Cyprus, 6th - 13th April 2005 (part 1) April 6th - Bill Berry & Mark Breaks accompanied me and unfortunately (but predictably) we got stuck in dreadful traffic around the M61 & M60 on our trip to Manchester Airport. Mild panic set in as we arrived 45 minutes before our flight left - still having to pick up our tickets! Safely on the plane, a smooth flight followed and we arrived at Larnaca Airport on time. We soon picked up our comfortable Kia hire car and went out to enjoy a couple of hours birding in the warm evening sunshine. Larnaca has to be one of the most conveniently located airports in the world for instant birding. Two minutes after leaving the airport we were unpacking our optics and admiring the Tekke Mosque, which is on the shore of the largest salt lake. The expected birds were in view straight away with 270 Greater Flamingoes, 50 Slender Billed Gulls and a couple of Kentish Plovers present. We also found 6 Little Gulls & 2 Black Eared Wheatears. Other typical species included Greenshank, Ruff, Little Stint, Green Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Hoopoe, Crested Lark, Northern Wheatear, White Wagtail and Spectacled Warbler. Black-eared Wheatear
We then headed east to our accommodation in the Andreotis apartments in Protaras. After enjoying our first taste of the excellent Greek Cypriot cuisine (Dolmades & Beef Stifado) and a few glasses of KEO beer we retired for the night. April 7 th An early start on a beautiful clear morning and we headed straight to the headland of Cape Greco. Unfortunately the wind was blowing from the north (as it was to do throughout the trip) and this had stifled passerine migration. However there is always something to see here and for Mark & Bill the first new bird quickly arrived in the form of a pair of Cyprus Pied Wheatear. The male was busy guarding his territory and his (insect like) buzzy song rang round the cliff faces. We also located two Cretzschmar s Buntings and several Chukars. Nearby our first Orphean Warbler give brief views. Whilst searching for this bird another interesting warbler was seen briefly. A couple of minutes later a stonking male Ruppell s Warbler appeared on top of small bush closeby. He was soon joined by a female, which also provided good views and a useful lesson in Sylvia warbler identification. Small numbers of Blackcap & Lesser Whitethroat where also present. However, the commonest Sylvia warbler was the resident Spectacled Warbler. The population appeared to be at saturation level with family parties in view throughout the morning (and at virtually every other site visited on the trip). A pair of Peregrine Falcons also put on a show as they powered around the Cape. A few other migrants were noted with a Blue Rock Thrush & several Nightingale s in the scrub and occasional Short Toed Lark and Yellow Wagtail overhead. Just before moving on we located a female Montagu s Harrier circling up the coast. Chukar After leaving the Cape we headed to the nearby Kermia Beach, which had proved attractive to Audouin s Gull on my previous visits. We got there before the sun bathers and found a reasonable gathering of gulls. As Mark scanned through them he was delighted to find a 2cy Great Black Headed Gull with the flock. This Cypriot rarity gave excellent views alongside 7 Audouin s Gulls, 2 Baltic Gulls and 6 (Mediterranean) Yellow Legged Gulls. We enjoyed this very educational mixed species, race & age group for an hour before the birds were eventually flushed by the early risers from the beach complex.
Great Black-headed Gull Audouin's Gull & Baltic Gull We then moved onto Ayia Napa for a celebratory ice cream and a quick check of a small stony area on the edge of town. This produced the hoped for Isabelline Wheatear along with 5 Short Toed Larks & 3 Red Rumped Swallows. Isabelline Wheatear We then returned to the apartments for lunch and a brief siesta. Suitably refreshed we headed out to the Paralimni Lake which was mainly dry (as is usual). I had been told by a friend about a near mythical pool on which he had seen three species of crake. We soon found a pool on the western edge of the lake that formed part of an extensive marshy area alongside a drainage canal.
This produced a number of waders and, despite it being the middle of a warm afternoon, a male Little Crake. Delighted we settled in by the side of the pool and enjoyed excellent birding until dusk. As we sat quietly waiting for the crake to reappear various waders visited the pool. We obtained wonderful close up views of Kentish & Ringed Plovers, Wood Sandpiper, Little Stint and 100+ Ruff. Pride of place though went to 4 Spur Winged Plovers and 9 exquisite Marsh Sandpipers in summer plumage. Scanning across the salt lake we picked up a Marsh Harrier and then a larger raptor approaching from the south. It had to be a large eagle (it dwarfed a mobbing Hooded Crow) and as we scoped the bird it became apparent that it was a Bonelli s Eagle. Only a dozen pairs are left on the island so this was another very fortunate encounter. Little Crake & Spur-winged Plover After this excitement we turned our attention back to the pool where the Little Crake had started to give excellent views and 2 Gull Billed Terns appeared overhead. As we walked back to the car we flushed a flock of 23 Short Toed Larks before a ringing call drew our attention to a Wryneck on top of a log pile a fitting end to an excellent day. April 8th Out to Cape Greco first thing and we found a similar range of birds present with the addition of 5 Tawny Pipits. We then decided to check some of the agricultural areas nearer Paralimni and this produced several Spanish Sparrows & Fan Tailed Warblers. An early siesta followed and then we headed back to Paralimni Lake. As we explored a dry stony area at the north of the lake (which held 9 Tawny Pipits) we discovered a small man made pool that was being used to provide irrigation for adjoining farmland. As we approached we could see two crakes feeding in the floating vegetation - the first was a female Little Crake and the second a Baillon s Crake. Now we knew we had located the real crake pool! We settled in and despite it being a hot day the birds fed continuously - often out in the open. The views were stunning and we soon found a Spotted Crake to complete the collection. The pool was also full of frogs and frog eating snakes which caused some nervousness all round! Little Crake (BB)
As we watched the crakes a Stone Curlew was seen flying over nearby fields and Tree & Red Throated Pipits passed overhead. We then moved onto the hotspot that is Akhna Reservoir and headed to the dam - an area that had provided me with excellent birding on previous visits. I was shocked to find that virtually all the reed beds had gone and much of the bank side vegetation had been ripped out. The level was high and this appeared to have drowned many of the trees and shrubs that remained. It transpired that the level had been artificially raised to suit fishing interests and that much of the vegetation had been removed to provide additional bank space for anglers. This is a tragedy as there are no other large fresh water bodies in the south east of the island. This is therefore a vital staging post for migrants and it is to be hoped that conservation interests will be taken into account alongside those of the fishery. Despite these problems it was clear that the reservoir continues to attract large numbers of birds - the additional shore line in particular producing a number of waders including 9 Marsh Sandpipers. As dusk approached we settled in and careful scanning produced an excellent set of birds including a female Little Bittern, Osprey, a pale phase Eleonora s Falcon, Gull Billed Tern and, best of all, an adult male Pallid Harrier. April 9 th With no change to the weather expected we headed west with our first stop being at Kiti Dam near Larnaca. Last time I had visited in April there was a large area of water present but this time it was dry. However, the scrub did produce a noisy Great Spotted Cuckoo and several Quail called from the surrounding cereal fields. We then headed inland and after gaining a lot of height we passed through Pano Lefkara before stopping on the outskirts of Vavatsinia. The woodland here provides a great contrast with the coastal plain and contains a number of interesting migrant breeders and resident species. We soon located (and enjoyed excellent views of) Cyprus Warbler, Masked Shrike, Olivaceous Warbler, Cretzchmar s Bunting & Serin along with the endemic Cypriot sub species of Coal Tit, Jay & Wren. Cyprus Pied Wheatear was also very common along the road side in this area. Cyprus Pied Wheatear We then headed back to the coast and continued west passing Limassol before arriving at Kensington Cliffs. The scrub here contained numerous Cyprus Warblers and these showed well as we made our way down to the base of the cliff. We were a little early for Eleonora s Falcon but two pairs of Peregrine Falcon showed well. It was now late afternoon and it was not long before 2 Griffon Vultures appeared over the cliff and after circling for a few minutes they began to lose
height, as they looked to land on the high ledges. Two more vultures then appeared one was a Griffon but the other glided in on flat wings with the primaries held down despite being a somewhat distant silhouette it had to be a Black Vulture. We picked up the bird on the cliff and despite the distance and bad light the dark body and pale head were clearly visible alongside the paler Griffon s. The bird soon took flight again and was watched circling with the Griffon s for a few minutes before disappearing from view. Note - We checked the status of the species later and this is apparently the only Black Vulture on the island, it has been seen at various sites since it arrived 3 4 years ago. As we headed back to the car we admired 6 Alpine Swifts, which appeared closeby and could be heard calling, as they excitedly chased each other around the cliff top. Our next port of call was Phassouri reedbed which, as with all the wetland areas we visited, appeared to be quite dry. One area though contained a reasonable area of water and this proved productive with 10 Cattle Egrets, 8 Purple Herons, 2 Little Egrets, 20 Garganey, 2 Marsh Harriers, 6 Black Winged Stilts & 2 Gull Billed Terns along with a range of other wildfowl & waders. Somewhat surprisingly no Squacco Heron s were seen. Black-winged Stilt Nearby we also found our first Black Francolins of the trip with two males calling and giving reasonable views. A few migrants where also present with 2 Whinchat, a Cuckoo and several Northern & Black Eared Wheatears. We then moved a short distance to Zakaki Pools which produced a Glossy Ibis. Final stop of the day was at Lady s Mile which held large numbers of waders including 3 Curlew Sandpipers, several Spotted Redshank, Marsh Sandpiper & Black Tailed Godwit. A final scan of this area produced a Great White Egret and 2 Night Herons to round off another enjoyable day.
April 10 th Back to Cape Greco first thing but there had been no change in the wind direction and migrants proved difficult to come by. However, with careful searching we still managed to find a good range of species which included Crag Martin & Calandra Lark. A return visit to Paralimni Lake was now planned but a wrong turn took us to the Famagusta Viewpoint. As we turned around frogs could be heard calling by the road. We parked up and looked over the hedge and found an irrigation pool, made from plastic sheeting, full of Marsh Frogs. These easy pickings had attracted a Purple Heron and as we watched this bird we flushed a Squacco Heron from the edge of the pool. It briefly landed in the tree above us, carrying an enormous frog, before flying off across the field carrying the unfortunate (and still croaking) amphibian! Soon after we arrived at the lake and headed towards the crake pool and as we did so we found a Woodchat Shrike. This was our first (and last) of the trip and clearly demonstrated the lack of migration on previous visits Woodchat Shrikes had been a common sight. We then settled in to check if the crakes where still present. The female Little Crake had now been joined by a male and they could be watched along side the Spotted Crake. There was no sign of the Baillon s Crake and we wondered if it had been pushed off by its slightly larger cousins. We soon found that it had not gone far when it appeared on the near side of the pool, only ten metres away. Stunning views followed and we couldn t believe our luck when it was joined by a second Spotted Crake. Leaving Mark & Bill happily photographing the crakes I checked out some scrub bordering the lake and discovered an obliging Eastern Bonelli s Warbler. The others also got good views as the bird remained faithful to this area. Baillon's Crake
We then retired for our siesta (which included a full English breakfast!) because the day had become very warm. After a couple of hours relaxing we decided to head back to Cape Greco and to our surprise found the wind direction had shifted to southerly. One of the first birds we saw along the access road was a male Pied Flycatcher and this was soon followed by a delightful flock of 12 Bee eaters which headed inland. More evidence of fresh birds soon followed as we located Masked Shrike, Orphean Warbler and several Tree Pipits & Nightingales. We then headed out onto the top of the headland and checked the scrub for further new arrivals. To our delight a Wood Warbler appeared from a clear blue sky on the very last bush. Watching this attractive species in this idyllic location was certainly one of the most memorable moments of the trip. Masked Shrike We then headed back towards the agricultural fields near Paralimni in the hope of obtaining better views of Black Francolin. We stopped at Agias Trias and soon located a splendid male calling raucously from the top of a farm building, completing the day in fine style. Black Francolin April 11 th A return visit to Cape Greco at dawn found that the wind had returned to the north but we expected to find new birds based on the previous day s sightings. As we walked onto the headland we discovered a female Blue Rock Thrush before flushing a Bimaculated Lark from the scrub. It was clear that new birds had arrived and this was confirmed by the presence of several Black Eared & Isabelline Wheatears, 2 showy Orphean Warblers and a confiding (& photogenic) Cretzschmar s Bunting.
Cretzschmar's Bunting We then decided to head back to Larnaca for the afternoon. We stopped near Pyla to break up the journey after spotting some attractive looking pools. Excellent views were obtained of 14 Black Winged Stilt & 14 Garganey before we continued towards the airport pools. We visited Spiro's Pool because this had proved productive in the past. We soon discovered the target species with 2 singing Calandra Larks and an impressive flock of 36 Red Throated Pipits. Our return journey took us to Akhna Dam and we quickly located a Great Reed Warbler giving excellent close views. As we carried on round to the dam we came across 2 Purple and 1 Squacco Heron soon followed by a flock of 16 Glossy Ibis circling the lake. We then walked along the shoreline finding 3 Little Crakes before flushing a large snipe with a grunting call it had to be a Great Snipe. Luckily we managed to relocate the bird which sat tight allowing good views and ending the day on a real high. Great Snipe April 12 th Back at Cape Greco we had another interesting mix of birds with the highlights being an approachable Red Throated Pipit and a male Rock Thrush. Other interesting sightings included 20 Ruff, Gull Billed Tern, a pair of Ruppell s Warblers and a male Cyprus Warbler. Red-throated Pipit
We also had several sightings of a female Montagu s Harrier, thought likely to be the bird seen on the 7 th. After the customary siesta we headed out to Paralimni Salt Lake to have a last look at the Crake Pool. We were not disappointed because we now found 3 Spotted Crakes, male & female Little Crake and the Baillon s Crake present, all giving excellent views. The time spent with these confiding and charismatic birds was the undoubted highlight of the trip for all of us. Spotted Crake After a couple of hours we returned to the car checking a drier area of the lake on the way. Here we discovered 3 Short Toed Larks & 3 Isabelline Wheatears and, somewhat surprisingly, 3 showy male Rock Thrushes. Rock Thrush Final port of call for the day was Akhna Dam. As we searched for the Great Snipe we found 6 Purple Herons and several singing Olivaceous Warblers. The Great Snipe was relocated in the same area giving more prolonged views on the ground than had been the case the day before. The Dam always seems to provide a surprise and this came in the form of a Whiskered Tern which appeared as we headed back to the car. April 13 th Our final day and we decided to head back to Cape Greco for a final visit. This was the busiest morning of the trip with a number of birds on the move including Purple Heron, 9 Little Egrets, Osprey, Whiskered Tern, Bee eater, Crag Martin and 18 Short Toed Larks.
On the land 2 Wrynecks, Masked Shrike, Red Throated Pipit, Orphean Warbler and a male Rock Thrush where noted along with an increase in Tawny & Tree Pipits and Black Eared & Isabelline Wheatears. Tawny Pipit After checking out from the apartments we decided to spend the afternoon at Akhna Dam searching for Pied Kingfisher, a species that had so far eluded us. We searched hard without luck but compensation was provided in the form of 3 Black Necked Grebes, 6 Night Herons, a male Little Bittern, a Caspian Gull, 2 Stone Curlews, 2 Great Spotted Cuckoo s and a Little Owl. A pleasant way to end an enjoyable trip. John Wright Photographs taken by Bill Berry and Mark Breaks