Saturday 11 March 2023

Cyprus History

This will be my 6th visit. A family holiday to Paphos in Easter 1995 gave me a taste of what this wonderful Island has to offer. Birding was obviously limited but I still managed a decent List frequenting the local areas (mainly the Headland). Highlights being...

Hooded Wheatear - on the last day
Great Spotted Cuckoo
Little Crake
Baillon's Crake
Greater Sand Plover
Collared Pratincole
Auduoin's Gull
Squacco Heron
Bonelli's Eagle
Eleonora's Falcon
Roller
Masked Shrike
Spectacled Warbler
Black-headed Bunting
Cretzschmar's Bunting

A decent introduction. 

A couple of Winter Trips for a week in December 15 and January 16 further fuelled my interest in this East Mediterranean Island. I saw some excellent Birds including...

White-headed Duck
Ferruginous Duck
Ruddy Shelduck
Wallcreeper (2)...a dream sighting!!!!


PIED KINGFISHER...


March 2017 and 2018 brought two more proper Spring visits of three weeks. These can be viewed in my history but suffice to say the latter of the two Trips was far more productive. Seeing Caspian Plover and Cream-coloured Courser to a few yards in the same picnic area at Mandria, 9 days apart, was truly amazing...



Other gems included...

Bimaculated Lark...


Rock Thrush...


Blue-cheeked Bee-Eater...


Citrine Wagtail...


Views that will take some beating I feel. Easy relaxed Birding in pleasant surroundings. Lovely. Tomorrow, I'll post my final thoughts on my next venture which starts on Thursday...

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