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 3: Fassouri Reed-beds and Larnaca Salt-lake
At Fassouri the pools held much water and even some of the surrounding pasture had large puddles as result of an overnight storm. A Cattle Egret, a Little Egret and several Purple Herons were present and a Marsh Harrier displayed over the reed beds.


[Cattle Egret]


[Purple Heron]


[Fassouri]

One bird, which through its lack of fear and mode of flight when finally flushed, was identified as a Great Snipe whilst several other Common Snipe were there also.


[Great Snipe]

On some of the rain-flooded puddles Green and Wood Sandpipers as well as two Ruff were feeding.


[Wood and Green Sandpipers]


[Wood Sandpiper]



[Ruff, etc]

On the shallow salt lake at Larnaca the Flamingos were far out in the centre of the shallow water and so consequently unapproachable for reasonable photography. More accommodating were seven Black-winged Stilts and two Cattle Egrets on the small adjacent lake.


[Flamingos]



[Cattle Egret, both above]


[Black-winged Stilts]

Ruff at Martin Mere

January 4, 2011:
Most of the open water here was still frozen over today so that the teeming mass of overwintering wildfowl, which included many Whooper Swans, was congregated on and close to the remaining areas of open water. Waders were very scarce but a small flock of Ruff fed along a muddy bank at the edge of one of the pools.




The white bill-base suggests that this is an adult male. Its winter plumage is in marked contrast to that of the summer.