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Message: <blockquote data-quote="foresttwitcher" data-source="post: 2986160" data-attributes="member: 97625">Wednesday 30th AprilI started at the bridge at the western end of the Alykes Wetlands, not accessing the area due to the recommendations about avoiding the potential to disturb ground nesting birds, &, via the beach, checked the southern, western & northern parts of Kalloni Saltpans. Plenty of Flamingos, the expected herons / egrets, Ruddy Shelduck, all the waders seen at the site previously, many hirundines / swifts overhead & the usual warblers, finches & buntings were all seen.No Rufous Bush Robin unfortunately but highlights included: a Black Stork close the the saltworks buildings; a White Stork managing on the second attempt & after a forced landing in a farmers field to gain enough height to go north over the higher ground; a Spoonbill on the mud island favoured by the Avocets; a ring-tail Montagu's Harrier over the western fields from the beach; the first Sparrowhawk of the trip; a brief view of a small falcon that may have been a Red-footed; one each of Woodlchat & Red-backed Shrike in scrub in the middle of the old horse racing track & a Marsh Warbler singing & showing occasionally in the beach tamarisks.The tower hide in the south west corner was locked!I then headed up the Napi Valley & walked both the track south of Napi & the Platania track from the road junction to where it reached its highest point. In order to turn up the start of the latter track you have to pass the junction & turn round to approach from the north & by luck I chose a place to turn round, just before the road drops down towards the coast, where there was a female Red-footed Falcon sitting obligingly on & hunting from the overhead wires. The tracks themselves had the usual doves, Eastern Olivaceous & Subalpine Warblers, tits, Blackbird, Black-eared Wheatear, etc., but also a heard only Hoopoe plus Nuthatch, Sombre Tit, Golden Oriole & Cirl Bunting. I sat at the potential Olive Tree Warbler site for some time when passing either way with no luck for the target species but got briefly excited by what turned out to be a singing Masked Shrike plus finally heard & saw my first Middle Spotted Woodpecker.On the way back to the hotel early evening a crowd of birders were gathered by the small pool on the opposite side of the main road at the north western corner of the Saltpans. I pulled up & before I even had time to ask anyone what the fuss was about I could see a cracking Spur-winged Plover.</blockquote>

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