Cyprus: May 2014 Part 1.

A week in Cyprus for a family wedding, it was impossible to resist a few early mornings for some birding, having missed the main migration period but knowing that there were some wonderful breeding species to be seen! Upon arrival at our villa in the hills around Germasogia there was a singing Cyprus Wheatear, Cyprus Warbler and Sardinian Warbler. At dusk two Nightjars were churring on the hillside, and these were joined in the morning by a pair of Roller which frequented the telephone wires around us.

Endemic Cyprus Warbler

One of the pair of Rollers

If being bright blue wasn't enough, they also show a distinctive underwing pattern.

Being so close to Limassol was ideal, so our first trip out was to the Akrotiri peninsula. First stop was Zakaki Marsh, a small pool and a hide, with 15ft reed on one side and Limassol port on the other; a most unusual location but an incredible one. We visited 3 or 4 times during our stay, and every time we saw something new. The list from the site included Little Tern, Ferruginous Duck, Squacco Heron, Glossy Ibis, Spur-winged Lapwing, Black-winged Stilt, Little Grebe, Wood Sandpiper, Citrine Wagtail, Black-headed Wagtail and Sedge, Reed and Fan-tailed Warbler.

View from the hide....

Two of the four Fudge Ducks ever present

Pair of Spur-winged Plover showing very well

Black-winged Stilt

Further down towards the sea was Ladies Mile, a long dirt track with some fairly grotty looking beaches on one side and some fairly grotty looking pools on the other. Despite the location, this site also provided some great birds, with four Kentish Plover and 12 Little Stint present all visits.

Pair of Kentish Plover

One of the cracking Little Stints

The last stop on the tour on the peninsula was the Phassouri reedbeds, another excellent site tucked away down a little track. It consisted of more gigantic reed with a beautiful grazing meadow covered with wild flowers, butterflies and birds. Here we found Wood Sandpiper, Cattle Egret, Glossy Ibis, Squacco Heron, Fan-tailed Warbler, Blue and Black-headed Wagtail and singing Black Francolin. The insect life included Goliath Wasps, Common Blue and Swallowtail butterfly.

One of many Cattle Egret

Blue-headed Wagtail alongside a Cypriot cow

Black-headed Wagtail, one of the group of around 10 birds

Distant Fan-tailed Warbler

Goliath Wasp (photo courtesy of Lana)

They're Back....

And not only did one Stilt return, he/she also bought along a few friends, so there were a suspected three on the reserve on Monday evening. And not only this, but they were showing down to 10 metres. What a spectacle!

Black-winged Stilt, Himantopus himantopus

The rest of the week also saw some cracking birds turn up; Pectoral Sandpiper, Little Stint, Temmincks' Stint, two Little Gulls and then to round it all off, three Black Terns arrived and this individual put on a stunning display for me from East Hide.

Black Tern, Chlidonias niger

Aside from the wonderful influx of unusual birds, the usual fair are also providing lots of nice sightings. The Turtle Doves are showing well every day, although often in unpredictable locations, and there are Avocet and Gull chicks literally everywhere (with some particularly keen to get into the hides). Little Ringed Plovers and Terns are still nesting although the latter remain very well hidden, apart from when they venture off to feed and provide cracking views.

Little Ringed Plover, Charadrius dubius

As far as Passerines are concerned, Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer, Whitethroat, Sedge and Reed Warbler can still be heard singing around the reserve, and I caught this Tree Sparrow still busy gathering nest material. Then again, they do like to line their nests with a lot of feathers!

Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus

On a final note, I was lucky enough to be shown a good spot for one of my favourite migrants, and one that is becoming increasingly more difficult to find; the Spotted Flycatcher. The site they have chosen is idyllic, set in some lovely Weeping Willows over a small river, and this individual perched out in clear view for a good few minutes.... Wonderful!

Spotted Flycatcher, Muscicapa striata

Migrants Migrants, Everywhere......

......Some are common, and some are rare! As in Black-Winged Stilt rare! Apparently the word had been around for a few hours on Birdguides before any of us knew about it, and it didn't take long for us to finish our jobs and get onto the reserve once the news filtered down. And what a cracking bird.... This is a UK first for me, and having seen them in Southern France already where they are common they look equally as spectacular here. As can be seen in the photo below, it towers above even largish waders like this Ruff! The bird was wonderfully showy in the evening as it made its way around the reserve feeding and being harassed by gulls!

Black-Winged Stilt, Himantopus himantopus with Ruff, Philomachus pugnax 

Black-Winged Stilt, Himantopus himantopus

There are also plenty of other migrants around the reserve at the moment, some here to stay and some just moving through. The two Turtle Doves are still purring away in the hedgerow and sometimes in the garden (!)  and a Cuckoo is heard most mornings, it must be said while I am lying in bed; what a luxury! There are at least two pairs of Common Terns around Frampton and plenty more at Freiston, and all our usual migrant warblers are in full voice. The odd Little Gull and Garganey are putting in appearances, as are Common and Green Sandpipers. Another nice arrival was the first Wood Sandpiper of the year at Frampton on Monday, another lovely little wader, which at this time of year I believe is best described as "Spangly." There is a very small breeding population in the Scottish Highlands, but most of them make there way to subarctic wetlands in Europe of Asia, so who knows where this one is headed!

Common Tern, Sterna hirundo

Wood Sandpiper, Tringa glareola

And now for some resident breeders that are both on the UK Red List for species of conservation concern, and both for the same reasons; Corn Bunting and Yellowhammer. While they may not be rare in terms of population size, both these species have suffered over a 50% decline in their breeding population in the last 30 years, due to agricultural intensification. Both species are ground-nesting farmland birds, and as such have suffered greatly at the hands of machinery and destruction of suitable nesting sites. There is potential for a brighter future though as agricultural schemes encourage farmers to spare a little land for wildlife, and where these schemes are in place the results are promising, like around our reserve! It is a real treat to be able to go out and see these birds singing away!

Yellowhammer, Emberiza citrinella

Corn Bunting, Emberize calandra

And finally, I was lucky enough to visit the Farne Islands on Saturday and get very close to one of the more remarkably adorned birds we have on our coastlines in this country, the Shag! What a beauty!!

Shag, Phalacrocorax aristotelis