Thursday 7 May 2015

IMPORTANT- PLEASE NOTE:


All new postings relating to BIRDS will be made on my Natural History blog which can be reached by clicking on: http://michaelfoleysnaturalhistorysite.blogspot.co.uk/


The existing postings will remain here however. This is intended to make postings and updates quicker.  Thanks.












































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Monday 4 May 2015

Cyprus - April 2015

This blog is very much in need of an update, postings to Facebook seem to be occupying too much time!
 
Photos here are of a visit to Cyprus - April 22-28, 2015. High spots were good views of  Red-footed Falcons, Montagu's Harriers, and Rollers, with much more limited ones of Little Bittern and Little Crake.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Some of the 16 Red-footed Falcons at Anarita
 
 
 
Montagu's Harriers (female and male) hunting near Anarita
 
 
Roller, Anarita
 
 
Little Bittern at Ezousas
 
 
Little Crake at Ezousas
 

 
 
 
Black-winged Stilts at Larnaka salt lake
 
 
Corn Bunting, Anarita
 
 
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Sunday 13 July 2014

Red Kite near Bellefontaine, French Jura

June 25, 2014:
Briefly perching in a conifer.

Bellefontaine, Jura, France

Tuesday 20 May 2014

Cyprus birds

April 29-May 5:
Long overdue for an update (!) but bird sightings have been relatively few during the winter. A Spring visit to Cyprus altered all this although water was very scarce and meant the birds were having a hard time. Some photos below, however.
 
 
Bee-eater near Anarita
 
 
 
Masked Shrike at Smygies, just having bathed in a leaking trickle from the well
 
Cretzschmar's Bunting drinking from the leak at Smygies
 
Black-winged Stilt at Zakaki pool
 
Black-headed Bunting near Ayios Nikolaos
 

 
Lesser Kestrel at Anarita
 
Little Stints at Lady's Mile
 

Distant Montagu's Harrier at Anarita
 
Flock of mostly Purple Herons - Akrotiri gravel pits
 
 
Spotted Flycatcher at Akrotiri church
 
Roller at Anarita
 
Temminck's Stint at the ford near Nata
 
Red-footed Falcon, 2-cy female at Anarita
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Monday 10 February 2014

Great White Egret near Preston

January 2014:
For several days a Great White Egret frequented riverside fields and ditches at Fishwick Bottoms by the River Ribble. A deep ditch filled with water-cress appeared to be its favourite feeding ground. On one occasion it was accompanied by a Grey Heron.

Around this date, a Bittern was seen very close-by at Brockholes and two Little Egrets were on the adjacent river. All four of these 'heron-like' species were within a radius of one mile.









Saturday 12 October 2013

Cyprus birds - Autumn 2013

September 28-October 3, 2013:
Another visit to the west of Cyprus proved worthwhile for seeing many birds, especially raptors and bee-eaters in large numbers.


Very good views of Eleonora's Falcons (photos above and below) were obtained from the top of the Kensington cliff system. Cyprus, with over 200 pairs, is one of the main nesting grounds for these birds which overwinter in east Africa.






From the same vantage point, nine Griffon Vultures could be seen in the far distant haze circling above Paramili. A closer view of a Griffon was made later from the species' stronghold near cliffs close to Arminou. The Cyprus population recently shrank to only about eight pairs and a project is now underway to introduce birds from Crete onto the island.




Good views were got of a female and juvenile Red-footed Falcon perched on wires at Mandrea. The juvenile was quickly harried by a Hooded Crow and flew off but the female remained for a long while and eventually started to preen.






At the Asprokremnos dam a Black Kite was seen on more than one occasion.


                                                                                                                                                                     

Several large groups of Bee-eaters, sometimes comprising up to a hundred, fed over newly ploughed land at Asprokremnos and Anarita whilst many smaller groups could be seen at///// other parts of the island.






At Fassouri a juvenile Red-backed Shrike was seen in the reed beds and there was another one near to Kouklea fish farm.




Other birds photographed included a Whinchat at Akrotiri, a Wood Sandpiper and a distant Marsh Harrier at Fassouri, an unidentified eagle and a Little Egret at the Evretou dam, and a young Kestrel at Ezousas.