Cyprus 23rd April to 1st May 2009Ian Barton and Kathleen Rosewarne, UK

Thursday 23rd: Arrived airport at 9.30 pm, and to Vasilias Nikoklis Hotel.

Friday 24th: Vasilias Nikoklis, Aspro Dam, Mandria, Aspro Pools, Paphos Sewage fields and Ezousas stream, Vasilias Nikoklis.

Saturday 25th: Mandria, Irrigation channel above Aspro Pools, Aspro Dam, Nikoklia to Choletria via Nata Ford to Kelokedara, Nata Ford to Anarita, Timi Picnic Site, Mandria, Paphos sewage/Ezousas, Aspro Dam.

Monday 27th: Timi Picnic Site and Beach, Mandria, Phassouri, Akrotiri, Bishops Pool, Lady’s Mile, Zakaki Marsh, Timi Picnic Site and Beach, Ezousas, Kouklia valley.

Tuesday 28th: Mandria, Vasilias Nikoklis to Troodos via Kidasi, Agios Niklaos and Pano Platres, Ezousas, Mandria.

Wednesday 29th: Mandria, Vasilias Nikoklis to Akamas Peninsula via Chrysochou, Prodhromi, Neo Chorion, Smyies Picnic Site, Baths of Aphrodite caravan site, Paphos Municipal Beach, Ezousas, Mandria, Aspro Pools.

Thursday 30th: Mandria, Akrotiri, Bishops Pool, Lady’s Mile, Zakaki Marsh, Timi Picnic Site, Ezousas, Mandria.

Friday 1st: Mandria, Aspro Dam, Timi Picnic Site and Beach. Back to airport at 12.30.

* indicates species recorded from Vasilias Nikoklis

Little Grebe – only seen at Bishops Pool and Zakaki Marsh.

Scopoli’s (Cory’s) Shearwater – 6+ following a trawler off Mandria on 28th Apr.

European Shag – 1-4 at Mandria beach and Timi Picnic Site beach throughout.

Little Bittern – 1 immature male on 24th Apr and 1 male on 26th Apr at Ezousas stream (beach end); 1 female at Aspro Pools on 29th Apr.

Black-crowned Night Heron – 1 immature flying west over Mandria village on 24th Apr.

Squacco Heron – seen daily with highest count of 8 roosting at Cape Drepanum on 26th Apr.

Cattle Egret – 1 to 3 seen at Mandria, Cape Drepanum, Phassouri and Ezousas throughout the week.

Little Egret – widespread in small numbers.

Grey Heron – 2 at Aspro Dam on 26th Apr with 28 Purple Herons; 1-2 seen here on other days.

Purple Heron – 28 flying west and into Aspro Dam on 26th Apr.

Black Stork – 1 flying over Asprokremnos Dam from east on 24th Apr, came over Aspro Pools, where we were stood, then flew back over the dam wall. This was a young/non breeding plumage bird showing dull red bill and legs and a dull brownish tinge to the black head and neck feathers and moult on the left inner primaries. We scanned for it on the shore, from the Dam, but couldn’t relocate it.

Common Teal – 1 pair at Bishops Pool.

Mallard – 1 drake at Phassouri, 1 female with 14 w.o. juvs Bishops Pool.

Northern Shoveler – 2 pairs at Bishops Pool on 27th Apr.
Ferruginous Duck – female Bishop’s Pool  and 19 at Zakaki Marsh on 27th Apr
’Tufted Duck’ – 1 female type at bottom of Ezousas may well have had mixed parentage.
Eurasian Griffon Vulture – 1 near Kelokedara on 25th Apr.
Western Marsh Harrier – 1 immature female at Mandria on 29th Apr; 1 immature female at Nikoklia on 30th Apr. This was a different bird on plumage.
Pallid Harrier – 1 on 1st May at Aspro Dam we think was a young female. Showed 4 primaries, no moult in the wing, dark secondary patch, a well marked ear covert and pale collar.
Montagu’s Harrier – 1 west of road to Choletria from Nikoklia on  25th Apr.
Long-legged Buzzard – 2 at Kidasi on 28th Apr.
Bonelli’s Eagle – 1 pair north east of the road between Agios Nikolaos and Mandria on 28th Apr. Seen flying and then to perch in a tree together; 1 bird then flew off east, right over us giving stunning scope views! Exactly the same area where we saw this species last April.
* Common Kestrel – common and seen throughout.
Red-footed Falcon – 1 (probable immature female) over the sea at Mandria on 28th Apr. Seen to spiral down and pick things off the water twice, and  it then headed off west.
Eurasian Hobby – 1 at Mandria on 26th Apr; 1 flying north at Kidasi on 28th Apr.
*Eleonora’s Falcon – 2 dark phase west over Vasilias Nikoklis Inn on 24th Apr; 1 pale phase at Choletria on 25th Apr; 1 pale phase in off the sea at Timi Picnic Site Beach on 25th Apr; 1 pale phase flying east at Mandria on 29th Apr; 1 dark phase west at Nikoklia on 1st May.
* Chukar – common throughout.
* Black Francolin – commonly heard; 1 seen at Mandria.
Common Quail – 1 in off the sea at Mandria on 30th Apr.

Spotted Crake – 1 at Ezousas stream (beach end) on 24th and 25th Apr.
Little Crake – 1 female at Ezousas stream (beach end) on 27th Apr.
Common Moorhen – 1 at Ezousas stream (beach end) on 24th Apr; 2 at Aspro Pools on several days; 4+ at Bishops Pool on 27th Apr.

Common Coot – only seen at Zakaki Marsh and Bishops Pool.

* Eurasian Thick-knee – heard at Vasilias Nikoklis Inn on 23rd Apr (and throughout);  pairs heard and seen at Mandria and Timi Picnic Site.

Collared Pratincole – 5 dropped into Mandria on morning of 25th Apr, not there in pm.
Little Ringed Plover – 1 at Ezousas stream (beach end) on 26th Apr.
Common Ringed Plover – seen only at Lady’s Mile; 3 on 27th Apr and 5 on 30th Apr.
Kentish Plover – 1 male at Mandria beach on 30th Apr. 15 at Lady’s Mile on 27th Apr; 17 adults and 2 broods of 3 and 4 at Lady’s Mile on 30th Apr.
Spur-winged Lapwing – 1 at Ezousas stream on 25th Apr.
Little Stint – 48 at Lady’s Mile on 30th April was highest count.
Ruff – 18 at Lady’s Mile on 30th April was highest count.
Whimbrel – 1 flying west along Mandria beach on 30th Apr.
Wood Sandpiper – 27 at Ezousas stream (beach end) on 24th Apr; 3 at Lady’s Mile on 27th Apr and 2 on 30th Apr.
Common Sandpiper –  1-2 seen at Ezousas stream between 24th and 30th Apr; 3 at Bishops Pool on 27th Apr.
Red-necked Phalarope – 1 at Lady’s Mile on 30th Apr.
Parasitic Jaeger – 1 pale phase flying west at Timi Picnic Site Beach at 11.46 am on 1st May.

The bird was approx. 100m out and viewed through a Zeiss 10×40, Leica 8×42 bins and a Swarovski 20-60×80 scope, at about x40. We stopped the car at the beach, wanting a last look at the sea before going to catch our flight. We wound down the windows and KR spotted what she identified as a skua flying right. IB jumped out with his bins and scope and confirmed it as an Arctic Skua. It was dark brown with a whitish chest, upper belly, throat and nape. The isolated dark cap, underwing white primary patch, upperwing white outer quills and medium tail projection were clearly seen. A pleasing end to our enjoyable trip! We laughed all the way to the airport about the flukiness of seeing this.

Baltic Gull –  2 flying west at Mandria at 6 pm on 28th Apr; 1 flying west at Mandria at 6.30 pm on 30th Apr.
Yellow-legged Gull – seen daily; 46 adults at Aspro Dam on 24th Apr; juvenile seen at Cape Drapeanum on 26th Apr.
* Rock Pigeon – common.
Stock Pigeon – 2 at Nata Ford on 25th Apr. These were picked up as they were flying north against the flow of pigeons. The dark wing surround and the uniform back were clearly seen.
* Common Wood-pigeon – very common. At Nata Ford on 25th Apr, 70+ birds seen flying south down the valley (were they going down to the fields to feed? At Mandria we regularly saw wood-pigeons flying in from the north).
* Eurasian Collared Dove – common.
* European Turtle Dove –  our highest counts were 6 at Aspro Pools on 24th Apr; 11 at Bishops Pool on 27th Apr.
* Great Spotted Cuckoo – 1 at Aspro Pools on 24th Apr was in full juvenile plumage; 1 at Vasilias Nikoklis Inn on 25th Apr showed a greyish head and orange in the primaries; after these, we saw adults at Kouklia; Mandria; Ezousas stream; between Nata and Anarita and at Kelokedara.
Common Cuckoo – 1 calling near Ayios Nikolaos on 28th Apr.

* Barn Owl – 1 over Airport road on 23rd Apr (first bird of our trip!); up to 2 males heard at Vasilias Nikoklis Inn throughout.
* Eurasian Scops Owl –  pair seen on several evenings at Vasilias Nikoklis Inn with what appeared to be copulation on 26th Apr. Lots of quiet calling from the pair with him on her back. At least three other birds heard calling from here at that time.

Heard in the daytime at Agios Nikolaos and 3 at Smyies on 29th Apr.
* Long-eared Owl – 1 male calling at Vasilias Nikoklis Inn at 9.25 pm on 29th Apr.
* Alpine Swift – 4 at Vasilias Nikoklis and 3 at Aspro Pools on 24th Apr, 2 at Ezousas stream on 26th Apr, 6 at Mandria and 10 at Aspro Dam on 1st May.
* Common Swift – seen daily.
Pallid Swift – 6+ at Troodos village on 28th Apr.
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater – 1 at Ezousas stream (beach end) on 25th Apr – after a much appreciated tip off from a departing UK birder doing a last look around Mandria.
* European Bee-eater – 29 at Choletria, 66 at Kelokedara, 40 at Anarita and 49 at Ezousas stream on 25th Apr. At 21:30hrs a group heard moving N over Vasilias Nikoklis on 26th Apr. 15 at Akrotiri on 27th, 8 in off at Mandria on 28th Apr, 4 groups going ‘west’ over Smyies on 29th but only a 3 and a 7 seen. 53 at Ezousas on 30th Apr and 13 at Aspro Dam on 1st May.

European Roller – 3 at Choletria and 5 at Aspro Pools on 26th Apr, 3 at Akrotiri on 27th and  2 at Aspro Pools and Smyies on 29th Apr.

Eurasian Hoopoe – 1 at Nata Ford on 25th Apr; 1 between Nata and Anarita on 25th Apr; 1 at Ayios Nikolaos on 28th Apr; 1 at Troodos on 28th Apr; 1 at Smyies Picnic Site on 29th Apr.

Calandra Lark – 2 at Mandria from 24th to 29th Apr.
Greater Short-toed Lark – At Mandria: 7 on 25th, 17 on 26th, 5 on 27th, 8 on 29th and 2 on 30th. 2 at Aspro Dam on 1st May landed and fed for about 15 mins before flying off N.
* Crested Lark – very common.
* Sand Martin – 12 at Sewage Farm Fields on 24th, 7 at Mandria on 30th.
* Barn Swallow – common. At least 4 nests at Vasilias Nikoklis with young being pecked out of the nest and off the walls, in the dining room, by the parents on morning of 28th Apr.
* Red-rumped Swallow – pairs seen at Vasilias Nikoklis, Kidasi, nr Anarita. One in off the sea at Mandria on 29th Apr.
* Northern House-Martin – seen daily.

Tawny Pipit – 1 or 2 seen at Mandria from 24th to 30th.
* Tree Pipit – 1 at Vasilias Nikoklis Inn on 24th Apr; 1 over Aspro Pools on 24th Apr; 1 at Timi Picnic Site on 27th Apr.
Red-throated Pipit – 8 at Mandria on 24th Apr was highest count. 1-4 seen at Paphos Sewage Farm, Phassouri and Mandria on other days.
“Blue-headed Wagtail” Commonest in flocks of 200+ at Mandria and 300+ at Paphos Sewage Farm.
“Grey-headed Wagtail” 1 male showing good plumage for this species at Paphos sewage on 24th and 27th Apr.
“Ashy-headed Wagtail” 1 male showing good plumage for this species at Paphos sewage on 27th Apr.

“Black-headed Wagtail” Second commonest in above mentioned flocks.
Citrine Wagtail – 1 male at Mandria around 7am on 26th Apr. It dropped in calling, fed for about 15 minutes and then flew off west.
Winter Wren – heard singing at Ayios Yorios, Pano Platres and Troodos on 28th Apr.

Common Nightingale – singers at Panagia on 26th Apr and Kato Platres on 28th Apr. Birds seen at Mandria fields on 26th Apr and Smyies Picnic site on 29th Apr.
Common Redstart – highest count of 4 (3m + 1f) at Timi Picnic site on 25th.
Whinchat – widespread with 1-3 at many sites. Highest counts were 6 at Timi Picnic site on 25th and 9 at Aspro Dam and 5 at Mandria on 26th Apr.
Northern Wheatear – most was 3 at Mandria on 27th Apr.
Cyprus Wheatear – common everywhere.
Black-eared Wheatear – 1 female at Mandria on 29th Apr.
Eurasian Blackbird – 1 singing at Troodos on 28th Apr; 1 singing off the Troodos-Platres old road on 28th Apr.
* Cettis Warbler – common and widespread.
* Zitting Cisticola – widespread.
Sedge Warbler – a single seen at Aspro Pools but 2 at Mandria on 29th Apr.
Common Reed Warbler – 1-2 at Aspro Pools throughout.
Great Reed Warbler – 1 heard singing at Aspro Pools on 25th Apr and 2 seen interacting at Ezousas on 29th (at least one was a male).
* Eastern Olivaceous Warbler – common.
* Icterine Warbler – 1 singing at Vasilias Nikoklis Inn on 29th Apr. Great scope views.
Spectacled Warbler – 4 (2m) at Anarita Mast on 24th Apr.
Sardinian Warbler – seen at Axylou (2), Aspro Dam (1) and near Avgas Gorge (3).
*Cyprus Warbler – common and widespread.

Lesser Whitethroat – 1 at Mandria on 27th Apr; 1 at Smyies Picnic Site on 29th Apr.
* Common Whitethroat – 1 to 3 at Mandria from 26th Apr, 1 at Vasilias Nikoklis on 27th Apr.
Garden Warbler – 1 at Mandria on 24th Apr.
* Blackcap – most common at Bishop’s Pool with 14+ on 27th Apr. A male eating Japanese Loquat (mespilo) at Vasilias Nikoklis Inn throughout.
Wood Warbler – 2 at Bishop’s Pool on 27th Apr, 1 at Smyies on 29th Apr.
Willow Warbler – 1 singing at Mandria fields on 25th Apr.
* Spotted Flycatcher – 1 to 2 more or less everywhere we stopped, including two on the ground at Mandria on 28th Apr in the afternoon (not seen there in morning).
Collared Flycatcher – 2 males and 1-2 females at Smyies Picnic Site (just east of Ayios Minas church) on 29th Apr.
European Pied Flycatcher – up to 3 females at Timi Picnic site.

Coal Tit – common in the Troodos area on 28th Apr.
* Great Tit – widespread.

Short-toed Tree-creeper –  4 below police station at Troodos on 28th Apr.

Eurasian Golden-Oriole – 2 males at Bishop’s Pools on 26th and a female at Ezousas on 27th Apr.

Woodchat Shrike – 1 at Aspro Dam on 24th Apr and 2 from 26th Apr; 1 at Mandria from 26th Apr; 1 at Fasoula on 28th Apr and 2 at Smyies Track on 29th Apr.
Masked Shrike – 1 north of Kannaviou, 2 at Panagia and 2 at Monashilakas Picnic Site on 26th Apr; 1 between Agios Niklaos and Mandria on 28th Apr;  1 at Troodos village on 28th Apr;

Eurasian Jay – 4 seen at Troodos on 28th Apr.
* Black-billed Magpie – common.
* Eurasian Jackdaw – common.
* House Sparrow – abundant.
Spanish Sparrow – food being carried at Aspro Dam and Pools and Anarita mast.
Chaffinch – only in the pines.
European Serin – heard singing at Kelokedera; the Paphos Forest (around Monashilakas Picnic Site); in the Troodos; and up to 5 males singing at Smyies Picnic Site on 29th Apr.
* European Greenfinch – common.
* European Goldfinch – common. At least 4 juveniles seen at Ezousas stream on 27th Apr.
* Eurasian Linnet – common.
Ortolan Bunting – 1 female at Akrotiri on 27th Apr.
Cretzschmar’s Bunting – 3 (2 singing males) in the Xeros Potamos 2 km north of Nata on 25th and onwards to Kelokedara, hearing at least 2 more singing; 4 (including 2 singing and fighting males) at Kanneviou on 26th Apr; singing at several places in the Troodos on 28th Apr;1 singing at Smyies on 29th Apr.

Black-headed Bunting –  1 male at Chrysochou on 29th Apr; a pair drinking at the Agios Minas spring on 29th Apr.
Corn Bunting – common.