Cyprus Weekly

28th Apr 2013 | Posted in: Overseas Birding | Comments (0)

Birding Highlights for the Week Ending 28 Apr

Red-backed Shrike expelling a pellet at Ayios Nikolaos (ESBA) on 27 Apr.

* indicates that a photo of the species is included please visit Flickr site to view.

After staying at the Bellapais Monastery Village Hotel overnight we were ready to explore the north west coast – Cape Kormakitti of the TRNC.  We stopped along the route looking for butterflies and at one stop saw a calling male Black Francolin, a quartering male Montague’s Harrier, 2 Tawny Pipits a Bonelli’s Eagle and a couple of Corn Buntings.  We pulled up where a British bird tour group had stopped, being led by Steve Cale and they alerted us to a Monarch type butterfly, we alighted the car and quickly confirmed that it was in fact a Plain Tiger* – a migratory species on Cyprus and very difficult to see.  Many thanks to Steve and his group for finding this cracker and for the bird news throughout the week as we bumped into them on several occasions.  We moved onto the cape which wasn’t exactly heaving with birds. A Turtle Dove flushed, many Tree Pipits passed overhead and a Sand Martin hawked a small pond that a Serin sand from.  Nearby a Thrush Nightingale sang and a Sparrowhawk was mobbed by Hooded Crows.  We continued around the area to Morphou and found Kanlikoy Dam which held 11 Beeaters a Whinchat but little else.  Cyprus Wheatears were ever present and as we returned to the Kyrenia area a couple of Alpine Swifts passed over us.  Back at Bellapais, a couple of cool EFES and a Beeater, Red-rumped Swallows and a showy Chukar* posed for the camera.

Tuesday the 23rd and the Silver Wedding Anniversary.  We planned to visit Kantara Castle which was fantastic and I added a year tick with 2 Ravens.  Now extinct on the south of the island due to shooting and poisoning (well done the Cypriots), the north of the island is the only place where you can reliably see them.  Birds along the way included Rollers, Alpine Swifts, Cyprus Wheatears, Blackcaps and Corn Buntings.  We returned to the hotel enjoyed the Wedding Anniversary with great company, food and a superb cake* that Deb had made for us – only a birdy cake for a birding husband and widow!

On Wednesday morning 11 Beeaters passed over the hotel and whilst returning to the south, Alpine Swifts, Red-rumped Swallows and a single male Red-backed Shrike was seen.  Before hitting the barbers (of course), we stopped at the Famagusta Wetlands seeing 3 Cuckoos – obviously a bit of a passage occurring, a Greenshank, some of the commoner Sandpipers, with a few Glossy Ibis and c200 Greater Flamlingos still in residence at Gulserin Pons.  After returning home and completing some post trip admin, we visited Akhna Dam.  Here waders were in force including 4 Temminck,s Stints, Little Stints and numerous Wood Sandpipers, Ruffs and a single Marsh Sandpiper.  The highlights was a male and female Little Crakes and a Little Bittern out in the open*.  At the conclusion of the visit, we’d seen 25 species of butterfly in 4 days – so a good start.

With migrants still much in evidence, I visited Cape Greco on Thursday morning.  Although fairly quiet, at Cape Greco Pines, a couple of Wood Warblers caught flies with several Lesser Whitethroats, a male Pied Flycatcher, a Spotted Flycatcher, my first Eastern Olivaceous Warbler and a surprise female Semi-Collared Flycatcher.  In the afternoon after lunch we drove to the Larnaca area for some shopping but of course also the wetland sites.  At Larnaca Airport Pools North a bit of a wader fest with 6 Red-necked Phalaropes (2 in breeding plumage) being the highlight.  A single adult Slender-billed Gull was unseasonal and breeding plumaged Curlew Sandpipers are always cracking birds to bump into.  We proceeded to Spiro’s beach where I eventually found the target bird of the day in the shape of 6 Broad-billed Sandpipers (a good count).  Around the pools were 2 White-winged Black Terns and 3 Little Terns with a host of waders.  At the Sewage Works Baltic and Armenien Gulls were late migrants and I photographed an obliging Roller*.  11 Greater Flamingos were still present at the airport south pools.  With Barred, Icterine and a very rare Olive Tree Warbler being reported at Akrotiri along with numerous other commoner migrants, it was clear that there had been a massive fall in the centre of the island following an easterly wind which was witnessed by the lucky few – missed this one, but you can’t be everywhere at once!

On Friday we had planned a visit to the Paphos area to meet with a long standing friend who had agreed to give up her time to aid us in finding a rare Cyprus Butterfly, the African Ringlet.  We left at 0700 and arrived in the Paphos area at about 0915.  I briefly visited Colin Richardson and handed him the Society’s Polo Shirt, which he was delighted with and promised to wear it with pride – thank you Roger and the Society.  We proceed to Mavrokolymbus Dam where we met Alison MacArthur and after some searching and a couple of Masked Shrikes and Blackcaps, we soon found 2 African Ringlets*  We visited another Ringlet site where we saw another, with a couple of Red-backed Shrikes, 2 flyover Tree Pipits and the ubiquitous Cyprus Wheatear.  Alison led us to the Kathikas area which turned out to be a result as I saw my first singing male Black-headed Buntings* of the year and a cracking Lesser Grey Shrike.  Thank you Alison for you time and company throughout the morning.  We moved onto Kannaviou village and Picnic area where I found a new Damselfly for me in Cyprus, several Banded Demoiselles*, with the female having a white spot in the pterostigma it’s a different sub species to the one in the UK.  Also present were several Odalisques and after some searching a pretty poor example of the target butterfly – an Eastern Festoon.  As we left, a male Golden Oriole perched briefly before proceeding on its way.  We carried onto the dam where we found a much better Eastern Festoon specimen.  We returned to the East via Nata Ford where a male Golden Oriole was seen and although not seeing the target Orchid, another new species was seen in the form of a Ploughshare Orchid – (Serapia v).  A female Montague’s Harrier flew over us as we made for the motorway and superb fish and chips at Dhekelia Beach Restaurant conclude a varied and enjoyable day.

Up early on Saturday and a drive to Cape Greco in the hope of some migrants.  Although quiet, all was not lost with several Red-backed Shrikes and a Lesser Grey Shrike* being present.  A female Barred Warbler at the cape was a year tick, 2 male Black-headed Buntings sand and I flushed a Nightjar as I walked the area.  I returned via Ayia Napa Sewage Works seeing some more Red-backeds, a female Masked Shrike and a couple of Ortolan Buntings.  A Tree Pipit flushed from the grass and another Barred Warbler was seed before I returned home.  In the afternoon we traversed the Ay Nik area and found several Little Tiger Blue* butterflies, a female Red-backed Shrike*, displaying not particularly good table manners as it expelled a pellet in front of us.  Rollers appear to be posturing to breed at the usual site and we flushed 3 Stone Curlews which are probably breeding in the area.  We returned home reported our butterfly sightings with the tally now on 27 species – not bad.

I had arranged with Joe Donald to meet for a beer in Protaras.  Joe is a visiting birder to the Cape Greco area every year for about 2 months, he knows the area well, I’ve enjoyed his company throughout and he also alerted me to the Turkestan Shrike that he found – thanks Joe.  Several beers later, a late night and the ensuing headache ensured that on Sunday I ate a late bacon sandwich before getting out.  We went to the market at Leivadia and then onto Oroklini Marsh which was fairly quiet with a couple of Wood Sandpipers 18 Black-winged Stilts and 21 late Black-headed Gulls.  We crossed to the north at Pergamos and headed to Koprulu Dam, although not exceptional the lake was full of waders, mostly Ruffs with a Little Bittern being flushed, a couple of Glossy Ibises, 2 Whiskered Terns and 10 White-winged Black Terns being present.  A single Grey Heron drifted overhead and a couple of Squacco Herons were around the edge of the lake.  With many areas that are not viewable due to the length of the vegetation we returned home for a BBQ and a few beers.  The week concluded and blog pending it was the end of a varied and enjoyable week.

For pictures of birds with a * please click on the following Flickr links:

• Little Bittern at Akhna Dam.
• Lesser Grey Shrike at Cape Greco Pines.
• Redstart at Ayia Napa Sewage Works.
• Black-headed Bunting at Kathikas.
• Chukar at Bellapais.
• Ploughshare Orchid at Nata Ford.
• African Ringlet at Mavrokolymbus Dam.
• Plain Tiger at Sadrazamkoy TRNC.
• Banded Demoiselle in the wheel position.
• Male Banded Demoiselle at Kannaviou Dam.

Highlight of the Week:  A couple of year ticks, Black-headed Buntings and a late female Semi-collared Flycatcher and also finding good counts of Red-necked Phalaropes and Broad-billed Sandpipers.

Other Interesting Finds:  A Plain Tiger, African Ringlet, Ploughshare Orchid and Banded Demoiselles.  Also an interesting insect an Owlfly*, a member of the Ant Lion family -  (Libelloides macaronius)*.

Look Forward:  Back to work on Monday, so only afternoon birding next week so hopefully, Icterine and Garden Warblers.

If you are planning a visit or require more info please feel free to contact me at:   birder639@yahoo.com

Mark Easterbrook

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