Army Ornithological SocietyCyprus Weekly
Birding Highlights for the Week Ending 13 Jul
White-winged Black Tern at Akhna Dam on 13 Jul
On Monday morning as I left Ercan airport in the TRNC, a Peregrine flew over me, but that was it for the day. On Tuesday, Akhna Dam was very quiet, although a bit of migration is taking place. My first Hoopoe at a lowland site for several months paid testament to that. 2 Greenshanks were present with 5 Wood Sandpipers and 1 Green Sandpiper and my first 2 returning Common Sandpipers were seen. 7 Black-winged Stilts were present with at least 12 Spur-winged Plovers whilst Cattle Egrets were numerous and included 1 Little Egret and 2 Squacco Herons.
On Wednesday a brief visit to Oroklini Marsh prior to attending a leaving function on the Larnaca Strip, 2 Spoonbills, 2 Slender-billed Gulls, 83 Greater Flamingos, 1 adult Night Heron, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Black-winged Stilts and 14 Spur-winged Plovers with 3 chicks were present, but the visit was all too brief and I had to go and attend the meal in short order. Akhna Dam on Thursday revealed that the Gull-billed Terns had increased to 3 adults, the Greenshanks to 5 and that the breeding plumaged Spotted Redshank* was still present. 5 Wood Sandpipers, a Common Sandpiper and the first Little Ringed Plover of the autumn at the site completed the waders. Another Hoopoe was present with a Roller and a lone Squacco Heron fed at the water’s edge. The 11th was a day off, having consumed too much KEO at the regular Friday afternoon debrief.
I got my sorry self out of bed eventually and took Deb to JUMBO – sadly the drain remains a shadow of its former self. Oroklini Marsh was fairly dull with 70 Greater Flamingos, the 2 Spoonbills remained, a lone Black-tailed Godwit became visible and the 2 Slender-billed Gulls were still at the site. As I drove towards Akhna, a Hoopoe flew over the road at Xylotymbou. Driving around Akhna Dam, I flushed 4 Hoopoes – clearly a bit of passage occurring and a Roller. Wader numbers had increased but the majority were Wood and Green Sandpipers. The Spotted Redshank remained and then I flushed 3 Collared Pratincoles* – 2 adults and an immature which were quite early migrants. Always a cracking bird to see, I stopped admired and photographed them.
At Fresh Water Lake South on Sunday, not much was doing with a few immature Glossy Ibises and a single immature Squacco Heron being present and accompanied by adults. However, on the far side of the lake a movement caught my eye and sure enough it was a female Pied Kingfisher. As I watched it catch insects it then repeatedly flew to a hole in the bank. It returned to the perch, minus the food. Although no chicks were seen, it seems likely that the species may have bred there. I will keep an eye on the site in the coming couple of weeks and see if they’ve bred. There is only one breeding record for Cyprus in 1996 – so it would be a good find. At Akhna Dam the Pratincoles had increased to 5 and the Gull-billed Terns to 4. Also present was a moulting adult White-winged Black Tern which still looked quite special despite its moult. Green and Wood Sandepipers were in the ascendancy and the Shanks had moved on. Another week over – they go to fast in Cyprus and migration appears to be in full swing. A trip to Cape Greco is in order next week.
Highlights of the Week: Re-finding the female Pied Kingfisher at a potential breeding site.
If you are planning a visit or require more info please feel free to contact me at: birder639@yahoo.com
Mark Easterbrook
Follow us:
