Trip Reports
Cyprus April 10th - 17th 2004
Introduction: Direct flight from Dublin on the bank holiday weekend cost us € 500 which included accommodation. Car hire was € 300 and booked with the travel agent, this was for a Renault Megane. Flight took five hours twenty minutes with the time difference being two hours behind Irish time. We stayed at Limassol which is situated on the centre of the South coast and is ideal as a central base also one of the hot spots for birding.
Once again weather was fine and very bright, aiding Digi-scoping and letting us take images at low apertures. In general birding was excellent with plenty to be looking at. We found the Gosney guide dated and of little use, but the Birdwatching Guide to Cyprus by Arthur Stagg and Graham Hearl was invaluable and directions were accurate. The following is a list of Birds observed on our trip with the following pages covering an assortment of images, we observed a sum of 145 species.Species of note: Pallid Harrier 2, Booted Eagle 1, Bonelli's Eagle 2, Lesser Kestrel 1, Red-footed Falcon 11, Hobby 1, Saker 1, Spotted Crake 2, Little Crake 1, Baillon's Crake 1, Demoiselle Crane 1, Collard Pratincole 1, Pallas's Gull 1, Mediterranean Gull 1, Little Gull 3, Armenian Gull 1, Pied Kingfisher 1, Bimaculated Lark 2, Citerine Wagtail 1, Thrush Nightingale 1, White-throated Robin 1, Orphean Warbler 1, Semi-collard Flycatcher 3, Collard Flycatcher.
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Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides Phassouri Reed Beds April 2004. Whole Limassol area good for this species. |
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Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus Phassouri Reed Beds April 2004. Whole Limassol area good for this species. |
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Great White Egret Egretta alba Phassouri Reed Beds April 2004. One can judge the size using the Ibis in the back ground. |
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Spoonbill Plataea leucorodia Phassouri Reed Beds April 2004. Adult breeding plumage |
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Purple Heron Ardea purpurea Phassouri Reed Beds April 2004. One of three adult's present every day.
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Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus Phassouri Reed Beds April 2004. Adult male note silver on tip of upperwing, 1 of 10 present. |
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Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus Phassouri Reed Beds April 2004. Female type bird hovering. Flight image taken with Eagle-eye @ 200 ASA. |
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Chukar Alectoris chukar cypriotes Akrotiri April 2004. Whole Limassol area good for this species. |
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Black Francolin Francolinus francolinus Paphos Lighthouse April 2004. Adult male breeding plumage |
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Baillon's Crake Porzana pusilla intermedia Kiti Dam April 2004. Adult, note spotting/barring on rear flank only, short primary projection, and dull tone to bill.
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Demoiselle Anthropoides virgo Near Paphos Lighthouse April 2004. Rare in Spring as they over shoot the island. |
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Pallas's Gull Larus ichthyaetus Kiti Dam April 2004 Rare in Spring, 1st year type. |
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Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus Asprokremmos Dam April 2004. Adult, very common with the call being heard hourly. |
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Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica Paphos Lighthouse April 2004. Female type. |
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Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica Paphos Lighthouse April 2004. Adult male |
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Olivaceous Warbler Hippolais Pallida Germasougeia Reservoir April 2004. Note the pallid tones and broadness to base of mandible, we noted the pumping tail action. |
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Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita Kiti Dam April 2004. Notable for lack of yellowish tones any where on the body, Eastern influence ? |
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Collared Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis Paphos Lighthouse April 2004. 1st male judging by the brown cast from remiges |
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Semi-collard Flycatcher Ficedula semitorquata Lady's Mile Beach April 2004 Adult male,, note semi-collar and medium covert bar, and white outer tail feather. |
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Collard Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis Cape Kiti April 2004. Female type, considered Collard although poorly marked tertial fringes, outer tail feather is not evenly white towards the tip. |
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Copyright: Paul and Andrea Kelly 2009