Cyprus 1 to 7 April 2015 part 2

1 April

We started the day with a walk around the Paphos headland. We didn’t expect there to be much around as the previous night hadn’t been too great, but it seemed that birds had followed the weather front over and as we walked through the excavations to the sound of Nightingale song, there was no doubt that there had been a fall.

 Paphos Headland

We worked our way around the site seeing lots of Wheatears, Lesser Whitethroat, with Red-throated Pipits still arriving. In addition we saw at least three Wrynecks, a female Ruppell’s Warbler, two male and a female Subalpine Warblers, plus a few Crtzmars and Ortolan Buntings. There was a report of a Cinereous Bunting from earlier in the morning but we had no luck finding that.

Hoopoe

After a very pleasant walk, we grabbed some light refreshment at a local coffee bar on the seafront. It was very busy there as it was a Cypriot Bank holiday for independence day. We then took a drive to Timi beach, an excellent spot for flycatchers and wheatears but it was quite quiet. We had an hour or so before our meal time, so we returned to the desalination plant access road. Conditions were difficult due to strong wind, but from a single net between the citrus trees we caught a few Blackcaps, including two re-traps, one from last Friday, having gained weight to an impressive 26g with a fat score 7 from a weight of 22.9 and a fat score 4. We were also astonished to recapture a bird, 38013, that was ringed at the desalination plant on 7^th April 2014. This shows surprising site fidelity of a spring migrant.

Totals: 5 (2)

Blackcap – 5 (2)

After some food we returned to what we call the Lower Pools, although there are no pools this year and ringed for the last hour of the day. There were only 12 birds, but 4 5M Whinchats were worth the effort.

 5M Whinchat

Totals: 12

Whinchat – 4
Cetti’s Warbler – 1
Sardinian Warbler – 1
Whitethroat – 2
Blackcap – 3
Chiff-chaff - 1

2 April

Back to another of our previous sites today, Adonis Falls/Mavrokolmpos Hills, but the sunshine that was forecast failed to materialise and the catch suffered as a result. The birds just weren’t around in the numbers needed for a good catch. We got three Greenfinch, that were the first for us this year.

There was another Ruppell’s Warbler and a Whitethroat amongst the few birds caught.

Whitethroat

While we tried our best to get a decent catch, we had a Great Spotted Cuckoo and Black-eared Wheatear flying about. A Semi-collared Flycatcher was relatively faithful to a couple of twiggy trees but shot off the minute we moved the net. There were a few Eastern Bonelli’s about but not in the numbers that we’ve seen in earlier years and no Wood Warblers at all, although that was on a later date so there’s still hope.

Greenfinch Male

We then tried at a spot we have been monitoring for Cyprus Warbler, noted that their numbers seemed good and managed to catch one.

Totals: 11

Cyprus Warbler – 1
Sardinian Warbler – 1
Ruppell’s Warbler – 1
Whitethroat – 1
Blackcap -3
Greenfinch - 3

After lunch we went up to Anarita Park where it seemed the Wheatears were waiting for us. There was also 8 Lesser Kestrels present.

Wheatears

By using a couple of double nets we got another Isabelline and the first Black-eared Wheatear for this year. 

 Isabelline Wheatear

 

5M Black-eared Wheatear

We had no luck with Buntings or the Tawny Pipits but there was one Spectacled Warbler.

 Spectacled Warbler

Totals: 4

Spectacled Warbler – 1
Whitethroat – 1
Isabelline Wheatear – 1
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear – 1

3 April

Another start at Kouklia. On arriving we heard a number of Eastern Olivaceous Warblers that were fresh in but these managed to evade our nets. Again, the catch was modest, but we were pleased to catch our first Eastern Bonelli’s of the year and our first Hoopoe captured on Cyprus. We had another Blackcap that we ringed last spring too.

 Eastern Bonelli's Warbler

Wryneck

Hoopoe

While breakfasting on pastries from Papantoniou bakeries we heard the unmistakeable call of Common Crane and glimpsed then as they flew up. We also located them after our ringing session. They are probably the two reported from Mandria on the 29^th March and not reported since.

 

Common Cranes

It does make you wonder where two birds of that size could have hidden for five days!

 Common Blues

Clouded Yellow

Totals: 16 (3)

Wryneck -1
Hoopoe- 1
Cetti’s Warbler - 2 (1)
Reed Warbler – 1
Sardinian Warbler - 1 (1)
Blackcap – 6 (1)
Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler -1
Chiff-chaff- 3

We drove around the local area before and after lunch but it seemed to have gone quiet again, apart from a male Montagu’s Harrier at Agia Vavara.

 

Cattle Egret

We finished off with a check of Timi beach but our only new species for the trip there was a Pied Flycatcher. There were hardly any Wheatears and very little else.

4 April

Today we arranged to meet AC to work one of his Polis sites.

P2 - Wellingtons esential
 

It was just as well since the wind was far too strong on our stretch of coastline. We put our usual five nets up and waited to see what the day would bring. There were a few Reed Warblers and our first Great Reed Warbler of the year.

Great Reed Warbler - age 4

We caught one particularly weighty Blackcap, tipping the scales in excess of 27grams.

Does my bum look big in this?

It wasn’t as busy as we hoped but we almost made it to thirty, including a pair of Spanish Sparrows.

Spanish Sparrow Mr & Mrs

While at the site we discovered the reason why stones may often be found with dates and initials on them in streams and riverbeds. These are proof that the area has been treated with pellets to reduce the number of mosquitoes, and so was solved the riddle of the stones.

Total: 25 (2)

 Tree Pipit – 1

Cetti’s Warbler – 0 (1)
Savi’s Warbler – 1
Reed Warbler – 6
Great Reed Warbler – 1
Sardinian Warbler -0 (1)
Lesser Whitethroat – 2
Blackcap – 6
Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler – 1
Willow Warbler – 1
Chiff-chaff – 3
Spanish Sparrow – 2
Serin - 1

Later that afternoon we drove to Evretou Dam where the level had risen so much that several tracks and the place where we usually parked were completely submerged. No chance of trying for pipits here as we had done in November of last year.

Evretou - full to the brim

We continued our drive, eventually reaching Nata Ford where we tried netting the adjacent track but only got three birds. 

Total: 3

Sardinian Warbler – 2
Blackcap -1

At the end of the day with less cloud than for some many recent days, there was actually a reasonable sunset.

Sunset over Paphos

5 April

This morning was put aside to work the headland but there was much less around than our last visit. The only really interesting birds present were three blue-cheeked Bee-eaters.

Oneof three Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters

From there we went to Anarita Park. It was the first, real classic bright sunshine and mild breeze day that we’d had since we arrived. The number of birds around seemed to have really dropped off. While we scouted out the area we saw a Montagu’s Harrier male and a few nectaring butterflies.

We tried a regular area at Anarita Hills for Spectacled Warbler and managed to capture a young male.

 

5M Spectacled Warbler

Totals: 2

Spectacled Warbler – 1
Sardinian Warbler – 1

After dinner we went to the lower pools but again there seemed few birds about, so we took a quick run to Kouklia to see whether there was much using the river in the evening – in short no not much so we ended up at Acheleia where a field of 100+ wagtails were near to the reeds where they’ve roosted before.  A net was put up but although some 20 or so birds came in only three were captured. 

 5M Black-headed Wagtail

We did, however, see a Gannet pass westwards out at sea. There was a Little Crake in the seaward-side pool.

Totals: 5

Reed Warbler – 2
Black-headed Wagtail – 3

Sunset from Acheleia beach

6 April

Another visit to Kouklia, and though not especially busy we did manage a reasonable 31 birds, including the first Eastern Oliveaceous and Eastern Orphean Warblers of the trip. A male Ruppell’s Warbler was seen, as was one of the Cranes again as it flew over by D.

 5M Orphean Warbler

 Eastern Oliveaceous Warbler

Kingfisher 6F

Male Blackcap with a heavy dusting of pollen

Total: 27 (4)

Kingfisher – 1
Wryneck -1
Nightingale – 1
Cetti’s Warbler – 0 (2)
Reed Warbler – 3
Great Reed Warbler – 1
Eastern Oliveaceous Warbler -1
Sardinian Warbler – 2
Lesser Whitethroat – 2
Whitethroat – 1
Blackcap – 11 (2)
Eastern Orphean Warbler – 1
Great Tit – 1
Goldfinch – 1

 Black Francolin at Mandria

Before dinner we had a drive around Mandria with nothing of exceptional note seen, and after dinner still fairly quiet we returned to our Spectacled Warbler site with limited success of one bird. 

 Great Spotted Cuckoo at Anarita Park

We had two male Montagu’s Harriers, one of which was quartering around us whilst we were working the Spectacle area. This is rather akin to doing Dartford Warblers at home, wandering around placing a single double panel at various spots and seeing what happens, minus the Harrier.

Total: 1

Spectacled Warbler - 1

7 April

A birding day along the coast at Limassol starting with Zakaki. The most exciting thing during this visit was probably an impromptu demonstration by the heavy goods vehicle drivers at the port. There was much honking of horns some 50 or so lorries drove around the port access road, but whatever the problem it was solved in ten minutes or so. The disturbance didn’t seem to bother the wildlife too much as two Little Crakes came out on the far bank. There was also a Gargany, Ferrugenous Duck, Purple Heron and Marsh Harrier.

 

Gargany drake

Moving on to Ladies Mile and the area towards the salt lake there were few passerines around, but waders in the pools. Along with the Kentish Plovers and Little Stints were Black-Winged Stilts, Ruff and four Sanderling.

Little Stint

We were surprised to see a largish bird fly across in front of us as we neared the end of the beach road. On closer inspection it was a Cream Coloured Courser, a bird that we have only seen a few times on Cyprus since 1993.

Cream Coloured Courser at Ladies Mile

At Bishop’s Pool we started off with a Collared Flycatcher but the wild area held little and the usual species at the pool were only swelled by some Great Reed Warblers and seven Purple Herons.

 

Three of seven Purple Herons

The gravel pits were also quiet but a Collared Pratincole was present at the new pool by the old rabbit hutches.

Collared Pratincole

At Phassouri the reed bed the areas of open water were very restricted and the habitat just isn’t what it used to be. There was little here except the first Starling of the trip, a female Little Crake, a Little Egret, some Snipe and a few Wheatear.

Northern Wheatear