Saturday, 18 May 2019

Vretsia, Ayia Varvara & Timi - 29th April 2019

On arriving at Vretsia we could see that migrants were extremely thin on the ground (literally one Lesser Grey Shrike and two Blackcaps were all we saw. There were also Bee-eaters and Cuckoo heard also with the Golden Orioles present, supposedly migrants but we think there is a possibility that they may breed there)  and we would be limited to trying for the resident species.

We are both feeling the effects of early starts, disturbed nights over the whole of the Cypriot Easter period (why have fireworks when everyone will hear the bangers let of at 2 or 4 am for miles, stumbling over various rocks secreted in the long grass and now, now it's also starting to heat up. We didn't feel like putting up a lot of nets so settled for a triple full height and a single along a fence line, 66 metres in total.

We got nine birds but there were some good ones.

Black-headed Bunting 5M


Masked Shrike 5M

4M Corn Bunting

6M Cretzschmar's Bunting



Total: 9

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler - 3
Sardinian Warbler - 1
Blackcap - 1
Masked Shrike - 1
Corn Bunting - 1
Cretzschmar's Bunting - 1
Black-headed Bunting - 1

Vretsia, an abandoned Turkish village

Common Mallow

On the drive back, a stop off at a small stream turned up Eastern Festoon, Clouded Yellow, Pygmy Skipper and Common Blue 

Pygmy Skipper

Common Blue

Oblisque

At Agia Varvara we found a Woodchat Shrike and a Great Bittern. We're still looking for some of the dragonflies and damselflies that should be out by now. It has to be remembered that with so much scoured from waterways by the floods, some populations will be reduced. Also the late rise in temperature will also affected hatching dates.  

Woodchat Shrike

Red-veined Darter 

Violet Dropwing 

Indigo Dropwing

We finished the day off at Timi, hoping to see the Rose-coloured Starling that had been reported, but there was no sign of it by the late afternoon. A few birds began to come in at the end of the day including a Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart, two Hoopoes and a Curlew Sandpiper.

Spur-winged Plover

Curlew Sandpiper