Avdimou and local birding, Cyprus - 13th April 2019

We set up at Avdimou as a session there last year netted a few Cyprus Warbler. This year it seems as though the Sardinian Warblers are dominating. We only saw a couple of Cyprus Warbler males, plus the female that we captured.

We noted a few migrants, Hoopoe, Blackcap, Ortolan Bunting and Red-throated Pipit among them although most flew straight through.

Female Cyprus Warbler

Nightingale

Total: 14

Nightingale - 1
Cyprus Warbler - 1
Sardinian Warbler - 8
Blackcap - 4

Dropping in at Timi Forest we found that the wet conditions continue to be attractive to the birds. Highlights today were at least three male and two female Citrine Wagtails.

Male Citrine Wagtail

Two of six Cattle Egrets that dropped in

There was also a Desert Wheatear on the beach.

After dinner Ayia Vavara highlights were several Little Crakes, two Little Bittern and a Eurasian Bittern.

Little Crakes

The second of two Little Bitterns seen today.

Eurasian Bittern

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

Pafos area, Cyprus - 11th April 2019

First day out for our Spring visit. As usual, the need to check usual ringing sites is paramount added to a little birding. the big news today is that Kouklia, a site that we've ringed for 10 years has been washed away! Not just part of the track, but the whole area has been swamped and everything between the river and track has been swept to the sea.

The river bed is four times the width that it was.

The track in has been totally obliterated

So much vegetation (and so many rocks scoured away)

We managed to access the stream (as we used to call it) by cutting across via a farm track, only realising just how much ground had been lost when we noticed we were on the wrong side of the telegraph wires. We may try closer to the sea but most of the larger shrubs and reedbed are now gone. It doesn't look promising.

The one remaining ride (furthest from the river) is now too difficult to use as there 

are no paths or tracks to the closest point where we can bring the car.

Birds present at Kouklia included Stone Curlew, Wheatear, Whinchat, Buzzard, Hoopoe, Red-rumped Swallow. Woodchat Shrike, Little-ringed Plover and Green Sandpiper.

In other news, the desalination plant area is completely flooded. This will be good when the water recedes. We'll take another look in a week or so but that probably won't be enough for it to become usable.

Another flooded site. We usually park near the first telegraph pole.

So, our two closest sites are not usable and plans for ringing are somewhat stalled.

We did get out for some birding done in the morning and observations were as follows:

Pafos Headland had some Red-throated Pipits, Black-eared Wheatear, Whinchats, wagtails and a Starling among the ruins. Highlights were two female Ruppell's Warblers and Pied Flycatcher.

Anarita Park (tracks badly affected with one landslip blocking half width of one track), Cuckoo (2), Great-spotted Cuckoo, Ortolan Bunting (2), Wryneck, Tawny Pipit (5), Spectacled Warbler, Redstart, Lesser Kestrel (4), Long-legged Buzzard and Red-rumped Swallow.

Ayia Varvara (river running outside of usual confinements, some tank edges washed out). Observations included Little Crake 3 males and 4 females, Common Sandpiper (2), Green Sandpiper (2), Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Snipe, Wood Sandpiper and Black-headed Gull

Timi Picnic site and forest (completely flooded). Difficult to work the site as tracks look more like canals in places and areas are inaccessible. Large numbers of Glossy Ibis (42), Little Egret (22), Purple Heron (17) also Moorhen (8), Little Crake female, Black-winged Stilt (3), Cattle Egret (2), Wood Sandpiper (8), Tree Pipit, Squacco Heron, Little Ringed Plover (4), Spur-winged Plover and a Collared Flycatcher.

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Male Collared Flycatcher - Timi

Broadwater GP - 6th April 2019

By 7:15am we were ringing our first birds having put 6 nets up. It wasn't a very busy session and there were rather a lot of retraps, but it could have been worse. Really shouldn't grumble at 18 birds.

One of 4 new Blackcaps ringed

All the Blackcaps were male, and two were also carrying fat so appear to have a bit further to travel. There was one Blackcap, with ring Y823702 that turned out to be one of birds first captured on 8/5/2015 as bird aged 5.

Other birds seen or heard included a Brambling heard while we put the third net up, two Cetti's Warblers heard, Egyptian Goose (2), Red Kite, Buzzard (2), Little Egret (1), Red Crested Pochard (3 males) and Jay (3).

Totals: 8 (10)

Dunnock - 1 (2)

Robin - 0 (1)

Chiffchaff - 1

Blackcap - 4 (1)

Long-tailed Tit - 1

Blue Tit - 1 (2)

Great Tit - 0 (4)

Staines Moor - 3rd and 5th April 2019

3rd April

We do not make regular updates of local birding, mainly as often there is not too much of interest to talk about, but a pm visit to Staines Moor, brought the usual couple of Little Egrets and the odd Buzzard and Red Kite over, but right out in the open in the middle of the Moor was a male Ring Ouzel. Always a pleasant spring migrant to bump into locally.

Ring Ouzel

5th April

Another visit am, on a fairly quite visit, but one lingering Water Pipit was still on the river Colne bank and the male Ring Ouzel was back in the Hawthorns in the northern section. 

Chobham Common and Truss's Island, Staines - 30th March 2019

We took a walk around Chobham to see how the resident Dartford Warblers have fared. It is a great pity that ringing is now only permitted during the winter months and we are no longer allowed access to monitor Dartford Warblers, or any of the other specialist species including Woodlark and Nightjar on the site during the rest of the year.

Although we were quite late in our arrival we still recorded decent numbers of Stonechat (5 males & 3 females) and Dartford Warbler (8 seen with a further 3 birds heard). The population density is clearly quite high without a harsh winter to check their numbers for a few years now. In the event that birds disperse away from the site there are very few marked individuals to give us a chance to learn about patterns of dispersal. There was also a couple of Buzzard overhead. Coal Tit, Blackbird, Goldfinch and Song Thrush were all present in the open areas.

On the way home we couldn't just pass Truss's Island, so dropped in to record a few numbers. We noted 15 birds in all, a mixture of darvics and metal rings including two that we had not seen there before.
Most unexpected was 4DHH, the bird that we'd ringed on Staines Moor just two days before. That is certainly the shortest amount of time for a local movement our group has documented to date.

 4DHH had joined the flock at Truss's Island

There are now some 15 or so birds hatched in 2018 here, without colour marking. It's a shame that we are no longer allowed to mark birds here. There was an objection to the colour of the darvics.

Lodmoor, King Barrow and Tout quarries - 29th March 2019

We set off down to the south coast, hoping to see one of the Large Tortoiseshell butterflies that had been reported from the Portland quarries. First port of call was Lodmoor. It was a cool misty start to the day so we decided to let the day warm a bit before trying for the butterfly.

At Lodmoor, we there was no sign of the Lesser Yellowlegs. While checking through the birds present, we noted darvic codes on three Mute Swans ZKK, VYT and ZOU all black print on yellow. There was also a colour ringed Black-tailed Godwit. The godwit had a lot of discolouration on the rings but we read it as lime above orange on the upper left leg, with yellow above black on the upper right and the metal ring on the lower right leg. Other birds present were as follows: Little Egret (1), Black-tailed Godwit (27), Marsh Harrier (1), Buzzard (1), Raven (1), Cetti's Warbler (8 heard) and Bearded Tit heard.

Hawthorn blossom at Lodmoor

RSPB Lodmoor reserve

We then spent a good deal of time at both Kings Barrow and Tout quarries. Here we saw lots of Peacock butterflies - but despite our best efforts failed to see an elusive Large Tortoiseshell. One was later reported, but from Fortuneswell, Portland. A couple of other bird records for the day were a female Black Redstart at Kings Barrow and a Swallow just on the coast at Tout.

Peacock butterfly

Chesil beach

We returned to Lodmoor at the end of the day and had good views of the Lesser Yellowlegs. The Black-tailed Godwit was still present and a little closer, allowing a few more photos to be taken.

Lesser Yellowlegs with Black-tailed Godwit and Snipe

Colour ringed Black-tailed Godwit. 

The black ring signifies that this is part of a project in Iceland.

Gorse flowers