Kouklia and local birding in Cyprus - 12th April 2019

We returned to the small area that looked potentially ringable to find that the wind is worse now with nothing to block its progress as it rushes seaward. We got four nets in but had nowhere else to go. Over 3 hours we struggled up to 10 birds, helped by a minor rally as migrants started to come through in the mid morning. There were no retraps and we didn't get the Stone Curlew, Quail, Kingfisher, Woodchat Shrike, Whinchat or Ortolan Bunting that were seen. This isn't a viable morning site due to limited working area.

Sedge Warbler

Total: 10

Nightingale - 1
Cetti's Warbler - 1
Sedge Warbler - 1
Sardinian Warbler - 3
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Blackcap - 2
Spanish Sparrow - 1

Later we looked around Timi Forest, Achielia and Ayia Varvara. Timi was less impressive in the middle of the day although Black-winged Stint numbers were up to 23. We managed to see Wood Warbler. One had been reported but we had two sightings in different areas posing the question  are there two birds. We saw our first Ruff and an Isabelline Wheatear on the beach.

Achielia has completely changed with the river shifting west. The beach is now extremely uneven with some deep troughs along the tracks leading to the sea. Here we saw two Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper, Kingfisher and Wryneck.

Whimbrel at Achielia

The usual species were at Ayia Varvara with the addition on a Masked Shrike and Little Bittern. There has been a Baillon's Crake but we have yet to see that.

After dinner we gave Lower pools on the Xeros (again not much in the way of substantial bushes or reed clumps) a go for swallows and wagtails. It was a lot of effort for three birds!

Total: 3

Black-headed wagtail - 2 (one hybridised)
Sardinian Warbler - 1