Army Ornithological Society(7) Blog Posts Made in June 2013
Cyprus Weekly
Birding Highlights for the Week Ending 23 Jun
Little Owl at Koprulu TRNC.
* indicates that a photo of the species is included please visit Flickr site to view.
Following the long weekend in Troodos, we departed on Monday morning stopping off at a few stops on the way down the Nicosia side of the mountain on route to the dreaded IKEA – guaranteed to have the bank manager raising and eyebrow. We stopped at Amiantos view point, overlooking the disused asbestos mine. Here, a couple of surprising Linnets*, a Cyprus Wheatear* and a couple of Wood Pigeons amongst the numerous House Martins*. After a lengthy walk around IKEA and the obligatory Swedish meat-ball lunch we stopped at Delikippo – Gabion. A small site and not well known, it always throws up a surprise. This occasion was no exception when I first heard and then saw a European Beeater* which is obviously breeding in the area as they are normally passage migrants during May. A couple of Dragonfly species ended the visit here and so we continued to Akhna Dam, where a pair of Rollers and a Squacco Heron was seen. As we continued home at Avgorou another Roller* flew across the road in front of us. With the car in the garage for the powered steering belt to be fixed nothing happened on Tuesday and with the ICC Cricket semi-final on Wednesday, I had the day planned out. I did however see a Little Owl* sat on a dead tree in the garden as we returned home from dinner out and heard a Long-eared Owl from the woods behind the house for the first time this year.
On Saturday I ventured over to the north and saw my first 2 returning Redshanks at Gulserin Marsh with a single non-breeding Slender-billed Gull*. The breeding Black-winged Stilts had 3 juveniles and the Spur-winged Plovers* remained active, Clapsides Marsh was much the same and the beach area was heaving with tourists so not chance to look at the gull roost. I travelled to Koprulu Dam and what a fantastic site this has been this year. Although the west side is now dry, muddy fringes are appearing which is already attracting return autumn passage waders. 4 Greenshank, 11 Green Sandpipers, 1 Wood Sandpiper and a Marsh Sandpiper were seen. Glossy Ibises totalled c30 and 8 Ferruginous Ducks and a female Red-crested Pochard was present. 3 Marsh Harriers were noted and an early Montague’s was a surprise. In Famagusta at the Fresh Water Lake South, 4 Squacco Herons, 8 Glossy Ibises and 3 Night Herons were amongst the still heaving Cattle Egret colony.
Early on Sunday morning, I thought I’d better give the Cape Greco area some attention. Travelling via the coast at Ayia Thekla 5 Greater Sand Plovers, some still in semi breeding plumage were present along with a single Kentish Plover. The birds only appear to be away from the island for the month in May when they disappear to breed. It always amazes me that they are back on station so quickly. I progressed to Cape Greco via Ayia Napa – what a sight this is at about 0630, rubbish everywhere, literal and the human form, drunks being sick, stumbling around on the roads – it’s a sight to behold and very entertaining. Anyway, onwards and as I approached Cape Greco pines in a ploughed field on the right, a Shrike caught my eye. It was an adult male Lesser Grey*, an unusual June record and ironically sat on top of a scarecrow. The pines held several Spectacled Warblers including 2 juveniles, a Cyprus Wheatear and at least 2 elusive, calling Eastern Olivaceous Warblers. At the picnic site, more Spectacled Warblers* and Cyprus Wheatears and briefly a churring male Cyprus Warbler* – they can sometimes be tricky having just bred and certainly they were not as obvious as they usually are in this location. Ayia Napa Sewage Works was a fairly dull affair with more of the same although Little Grebe numbers are on the way up with c30 being present. After returning home for a bacon butty, I visited Akhna Dam, conducted the Dragonfly survey and saw 5 Black-winged Stilts* including 3 fully fledged and flying immatures, a Common Sandpiper*, my first of the autumn, a Green Sandpiper and 4 Spur-winged Plovers. I returned home to not watch the cricket final and amazingly then heard 2 European Beeaters at the back of the house. First indications are that autumn, southward migration may be starting early? I was frustrated by the cricket all day and eventually ended up being totally deflated by an English defeat – having said that, India did look the best team throughout the tournament. I went outside at about 2330 to hear at least 2 Long-eared Owls calling, the end to a fairly slow week – but it is June and the paucity of images this week says it all!
Highlight of the Week: The returning Greater Sand Plovers and an unseasonal Lesser Grey Shrike.
Other Interesting Finds: Meatballs at IKEA.
Look Forward: With wader migration picking up and signs of some passerine movement, it’s about getting out and finding something.
If you are planning a visit or require more info please feel free to contact me at: birder639@yahoo.com
Mark Easterbrook
CommentsSPTA West
The Plain in the west has been out of bounds for a couple of weeks due to an exercise. The weather has not been great either and yesterday I did not join the other 21,000 partygoers at Stonehenge as the sun would not be seen; too much cloud. Ringing on the Centre did not take place this morning due to strong winds and rain. I did get onto the West yesterday for a long morning helping out the Phd student investigating Whinchats. First task was to locate a new nest as the previous nest had been predated. There are plenty of badgers and foxes on the Plain but she did not know what had predated the eggs. Anyway we found the new nest which had 6 eggs in it. The next task was ringing 5 chicks at another site and then recording the activity of the parents over the following hour. I did notice that the male did a lot of sitting on a high point by the nest whilst the female looked for food. It is quite an appealing activity however I am not sure that Domestic Chief of Staff will feel the same way. We then set up a camera at another nest still with eggs to see if a predator will come along. Afterwards it was then a bug survey using 2 transects on a square where there were no Whinchats. Every 100m we recorded sward height and what came out of the sweep net. There were large numbers of caterpillars and Chafer Beetles as well as flies, ants, aphids and beetles of different sizes. Though the West had restricted access there was no restriction on the East. I met the two Richards from Surrey at a Tank Crossing to see Montagu's Harrier that was nesting nearby. All was quiet until tall Richard called Great Bustard. The bird flew in front of us landing in the grass near the harrier breeding site. The Range Warden who was also there called the Great Bustard Project so that a member of the team could establish its identity. It seems that this bird had been previously sighted in the east as far as the M25. After taking some long range photos we went to look for other birds and on a scrape found a Stone Curlew with chick besides Lapwings and Stock Doves. No Quail was heard nor a Whinchat seen though I did find one not too far away as I went home. Anyway after we had looked at other sites we went back to the harrier site in time to see the birds do a food pass on the wing. That was an excellent way to end some bird watching on the eastern end of the Plain.
CommentsCyprus Weekly
Birding Highlights for the Week Ending 16 Jun
House Martin at The North Face Ski Lift, Mount Olympus on 16 Jun.
* indicates that a photo of the species is included please visit Flickr site to view or click on the link.
With no chance of any birding on Monday although Swift numbers have increased over Ay Nik, Tuesday quickly followed. Monday 10th June – a year to the day since I arrived and saw my first House Sparrow. The rolling year produced 262 species and identifiable forms (Yellow Wagtails and Bluethroats). A good total with 18 new species added to the Cyprus list and 1 life bird; a Saker, which was the only predicted lifer I expected to get during the tour. The current year list stands at 241 and so far I haven’t seen less than 100 species in any single month. With some good photographs of many scarce and infrequent visitors to the UK and range restricted species in Europe – it’s been a productive year. Added to that I’ve seen 26 species of Dragon and Damselfly, 43 species of Butterfly and 35 species of Orchid. All in all a busy year which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed except for the mindless poaching and hunting which continues unabated.
On Tuesday I was unable to get out so I visited Akhna Dam on Wednesday and it remained very quiet. A Roller was seen as I arrived along with 2 Little Egrets, a Squacco Heron with 2 Eastern Olivaceous Warblers being heard. As I drove around the site – it has now dried out sufficiently, I found a Green Sandpiper, that was perhaps an early returning migrant. With little else on offer I returned home. With Deb at a partners’ lunch on Thursday, after dropping her off, I watched the cricket. With the powered steering belt snapping on the car, life was turning decidely "crappy".
On Friday afternoon we travelled to Troodos for a 24 year dining out, which was an excellent dinner with Beef Wellington - my favourite. Washed down with lots of Red and some decent Port, I did manage to resist over indulding as I had a meeting on Saturday at 1000 to look for some Orchids. Saturday arrived and with a bit of a fuzzy head we mangaed to find Dense-flowered Helliborine (Epipactis condensata) in bud, Cyprus Helliborine (Epipactis troodi) in bud and 3 very difficult to find Crimean Orchids (Dactylorhiza iberica). The usual Troodos specialities were seen with Jays * being very obvious and vocal in stark contrast to the first few months of the year. A calling Turtle Dove was also heard although the Scops Owls have now stopped calling. On Sunday we had arranged to meed Dave & Ros Sparrow, the Cyprus Dragonfly Recorder and his wife in an attempt to find a Dragonfly that I really wanted to see. In the Dhiarizos Valley we firstly saw many Indigo Dropwings *(Trethemis festiva), a new one for me which was a very good looking species. Then, eventually the target, a cracking male Small Pincertail * or Green-eyed Hooktail (Onychogomphus forcipatus), with its impressive claspers what a cracking looking species. Also in the valley a juvenile Wren and 2 adults representing a range extension. As we drove back via a different route, a Cretzchmar's Bunting flew across the road which is obviously breeding on the lower slopes of the Troodos range and a singing male Black-headed Bunting near to Ayios Nikolaos in the Troodos range. At Prodromos Dam a family party of Spotted Flycatchers, with 3 newly fledged and begging for food juveniles and a juvenile Crossbill. Serins and Coal Tits were well represented and 2 Black-tailed Skimmers and an ovipositing Lesser Emperor * was also seen. A good meal in the Skylight restaurant in Platres rounded off a varied and enjoyable weekend. For the purists, June is without doubt the worst month for birding in Cyprus, so its best to invest time elsewhere to maintain sanity.
Highlight of the Week: At least 6 Small Pincertail Dragonflies - what a fantastic specimen.
Other Interesting Finds: Breeding Wrens in the Dhiarizos River Valley represents a range extension, a probable breeding Beeater site and a couple of new Orchids.
Look Forward: Hmmm - I don't really know, but June is without doubt the worst month for birding but I'm hoping to turn something decent up.
If you are planning a visit or require more info please feel free to contact me at: birder639@yahoo.com
Mark Easterbrook
CommentsCyprus Weekly
Birding Highlights for the Week Ending 9 Jun
Spur-winged Plover Chick at Akhna Dam 5 Jun.
* indicates that a photo of the species is included please visit Flickr site to view or click on the links.
It’s Monday again and now that it staying light until about 2000, after dinner a quick whizz around Akhna Dam. All of the usual suspects were present although a Hoopoe was a good find. It was interesting to note 9 Spur-winged Plovers with at least 1 pair with 2 chicks. As we departed, Deb spotted 4 waders on a small pool, hidden from the rest of the dam. I noted a couple of Ruffs and then decided to reverse and have a look – just in case. I’m glad I did as there was a late Common Snipe* and next to it a very late Great Snipe* which was a fantastic find for June and the third I've found this spring. As is the case with waders in June in Cyprus, it’s sometimes difficult to know whether they’re coming or going but I suspect that these 2 are late migrants heading north. Photographs secured, as it is an unusual record, we proceeded home via Vrysoulles and the roosting Barn Owl didn’t let us down.
On Tuesday I visited the Larnaca area in attempt to catch up with a number of Common Terns that had been reported the night before. I connected with 3 at Larnaca Sewage Works along with 2 Little Terns, 3 Northern Shovellers and 26 Yellow-legged Gulls. At Spiro’s Beach a lone Shag sat on the offshore buoys and a Kentish Plover was on the inland pool. At the North end of Larnaca Salt Lake, Small Desert Blue numbers have increased and I found several specimens of – Keeled Skimmers,* both males and females. The Salt lake had the usual breeding Black-winged Stilts* and Spur-winged Plovers in evidence along with 4 Little Terns and a pair of probable breeding Black-headed Yellow Wagtails. As I returned home via Oroklini Marsh, a pair of White-winged Black Terns in full breeding plumage was the highlight and 3 female Red-crested Pochards were also present. Akhna Dam produced what looks to be a breeding Roller with a single Squacco Heron and 5 Little Egrets. I photographed a very vocal Spur-winged Plover chick which was interesting.
On Thursday it was the monthly JUMBO run and Oroklini Marsh Dragonfly survey which was fairly unproductive although judging by the number of bags Deb had JUMBO was very productive. The marsh had 6 Little Terns* flying around that look destined to attempt breeding, numerous breeding Spur-winged Plovers and Black-winged Stilts and at least 30 Red-crested Pochards. All being females or ducklings of various stages of development. Of interest were a pair of adult Greater Flamingos and a Moorhen with a pair of chicks. I continued onto Akhna Dam which again was fairly quiet with a Roller, Glossy Ibis and several Little Egrets being all that there was to show for the visit. Friday afternoon was occupied with Deb’s works outing to Protaras (drunkenness predicted), so no birding was done. On Saturday, I had a quiet day and having to be a judge (female – enough said), at Ay Nik’s got talent the day was lost to birding. In any event, on the way to the theatre club, I did see my first Little Owl of the month sat on top of a lamp post.
With another headache on Sunday, it was off to the market and we returned via Akhna Dam where the usual Eastern Olivaceous Warblers sang and the Little Egrets fed. The end of another fairly mundane week save for the Great Snipe, there are very few migrants around.
Highlight of the Week: A very late Great Snipe at Akhna Dam and some Common Terns at Larnaca Sewage Works was very surprising.
Other Interesting Finds: Several Keeled Skimmers was a good find.
Look Forward: A trip to Troodos at the weekend for a Dining Out with some walks to hunt for Dragonflies and Orchids.
If you are planning a visit or require more info please feel free to contact me at: birder639@yahoo.com
Mark Easterbrook
CommentsCyprus Weekly
Birding Highlights for the Week Ending 2 Jun
Jay at The Persephone Trail – Troodos on 29 May.
* indicates that a photo of the species is included please visit Flickr site to view or click on the link.
Monday and a bank holiday continuing in the North with a shave and a great lunch before heading home. On Tuesday morning I visited the Larnaca area. With the lake drying out quickly the Greater Flamingos have departed and passage waders appear to have all but passed through. Breeding Black-winged Stilts and Spur-winged Plovers were much in evidence with the latter having 4 chicks present. A pair of Black-headed Yellow Wagtails (feldegg) appear to be breeding and a pair of Purple Herons flushed from the reeds. A little further out on the salt lake on an island, a pair of Little Terns were present and are likely to breed. As I was departing 5 Ruff flew in and as I was reaching the car, I noticed 2 small blue butterflies which turned out to be Small Desert Blues*, hardly surprising given the profusion of the host plant present – a new butterfly for me.
I drove to the Larnaca Sewage Works area where the usual breeding waders, Little Grebes, Mallards and Coots were present. 4 Little Terns flew out to see and a pair of lingering Northern Shovellers were a good month tick. A little further along which was of a bit more interest were a pair of Curlew Sandpipers on Spiro’s Pool along with a Kentish Plover and 5 Little Terns. On the buoys offshore 6 Shags were sat. After a bit of shopping we went home via Akhna Dam where 16 (a good count) Little Egrets were seen. Also present was a Roller, a Squacco Heron, a couple of Fan-tailed Warblers and an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler. I proceeded to the other side of the dam to conduct the Dragonfly survey.
On Wednesday, it was necessary for me to travel to Troodos for an overnight stay to conduct some Troop Commander duties. It did allow me a little time to go for a walk in the afternoon around the nearby Persephone Trail. Always a good place to see the mountain specialities, I was very successful. Jays were obvious along with the usual suspects and I managed to get a month tick with 2 calling, flyover Crossbills. Of the summer breeders, a pair of Masked Shrikes and a Hoopoe was seen as was a couple of Cyprus Wheatears. Very interesting was a Scops Owl calling at 1530, although it remained well hidden. Also of interest were some new orchids. With the season being a long one in Cyprus, although the lowland species have now finished the mountain species show from May to August. With this in mind I saw 3 new species, 2 in full flower and 1 in bud. Violet Limodore* (Limodorum arbortivum) was quite stunning although Lesser Butterfly Orchid* (Platanthera holmboei - the same one as in the UK) was not so impressive. A rarer species the Dense-flowered Helliborine (Epipactis condensata) was also present but not yet in flower. There was another present which I photographed but I am currently unsure of its ID – it could be one of two, so knowing where it is, I’ll wait for it to develop in the next 6 weeks. I returned home the next day and finished last week’s blog which was long overdue, before flaking on the settee in the heat (there’s nothing else for it during the summer afternoons).
On Friday afternoon with the cleaner arriving at lunchtime, we decided to get out of the house; so to Cape Greco, some birding and a Cyprus Special sandwich – what better combination to kick the weekend off. In any event the birding was a bit dull with only a Turtle Dove being present but the sandwich was a joy as usual. A stop at Sotira on the return journey was a little more rewarding with 3 Purple Herons and 2 Grey Herons flying from the reeds.
Saturday and June already. I visited Akhna Dam noting nesting Swallows in the village and a couple of flyover Rollers along with the commoner species required to kick start the month list. Akhna Dam held 3 Rollers, a good number of Little Egrets still with 15 being on view along with at least 4 Squacco Herons. At least 5 Eastern Olivaceous Warblers were singing with 2 being seen and Fan-tailed Warblers (Zitting Cisticolas) were very vocal as they bounced around in front of me. In the North in the afternoon at Gulserin Pond a lone Greater Flamingo was my first ever June tick for the species and at least 10 Glossy Ibises were feeding. Of most interest was a pair of Slender-billed Gulls that looked like they could be attempting to breed. The Black-winged Stilts and Spur-winged Plovers all had chicks at the remaining Famagusta wetland sites and a couple of Squacco Herons were at Fresh Water Lakes North and South. At the South lake at least 10 Glossy Ibis chicks were seen but were outnumbered by the throng of Cattle Egret juveniles. The heaving mass of Common Swifts continue above the quarters every evening at Ay Nik which is quite a spectacle as they nearly part your hair in the garden.
On Sunday and forced to go to Mr Pound in the North (it should actually be called Mr 4 Turkish Lira), to benefit from the “too good to miss” lady’s sandals extravaganza, having finished we headed to Koprulu Dam. From my usual spot I couldn’t see much of interest, so I drove around to the East of the dam and climbed up on the banks of the dam. Immediately I saw 3 adult Spoonbills, and eventually 3 female Red-crested Pochards, 3 drake Ferruginous Ducks, a Squacco Heron and a Reed Warbler. I returned home to watch the cricket and was mightily depressed as England were thrashed by New Zealand – not a good way to end the week.
Highlight of the Week: Not much about except for resident breeders.
Other Interesting Finds: 2 Small Desert Blue butterflies at Larnaca Salt Lake and a couple of new Orchids in the Troodos area.
Look Forward: A quiet week to look forward to so I may be able to get out a bit more.
If you are planning a visit or require more info please feel free to contact me at: birder639@yahoo.com
Mark Easterbrook
CommentsAOS Eastern Germany Trip
Last day birding and still no Middle-spotted Woodpecker that we can confirm. Our last stop was by a mature wood and even though there was evidence of woodpecker activity we dipped! The consolation prize was Wood Warbler and Icterine Warbler so it was not too disappointing. We also added Pheasant to the list and after all our checks we had 122 birds for the trip. Our star bird was the Great Reed Warbler in the quarry that was in full voice in the open, completely obvious to our presence. We were in the Drömling for a few hours birding with a White Stork nest metres from the path. Various warblers sang and a Golden Oriole was heard, as one was every day if not seen. A Crane took off from a field and a pair of Marsh Harriers patrolled another. After a couple of hours we headed for Hannover Airport and a wait for our flights. An excellent trip and our thanks to Andrew Rose for organising the trip.
CommentsAOS Eastern Germany Trip
Our last full day in eastern Germany and we started on an old military training area complete with observation posts and a concrete map of the area. If one can become blasé about Hawfinches, this morning was the day! They were the most common species and were everywhere. The second most common bird was Woodlark though we did manage to find a Great Grey Shrike and Hoopoe as well as a female Cirl Bunting. The cloud was low as we walked amongst the new wind turbines but there were plenty of birds on show. We then headed for Belziger where grass fields were the order of the day. Quail called and there were plenty of Skylarks and raptors including an Osprey and a large adult White-tailed Eagle. We found Corn Bunting, Whinchats and Skylarks amongst the grass and Oil-seed rape field. Our target species was seen as it landed and disappeared in the grass but later a full female was seen in the open before walking into the long grass. The Great Bustard is a magnificent bird and easily out-clipped the Cranes that were present. This was a target rich environment but we still had one site to visit before heading west. Our next stop was on the Elbe and soon after crossing the river on a ferry we reached an ox-bow lake where birds were seen in their multitude. It was an excellent site with Garganey and Common Tern however, the stars were the Black Terns including two on their nests. We then headed west, whilst it rained, to Wolsburg to find a hotel. We had a change of plan and decided not to stay a 2nd night in the “collective” as we could spend a few hours in the Drömling area before heading to the airport. A very large meal and a few beers in our new hotel near Wolfsburg rounded off an excellent few days birding with a species list of 118.
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