothorax [melanocephala])
Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
Great Tit (Parus major major)
Coal Tit (Parus ater)
Masked Shrike (Lanius nubicus)
European Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
Black-billed Magpie (Pica pica)
Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
Hooded Crow (Corvus corone cornix)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis [domesticus])
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
Eurasian Serin (Serinus serinus)
Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)
Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
Linnet (Carduelis cannabina)
Common Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)
Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes)
Cretzschmar's Bunting (Emberiza caesia)
Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra)

Trip 139  Cyprus 205

Some obvious omissions here but it wasn't about "seeing them all". I was more than happy with how it panned out. In fact...I was ecstatic!!!

Cyprus 18 - Day 20

...and so...to the final day!

Our flight was at 10.20pm...so we had ALL day.

A large pipit had been present at Mandria for over a week (I hadn't seen it)...and the general consensus was Richard's. I was there at dawn until 9. At 8.55 the bird flew in. It remained distant in the grasses and I didn't get anything conclusive photographically. However, I DID pick up certain features through my scope that put me in the Blythe's camp. Again...time will tell.

Time for our last Costa at Paphos Mall. I'd just found a seat while Louise ordered. Message from Ian...

Rock Thrush male seen this morning at Paphos Archaeological Site!!!

5 minutes away. This time I played it (relatively) cool. I didn't mention it to Louise and we enjoyed our coffee and apple pie (strongly recommended).

I then broke the news to her and she said she was fine strolling the Mall while I nipped down the road. It was the day before Good Friday and things had become far busier...all part of the master plan. It was also approaching noon and the temperature was 25C. I have to admit I didn't fancy my chances when I saw the queue of coaches parked by the site!

I paid my entrance fee and started the long walk to the Amphitheatre passing crowds of grockles including hordes of kids. The heat was radiating nicely of the ruins!? My heart sank when I saw the Amphitheatre awash with young lads playing soldiers! I sat on a nearby wall under a tree to cool down...and get my breath back.

After around 15 minutes the chaps moved on and the area went relatively quiet. I started to scan the area. Unsurprisingly not a bird in sight! Behind me was a large area including more ruins that was cordoned off. I remembered back to the start of the holiday when a Blue Rock Thrush had hung around in this area for a few days. I wonder?

I started to scan again. Yes...it's another one of those moments...

Rock Thrush male at 80yds

Another special bird in special circumstances.

I walked around the perimeter hoping the bird wouldn't be spooked by passing tourists. Although it obviously couldn't have been that bothered...you never know. Fortunately, it remained in the same area, allowing me to get some more shots of this stunning species...

My first view on reaching the other side of the area...

It is there!

 

Over the next 30 minutes or so I enjoyed the company of an iconic bird...all to myself. This was another example of our secret world. I even mentioned it to a few passers by who showed limited interest. To each their own...this was bliss for yours truly. What's not to like?...

 

 

 

 

We all hope to have a great last day...I was certainly having one...



 

I returned to the Mall elated by my experience.

I decided to spend the last afternoon over on the Akrotiri Peninsular again. There had been a report yesterday of an unusual White Wagtail, possibly of the Siberian race "ocularis" at Akrotiri Marsh. It had been seen at the western end. Again, this is a large area...but it was worth a try. Victor Tjernberg and his group had looked for 3 hours in the morning with no luck. I gave it an hour but no joy. The weather wasn't great now with the wind picking up and the odd shower. We'd been VERY lucky throughout the holiday though. I decided to head for the hide. This was one area that was much improved from last year.

Another species that I missed last year was the Squacco Heron. Not this time. I struggled to get an image through the reeds but eventually managed a couple...

There were five birds present altogether.

A small flock of Garganey was also hiding in the reeds...

I counted 8 males and 3 females and this was my closest encounter with this smart duck on Cyprus. I then got a better view of the gorgeous Squacco Heron...

Still no sign of the "wagtail".

There were some manure heaps at the rear of the scrape. Wagtails like manure heaps! Without word of a lie I trained my scope on one of them and this was what I saw...

Not great but conclusive I feel. You can clearly see the stripe through the eye and the large pale patch on the flank. I'd re-found the "ocularis" White Wagtail!!! A first for Cyprus and possibly the WP. I let as many people know as possible then I had to leave to pick Louise up and head for the airport. I'd connected with 5 minutes of my holiday remaining. What a last day!!! Victor and Jane managed to make it before dusk.

Cyprus 18 - Day 19

The best sighting of the day was the first. It was Mandria again. I wanted to see if the Turtle Dove had a pattern...it had...but again it didn't linger. However, another bird was present in the half-light...

Hawfinch

Always a good find.

I checked the coastal fringe but nothing unusual. Worth balancing the Wheatear books with a smart male Northern...

We spent the day checking areas east of Paphos but nothing else of note was seen. That's OK. We ended up at the beach bar...again!

Cyprus 18 - Day 18

This was my pass-out day in the East while Louise enjoyed a relaxed day around Paphos.

I'd arranged to meet Joe Donaldson and his buddy John Lovatt at Cape Greco at dawn. I made it...just. I saw John first marching across a field to greet me. After a chat we then noticed Joe walking towards us from his car.  Lance Degnan and his group were also present...small world (again) and all that!

We spent the morning touring some of the sites they regularly check which was VERY helpful for me regarding future planning. The first species of note was the elusive Cyprus Warbler. Apparently more common on this side of the island we soon found a singing if mobile bird...

With some manoeuvring by John and I we eventually got a better view...

A Chukar by the roadside also showed well...

At another site on the headland I managed to grab a pic of a Spectacled Warbler that showed briefly...

We then headed to Protaras and the chaps apartment for some refreshment. Next stop was Lake Paralimni the site of my Lifer CASPIAN PLOVER last year. I followed the lads in my car as they navigated their way to our first stop. It was hot...pushing 30C. I followed them down to the small pools...all that was left of the "Lake" I was hoping to connect with two more Cyprus ticks.

The first bird seen was a fast disappearing LRP...

I managed to find another...

We all settled in around the main pool and scanned. After around 10 minutes the first target came into view...

Spotted Crake

I was cooking now but it's funny how the heat doesn't bother me as much...when I'm viewing great birds!!

We'd seen a few White Wagtails but I was hoping for something more spectacular. Eventually, it gave itself away...

Citrine Wagtail

The bird was at the far end of the pool and the heat haze was horrendous but  thought t was worth showing this one of it perched in a bush. Over the next 20 minutes we enjoyed stunning views of the lemon marvel...

Joe and I never altered our position and the bird wasn't flushed. It just walked right over to us...magic!

Closer and closer...

A fantastic experience...yet another!!!

After thanking Joe and John I started to make my way back to Paphos. Then something unusual happened. I got a text message from Jane informing me that she was watching 2 Audouin's Gulls right now at Kermia beach. That was 10 minutes away!

I knew where Kermia was and I knew where "a" beach was...BUT was it the right one? I'd tried this spot both this year and last with no success. Anyway I arrived but no Gulls were to be seen. I called Jane. I was in the wrong spot! After a few more navigational problems we eventually met and she took me in her 4x4 along a track that would have been far to much for my Ford Focus. Alas some young lads had decided to do what young lads do...and that was that...no AG on the rocks. I thanked her for thinking of me and all the information she'd sent me and we went our separate ways. It was good to meet her at last.

Fuelled by this near miss I tried a few more spots along the coast between Agia Napa and Larnaca without any success. Last try was Pervolia lighthouse, again no joy but I did get great views of a Laughing Dove. The bird gave off some great shades in the late afternoon sun...

Cyprus 18 - Day 17

Today we finally made it to Troodos. I'd deliberately left it till late in our visit due to the weather and the hopeful arrival of a certain species which I missed last year.

We took a direct route north from Limassol rather than the winding route from Paphos we endured last year. I had a few locations I wanted to try for Masked Shrike. The first was Almyrolivado just to the North of the Village. A three hour search produced...nothing!

It was time for lunch in the Village. As we drove up the road I noticed a bird fly up and land in a tree. Yep, you guessed it...

The bird was singing which was a nice bonus! It was also very mobile and soon disappeared. Fortunately, I managed to pick it up hiding behind a trunk...

Despite another concerted attempt in the afternoon I didn't enjoy another sighting. I did spot other birders though. While I was searching near another site...Lavadi tou Pashia...a car pulled in. It was Dave and Jan Walker with their son. Another example of the small Birding world! We had a chat for a while then they continued through the picnic site. Two minutes later I received a text from them...Masked Shrike just down the slope from you!!! Ah well!

I also saw a few more (Cyprus) mountain specials...

Pallid Swift
Jay
ST Treecreeper
Coal Tit
Blackbird
Mistle Thrush
Crossbill

Cyprus 18 - Day 16

Today I started at dawn at Mandria. On a whim I decided to try Mandria gardens, a residential development where I saw a RUFOUS TURTLE DOVE last year.

Guess what was sat in the same dead tree...a Turtle Dove sp!!!!!!! Deja Vu?

Now then, it's VERY early for Eurasian Turtle Dove, even in Cyprus. Also ANY TD is noteworthy these days...unfortunately. I sent Colin Richardson a text. The bird was tucked in behind a few Collared Doves. The light was poor but I was getting excited! Circumstantial evidence has caught me out before on more than one occasion but could this possibly be the same returning bird? I managed a few record shots from the car before the bird suddenly flew off north. I looked at the BOC images and compared the images with my Collins app'.

Colin replied and I arranged to meet him. Turns out it was a Eurasian...but it didn't half wake me up lol! The dilemma is...balancing releasing the news of a potential MEGA against looking a chump! Fortunately I've looked the latter on several occasions, so I guess I'm immune to it now!

After breakfast I received another message off Colin. Had he changed his mind? Just kiddin! He'd found a BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATER at the Sewage Works! We soon located a very actively feeding bird near the stables. Unfortunately the location and time of day meant the photos were strongly back-lit. This was my best effort...

Always special...

We then moved onto Mandria again as a female Desert Wheatear had been reported there. Louise loves it here...there's a beach bar!

No other birders around and in no time at all I was enjoying stunning views of a very entertaining and striking bird...

It was interesting to note the way the bird behaved completely differently to the Northern and Isabelline Wheatears also present...

Lovely bird...

Cyprus 18 - Day 15

Yellow Wagtails!

We don't get much variation in Britain...to put it mildly! So it's great to see the variations and numbers passing through Cyprus.

Last year I never experienced a "fall" but boy, did I make up for it this year!! I found large numbers around Paphos Sewage Works and Mandria...

One evening as we were returning "home" we passed large numbers feeding intently by the roadside. They were totally oblivious to our car which allowed me to get some closer...

I had another look for the CCC but it had departed (more later). There were still plenty of birders searching. I did get great views of this feeding Kestrel...

We then drove over to the Akrotiri peninsular for lunch. It was then time to visit Bishop's Pool at the southern end. I'd just left the car when I received a message from Jane...

Cream-coloured Courser Akrotiri gravel pits in same area as the Bimacs!

That was only 15 minutes away. I drove the pebbles north. I passed a pair of Cypriots, saying hello as we crossed. No sign of the CCC in 4 drives. As I was leaving I noticed the 2 chaps again. Turned out they were birders and they'd seen the CCC!!! I managed a brief view before it was flushed by a male Pallid Harrier and flew high south. Never mind, mustn't be greedy. It was almost certainly the Mandria bird. Lucky to see it again.

I had a decent search to try and re-locate it but it's a vast area and I struck out. I did see this Little Egret...

Also present was a freshly bathed Isabelline Wheatear...

A set definitely worth sharing I feel.

We then moved onto Akrotiri Marsh were I had my first Cyprus experience of a flock of Glossy Ibis...

A nice flock of 36.