Lamsdell Bird Ringing and Wildlife Blog: Troodos, Cyprus

Saturday 18 May 2019

Troodos, Cyprus - 7th May 2019

Our last chance to meet up with Graham and a unique ringing experience. The hotel site was abandoned in 1974. We are not ringing in the grounds but on the 2nd floor of an unfinished hotel building with open sides and holes for the usual power and water infrastructure left in the floor.
I have to say, this rather took me outside of my comfort zone. The reason for netting here, Swifts and House Martins.

The angled roof presented a few problems, as did the lack of walls but we managed

to get 12m & 15m nets up, avoiding the open stairs and lift shaft.

Common Swift

Pallid Swift

Common Swift

House Martin

Short-toed Treecreeper

Total: 18 (2)

Pallid Swift - 1
Common Swift - 3
House Martin - 12 (1)
Short-toed Treecreeper - 2 (1)

About us

Chris and Denise Lamsdell

We have both been birders for about 40 years based in South Bucks near the West London reservoir complexes.

Since September 2021 we have been based in North Norfolk. We have done our bit of twitching in the past, but with other priorities this has become a much reduced activity with a preference for seeing new birds where ever our travels take us.

We both have been ringing since 2005. Our local group was the Runnymede RG while based in Buckinghamshire. Since moving to Norfolk we have started a new group called The Iceni Bird Monitoring Group, aimed at increasing public engagement through colour ringing projects on Black-headed Gull, Turnstone and Lapwing. We ring at several sites including Sculthorpe Moor, Sandringham Estate, Deepdale Farm and also monitor bird populations for the Norfolk Rivers Trust. We do ringing at home and support with foreign projects when opportunities allow. Chris also has an interest in Butterflies and Dragonflies and contains his limited photographic skill to them.