Army Ornithological SocietyCyprus Weekly
Birding Highlights for the Week Ending 11 May 14
Icterine Warbler at Cape Greco on 10 May
Having stayed over in the North on the Karpas we returned via the North coast road and Balalan Cliffs where c80 Alpine Swifts, 4 Pallid Swifts and a Blue Rock Thrush put on a good show. We drove up to Kantara and on the way up stopped at a site where Two-tailed Pashas breed. We were lucky and sighted one working its way along the conifers and strawberry trees (host plant). Moving down the south side of Kantara after lunch towards Bojaz we soon found ourselves in Famagusta looking at Fresh Water Lake South where we saw my only White-winged Black Tern of the spring so far. A first summer Black-headed Gull was late and a bit of a surprise but the several species of Herons weren’t. 37 Glossy Ibises settled and 16 European Beeaters passed overhead. After dropping the ladies at home we headed off to Akhna Dam to finish off the day. A couple of Turtle Doves flushed at we entered, a Temminck’s Stint was still present and a late Cuckoo appeared and perched in front of us. A female Redstart broke the boredom and as we left the site we were delighted to find our first Lesser Grey Shrike of the holiday – but it didn’t hang around for the camera.
On Monday, we headed to Troodos via the usual sites. At Larnaca, no sign of any Broad-billed Sandpipers, but the Shelduck and male Shoveler were on the sewage works lagoons. A Little Tern flew over and 8 Greater Flamingo were present but there was little else of interest. We paused at the hide at Zakaki Marsh where 6 Curlew Sandpipers were feeding actively with Little Stints, Wood Sandpipers and a single Collared Pratincole was playing hide and seek. We were pleased to see our only Sedge Warbler of the trip and an adult Yellow-legged Gull rested on the pond. We continued to Akrotiri Salt Lake and drove most of the way to the area near Zakaki Run-Off. The majority were Kentish Plovers but included a couple of Ringed Plovers. As we scanned a pair of Spoonbills became obvious, however a pair of Grey Plovers and a Turnstone were a surprise. With 2 Collared Pratincoles resting, a couple of Greenshank and in the distance 3 Slender-billed Gulls, the visit was bearing fruit. John scanned the Greater Flamingos and found 2 birds with colour rings, the first a yellow ring reading JCBS and the second a white one reading T(BAR)DPJ – the birds were of French and Turkish origin respectively. Bishop’s Pool was very quiet with only 9 Ferruginous Ducks, 1 Little Ringed Plover and a Common Sandpiper being worthy of note. Onwards through Akrotiri Gravel Pits where a female Marsh Harrier and a dark morph Eleonora’s Flacon were present to Phassouri Reed Beds where 5 Glossy Ibises and a Purple Heron were the highlights. At Kensington Cliffs at least 8 Eleonora’s Falcons were in acrobatic display flight and a little further along at Tunnel Beach Cliffs we ate lunch and luckily caught up with a single Griffon Vulture.
We drove up to Troodos but with the weather coming in we only saw a single Jay and outside the chalet 8+ Pallid Swifts mixed in with Commons. In the evening we heard a Scops Owl calling from a large conifer directly outside the accommodation. As luck would have it, the bird flew to an obvious branch on top of the tree and showed very well so that was a result. It rained heavily in the night and things didn’t look good in the morning.
The plan on Tuesday was to drive down the Dhiarizos River Valley looking for Great Spotted Cuckoos, Long-legged Buzzards etc. The weather was appalling all the way to the coast at Mandria and we observed little. A couple of Cetti’s Warblers looked bedraggled in the rain at Kouklia Soakaways. On the beach at Mandria a 1st and 3rd winter Caspian Gulls were present still but with little happening and the rain sheeting down we drove back up to Troodos. At Fasoula a male Red-backed Shrike showed at the side of the road and near the Troodos Station a pair of Chaffinches was present. Arriving to no electricity in the chalet and with the weather worsening, we cut our losses and headed back to Ay Nik. On the way down we stopped at Giant Junipers recording a few of the mountain specialities including Short-toed Treecreeper, Blackbird and got great views of 3 Masked Shrikes. Further down the hill, at Saittas, at least 4 Serins sang and fed young, so another bird added to the growing list – “It’s all about the list”.
At Oroklini, 20 Greater Flamingos were still hanging around and 6 Sand Martins were seen with 3 Squacco Herons in a distant tamarisk. A Temminck’s Stint was still at Akhna Dam with all the usual suspects. We finally discovered why the adult Cormorant* was still present – it’s obviously been shot and lost half a wing.
A visit to Cape Greco on the 7th and the first stop was Cape Greco Pines. A Lesser Grey Shrike sat on wires and a Red-backed Shrike was nearby. In the pines several Spotted Flycatchers were the most obvious but a Redstart, Whitethroat and singing Willow Warbler were also present. Perhaps the biggest surprise was a female Pied Flycatcher*. At the picnic area, several Black-headed Buntings sang and 2 were seen, a pair of Cyprus Pied Wheatears showed well and the regular Cyprus Warbler sang from its usual perch giving great views. Up at Ayia Napa Sewage Works, a Common Sandpiper and 17 Little Grebes were on the lagoons with another Lesser-Grey Shrike on the trees above. At least 4 Red-backed Shrikes (1 female), were in the area and a male Black-headed Bunting sang and was seen. A few European Beeaters were above us but a male Northern Wheatear was a surprise find. Amazingly, a pair of Alpine Swifts passed low above us, which were very late migrants.
Arriving at Akhna Dam we paused to view an adult Gull. I could not believe I said Armenian Gull*, but that’s what it was, surely the only May record to date? A very unusual occurrence! A Collared Pratincole was flying around and occasionally sat on the mud and then another surprise and “tick” for the site - a breeding plumaged Grey Plover*. The Cuckoo was still present but the Temminck’s Stints and other waders appear to have thinned out. 4 Ringed Plovers remain, but there wasn’t much else about. Oroklini held 2 Curlew Sandpipers, a pair of Garganeys and only 5 Greater Flamingos. A Cattle Egret was seen on a nest which will be a good record for the site but again it was fairly quiet. The final visit was to Parthenitis Dam where an adult Little Bittern and Night Heron were welcomed sightings. A pair of Black-winged Stilts, 2 pairs of Spur-winged Plovers and a calling Stone Curlew finished the day off. At home in the wood to the rear of the house, I heard a calling Golden Oriole as I drank a beer.
The 8th was a disaster! The rain was sheeting down again and the Larnaca area was dead. As I made my way along the airport fields, I stalled in the mud as a pick-up truck also stopped. As he pulled away, he skidded and smashed my rear light unit – great! I managed to cajole him into giving me 50 Euros towards the repair – and that was an amazing result as he claimed to speak no English after saying “No problem, No damage, everything OK – a likely story but a typical situation faced by many tourists. He eventually coughed and we went on our way. Car now in the garage, honking down with rain, no birding – write the BLOG. Torrential rain throughout the day stopped play.
Trying to avoid the rain we visited Akhna Dam and John found a Broad-billed Sandpiper amongst the Little Stints, with a single Curlew Sandpiper also being present. 14 Temminck’s Stints was the biggest count this year and a Whiskered Tern hawked the water’s edge. Good numbers of Sand Martins were present and with the first record for Cyprus of Brown-throated Martin, being ringed at Polis on 1st May, they were worth looking through – without luck. Oroklini, whilst running away from the rain produced very little and as the weather followed us, we headed east once more to where the sun was shining. Arriving at Cape Greco Pines, it was clear that there were plenty of birds present, a good hour or so produced some late records of migrants including a female Collared Flycatcher*, 3 Redstarts, a couple of Willow Warblers an Icterine Warbler and a Garden Warbler. A Little Bittern flushed from a small pine tree was a surprise but the Turtle Dove was predictable. A Lesser Grey and male Red-backed Shrike were good to see and 6 Spotted Flycatchers were evidence of their continued passage. Another torrential down poor at Ayia Napa Sewage Works caught us out and we consequently received an unusual drenching. We returned home to sit it out. In the afternoon we visited the north and Fresh Water Lake South. A Spoonbill immediately flew over us and a drake Ferruginous Duck floated by. Another Whiskered Tern sat on a dead snag but 21 Glossy Ibises flying into the Cattle Egret colony were more obvious. Circa 200 Sand Martins were present proving a good passage during the day and Beeaters continued to pass overhead. Finishing at Akhna Dam a 7 Little Terns*, Black Tern* (my first for the year), 2 Rollers and the Pied Kingfisher was still present. So despite nearly being thwarted by the weather, we managed to outwit it and the day proved to be very productive. Remember, good weather birders never see anything.
On the 10th we visited the Cape Greco area in the search of some Trumpeter Finches that had been reported. As is the way with Cyprus birding, “Cape Greco” as a site description, doesn’t really help. We searched anyway but without joy. At the pines we decided to find our own and were rewarded with 2 Whitethroats and a Garden Warbler. A Turtle Dove flushed and Spotted Flycatchers had reduced to 4. We moved onto Cape Greco Picnic Site area and after a short walk flushed an Icterine Warbler* which showed well along with 2 Willow Warblers. A couple of late Masked Shrikes were obvious and European Beeaters flew over in good numbers. A soaring female Sparrowhawk was a surprise and a late Northern Wheatear female was present on the ploughed fields, which was a good record. At Ayia Napa Sewage Works, a Tawny Pipit was present and 5 Black-headed Buntings were heard with 1 being seen. We drove onto Akhna Dam, where another Black Tern had joined yesterday’s bird along with a Whiskered Tern. The female Pied Kingfisher* performed well for us and a few waders were present but no sign of the large numbers of Ruffs, Temminck’s Stints or the Broad-billed Sandpiper. A female Great Spotted Cuckoo was chased by a Magpie and as we left the site we were very surprised to see a late migrating Osprey.
An early morning visit to Akhna Dam on Sunday produced a Sedge Warbler that was new; the 2 Black Terns remained along with 2 Little Terns and the Osprey which sat in a lone tree above the dam. Other than that, 2 male Red-backed Shrikes were present but not much else to get excited about. We returned home and a Golden Oriole was singing from the back of the house in a eucalyptus tree. After having a bit of breakfast we headed to the north and the Morphou area. The first stop was Kalkanli Dam where remarkably 6 pairs of Wigeon remained with a single male Red-crested Pochard and hundreds of Coots. At least 14 Yellow-legged Gulls flew around and Beeaters passed overhead. A Ruff on a pond by the rubbish tip looked oddly out of place. We paused to photograph a Little Owl on route to Cape Kormakiti. Stopping for a brew at Sadrazamkoy, a good selection of hirundines and Beeaters headed out to sea over the cape. We reached the cape after passing a couple of Corn Buntings and a male Red-backed Shrike. Looking out to sea for an hour or so produced 4 Scipoli’s Shearwaters and a Shag. A Red-throated Pipit was a very odd sighting as it hesitated to fly out to sea. On the way back from the cape 19 Turtle Doves in a tree was a good sighting as was a pair of Black-headed Yellow Wagtails. Returning home another “biblical” down poor put paid to any hope of searching for Ravens on the Kyrenia Range. At Akhna Dam in the evening, the female Pied Kingfisher was still present as were the 2 Black Terns. 8 Ringed Plovers flew in to join the 6 Little Stints and 7 Ruffs that were present. A male Black Francolin running across the track in front of the car ended the week.
Highlights of the Week: A few Lesser Grey Shrikes and a remarkable adult Armenian Gull at Akhna Dam. The Scipoli’s Shearwaters were a year tick as were the often difficult to catch up with Garden Warblers. However, a great view of an Icterine Warbler was very enjoyable.
Other Interesting Finds: 2 Plain Tigers*, a rare butterfly on Cyprus – 1 at Cape Greco and 1 at Ayia Napa Sewage Works both on 7 May.
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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