Cyprus - 26 to 31 March 2015 part 1

26 March

After arriving late evening at Larnaca the night before, we stayed overnight to avoid a rushed drive to the house, which also allowed us a days birding around Larnaca. It is always difficult convey over what is seen, as the resident species have been seen by us many times, so our focus is mainly on migrants, but from a birding aspect it is always difficult to write up what might be of interest.  Our first visit was to Oroklini Marsh which had a good mix of what was to be expected, with 9 Cattle Egrets dropping in, the sites resident Red-crested Pochards were represented by 3 males and 3 females, the only regular place in Cyprus where they can be seen, a splendid male Pallid Harrier flew through over low putting up all the waders, and a Timminck’s Stint was present amongst the assortment of waders, which also included Spur-winged Plovers. Next stop was Larnaca Salt Lake which was probably the fullest we have ever seen it, with some of the Greater Flamingos in certain areas floating on the surface and up ending to feed, despite their long legs!

Greater Flamingoes feeding and swimming on Larnaca Salt Lake

A group of 15 Black-necked Grebes were present, along with a good number of Slender-billed Gulls, and passerines of interest were two Eastern Orphean Warblers, a male Ruppell’s and a Masked Shrike.

 Stonechat at Larnaca Salt

At Meneou Pool a single 1^st summer Little Gull was present, with nothing of note at Spiro’s Pool, we finished off at Larnaca SW which for water birds was pretty empty, though 8 Armenian Gulls were present, and a few Slender-billed Gulls passed through, with Wryneck, Eastern Orphean Warbler, and 5 Red-throated Pipits also present. Final stop off was at Zakaki Marsh in Limassol where we had three crakes, one male, two female Little Crakes and a Baillon’s Crake, plus a Water Pipit to finish off the day. 

27 March

We decided to make our first ringing session of the trip the desalination plant where the Xeros Potomas river meets the sea. We have ringed this spot before and in recent years it has fallen out of favour with the birders, a major plus for us! We were disappointed to find the reedbed completely dry, but set six nets all the same. There was minimal bird activity and three hours brought just eleven birds, the usual Sardinian and Cetti’s Warblers, a few Blackcaps and a re-trapped Robin from our visit last November.

 Adult Cetti's Warbler

 

Retrap 38032 from November 2014

Totals: 31 (1)

Robin - 0 (1)
Cetti’s Warbler - 3
Sardinian Warbler – 3
Blackcap – 24
House Sparrow - 1

It was so slow that we decided to pack up early and reccie some of our other usual spots as heavy rains over the winter period regularly reshape the coastal areas and vegetation growth is extremely variable and dependant on sun and rain. However, we didn’t get out of the access road as one rather unimpressive and bleak looking bush (more a clump of sticks really) held some unfathomable attraction to birds in the adjacent citrus grove. We erected two nets, expecting to put off the birds, but had ringed 20 Blackcaps and another Cetti’s Warbler within an hour.

 Eastern Orphean Warbler

We continued with the birding seeing Hawfinch, Wryneck, a female Subalpine Warbler and a male Ruppells along the Xeros Potomas lower river valley, before moving on to Anarita Park we found an Eastern Orphean Warbler, Blue Rock Thrush, 4 Lesser Kestrel and an Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler.

At Achelia we had a look around the soakaways (completely dry) and the streams running through, coming across several birds including Eastern Orphean Warbler, Wryneck, and 10 Hawfinch. We finished the day at Achelia beach where we’ve ringed in the distant past but had damage to our equipment so have left well alone in more recent years. The reeds have now overgrown some of the tracks and the mud is not so deep as to prevent getting in with the odd short net. There were Wheathears along the beach so we chanced a couple of double panels. The two Northern and one Isabelline Wheatear made a good end to the day. We also noted that Wagtails were roosting in the reeds, one of which turned out to be a male Citrine Wagtail.

 Northern Wheatear

Totals : 3

Isabelline Wheatear – 1
Northern Wheatear - 2

28 March

At the start of the day, the sky was full of cloud and rain. We had decided that the best thing to do was drive around Mandria, which turned out to be a good option as there had been a big fall of Wheatears, seen 55 or so, along with 2 female Desert Wheatears. Four Gull-billed Terns went by on the sea along with a flock of c20 Slender-billed Gulls, two Greater Sand-Plovers were on the beach, along with 2 male Pallid Harriers,3 Lesser Kesterels, Wryneck, female Blue Rock Thrush, Masked Shrike and 2 Hawfinch, with finally on the outskirts of the village our first Laughing Dove for Cyprus. 

 

Greater Sand Plover

We then went up to the Anarita Hills were we had another male Pallid Harrier and 2 male Blue Rock Thrushes, our first Cyprus Wheater and Warbler of the visit, plus of our first Eastern Bonelli’s  Warbler, Woodchat Shrike, and Cretzmars and Ortolan Buntings.

 

Woodchat Shrike

We had to meet Alan Crabtree, the Birdlife Cyprus ringing officer at Latchi at 3pm, so headed over to the Polis area, seeing a Long-legged Buzzrad at Kouyiouka on the way over, and after meeting him, on our return home we had a male Little Bittern, Savi’s Warbler and Masked Shrike at Chrysochou.

29 March

 

Kouklia

After the rain and wind of yesterday we went to Kouklia Reedbed and set early. There wasn’t much visible migration going on, apart from 3 Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters on the wires as we drove down the track, but we did okay with 36 birds captured. This ranged from the regular inhabitants such as Cetti’s including three re-traps and Sardinian Warbler, two of eleven birds being re-trapped, to Wryneck ( some years we get none), two Serin (a new spring capture for us), Savi’s, Ruppell’s, Sedge and Subalpine Warblers. A couple of Quails were calling early am.

 

Serin

 

5M Ruppell's Warbler with retained feathers

 

Male Subalpine Warbler

Wryneck

 

Savi's Warbler

Lesser Whitethroat

Totals: 31 (5)

Wryneck – 1
Cetti’s Warbler – 1 (3)
Savi’s Warbler – 1
Sedge Warbler -2
Eastern Subalpline Warbler – 1
Ruppell’s Warbler – 1
Sardinian Warbler – 9 (2)
Lesser Whitethroat -  1
Whitethroat -1
Blackcap – 9
Chiff-chaff – 2
Serin -2 

We then headed to Avidimou Bay an area not visited by the visiting birers that tend to do a cycle every day around the Paphos main spots.

Desert Wheatear

Our first bird on the beach was a male Desert Wheatear, followed by a Bimaculated Lark on the beach edge. In the area we had our first Great Spotted Cuckoo and another Eastern Subalpine Warbler.

In the evening we returned to Achelia were on the way down to the beach we had 4 Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, another male Citrine Wagtail, and a Hawfinch.

 

Male Citrine Wagtail

At the beach where the stones were devoid of Wheathers, but a 30’ net in the reeds for Wagtails caught us three Reed Warbler and a Blackcap before the main roost, from which we also got two Black-headed Wagtails. A Quail was flushed and 9 Glossy Ibis flew over.

 

Black-headed Wagtails

Totals: 7

Black-headed Wagtail – 2
Sedge Warbler – 1
Reed Warbler – 3
Blackcap – 1

30 March

Today we decided against any am ringing, planning to do some late pm on our way back from Akrotiri area. Our first port of call was Zakkaki Marsh were the water levels had increased, but despite potentially making Crakes easier to see mid-morning is never a very good time, but a single Squacco Heron dropped in. Ladies Miles was looking particularly good for waders, but none of any particularly interest were seen, though a Pied Kingfisher was a pleasant surprise.

 

Spur-winged Plover at Ladies Mile

Bishops Pool

We then stopped off at Bishop’s Pool which was not particularly full of migrants though we had our first Whinchat and Collared Flycatcher, plus a female Semi-coloured Flycatcher, and two Orphean Warblers.

 

Akrotiri 

Final place of call at Akrotiri area was the gravel pit area which again by the lack of birds by the old church was not looking too good, but it did produce a male Blue Rock Thrush and a Collared Flycatcher. The big surprise as we drove across the gravel pits was a Black-bellied Sandgrouse that we put up, that flew off, covering about a km or more before lost to sight.

 Little Ringed Plover

 

Marsh Sandpiper

Further on we had a Wryneck and Ruppell’s Warbler. 

 

Long -legged Buzzard at Kouklia

We then headed back to Paphos, but with the wind too high for our planned pm ringing session, we checked out Agia Varvara and went back to Achelia beach to try for Wagtails again as it was fairly sheltered in the reeds. We flushed a Bimaculated Lark off the beach edge as we arrived. It was still fairly windy in the reeds and the Wagtail roost failed to materilaise and we managed juts one Kingfisher.

Total: 1

Kingfisher – 1

31 March

We returned to Kouklia to find the area alive with birdsong. The nets were soon up and our first capture was an Ortolan Bunting.

 

Ortolan Bunting

The catching was slower than the previous session but we managed 27 in all with Tree Pipit, Nightingale and Wryneck on the record sheet.

 

Nightingale - notewingpoint P3 and long P1 to distinguish from Thrush Nightingale

 

Tree Pipit

During the morning we had more Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters over with two, then a single.

Totals: 24 (3)

Wryneck – 1
Tree Pipit – 1
Nightingale – 2
Cetti’s Warbler – 0 (2)
Savi’s Warbler – 1
Reed Warbler – 2
Sardinian Warbler – 0 (1)
Lesser Whitethroat – 3
Blackcap – 12
Chiff-chaff – 1
Ortolan Bunting - 1

The afternoon was forecast rain, and by midday the wind was picking up, so we headed off to Anarita Park. There had been a fall of Eastern Black-eared Wheatears, with at least 24 seen, along with 2 male Blue Rock Thrushes, a male Rock Thrush, a female Ruppell’s Warbler, two male and a female Spectacled Warblers. A Bonelli’s Eagle drifted over.

We gave the Wheatears a try with a couple of double panels and caught a couple, but none of the Eastern Black-eared individuals.

 

Isabelline Wheatear

 

5M Northern Wheathear

Totals: 2

Isabelline Wheatear – 1
Northern Wheatear - 1

Late afternoon with the rain starting to come down we did an unimpressive tour of Mandria, though a single Bimaculated lark was seen.