After a day's absence it seemed appropriate to concentrate on the Akrotiri peninsula. The Tower hide produced what was to be the only Marsh Harrier for a while and a Golden Oriole nearby. Farther on The Rabbit Farm pools had a few Wood Sandpiper, a Collared Pratincole, Temminck's Stint and a glorious Red-throated Pipit.
Things were certainly not as hectic as we'd hoped ! We journeyed on to Kensington Cliffs along the coastal track and spent some time assembling a very short list of observations. Again, we saw no vultures but had views of Eleonora's Falcon and Shag desmarestii .Returning along the coast we found a Lesser Whitethroat , Hoopoe and Spotted Flycatcher, so odd things were getting through.
A call into Agios Georgios produced a Pied Flycatcher and a couple of Blackcaps , but nothing else, so we cut across to Lady's Mile where we had a couple of Little Tern that were clearly new and a few Caspian and Armenian Gulls and a single immature BHG. Thin pickings it would seem for a full day's effort.
Personal birding at home and abroad, plus other natural history and conservation involvements.
Sunday, April 28, 2019
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Tuesday 23rd April..........a day to treasure !
Met Colin at Asprokremnos Dam and , almost immediately, had terrific views of a Cyprus Warbler adjacent to where we were parked . A lucky start! Nearby we had a single Green Sandpiper, a falcon flew over ( probably a Peregrine ) , and local Red rumped Swallows put on a show as well as a Collared Flycatcher revealing itself in the plantation.
Off to the Timni Beach area to view the flooded area which has been so productive this Spring. The Forestry Department appear to be operating a bewildering policy of habitat destruction here around the picnic site by felling the mature trees. All was brought to a close when the area was then flooded by the excessive winter rains. Sadly it's beginning to dry out ! A small group of Wood Warbler, with one even in song, gave tremendous views, better than I sometimes get back on the breeding grounds in the UK. Following this , Common Redstart, Lesser Whitethroat, lots of flava wagtails, a Spotted Crake, a Black tailed Godwit, Ruff, Marsh Sandpiper , 3 Baltic Gull flew west and a variety of supporting species was present and time simply flew by ! A chat with Anders Grey wherein we discovered a mutual friend ( Phil Saunders ) who himself had been out in Cyprus not that long ago studying Rollers.....what a small , but wonderful , world that of birdwatching actually is !!
Onwards and upwards to Anarita Park where a local Little Owl showed well . Sadly little else appeared , so we moved on and toured a bewildering panoply of what might best be described as "the real Cyprus countryside " ! A river valley provided a glimpse of a Kingfisher, singing Golden Oriole. and various singing Olivaceous Warblers. We checked a peregrine site just as an adult brought in prey and enjoyed the cacophony which resulted ! A privileged look at a Cyprus Scops Owl left me speechless ( not something I'm known to be afflicted with ! ). As with quite a few experiences of the last few days I was also quietly furious at my camera having seized up , but I guess I'm not the first.
On to a hillside area of open scrubby vegetation where we soon found singing Cretzschmar's Buntings ( at least three I suspect ). A memorable and distinct call too.
It all had to end of course as , by this time it was actually late afternoon. A day with fast moving memories appearing in sequence. Thanks Colin. But another highlight of the day was the absolutely delicious Armenian Easter Cake kindly provided by Mrs Sylvia Richardson which sustained the birding troops through these exciting times. A confection which contained almond and cinnamon and something I guess not many have the privilege of tasting more than once ( there were several slabs for everyone ! ). Thanks Sylvia, much appreciated !
I need to offer a correction to some information I provided previously about Crossbills in Cyprus and about which I'd been misled . There are coloured male birds which have been seen, orange-gy I'm told, as opposed to the brick red types most of us see back home. Apologies for the confusion.
Off to the Timni Beach area to view the flooded area which has been so productive this Spring. The Forestry Department appear to be operating a bewildering policy of habitat destruction here around the picnic site by felling the mature trees. All was brought to a close when the area was then flooded by the excessive winter rains. Sadly it's beginning to dry out ! A small group of Wood Warbler, with one even in song, gave tremendous views, better than I sometimes get back on the breeding grounds in the UK. Following this , Common Redstart, Lesser Whitethroat, lots of flava wagtails, a Spotted Crake, a Black tailed Godwit, Ruff, Marsh Sandpiper , 3 Baltic Gull flew west and a variety of supporting species was present and time simply flew by ! A chat with Anders Grey wherein we discovered a mutual friend ( Phil Saunders ) who himself had been out in Cyprus not that long ago studying Rollers.....what a small , but wonderful , world that of birdwatching actually is !!
Onwards and upwards to Anarita Park where a local Little Owl showed well . Sadly little else appeared , so we moved on and toured a bewildering panoply of what might best be described as "the real Cyprus countryside " ! A river valley provided a glimpse of a Kingfisher, singing Golden Oriole. and various singing Olivaceous Warblers. We checked a peregrine site just as an adult brought in prey and enjoyed the cacophony which resulted ! A privileged look at a Cyprus Scops Owl left me speechless ( not something I'm known to be afflicted with ! ). As with quite a few experiences of the last few days I was also quietly furious at my camera having seized up , but I guess I'm not the first.
On to a hillside area of open scrubby vegetation where we soon found singing Cretzschmar's Buntings ( at least three I suspect ). A memorable and distinct call too.
It all had to end of course as , by this time it was actually late afternoon. A day with fast moving memories appearing in sequence. Thanks Colin. But another highlight of the day was the absolutely delicious Armenian Easter Cake kindly provided by Mrs Sylvia Richardson which sustained the birding troops through these exciting times. A confection which contained almond and cinnamon and something I guess not many have the privilege of tasting more than once ( there were several slabs for everyone ! ). Thanks Sylvia, much appreciated !
I need to offer a correction to some information I provided previously about Crossbills in Cyprus and about which I'd been misled . There are coloured male birds which have been seen, orange-gy I'm told, as opposed to the brick red types most of us see back home. Apologies for the confusion.
Monday, April 22, 2019
Monday 22nd April. disappointing in the extreme !
The day dawned calm, sunny and warm. Ho, ho , ho, was this going to be a good one , particularly after yesterday's notable Common Swift passage ?
A timely departure straight to Lady's Mile. Just as we drew to a halt we disturbed a gull from the shoreline that we then failed to relocate. Combined opinion suggested an immature Mediterranean Gull. An immediate disaster that didn't bode well I thought. A few Little Stint and Kentish Plover and 2 Spoonbill relieved the frustration. On to the Akritiri peninsula proper, but this brought no respite either with very little around or new.
Kourian Bay and the Rabbit Farm areas yielded nothing much either , so we called in at Agios Georgios where the wind strength even made opening the car door difficult. A beast of a day! We explored various areas, but succeeded with nothing. And so , here I am typing this back at the hotel mid afternoon, acknowledging that this is the first day since my arrival where I haven't seen something new. Pitiful! What do I do until dinnertime I ask ?
Happy Easter Monday for all back in the UK
A timely departure straight to Lady's Mile. Just as we drew to a halt we disturbed a gull from the shoreline that we then failed to relocate. Combined opinion suggested an immature Mediterranean Gull. An immediate disaster that didn't bode well I thought. A few Little Stint and Kentish Plover and 2 Spoonbill relieved the frustration. On to the Akritiri peninsula proper, but this brought no respite either with very little around or new.
Kourian Bay and the Rabbit Farm areas yielded nothing much either , so we called in at Agios Georgios where the wind strength even made opening the car door difficult. A beast of a day! We explored various areas, but succeeded with nothing. And so , here I am typing this back at the hotel mid afternoon, acknowledging that this is the first day since my arrival where I haven't seen something new. Pitiful! What do I do until dinnertime I ask ?
Happy Easter Monday for all back in the UK
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Sundat 21st April.....mixed and slow.
An early start up into the foothills above Pareklesia to try and locate Cretzschmar's Bunting. It was sunny and bright , but with a very cold wind from the mountains . Despite covering what we thought were various locations the venture wasn't successful and we never even had a suspect in our sights. The truth was that there were virtually no birds on show and no accompanying song.
Back down to the lowlands and on to Lady's Mile where a few Caspian Gulls and a Slender billed Gull were present. A few Kentish Plover and an overflying flock of 40 Little Stints were on the farthest pool plus Common Swifts were beginning to come through. Eventually we drove across the sandflats and came out on the Bishops Pool road, making our way to near the Environmental Education Centre. from here we had a good view of most of the saltlake and counted at least 280 Greater Flamingos. Common Swift movement was in full swing with seemingly unending lines of birds making their way through.
We spent some time on the coast where a couple of Little Tern flew west and a female Black eared Wheatear showed well. All the flava wagtails of yesterday had gone from the cut fields so we went on to the Rabbit Farm pools. We met the "Howards" there and although birds were few the jokes were good !!! A single Greenshank and odd Collared Pratincoles were around and still the Common Swifts came through. Further time was spent around the Akrotiri area and, as we prepared to leave later in the afternoon, a couple of Gull billed Tern flew westwards through the military area.
Not a lot for a day's efforts with small birds being at a particular premium.
Back down to the lowlands and on to Lady's Mile where a few Caspian Gulls and a Slender billed Gull were present. A few Kentish Plover and an overflying flock of 40 Little Stints were on the farthest pool plus Common Swifts were beginning to come through. Eventually we drove across the sandflats and came out on the Bishops Pool road, making our way to near the Environmental Education Centre. from here we had a good view of most of the saltlake and counted at least 280 Greater Flamingos. Common Swift movement was in full swing with seemingly unending lines of birds making their way through.
We spent some time on the coast where a couple of Little Tern flew west and a female Black eared Wheatear showed well. All the flava wagtails of yesterday had gone from the cut fields so we went on to the Rabbit Farm pools. We met the "Howards" there and although birds were few the jokes were good !!! A single Greenshank and odd Collared Pratincoles were around and still the Common Swifts came through. Further time was spent around the Akrotiri area and, as we prepared to leave later in the afternoon, a couple of Gull billed Tern flew westwards through the military area.
Not a lot for a day's efforts with small birds being at a particular premium.
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Saturday, 20th April......migrants still trickling in !
An early trip to Lady's Mile produced little other than numbers of Common Swift over the adjacent heath. All the Akrotiri marsh sites produced nothing that was new, but it was pleasant walking around in the warm sunshine. Rabbit Farn pools produced 3 Little Stint, 7+ Collared Pratincole ( a noticeable increase ), a few Wood Sandpiper and Ruff and low numbers of Black winged Stilt. I suspect the Spur winged Plovers, based on the aggressive actions of the assumed male , are nesting on site , particularly as I then saw the other bird appear to "descend " on a nest. Despite a "watch" we had nothing new so we went along the coastal track.
The farmer had cut a couple of fields of grain crop, the straw from which was left lying out . Here we found around 200 flava wagtails, mainly Grey headed types, but with fewer Blue headed and only the odd feldegg present. It was great simply parked next to the field watching them frantically feeding within metres of us. Odd Red rumped Swallow and Sand martin fed above the fields along with more numerous Swallow and Common Swift. A Great Spotted Cuckoo spent time in a nearby bush and gave great confiding views and then , later , we found a couple of Tawny Pipit nearby .
Despite searching a few other locations we had nothing new. With the wind rising yet again, a common feature of recent afternoons, our visit to Agios Georgios showed the Woodchat Shrike still present in its favourite spot , but with a Hoopoe providing good views whilst feeding n the open field surface.
The farmer had cut a couple of fields of grain crop, the straw from which was left lying out . Here we found around 200 flava wagtails, mainly Grey headed types, but with fewer Blue headed and only the odd feldegg present. It was great simply parked next to the field watching them frantically feeding within metres of us. Odd Red rumped Swallow and Sand martin fed above the fields along with more numerous Swallow and Common Swift. A Great Spotted Cuckoo spent time in a nearby bush and gave great confiding views and then , later , we found a couple of Tawny Pipit nearby .
Despite searching a few other locations we had nothing new. With the wind rising yet again, a common feature of recent afternoons, our visit to Agios Georgios showed the Woodchat Shrike still present in its favourite spot , but with a Hoopoe providing good views whilst feeding n the open field surface.
Friday, 19th April..........success amongst the snow.
We set off straight after breakfast and , despite my misgivings, got through the rush hour traffic in Limassol without mishap on our way into the Troodos Mountains. It wa sa pleasant journey at the onset , but turned cooler as we gained elevation. We stopped at a fish farm area where I managed Grey wagtail , of which there's only a few known sites. Wren and Blackbird were in song so there was almost a UK atmosphere to things.
We pressed on and , quite soon , reached Troodos village, a mixture of the inevitable tourist facilities and a selection of chalet type structures. We went on higher and began to see lenses of snow left over from the winter, besides feeling the penetrating cold. Jays and Coal Tit were easily seen , both of which have been suggested candidates as endemic species at one time or another ( notably by David Armitage Bannerman, no relative I would add !! ). A single Cyprus Pied Wheatear sat atop a fence and provided excellent views. Driving up the road even higher I cracked the jackpot by noticing a single bird sitting at the very top of a gnarled, bare tree trunk..... a Crossbill, a species which has certainly been the subject of a lot of conjecture on Cyprus in recent times. I'm told a "red male" has never been seen , and this bird, despite giving out the typical pose of a singing male on its favourite perch, was definitely a green type. I also thought the bill to be slightly deeper and more robust in build than in Common Crossbill ( perhaps best not to set that particular hare coursing I thought later ! ). Try as we might we couldn't find a Short toed Treecreeper, definitely a rather robust type here that wouldn't seem out of place among similar brethren in South America and , again, a suggested candidate for endemic status. And then it started snowing and sleeting somewhat seriously so we decided to return later and head back down the hill.
We did , went to Akrotiri , where we had similar waders to yesterday and where it started to rain rather heavily ( cyclonic stuff with all the accompanying thunder and lightning ). We gradually made our way back to the hotel given it was early afternoon , calling in at convenient birding spots. At Lady's Mile a few Caspian and Armenian gulls provided some interest. A quick circuit of a couple of the pools provided a highlight to the day when we found 4 Spoonbills feeding very close to us. I've never been closer so it was a situation where we looked at them and they looked at us !! After returning to feeding they soon took off after providing excellent close up views that will doubtless be treasured . So we trailed back to the hotel late afternoon where the weather decided to improve......
We pressed on and , quite soon , reached Troodos village, a mixture of the inevitable tourist facilities and a selection of chalet type structures. We went on higher and began to see lenses of snow left over from the winter, besides feeling the penetrating cold. Jays and Coal Tit were easily seen , both of which have been suggested candidates as endemic species at one time or another ( notably by David Armitage Bannerman, no relative I would add !! ). A single Cyprus Pied Wheatear sat atop a fence and provided excellent views. Driving up the road even higher I cracked the jackpot by noticing a single bird sitting at the very top of a gnarled, bare tree trunk..... a Crossbill, a species which has certainly been the subject of a lot of conjecture on Cyprus in recent times. I'm told a "red male" has never been seen , and this bird, despite giving out the typical pose of a singing male on its favourite perch, was definitely a green type. I also thought the bill to be slightly deeper and more robust in build than in Common Crossbill ( perhaps best not to set that particular hare coursing I thought later ! ). Try as we might we couldn't find a Short toed Treecreeper, definitely a rather robust type here that wouldn't seem out of place among similar brethren in South America and , again, a suggested candidate for endemic status. And then it started snowing and sleeting somewhat seriously so we decided to return later and head back down the hill.
We did , went to Akrotiri , where we had similar waders to yesterday and where it started to rain rather heavily ( cyclonic stuff with all the accompanying thunder and lightning ). We gradually made our way back to the hotel given it was early afternoon , calling in at convenient birding spots. At Lady's Mile a few Caspian and Armenian gulls provided some interest. A quick circuit of a couple of the pools provided a highlight to the day when we found 4 Spoonbills feeding very close to us. I've never been closer so it was a situation where we looked at them and they looked at us !! After returning to feeding they soon took off after providing excellent close up views that will doubtless be treasured . So we trailed back to the hotel late afternoon where the weather decided to improve......
Thursday, 18th April........a long hard day.
The day dawned bright and sunny with little wind, so we decided to cover the usual areas on the Akrotiri peninsula and then strike off elsewhere. We checked the area around the Cat Sanctuary , where Chaffinch breed in what is thought to be their only lowland site on Cyprus ( it's common in the upland forests ) and had a few of the Serins that are there. A Common Buzzard near to the Tower Hide was the only bird of interest so we moved on to the Rabbit farm pools .
There was a good variety of waders , including at least 70 Ruff, 2 ( new ) LRP, 2 Temminck's Stint and at least 4 Common Sandpiper. A single Common Snipe remained to taunt optimistic visitors !!
nearby 40/50 Garganey flew west over the sea , which provided a wonderful backdrop of azure blue.
We decided to move on to Kensington Cliffs , our ill fated destination of a few days ago for which we couldn't find the correct access road !!
Arriving at the cliff top we selected a convenient spot and waited. Throughout the afternoon we had views of Eleonora's Falcon several times, the first bird to arrive back a couple of days ago, Kesret, Jackdaw, a single Yellow legged Gull and a single Cyprus Pied Wheatear. Local information suggested that the griffon Vultures arrived back "around 4pm " so we waited patiently, only to have our vigil interrupted by two rather charming female security officers who wanted all our particulars given we were overlooking the Military Base, ( bloody residential area I would add ! ). In the end they only took down the details of yours truly which included passport number, driving licence number and mobile phone number ! I proffered my card as confirmation and felt like confirming my inside leg measurement was 28 " , but remained on my best behaviour as it had turned into a jolly occasion. All the passengers of other parked cards had wandered off so were never approached !!
But I ask you......and we never saw the Griffon Vultures either despite waiting.
There was a good variety of waders , including at least 70 Ruff, 2 ( new ) LRP, 2 Temminck's Stint and at least 4 Common Sandpiper. A single Common Snipe remained to taunt optimistic visitors !!
nearby 40/50 Garganey flew west over the sea , which provided a wonderful backdrop of azure blue.
We decided to move on to Kensington Cliffs , our ill fated destination of a few days ago for which we couldn't find the correct access road !!
Arriving at the cliff top we selected a convenient spot and waited. Throughout the afternoon we had views of Eleonora's Falcon several times, the first bird to arrive back a couple of days ago, Kesret, Jackdaw, a single Yellow legged Gull and a single Cyprus Pied Wheatear. Local information suggested that the griffon Vultures arrived back "around 4pm " so we waited patiently, only to have our vigil interrupted by two rather charming female security officers who wanted all our particulars given we were overlooking the Military Base, ( bloody residential area I would add ! ). In the end they only took down the details of yours truly which included passport number, driving licence number and mobile phone number ! I proffered my card as confirmation and felt like confirming my inside leg measurement was 28 " , but remained on my best behaviour as it had turned into a jolly occasion. All the passengers of other parked cards had wandered off so were never approached !!
But I ask you......and we never saw the Griffon Vultures either despite waiting.
Wednesday, 17th April.......good for some, not quite so good for others !
We met Colin after taking a quicl kook at Lady's Mile. This had a few Caspian Gull and a BHG , but little else. On to Akrotiri where we looked at the various wetland areas, the best birds being a Collared Pratincole, some Wood Sandpipers and a small number of Ruff.
we then went to Rabbit Farm pools where a Great Snipe had been seen. We went through the various waders present, had tremendous views of a Common Snipe , and received a variety of directions on where the bird was thought to be. Suddenly , all the waders spooked and went around a couple of times before plunging back on to the various pools present. Some were lucky, others less so as there were three Snipe in flight ,which kept changing position within the main flock of Ruff. Whilst I saw all three birds the only individual I got conclusive views of was Common Snipe, so one left for later !!
A round trip of a now windswept Akrotiri peninsula produced nothing other than a party of Short toed Lark. We checked the small islands off the coast near the ship wreck as greater Sand plover had been seen there previously, but waves and spray was overtopping the whole area. Finally we reached Agios Georgios where we had a single Spotted Flycatcher. The Wood chat Shrike was still present on its favoured perch on the fence adjacent to the church.
On to Akrotiri Salt lake where we could see groups of waders around the various flooded areas. Brilliant views were had of the Greater Flamingo, some of which were in display, reaching up to their full height and holding out teir wings showing the black undersides. On to Bishop's Pool where we had the female Teal and a single male Ferruginous Duck. We found some migrants in the shelter belt adjacent to the olive grove ( Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher )> time was pressing on so we left the site , only to find we were locked in ! Colin located the foreman , a Filipino with a huge grin, who kindly let us out to end what had been a rewarding , but also disappointing day in some respects.
we then went to Rabbit Farm pools where a Great Snipe had been seen. We went through the various waders present, had tremendous views of a Common Snipe , and received a variety of directions on where the bird was thought to be. Suddenly , all the waders spooked and went around a couple of times before plunging back on to the various pools present. Some were lucky, others less so as there were three Snipe in flight ,which kept changing position within the main flock of Ruff. Whilst I saw all three birds the only individual I got conclusive views of was Common Snipe, so one left for later !!
A round trip of a now windswept Akrotiri peninsula produced nothing other than a party of Short toed Lark. We checked the small islands off the coast near the ship wreck as greater Sand plover had been seen there previously, but waves and spray was overtopping the whole area. Finally we reached Agios Georgios where we had a single Spotted Flycatcher. The Wood chat Shrike was still present on its favoured perch on the fence adjacent to the church.
On to Akrotiri Salt lake where we could see groups of waders around the various flooded areas. Brilliant views were had of the Greater Flamingo, some of which were in display, reaching up to their full height and holding out teir wings showing the black undersides. On to Bishop's Pool where we had the female Teal and a single male Ferruginous Duck. We found some migrants in the shelter belt adjacent to the olive grove ( Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher )> time was pressing on so we left the site , only to find we were locked in ! Colin located the foreman , a Filipino with a huge grin, who kindly let us out to end what had been a rewarding , but also disappointing day in some respects.
Friday, April 19, 2019
Tuesday, 16th April.......Germosoigea dam and coast.
But first a tale of woe ! Sorry for the delay in processing these entries , but I've had a few problems with WiFi connectivity !! This is not the only techie problem either ! My camera has thrown a wobbly, and whilst nothing appears to be broken , it nonetheless refuses to operate properly. No pics of rarities for the present I'm afraid!.
I didn't recognize the area when first we arrived as the winter rains had filled it to capacity. Spur valleys were full and few of the regular areas for waders or crakes remained compared to the more usual circumstances. Nonetheless , it's a great area , seems under watched but has tremendous potential. It sits in a huge basin and has always struck me as a good area for raptors, indeed, Long legged Buzzard and Bonelli's Eagle have been seen there. But not on this day. The heavens opened, gave the car a good wash , but brought scanning activities to a halt. The only real bonus by lunchtime was a singing Common Whitethroat, yep that was how far we had descended , folks ! The only redeeming feature from the area on this occasion was finding a shop which sold us the most delicious chicken rolls I've ever tasted ( notice the "ever" ).
So down to the coast we went, where we had brilliant views of a male Golden Oriole near Phasouris reedbeds and then found a newly arrived Isabelline Wheatear and a Squacco Heron , (which literally looked as if it had reached the coast and pitched down onto the strand line !), near the now disused fish farm. Despite searching , little else seemed on offer so we went on again to Lady's Mile where the situation repeated itself. A few gulls allowed us to exercise our new found "expertise ".
I didn't recognize the area when first we arrived as the winter rains had filled it to capacity. Spur valleys were full and few of the regular areas for waders or crakes remained compared to the more usual circumstances. Nonetheless , it's a great area , seems under watched but has tremendous potential. It sits in a huge basin and has always struck me as a good area for raptors, indeed, Long legged Buzzard and Bonelli's Eagle have been seen there. But not on this day. The heavens opened, gave the car a good wash , but brought scanning activities to a halt. The only real bonus by lunchtime was a singing Common Whitethroat, yep that was how far we had descended , folks ! The only redeeming feature from the area on this occasion was finding a shop which sold us the most delicious chicken rolls I've ever tasted ( notice the "ever" ).
So down to the coast we went, where we had brilliant views of a male Golden Oriole near Phasouris reedbeds and then found a newly arrived Isabelline Wheatear and a Squacco Heron , (which literally looked as if it had reached the coast and pitched down onto the strand line !), near the now disused fish farm. Despite searching , little else seemed on offer so we went on again to Lady's Mile where the situation repeated itself. A few gulls allowed us to exercise our new found "expertise ".
Monday, 15th April......best dubbed a gull day.
An early visit to the Phasouris reedbeds ( Akrotiri Reserve ) produced a Great Reed Warbler below the Tower Hide, a Savi's Warbler nearby and a singing Sedge Warbler a little closer to the coast. A small party of Turtle Dove sheltered in the reeds and a further 6 flew over before they themselves pitched into the reeds, as did 3 Purple Heron.
The Rabbit Farm pools provided views of 2 Temminck's Stint, 11 Little Stint, a Kentish Plover and a male Garganey as well as a selection of the commoner waders ( read regular ). Ruff numbers appear to fluctuate daily here and were currently down to 16. However, after the very wet winter period there are pools all over the place where disturbed birds might conveniently retire to !!
By this point, late morning, the wind had strengthened to Force 5/6 + westerly and we wondered if this might produce some birds over the sea. After about 20 minutes I picked up a very distant group of birds which were battling there way towards land. These turned out to be 18 Glossy Ibis , which took ages to get to the coast, but which finally made it and pitched into cover almost immediately they made it over land ! Minutes later 9 Baltic Gulls flew westwards along the coast. There is usually a marked passage of these in April but they were the first we had had.
A visit to Agios Georgios wasn't filled with many expectations as the wind was pretty strong by this point. The trees swayed around with the onslaught but we found a solitary Collared Flycatcher making the best of the conditions.
On to Lady's Mile ,where most of the waters held nothing, and the farthest, open lagoon was very exposed. Nonetheless we had several Kentish Plover and a single Little Stint. We retired to the first pool and spent quite a time studying gulls, namely Caspian and Armenian Gulls. Things finally clicked into place and will , hopefully, remain !!
The Rabbit Farm pools provided views of 2 Temminck's Stint, 11 Little Stint, a Kentish Plover and a male Garganey as well as a selection of the commoner waders ( read regular ). Ruff numbers appear to fluctuate daily here and were currently down to 16. However, after the very wet winter period there are pools all over the place where disturbed birds might conveniently retire to !!
By this point, late morning, the wind had strengthened to Force 5/6 + westerly and we wondered if this might produce some birds over the sea. After about 20 minutes I picked up a very distant group of birds which were battling there way towards land. These turned out to be 18 Glossy Ibis , which took ages to get to the coast, but which finally made it and pitched into cover almost immediately they made it over land ! Minutes later 9 Baltic Gulls flew westwards along the coast. There is usually a marked passage of these in April but they were the first we had had.
A visit to Agios Georgios wasn't filled with many expectations as the wind was pretty strong by this point. The trees swayed around with the onslaught but we found a solitary Collared Flycatcher making the best of the conditions.
On to Lady's Mile ,where most of the waters held nothing, and the farthest, open lagoon was very exposed. Nonetheless we had several Kentish Plover and a single Little Stint. We retired to the first pool and spent quite a time studying gulls, namely Caspian and Armenian Gulls. Things finally clicked into place and will , hopefully, remain !!
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