[wolfbirder]

I am due over March 28th for 4 days, I wondered if it was worth providing any updates here. I know "BirdlifeCyprus" provide updates every 4-5 days but wondered if sightings might be shared more frequently here. I am only there for 4 days 28/3 - 1/4 but hope to see male Pallid Harrier, outside chance of Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Greater Sand Plover, and any other rare mega's like Saker or Bimaculated Lark, Cinereous Bunting etc. So bang up to date news is critical (i.e daily) to have a chance of connecting.

I am based in Paphos for those 4 days. I will hopefully update my self here "if" hotel has wi-fi facility.

Also any good Scops Owl locations this year?

I guess only time will tell if this thread works.

[RE Birder]

Give it a go! I am over there April 27th -6th May.

[wolfbirder]

Nice one RE Birder .

[wolfbirder]

Birdlife Cyprus reveals a Cream Coloured Courser at Akrotiri Gravel Pits 18th & 19th March, also a Pallid Harrier there (first I think reported this spring), also some Demoiselle Cranes passing through. They will soon be gone. Akrotiri / Phassouri Reedbed reports over 17th-19th also report a few Bimaculated Larks, Cretzschmars Buntings, Wrynecks etc.

A few Great Spotted Cuckoos, Ruppell's Warblers, Little Crakes etc now appearing at usual sites.

Starting to hot up!

[wolfbirder]

Still good offers on for 4 nights in cyprus late march , £216 return flights with monarch from Brum to paphos (probably a few extra costs bags etc), plus some great offers for 4 nights hotel half board in paphos, if you google for less than £80 total. So for about £300 can get good a good spring birding break with paphos headland on your immediate doorstep.

[pete wragg]

Originally Posted by wolfbirder

Still good offers on for 4 nights in cyprus late march , £216 return flights with monarch from Brum to paphos (probably a few extra costs bags etc), plus some great offers for 4 nights hotel half board in paphos, if you google for less than £80 total. So for about £300 can get good a good spring birding break with paphos headland on your immediate doorstep.

Cheap flights with Easyjet - Manchester/Paphos return from £175,including baggage.
Appartments from £15 a night - bookcyprus.com
Car hire from £48 a week in March-£106 a week in April - economycarhire.com

Cheaper than a week on Scillies.

Pete.

[wolfbirder]

Great deals Pete. Hope to have the success you had last spring!

Economy Car Hire is where I got my car from last year and this, very good deals available.

[RE Birder]

Likewise I got a return flight with easyjet end of April for £148 from Gatwick

[wolfbirder]

Seems a lot cheaper than other mediterranean alternatives. My return flights booked earlier cost £207 from Brum, and have only recently gone up a bit. Will do a report upon my return.

[Kim Mitchell]

Back end of Feb 2012 we saw a pair each of Griffon Vultures & Peregrines above Kensington Cliffs behind Episkopi Barracks in the British Sovereign Territory. Also several good sightings of a Blue Rock Thrush on the rocky clutter at the foot of those cliffs.

We also had good sightings of a Little Owl on the approach road to Secret Valley Golf Course plus a big raptor being mobbed by Magpies beside the A6 eastbound on-slip road.

Best for me was the approx. 50 Stone Curlews in the olive grove beside the main B6 road adjacent to the Agricultural Experimentation Station which is immediately to the east of Acheleia (sp?). It's a bit dangerous there because of the fast traffic so mind where you park; we parked in the wide entrance to the Ag. Stn beside the wheely bins. No need to enter the olive grove, just stay on the verge of the B6 and you'll see plenty of them.

We had five or six dedicated days and, with the help of Dave Gosney's brilliant little booklet, we had 30 ~ 50 different sightings on each day.

Enjoy.

Kim

[wolfbirder]

Nice one Kim, I will check out Acheleia (or what ever it is), thats the turning towards Water treatment works and opposite direction to Agia Vavara & Anarita Park area.

[PYRTLE]

Sociable Plover (2nd record for Cyprus) I'm told, quite recently.

[melanothorax]

Originally Posted by PYRTLE

Sociable Plover (2nd record for Cyprus) I'm told, quite recently.

Yes, Sociable Lapwing seen in Akrotiri yesterday and again today. I'm going for a twitch tomorrow!

Last Cyprus record for this species was in 1986, pretty much in the same place also in Spring, according to the BirdLife Cyprus bird recorder.

[wolfbirder]

Spring migration seems to be kicking off now with BirdlifeCyprus having now updated recent sightings after an eight day absence. Still a few lingering Demoiselle Cranes,a few Pallid Harriers, Sakers, GS Cuckoo's, Cretzschmars Buntings, mainly at Akrotiri Saltpans area. Also been that Sociable Plover and 2 CC Coursers.

Roll on!

[wolfbirder]

Just back from 4 days wall to wall birding mainly around Paphos, but a day trip to limmasol (Akritiri salt lake) revealed the 3 straggling Demoiselle Cranes (they were still there yesterday).

But spring migration has been very slow so far - i saw no shrikes, wrynecks, beeeaters, RT pipits etc. Etched out some good birds nevertheless, as well as the expected endemics, good passage of wheaters (notably BE Wheaters), also a few Cretz Buntings, several warblers including Orphean, Subalpine, several Ruppells, 3 Little Crakes,Squacco and Purple herons, Glossy Ibises, and some raptor passage including 5 Pallid Harriers seen by me.

Will do a full report under vacational trip reports asap.

[RE Birder]

Originally Posted by wolfbirder

Just back from 4 days wall to wall birding mainly around Paphos, but a day trip to limmasol (Akritiri salt lake) revealed the 3 straggling Demoiselle Cranes (they were still there yesterday).

But spring migration has been very slow so far - i saw no shrikes, wrynecks, beeeaters, RT pipits etc. Etched out some good birds nevertheless, as well as the expected endemics, good passage of wheaters (notably BE Wheaters), also a few Cretz Buntings, several warblers including Orphean, Subalpine, several Ruppells, 3 Little Crakes,Squacco and Purple herons, Glossy Ibises, and some raptor passage including 5 Pallid Harriers seen by me.

Will do a full report under vacational trip reports asap.

Nice one look forward to reading it... Well done on the Pallids

[wolfbirder]

Originally Posted by RE Birder

Nice one look forward to reading it... Well done on the Pallids

Many thanks! It may take me a few days, hopefully by weekend. Will be in vacational trip reports.

The pallid harriers were tantalising as they rarely lingered, 4 of the birds i saw were females, but eventually after dipping on a few males, i managed to connect with a stunning male at 4.25pm on my final day. They seem so elusive as they move through quickly. Views are often therefore less than ideal. So I was thrilled to say the least.

I think spring migration will kick in later than normal this year so anyone due to go will find it much better.It has been so wet this winter that Aspro pools have been washed out. Also Paphos sewage works have concreted over the area at the back of their works that has previously attracted waders, pipits and wagtails. And finally, Paphos headland has been badly affected by over zealous weed spraying, decimating poppy growth that wags like, and several key bushes that birds like Nightingales favour. Its almost as if they purposelly want to detract birds, and hence birders.

But there are always other areas to compromise.

[RE Birder]

I'm doing Cape Greco so I am hopeful?!

[wolfbirder]

Isabelline Shrike seen at Mandria two days ago, Trumpeter Finch on island too.

[Kim Mitchell]

Originally Posted by wolfbirder

Nice one Kim, I will check out Acheleia (or what ever it is), thats the turning towards Water treatment works and opposite direction to Agia Vavara & Anarita Park area.

So sorry to have missed your reply, Wolfbirder, but very seldom check out this site.

I know that you're now back but, for future reference the Stone Curlew olive grove is right beside the B6 on its south/southwest side (i.e. airport side) and the best landmark is the large Agricultural Experimentation Station signboard beside the turn-off and beside said olive grove.

There's several turnings for the WTW and I imagine that this turning could probably get to it but probably not the most direct.

It's on the Timi and Mandria side of Acheleia; i.e. Limassol direction and about 500 metres beyond Acheleia.

Hope you can find it next time.

Regards,

Kim

[Nick Brooks]

Got time off for good behaviour from the Mrs to have a few hours here and there (well, basically she wasn’t awake so I snuck out) and so thought I’d post these records here for anyone due in Cyprus soon.



Scrub by Hotel Panaretti, Coral Bay 23rd 7-9am
4+ Black Francolin – two seen
1 Red-rumped Swallow
1 Black-eared Wheatear
12 Yellow Wagtail
1 Whinchat
1 Tree Pipit
2 Collared Flycatcher – both males

Mandria 23rd April 1-3pm
1 Chukar
2 Black Francolin (heard)
6 Alpine Swift north
6 Short-toed Lark at lark corner
30 Spanish Sparrow
30 Red-throated Pipit in one feeding flock together with wagtails
Yellow Wagtail 200+ (blue, black and grey –headed mix)

Paphos Headland 24th April 6-9am
10 Purple Heron flying north
1 Marsh Harrier
1 Quail in off sea
1 Wryneck by lighthouse
1 Richard’s Pipit on odeon
1 Red-throated Pipit
20+ Yellow Wagtail
1 Thrush Nightingale
1 Redstart
4 Whinchat
3 Eastern Bonelli's
1 Wood Warbler
3 Spotted Flycatcher
1Collared Flycatcher
6 Pied Flycatcher
3 Woodchat Shrike

Needless to say crested larks and Sardinian warblers everywhere.

[Jono L]

Originally Posted by Nick Brooks

Got time off for good behaviour from the Mrs to have a few hours here and there (well, basically she wasn’t awake so I snuck out) and so thought I’d post these records here for anyone due in Cyprus soon.



Scrub by Hotel Panaretti, Coral Bay 23rd 7-9am
4+ Black Francolin – two seen
1 Red-rumped Swallow
1 Black-eared Wheatear
12 Yellow Wagtail
1 Whinchat
1 Tree Pipit
2 Collared Flycatcher – both males

Mandria 23rd April 1-3pm
1 Chukar
2 Black Francolin (heard)
6 Alpine Swift north
6 Short-toed Lark at lark corner
30 Spanish Sparrow
30 Red-throated Pipit in one feeding flock together with wagtails
Yellow Wagtail 200+ (blue, black and grey –headed mix)

Paphos Headland 24th April 6-9am
10 Purple Heron flying north
1 Marsh Harrier
1 Quail in off sea
1 Wryneck by lighthouse
1 Richard’s Pipit on odeon
1 Red-throated Pipit
20+ Yellow Wagtail
1 Thrush Nightingale
1 Redstart
4 Whinchat
3 Eastern Bonelli's
1 Wood Warbler
3 Spotted Flycatcher
1Collared Flycatcher
6 Pied Flycatcher
3 Woodchat Shrike

Needless to say crested larks and Sardinian warblers everywhere.

Very nice indeed - I would be happy with that lot!
Do you know if there is a problem with the rare bird alert number advertised on the BirdLife Cyprus website - I have tried ringing from the UK and can't get through...
Cheers Jono

[RE Birder]

I would be really pleased with that lot! 2 days to go!

[RE Birder]

Had a great trip in Cyprus even though it was work related! A summary of trip can be found here, up to day 4 so far

http://devonwildlifecrime.blogspot.co.uk/