Black-headed Bunting, Agios Nikolaos-Mandria, Cyprus

May 5, 2010:
A visit to Cyprus planned for April had to be re-scheduled due to the volcanic dust episode. This meant that most migrants had passed through the island and the weather had become very hot. In the south-west, beyond the head of the Diarizos valley and on the road to Platres, a bird was heard calling with an unfamiliar note. Soon tracked down amongst the vegetation it could be seen perched on a low shrub, often singing vigorously. It was a fine-plumaged male Black-headed Bunting.





Photographs and notes about other birds seen on the visit are to follow.