Day 6
Having found a good set up of where to place nets we returned to Kouklia. A Honey Buzzard was seen overhead as the last of the nets went up. There was no big rush first thing but captures were steady through the day. We tried for Bee-eaters that were drifting up and down the valley, but again had no luck. Yellow Wagtail and Tree Pipits passed over head but we didn't catch any. Willow Warblers dominated the figures again with very limited diversity provided by a second Red-backed Shrike for the trip, a Great Tit, a Reed Warbler and the retrap of the Wryneck from two days ago.
We retrapped male adult Sardinian Warbler 29370, ringed by DL in April 2010 and not retrapped since.
It was extremely hot as the day drew on with the car thermometer reading 38 degrees as we left a little before midday.
It was too hot for birding really and we didn't expect a great deal. We looked at what the Bee-eaters were doing but none of the small groups looked like a viable chance for captures. We have caught Bee-eater on Cyprus before without mishap, but know of others who ended up with bee stings (the feeding forays are often very close to bee hives) so there's plenty to take into consideration before putting up nets.
At Anarita we found a couple of Northern Wheatears and a Eastern Black-eared Wheater, plus a juvenile Lesser Grey Shrike - so a few going through with the Red-backed Shrikes now, with two seen here as well. A Long-legged Buzzard and Peregrine were also seen overhead.
Having found a good set up of where to place nets we returned to Kouklia. A Honey Buzzard was seen overhead as the last of the nets went up. There was no big rush first thing but captures were steady through the day. We tried for Bee-eaters that were drifting up and down the valley, but again had no luck. Yellow Wagtail and Tree Pipits passed over head but we didn't catch any. Willow Warblers dominated the figures again with very limited diversity provided by a second Red-backed Shrike for the trip, a Great Tit, a Reed Warbler and the retrap of the Wryneck from two days ago.
We retrapped male adult Sardinian Warbler 29370, ringed by DL in April 2010 and not retrapped since.
It was extremely hot as the day drew on with the car thermometer reading 38 degrees as we left a little before midday.
Red-backed Shrike juvenile
Sardinian Warbler juvenile male, with a slightly unusual head pattern
Reed Warbler
Totals: 74 (3)
Wryneck - 0 (1)
Reed Warbler - 1
Whitethroat - 1
Sardinian Warbler - 19 (1)
Blackcap - 1
Willow Warbler - 50 (1)
Great Tit - 1
Red-backed Shrike - 1
It was too hot for birding really and we didn't expect a great deal. We looked at what the Bee-eaters were doing but none of the small groups looked like a viable chance for captures. We have caught Bee-eater on Cyprus before without mishap, but know of others who ended up with bee stings (the feeding forays are often very close to bee hives) so there's plenty to take into consideration before putting up nets.
Bee-eater with hornet
We noticed a couple of Rollers on wires in the Lower Xeros Potamos and three Lesser Grey Shrikes. At one stage the Bee-eaters were dispearsed off the wires as a Hobby went through and started to pursue something at speed.
Roller
Lesser Grey Shrike
At Anarita we found a couple of Northern Wheatears and a Eastern Black-eared Wheater, plus a juvenile Lesser Grey Shrike - so a few going through with the Red-backed Shrikes now, with two seen here as well. A Long-legged Buzzard and Peregrine were also seen overhead.
Juvenile Lesser Grey Shrike
Another Bonelli's Eagle was seen as we approached Nata, a juvenile.