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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Cyprus birds - Spring 2013

May 4-9, 2013:
A visit to the western side of the island yielded several interesting birds over this period. Places visited included the Asprokremnos dam area and its associated pools, Ezousas pools, Kouklea fish farm, Anarita park, Fassouri reed beds, Tunnel Beach and the adjacent cliffs, Akrotiri pools and church, Smygies, and the Teletria valley. Photographs of some of the birds seen are below.

Roller, top two at Anarita, lower at Teletria

Ortolan Bunting, Smygies

The endemic Cyprus Pied Wheatear, Smygies

Woodchat Shrike, Anarita park

Adult female Red-backed Shrike, Akrotiri

 

Eleonora's Falcon, distant view from the Kensington cliffs

Yellow Wagtail, Fassouri reed beds

Turtle Doves, near Fassouri

Spur-winged Lapwing, Ezousas pools

Ruff, Ezousas pools

Little Stint, Ezousas pools

Unidentified Harrier sp, Anarita park

Bee-eater (unfortunately against the light and distant), Latchi

Cyprus, March 29-April 7, 2011

Part 2. Kouklea scrape


[Kentish Plover]

A very small, now almost completly dried-out scrape immediately behind the beach near Kouklea held a very good selection of waders. This area is little more than 30 metres in diameter and held no surface water although its muddy bottom was still moist and had attracted the birds to feed.



[The Kouklea scrape]

Present were four species of Sandpiper (Common, Green, Marsh and Wood), Kentish and Little Ringed Plovers, a Little Stint and two Ruff.


[Common Sandpiper]




[Marsh Sandpiper (above 3), very long-legged and fine-billed]


[Little Stint]


[Wood Sandpiper]


[Wood Sandpiper and Little Stint]


[Little Ringed Plover with a very bright eye-ring]

A nice surprise here was to find a beautiful brightly-plumaged Citrine Wagtail as well. It appeared almost luminous against the grey background of the scrape.


[Citrine Wagtail]

Bearded Tits and a Little Stint at Leighton Moss, Lancashire

September 30, 2010:
As is usual in autumn, the Bearded Tits were visiting the grit trays near the causeway. Although early morning is the best time to see them some were still making brief visits up to mid-day. These birds will all have been ringed locally, mainly as nestlings.



[Male, top; male and female, below]

At the salt-marsh, a lone Little Stint fed on the mud on the far side of the Allen pool. Being only a very small wader and viewed at long distance even digiscoping was difficult; a Curlew Sandpiper was even further away. On the islands and in the shallows were large numbers of Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank and Lapwing.




[Little Stint]