Cyprus - 5 to 19 April 2014 - Part 1

5 April

A day spent bird watching around the Polis and Evretou dam area as we collected the rings from the Western end of the island. There was also a little time for scouting local sites and checking out what was around locally. Most interesting species were Great White Egret, Citrine Wagtail and a couple of Water Pipits at Evretou dam.

A check of the riverbeds around Paphos proved that there was no water at any of our usual ringing sites.

At the Xeros Potamos lower pools area (no pools this year though) we had Wryneck, Bluethroat, Eastern Subalpine and Ruppell's Warblers.

6 April

Our first ringing session was to be at the Kouklia River/Reedbed. The area closest to the sea has now gone under the plough so the opportunity to get retraps from previous years there has been lost. However we still managed three retraps including consecutive numbers on a Cetti's and a Sardinian Warbler. We were disappointed with a low return of only 10 birds - partly due to hardly any Blackcaps, a species that has made up much of the catch in past years. Hopefully they went through early this year. We were given a timely reminder that Blunt-nosed vipers (very poisonous, bad tempered and just emerging from their winter tauper at this time of year) as we spotted a huge snake secreted into a cavity of the river bed just a metre or two from one of our nets.

 

Blunt nosed viper

 Sardinean Warbler

Totals: 7 (3)

Cetti's Warbler - 0 (2)
Great Reed Warbler - 1
Reed Warbler - 1
Sardinian Warbler - 0 (1)
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Blackcap - 2
Chiffchaff - 1
Greenfinch - 1

7 April

Our next ringing session was at the Xeros Potamos reedbed next to the Desalination plant. This was a day that produced 25 birds - more what we would expect. There was a single crested Lark and an Ortolan Bunting amongst the usual reedbed regulars. We had a couple of interesting retraps. A Reed Warbler 28386 which was probably ringed 3 or 4 years ago and Cetti's 32857 which was probably done 2 years ago.

 Crested Lark

Ortolan Bunting

Totals: 23 (2)

Crested Lark - 1
Cetti's Warbler - 6 (1)
Great Reed Warbler - 1
Reed Warbler - 8 (1)
Sardinian Warbler - 4
Blackcap - 2
Ortolan Bunting - 1

8 April

We were joined by our friend for part of the trip and MBR appeared on the ringing data sheet from this date to the 14th. We went up to the Adonis Falls hills as birds didn't seem to be coming in and it was hoped that they maybe feeding up in the rather more lush vegetation away from the coast. It was another sparse session but there was at least some quality among the 7 birds that were processed. We managed to net Wood and Eastern Bonelli's Warbler along with an Eastern Orphean Warbler.

 Wood Warbler

 Eastern Orphean Warbler

 Eastern Bonelli's Warbler

Totals: 7

Nightingale - 1
Sardinian Warbler - 3
Eastern Orphean Warbler - 1
Eastern Bonelli's Warbler - 1
Wood Warbler - 1

9 April

Our second visit to Kouklia went quite well. Birds were arriving - lots of Red-throated and Tree Pipits calling over head and a few Whinchats seen. Blackcaps were apparent in great volume and we caught our first Eastern Olivaceous warbler.

 

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler

Totals: 26 (3)

Tree Pipit - 4
Whinchat - 1
Cetti's Warbler - 2 (1)
Sedge Warbler - 1
Reed Warbler - 1
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler - 1
Sardinean Warbler - 3 (1)
Blackcap - 12
Chiffchaff - 0 (1)
Ortolan Bunting - 1

10 April

We went back inland to the Adonis Falls area since weather conditions didn't suggest that there would be a morning arrival and birds tend to push on by the evening. Our hunch paid off and 24 birds were processed. It was a little disconcerting with a pack of some 30 dogs (including a German Shepherd and Doberman) ranging free on the slopes just above our location but thankfully we were left alone. Leading species was Wood Warbler. There were also a few flycatchers around and a couple of Great Spotted Cuckoo that flew about and watched us for much of the morning. We were happy to connect with some of the flycatchers and were most surprised to end up with both cuckoos in the net a one time although one effected it's escape before it could be secured. A local endemic, Cyprus Warbler, was also caught that morning.

 Cyprus Warbler

Great Spotted Cuckoo

Totals: 22 (1)

Great Spotted Cuckoo - 1
Tree Pipit - 3
Sardinian Warbler - 1
Cyprus Warbler - 2
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Blackcap - 1
Eastern Bonelli's Warbler - 1 (1)
Wood Warbler - 5
Pied Flycatcher - 1
Collared Flycatcher - 3
Great Tit - 2
Goldfinch - 1

11 April

An early start at the Xeros Potamos reedbed was lack lustre with only 13 caught, but a return evening visit to the area of the dried out pools, out total pushed up to 24 including the only Woodchat Shrike of the visit (although we saw good numbers of these on migration right up to the end of our trip). We had another two Ruppell's Warblers making it our best total for this particular warbler ever.

 Woodchat Shrike

Ruppell's Warbler

Totals: 19 (5)

Tree Pipit - 3
Cetti's Warbler - 1 (4)
Reed Warbler - 6 (1)
Sedge Warbler - 1
Sardinian Warbler - 3
Ruppell's Warbler - 2
Blackcap - 2
Woodchat Shrike - 1

12 April

A slow day at Kouklia saw us taking down for 10.30am and wondering whether the 5am get up was really worth while. The total didn't even get in to double figures.

 

Blackcap

Totals: 7 (2)

Cetti's Warbler - 2 (1)
Reed Warbler - 1
Sardinian Warbler - 2 (1)
Blackcap - 2