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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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 - 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.