Army Ornithological SocietyArmy Ornithological Society Blog
Cyprus Weekly
Birding Highlights for the Week Ending 13 Oct
Lesser-spotted Eagle at Phasouri Reed Beds on 10 Oct 13.
* indicates that a photo of the species is included please visit Flickr site to view or click on the link.
Monday has arrived once more and the regular jaunt to Akhna Dam. The Little Owls appear to have left their roost sites for the time being, however as I entered the dam, an Isabelline Wheatear was on a ploughed field and a Spotted Flycatcher was doing what it’s supposed to do from a nearby tamarisk. Driving to the northern end of the southern arm, an adult Spoonbill was still present with a broken leg as were the regular waders with a Greenshank extending its stay. A movement below a tree caught my eye which turned out to be a late Wryneck which is always nice to see. The waders were suddenly flushed giving a clue to the presence of an adult Sparrowhawk. A lone Black-winged Stilt was a new arrival and as I scanned the reeds, a Sedge Warbler was also late amongst the many Willow Warblers. I then flushed a Little Crake and a Jack Snipe and an Osprey drifted in over the water ending an enjoyable couple of hours.
On Tuesday, after undertaking the monthly shopping – what a joy. I returned via Sotira Pond. 2 Greenshanks and 4 Redshanks were noted along with a Wood Sandpiper. Herons were well represented with 13 Little Egrets and a couple of Grey Herons, whilst ducks consisted of a couple of Mallards, Teal and Garganeys. I went to Akhna Dam in the evening adding a couple to the monthly tally with a Little Bittern and a male Bluethroat was a nice find. The 2 Lapwings were back and the adult Spoonbill* with a broken leg was still present, as was the Isabelline Wheatear. As I was leaving the site I spotted 21 Night Herons going about their twilight business.
On Wednesday I had to undertake an overnight MS visit to Troodos Station and managed to catch up with the mountain species except for a Blackbird which are quite elusive at the present time for some reason. The resident population is relatively small supplemented by winter visitors and when they’re not vocal they can be difficult to locate. Anyway on the way up, at Amiantos asbestos mine 9 Crag Martins and 4 late House Martins were present and surprisingly good numbers of Cyprus Wheatears were still present. There were no other surprises however the morning after on the way down at the Caledonian Falls trail I finally found a male Blackbird – surprising what joys can be derived from a common bird – still with a shrug “This is Cyprus my friend".
Further down the mountain in the foothills, a couple of Cetti’s Warblers (they are not restricted to wetlands and reeds in Cyprus), 2 Sardinian, 2 Spectacled and 4 Blackcaps were seen and another Cyprus Wheatear. At Kensington Cliffs at least 6 Eleaonora’s Falcons and a Long-legged Buzzard were present and a little further along at Tunnel Beach cliffs, 2 Honey Buzzards headed out to sea, 2 Peregrines hunted around the cliffs and a female Marsh Harrier quartered the hillside. At Phasouri Reed Beds a large raptor rising from the reeds caught my attention and I was delighted to identify it as a juvenile Lesser Spotted Eagle*, a good bird for a chance visit and a species which I have so far failed to catch up with, a ringtail Montague’s Harrier also caught a thermal and drifted east. Speaking to Colin later, he had said that with the wind changing from south westerly’s to northerlies. There had been a good raptor passage the day before with at least 5 Lesser Spotted Eagles, an Egyptian Vulture, a couple of Short-toed Eagles and a Black Stork passing over the Akrotiri area. In any event I was delighted to catch up with my first Lesser Spotted Eagle of the tour.
I returned via Larnaca Sewage Works and the Pacific Golden Plover was still present on the lagoons amongst a few Little Stints and Ruffs. On the other side of lagoon 1, (left hand lagoon), a Bar-Godwit fed actively with a Marsh Sandpiper and several more Ruffs. 5 Greater Flamingos were present of which 2 were adults. On the buoys at Spiro's Beach 3 Shags were in their regular spots. On the way home 4 more Shags were off Dhekelia Power Station and the Stone Curlew roost opposite Dhekelia Fire Station held 21 individuals. I returned to Akhna Dam and nothing much had changed, however a Great Reed Warbler , a couple of Redstarts and the Jack Snipe were nice to see. A Whiskered Tern sat on a rock and the first Cormorant of the season landed in the water. A Red-backed Shrike was at Avgorou along with 7 Swallows as I returned home for tea.
Planning to take Debs to the theatre club in Dhekelia at 1800, I checked my emails to find one from Colin Richadson highlighting the presence of a Terek Sandpiper* at Oroklini Marsh in the drainage channels. We left at 1740, I dropped Deb off and headed to Oroklinin with the light fading. I managed to locate the bird fairly quickly with Redshanks and Little Stints and with the light fading quickly managed to grab a quick record shot at distance for ID and recording purposes. Although, I had found one in August at Akhna Dam, Terek Sandpiper is such a rare bird in Cyprus, I felt compelled to “twitch it” and I don’t like other birders finding rarities on my patches without me seeing them. On Friday I had a day off from birding (I know – weak) and caught up on some sleep from a hectic week and went to the north with our friends to a newly found Pakistani restaurant where the food was excellent and they sold Cobra beer – result!
I rose early on Saturday and headed to the Larnaca area. The Terek Sandpiper was no longer present at Oroklini, however, the first Shelduck* of the winter was present along with some commoner waders. I flushed a male Black Francolin as I approached the sewage works area and managed to drive closely enough on a ploughed field (good job I invested in the new 4WD), to get reasonable shots of a male Peregrine*. A Great White Egret was on the lagoons, the Whiskered Tern continued its stay and on the approach road a female Redstart gave itself away as it flew across in front of me. On the beach at Spiro’s a Grey Plover* was my first of the season and a couple of Kingfishers sat on rocks. I proceeded to Akhna Dam, where another Osprey put on a show as a couple of Marsh Harriers, a Monty’s and a Lesser Kestrel sailed south. With not much happening I returned home and took Deb to the material warehouse (it really is a superb example of a fire hazard for those wishing to enhance their Health & Safety knowledge), where I left her for an hour as I went to the Fresh Water Lake South – it really was too dangerous for me to hang around. At the lake Grey Herons were visible in good numbers as were Moorhens. A Black-headed Gull was new and a few waders were dotted around the area but a Grey Wagtail was a new arrival for the winter.
On Sunday, I had promised myself a day out at Akrotiri to catch some raptor migration and it proved to be a productive day. On the Lady’s Mile side of the salt Lake behind Zakaki Marsh, 4 Slender-billed Gulls flew around whilst 2 Spoonbills were amongst the c9500 Greater Flamingos. In the scrub some Linnets – not easy on the east of the island, a male Stonechat and a Red-backed Shrike fed actively as a Marsh Harrier hawked the reed beds. As I drove around to Phasouri Reed Beds, I could see large flocks of Red-footed Falcons and an immature Honey Buzzard sat in a tree along with another Red-footed Falcon and c20 European Beeaters. I stood under the eucalyptus trees from 0930 – 1230 and was not disappointed, at least 5 Lesser-Spotted Eagles passed overhead with 1 lingering, c160 Red-footed Falcons, a Hobby, a Lesser Kestrel, 2 Eleonora’s Falcons and a Saker represented the falcons. The skies had a steady flow of Honey Buzzards with at least 20 passing with several Steppe Buzzards mixed in, a couple of Pallid and Marsh Harriers, 5 Sparrowhawks, 3 Long-legged Buzzards, a distant Griffon Vulture, whether this was a wandering resident or a migrant may never be known and a juvenile Bonelli’s Eagle. Perhaps the biggest surprise was a flock of 10 Red-rumped Swallows with a handful of Sand Martins mixed in. On the way home at Larnaca, another Black Francolin, the same Whiskered Tern and a Eurasian Curlew was new for the month.
Finally Akhna Dam was its usual busy self with lots of waders, the single Spoonbill with a broken leg and a very downy looking juvenile Masked Shrike was a late migrant. Around the reed beds at least 4 Bluethroats, 1 svecica*, 3 Sedge Warblers*, 5 Reed Warblers a Great Reed Warbler and a Lesser Whitethroat*. I also flushed a Jack Snipe, and a female Blackcap and Cetti’s Warbler fed actively in the tamarisks. Surprisingly, the loud “tchacking” revealed the presence of a late Eastern Olivaceous Warbler that was feeding frenetically. So to the end of an excellent and busy week. Late September into October is an excellent time to visit Cyprus.
Highlight of the Week: Lesser- Spotted Eagles* and raptor migration is always thrilling!
Look Forward: With a day’s leave on Fri and Mon, it’s a long weekend where we plan to stay in the north for a few days and visit Cape Kormakiti to sea watch.
If you are planning a visit or require more info please feel free to contact me at: birder639@yahoo.com
Mark Easterbrook
CommentsGibraltar Ringer 15
Last blog of this week and it sees us at a low ebb. The wind has changed again and we have gone from manic to depressive in a day. These current westerlies just prevent anything moving, keep us in sunshine early in the day when we need cloud cover, and even preventing raptors from crossing the Straits. We had to lay off our recorder and raptor counter early for some sightseeing, leaving self, Julia and Carl to patrol the mostly empty nets. Not all bad news, as we caught a juvenile Black Redstart (pictured) and spent some considerable time working out why it was not a Common. Not difficult but with a first for the trip we have to ensure that records are 100% before submitting to the Gibraltar Ornithologic and Natural History Society. A more IT savvy reporter would have a picture of both to compare the two. It's not going to happen!
With early furling of nets and unable to download our data as the Jew's Gate site were playing data catch-up, we decided in desperation to do some sea watching. Fifteen minutes was enough to clock Cory's Shearwater, Northern Gannet, Morocco Cormorant and endless Yellow-legged Gulls. No cetaceans. Besides, Ann Powell had been promised an ice cream and wasn't going to let us renague on the deal. What a disappointment to miss a further hour and a half looking at the sea! On return to Bruce's Farm we were treated to a fly past of an African Monarch, more commonly seen at the Botanical Gardens. For those with an interest in bird food I include a photo below.
Tomorrow sees the return to UK of Sue and John Wells and we lose Carl Powell for the day to Jew's Farm where temporary resident ringer Ray Marsh will give him the once over. Mark Easterbrook's blog from Cyprus comes out on Sunday night and so I will create some blog space resuming Monday night when Robin Springett returns to us.
Gibraltar Ringer 14
Sitting in stifling afternoon heat having entered 145 records into the Jews Gate computer, Andrew's blog makes us all here yearn for cooler climes, winter thrushes and, dare I say it, variety. After 78 Blackcaps and 47 Robins, I made an unseemly grab for the single Wren that rose to the rarity value of the only Orphean Warbler (pictured) caught today.
Yesterday lacked numbers but included two new species for the trip - Northern Wheatear and Reed Warbler - to accompany Bonnelli's Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher and Stonechat. The large number of Pied Flies has dwindled considerably and been replaced by Robins. Even the Sardinian Warblers have almost disappeared. We are not exactly blase about Nightjars - how could you be with such cryptic plumage and affronted attitude accompanied by loud hisses and a gape that seems larger than the bird itself - but today's European Nightjar was the first to be released without a photo record.
Hardly mentioned have been the raptors, but with John Wells here as the non-ringer, he has been able to spend more time on the raptor count than the rest of us. The result has been an impressive record of fly-by birds from sparrowhawks through harriers to eagles, and today, Egyptian Vultures to add to the GONHS data base. He has also assumed the post of cat catcher from Mark Cutts, while Sue Wells continues to record - today for two and a half hours before getting a leg stretch!
SPTA West
Actually it is more like SPTA Centre as the main western area was out of bounds as large metal hunks charged around with lots of other smaller metal hunks. My car is not built to withstand that sort of impact so it took to stony tracks elsewhere. Near the Deptford Down air strip they have been breeding pheasants, as I soon discovered when keeping a tally on numbers. It went down on birdtrack as species present. There were still lots of Chiffchaffs about and on the open areas there were Stonechat and Yellowhammer. I also saw my first flock of Fieldfare for the winter as birds flew over me. It was also the day of my last sighting of a Swallow (so far). A Robin tried to drown out the Apache flying nearby amongst the cacophony of other bird calls. It was a a lovely day with 27 species plus lovely examples of Command Speckled Wood butterflies. Visiting the impact area on a sunny afternoon produced a Red Kite and a soaring Ring tail as well as Meadow Pipits gallore. A flock in the distant looked like Golden Plover and I was positive I saw another flock in Gloucestershire as I headed to Wales for a funeral. All I need to do is confirm they are back on the Plain! The cold chill now in the air certainly helps portray an autumn air though when ringing there was a Whitethroat and a Grasshopper Warbler in the nets which should not be here. I have to remind myself that an Indian Summer was still here until a few days ago. As ever there were still lots of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps as well as Meadow Pipits. Another Goldcrest was caught and Great Tits developed a taste for my flesh. Ringing again on the site a few days later we were distracted by the boom, whistle and bang coming from the west as we collected more Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and Meadow Pipits from nets. All morning this noise went on and from where my was parked I could see the dirt rising up as the whistling stopped. That morning another Hen Harrier flew past and on a net run a Merlin also flew past very quickly. It was the last day of ringing at West Down until April next year so having talked about the arrival of thrushes around the place I was able to ring my first Redwing. The exercise on the West is over and this weekend winter surveys start.
CommentsGibraltar Ringer 13
The story ended last night with us all just a little miffed that the water was not back on and we had been working hard on the hill all day. As duty dishwasher I was particularly unimpressed. The quote of the day (from a RAFOS member) was "No wife of mine goes outside in the pitch dark to collect water from the bowser...Here love, take my head torch!"
Our recorder was absent birdwatching today so the team is down to 3. Not good as we are expecting the high numbers of birds from yesterday to be repeated today. And so it was with all of us laden with bird bags after the first round including two Red-necked Nightjar (pictured below) and a Eurasian Nightjar. Julia Springett was volunteered to go around again as Carl Powell and I started processing the birds (we believe in equality here). Having ringed all birds with nothing particularly out of the ordinary, it was off again to clear the nets. A very small dark bird excited interest and proved to be our first Dartford Warbler! Very much a 'Spanish bird' we hardly expected to see one on migration. It was poorly prepared for its flight across the Straits and had the minimum of fat aboard. Carl then extracted an Orphean Warbler from the nets. Such a very large warbler, the juvenile, as this was, is a dull bird and not as distinctively marked as some guides would have it. On virtually the last round of the day, we went from dull to flamboyant and took the first Hoopoe out of the nets. This one was an adult female, and I have to say that this bird is more impressive flying away than in the hand where it is difficulty to appreciate the full plumage.
Last point it that when we released the Red-necked Nightjar, it flew up the track on which we were ringing. Unknown to us, it then landed on the track and we walked past it repeatedly throughout the day, its camouflage plumage working perfectly. It took a call of nature for the bird to decide that this was really going too far and it flew a few feet into thicker vegetation where it alighted on a rock to resume its daylight slumbers.
Follow us:
