Army Ornithological SocietyCyprus Weekly
Highlights for the Week Ending 21 Oct
Male Spannish Sparrow at Oroklini Marsh on 16 Oct 12
The Monday evening visit to Akhna Dam was fairly productive with the reemergence of a pair of Ospreys. A Sparrowhawk drifted over the dam and a number of waders were present with the highlight being the first Spotted Redshank for the site this autumn. Sedge Warblers have reduced to 3 whilst Lapwings increased to 8. A pair of Stonechats were present but it has to be said that migration has slowed significantly.
Deb and her parents visited Jumbo today. I didn't. I visited Oroklini Marsh where a lone Marsh Sandpiper and Redshank were present with 4 Spoonbills, a Marsh Sandpiper, 2 Snipe and a Marsh Harrier. With there being nothing out of the ordinary being present I decided to attempt to photograph a Spannish Sparrow*. I was successful and was very pleased with the result. I also managed to photograph a Hooded Crow, which are normally quite skittish, due to the fact they get shot as frequently. A Stonechat once again managed to avoid the camera.
Wednesday morning was started with a visit to the market at Ayia Thekla allowing me time to see 6 Greater Sand Plovers, 9 Kentish Plovers and a single Common Sandpiper and Little Egret. In the afternoon Akhna Dam was very quiet, although 3 Ospreys were present and a single Beeater.
Early on Thursday I visited the Ayia Napa and Cape Greco area. Migration has certainly almost finished with only 3 Red-throated Pipits, a Hobby and many Stonechats being present. A resident Peregrine was also noted being mobbed by a Kestrel at Cape Greco. A female Sparrowhawk with a bird in its tallons was an interesting observation. A late Wryneck at Ayia Napa Football Pitches was noteworthy. In the evening at Akhna Dam which has had a large amount of water pumped into it, making it less attractive to many birds. A single juvenile Red-backed Shrike was present along with 2 Ospreys and a Marsh Harrier. Only a single Sedge Warbler was seen and Willow Warbler numbers have reduced significantly.
Friday was a family day, although 39 Wood Pigeon at the back of Ay Nik was exceptional, given the amount of "hunting" in the last month. Friday was nearly a disaster, but we'd planned a family BBQ, and given the weather - SCORCHIO - you can always count on the BBQ in Cyprus without fear! Anyway, as the night drew on, the bird luring tapes grew louder. I had been winging and complaining without response for the last week. My in-laws had noticed, and being in their late 70s and deaf - enough was enough. I went to the SBA Police who acted immediately and seized 3, 50 foot mist nets, a couple of car batteries, an MP3 player and 4 dics. Should anyone want 4 disks named "Gold - Ambeloupoulia Mixed", please let me know - should there be anyone else in the world that wishes to eat Blackcaps in a barbaric, medieval type way. Sorry, I forgot, it's a cultural, traditional activity - come on, wake up Cyprus, you take European money you must obey European laws!
Saturday evening and Akhna Dam produced a couple of Ospreys, 3 Common Cranes, a single Sedge Warbler and Lapwing and 3 Marsh Harriers. Other than that, it was very quiet. The same was true on Sunday although a visit to Ayia Napa Football Pitches held 3 Northern Wheatears and circa 30 Stonechats. A visit to the North of the island for a hair cut and shave allowed me to visit the ruins at Salamis where there was a Cyprus Warbler.
Photos of the following species are availble via Flickr, please click on the link:
- White Pelican at Akhna Dam
- White Pelican in flight at Akhna Dam
- House Sparrow at Ayia Thekla
- Lapwing at Akhna Dam
- Hooded Crow at Oroklini Marsh
Other interesting finds: A couple of Gecko species that were new for me.
Highlight of the week: A difficult task, as there were few highlights to speak of but a late Wryneck at Ayia Napa was still nice to see.
Look Forward: Migration has definately stalled, probably due to the storms over Europe. Next week must see the arrival of Black Redstarts, Robins and Water Pipits - we shall see.
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