Cyprus reprise 2007 - 2019

We never got out to ring on Cyprus this year since there was a quarantine order to self isolate for 14 days after arrival and we were only going out for 15 days prior to the due date for our house sale. The decision not to travel turned out to be the right one as flights were suspended towards the end of March and, had we decided to go, we would have been left with nowhere to stay after the sale went through.

So our last spring effort on the island didn't come off. Here's a selection of some beautiful birds we've ringed over the years.

Black-eared Wheatear - spring 2010

Melanistic Sardinian Warbler - spring 2010 

part of an island study on melanism in the species

Tutrtle Dove - spring 2010

Mountain Chiffchaff - spring 2013 (second record for the island)

Savi's Warbler - spring 2010

European Bee eater - spring 2009

Subalpine Warbler - spring 2013

Crested Lark - spring 2014

Great Spotted Cuckoo - spring 2014 

Wood Warbler - spring 2014

Nightingale - spring 2014

Ruppell's Warbler - spring 2014 

Penduline Tit - November 2014

Hawfinch - November 2014

Common Wheatear - spring 2015

European Hoopoe - spring 2015

Common Redstart - spring 2015

European Kestrel - spring 2016

Crossbill - November 2016

Serin - November 2016

 Woodchat Shrike - November 2017

Laughing Dove - November 2017

Cyprus Warbler - spring 2018

Wood Lark - November 2018

Masked Shrike - spring 2019

Citrine Wagtail - spring 2019

Pallid Swift -  spring 2019

Common Swift - spring 2019

 Golden Oriole - spring 2019

 Corn Bunting - spring 2019

Little Stint - spring 2019

Black-headed Bunting - spring 2019

So, that's a flavour of the species found on Cyprus. We will miss the birds, but not issues with trying to get the permit before 25% of the time has already passed, finding sites that birders don't know, goats, dogs, hunters, and Blunt-nosed vipers! But, we will be back to Cyprus and possibly support Kuksor in the north for our next Cyprus sortie.

Butterlies - May 2020

and some of the butterflies from May....

Green-veined White - Harmondsworth Moor CP

Small Copper - Staines Moor

Holly Blue - Wraysbury GP

Small Heath - Stoke Commomn

Brown Argus - Wraysbury GP

Common Blue - Wraysbury GP

Dingy Skipper - Ivinghoe Beacon

Grizzled Skipper - Ivinghoe Beacon

Duke of Burgandy - Ivingoe Beacon

Green Hairstreak - Ivinghoe Beacon

Brimstone - Ivinghoe Beacon

Small Blue - Pitstone Quarry

Adonis Blue - The Hollies

Small Tortoiseshell

Speckled Wood - Botany Bay

Wood White - Botany Bay

Glanville Fritillary - Hutchinson Bank

Dragonflies - May 2020

A series of photos of some of Mays' dragon and damselflies.

Common Blue Damselfly - Wraysbury GP

 Hairy Drafonfly - Staines Moor

Banded Demoiselle - Staines Moor 

Azure Damselfly - Harmondsworth Moor CP

 Red-eyed Damselfly - Goring-upon-Thames

 Larged Red Damselfly - Cholsey

 Beautifuyl Demoiselle - Sheffield Bottom

 Four-spotted Chaser - Chobham Common

 Variable Damselfly - Widbrook Common

Blue-tailed - Widbrook Common

 Emperor Dragonfly - Wraysbury GP

 Black-tailed Skimmer - Chobham Common

 Borad-bodied Chaser - Botany Bay

 Downy Emerald - Botany Bay

White-legged Damselfly

Barred Grass Snake - Chobham Common

Stanwell Moor GP - 25th May 2020

A non-working day on the site provided a chance for us to work an area of weedy scrub that we normally avoid due to HGV movements. A total of 65m of nets in this area, plus a 12m in the reed bed gave us a good return for the morning.

A first House Sparrow for the site was an added bonus.

4M House Sparrow

Total: 22 (3)

Dunnock - 0 (1)
Blackbird - 1
Sedge Warbler - 2
Reed Warbler - 6
Whitethroat - 9 (2)
Blackcap - 1
House Sparrow - 1
Linnet - 1
Reed Bunting - 1