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.

   

Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides

Phassouri Reed Beds April 2004.

Whole Limassol area good for this species.

Squacco Heron

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus

Phassouri Reed Beds April 2004.

Whole Limassol area good for this species.

Glossy Ibis

       

Great White Egret Egretta alba

Phassouri Reed Beds April 2004.

One can judge the size using the Ibis in the back ground.

Great White Egret

Spoonbill Plataea leucorodia

Phassouri Reed Beds April 2004.

Adult breeding plumage

Spoonbill
     

Purple Heron Ardea purpurea

Phassouri Reed Beds April 2004.

One of three adult's present every day.

 

Purple Heron

Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus

Phassouri Reed Beds April 2004.

Adult male note silver on tip of upperwing, 1 of 10 present.

Red-footed Falcon
       

Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus

Phassouri Reed Beds April 2004.

Female type bird hovering. Flight image taken with Eagle-eye @ 200 ASA.

Red-footed Falcon

Chukar Alectoris chukar cypriotes

Akrotiri April 2004.

Whole Limassol area good for this species.

Chukar

 

    More images Here

Black Francolin Francolinus francolinus

Paphos Lighthouse April 2004.

Adult male breeding plumage

Black Francolin

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.

 

Baillon's Crake
       

Demoiselle Anthropoides virgo

Near Paphos Lighthouse April 2004.

Rare in Spring as they over shoot the island.

Demoiselle Crane

Pallas's Gull Larus ichthyaetus

Kiti Dam April 2004

Rare in Spring, 1st year type.

Pallas's Gull
       

Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus

Asprokremmos Dam April 2004.

Adult, very common with the call being heard hourly.

Red-throated Pipit

Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica

Paphos Lighthouse April 2004.

Female type.

Black-eared Wheatear
       

Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica

Paphos Lighthouse April 2004.

Adult male

Olivaceous Warbler Hippolais Pallida

Germasougeia Reservoir April 2004.

Note the pallid tones and broadness to base of mandible, we noted the pumping tail action.

Olivaceous Warbler
       

Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita

Kiti Dam April 2004.

Notable for lack of yellowish tones any where on the body, Eastern influence ?

Chiffchaff

Collared Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis

Paphos Lighthouse April 2004.

1st male judging by the brown cast from remiges

Collard Flycatcher
       

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.

Semi-collard Flycatcher

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.

Collard Flycatcher

 

Copyright: Paul and Andrea Kelly 2009