Army Ornithological SocietyCyprus Weekly
Birding Highlights for the Week Ending 3 Aug 14
Putative Menetries’ Warbler at Akhna Dam on 30 Jul
Another Monday had arrived and a visit to Akhna Dam was the only option with the time available. 3 Collared Pratincoles (1 immature) were present with a Temminck’s Stint and the usual commoner waders with Wood Sandpipers, Little Ringed Plovers and Black-winged Stilts being numerous and only slightly outnumbered by the Spur-winged Plovers. Terns were also well represented with White-winged Black, Whiskered and Gull-billed all hawking the water. A surprise 1st winter Citrine Wagtail*, the first for the autumn nearly caught me out as I nearly dismissed it as a Fem/Imm Yellow Wagtail. As I left the site, an immature Roller caught insects, a Hoopoe flushed and a Little Owl was back on its usual perch.
On Tuesday at Akhna, 2 Whiskered Terns were present with 5 Grey Herons and 11 Little Stints. The Pratincoles had reduced to 1 adult and the Citrine Wagtail was still knocking about. 5 Ruffs flushed as I arrived and a Greenshank flew off calling but there wasn’t much about. A Little Owl was very vocal outside the house and that concluded Tuesday. Wednesday’s trip to Ayia Napa Sewage Works started slowly with 4 Pallid Swifts passing overhead. My attention was drawn to a Sylvia Warbler. Clearly a juvenile or Female type, it moved through the bushes and I was drawn closer to it by its “jizz”. Moving quickly and cocking its tail with some lateral movement it was unlike the usual Sylvia behaviour that I witness from Cyprus, Sardinian, Spectacled or any of the migratory species. Obviously not big enough to be an Eastern Orphean of which 4 or 5 were in the area and more robust than a Spectacled Warbler and a small family party were nearby. When I saw the tail movement again, I only know of 2 birds that do this – a Menetries’ Warbler or an Upcher’s Warbler. Clearly a Sylvia, I had Menetries in my mind when I grabbed 3 photographs. The bird called as it became agitated and it was like a Fan-tailed Warbler but a little higher pitched and more elongated and not unlike the staccato call of a Spectacled Warbler. With a description submitted, I await the adjudication from the Rarities Committee. That was a about it for the site apart from an immature Masked Shrike being mobbed by a male Eastern Orphean Warbler. At Ayia Napa Football Pitches, 18 Common Swifts were over the field, obviously migrants as the breeding visitors had left the island in the first week in July.
I stopped at Sotira Pond on the way home for the first time in months and 2 female Garganeys were amongst the other commoner wildfowl. Progressing to Akhna Dam, waders were well represented but nothing out of the ordinary revealed itself. On the way home a Hoopoe flew over ploughed fields at Avgorou and a Roller perched on top of its usual bush at this time of the year.
On Thursday afternoon with some shopping required we headed to the Larnaca area and a stop at Oroklini Marsh. 3 Glossy Ibises were new and the Black-tailed Godwit continues its stay. Greater Flamingos have reduced to 32 and a few Little Stints and Common Sandpipers were on the diminishing water’s edge. Moving on to Akhna Dam and spending a while before the shopping defrosted, a Little Owl was in its usual place as I entered the site. A Hoopoe flushed and a single Temminck’s Stint, Little Stint, Ruff and Wood Sandpiper remained from the week’s earlier influx. As I left the site by the roadside perched on a bush was my first Long-legged Buzzard for the site and East of the island since 23 Dec 2013. A pair of Rollers perched on the usual bush at Avgorou as I returned home.
Friday and a new month had arrived. As I drove into Ayia Napa Sewage Works – just like number 10 busses a pair of Long-Legged Buzzards were above me – after seeing none in the east for ages. A walk around found the usual (for this time of year) Masked Shrikes and Eastern Orphean Warblers present but to be honest there were no real signs of mass migration. Akhna Dam a little later found the usual Little Owl and a couple of Hoopoes. The 1st winter Citrine Wagtail was located from its call whilst a Temminck’s Stint along with several Little Stints were also located from call. This site too was very quiet so a slow start to the month.
On the 2nd an early morning visit to Akhna Dam found a pair of Night Herons, 3 Squacco Herons and a Greenshank. I drove to the Larnaca area and a pair of Black Francolins were feeding on the fields next to the sewage works. On the beach at Spiro’s were 23 Yellow-legged Gulls, a 1st winter Baltic Gull and a surprise adult Heuglin’s Gull*. A Spectacled Warbler zipped by and on the fields by the airport were c60 Kentish Plovers and 4 Yellow Wagtails (Ssp – undeterminable). Later at the sewage works the Shelduck was still present (a good August tick), as were a pair of Shovelers amongst the Mallards. 2 female Garganeys were with the Coots and around the edges of the lagoons, 2 Ruffs, 10 Black-winged Stilts, 2 Little Stints, 1 Kentish Plover and on the fields 8 Spur-winged Plovers. 7 Flamingos flew over me as I departed. I visited a seldom visited dam shortly after near Avdellero – by a pig farm and slurry pits, it’s a very malodorous place. As I approached another Long-legged Buzzard perched briefly on a cliff face (typical – you don’t see one for ages…). A juvenile Greater Flamingo looked misplaced on the reducing water and 7 Green Sandpipers flushed. As I scanned the mud 2 Little Stints, A Black-winged Stilt and Little Egret were evident and behind me a large roost to c100 Jackdaws were very vocal.
I stopped at Oroklini Marsh on the way home and the Black-tailed Godwit was still present. A Whiskered Tern was perched on a rock in the water and 35 Flamingos were feeding. A breeding plumaged Dunlin was on the mud with a couple of Wood Sandpipers and Little Stints and 3 Night Herons (2 Adults and a Juv) were roosting with the Cattle Egrets. Stopping at Dhekelia Power Station, revealed 4 Shags perched on the mooring buoys. I drove around the Ay Nik area before returning home and turned up 4 Rollers.
On the 3rd I visited Ayia Napa Sewage Works again but the excitement of the previous days had subsided and the only new bird of any note was my first Lesser Whitethroat of the autumn. A couple of Cyprus Wheatears were in the Cape Greco area (1 a juvenile) but that also was very quiet. At Ayia Thekla the Greater Sand Plovers had increased to 4 and 7 Kentish Plovers were alongside for comparison. In the evening at Akhna Dam 16 Glossy Ibises were new arrivals, as were 3 Gull-billed Terns (1 Adult / 2 Imms), 2 adult breeding plumaged Whiskered Terns and 2 adult moulting White-winged Black Terns. The 1st winter Citrine Wagtail was still present and the waders present were what you’d expect at this time of year with nothing out of the ordinary, although the site seems to be the place to see Temminck’s Stint of which there was 1.
Highlights of the Week: The jury is still out but with the Chairman of the Sub-Rarities Committee and a former Country Recorder being onside it would appear that I may have found and photographed the 2nd record of Menetries’ Warbler* for Cyprus.
If you are planning a visit or require more info please feel free to contact me at: birder639@yahoo.com
Mark Easterbrook
Follow us:
