Cyprus Birding Trip Report - (3rd April - 7th April 2018) - Species List and Locations

Day 1 – Tuesday 3rd April 2018

Cyprus Warbler – 3rd April 2018 - A6 scrubland, between Paphos and Ancient Kourion. Showing well in scrubby bushes at the side of the road. A good number of birds seen during the trip, including at Kourion Stadium and Cape Greco, the majority full breeding plumage males. First bird of the trip found at the side of the road showed best.

Cyprus Wheatear – 3rd April 2018 - Kourion Stadium, Ancient Kourion. Perched singing on the walls and in the small trees. Abundant throughout the trip and seen at most sites. Males displaying and calling.

Ortolan Bunting – 3rd April 2018 - Temple of Apollo, Ancient Kourion. 3 male birds feeding in the short grass at the temple of Apollo. Only birds of the trip.

Black Francolin – 3rd April 2018 - Akrotiri marsh/gravel pits. Calling from a raised hill near to the road, although quite distant. Heard at several sites and seen on two occasions calling from a prominent perch. Distant both times unfortunately.

Chukar Partridge – 3rd April 2018 - Mavrokolympus Dam. Calling and moving around on the rocky hillside. Seen at several sites throughout the trip, on occasion showing well. Calling frequently in rocky locations.

Cyprus Scops Owl – 3rd April 2018 - Mavrokolympus Dam. Several birds heard calling in the valley and good views on two occasions - one seen perched on a cliff face at very close range, another showing well in torchlight on a telegraph pole. Only birds of the trip. 

Cyprus Warbler

Day 2 – Wednesday 4th April 2018 

Lesser Kestrel – 4th April 2018 - Anarita Park. Male showing well on telegraph wires at the side of the road. The only confirmed bird of the trip. 

Tawny Pipit – 4th April 2018 - Anarita Park. Single bird perched on a rock by the side of the road. The only bird of the trip.

Spur-winged Lapwing – 4th April 2018 - Paphos Sewage Works. A good number of birds seen in the fields surrounding the sewage works. Also a pair seen showing well at Oroklini Lake.

Spur-winged Lapwing

Day 3 – Thursday 5th April 2018 

Eastern Bonelli's Warbler – 5th April 2018 - Ayia Napa Sewage Works. A single bird seen foraging in the low down trees surrounding the pools. Only bird of the trip.

Ayia Napa Sewage Works

Day 5 – Saturday 7th April 2018 

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler – 7th April 2018 - Mountain road down from Troodos to Agios Nikolaos. Several birds on territory singing in the valley in the large bushes and trees. Showing well on occasion.

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler

Notable Cyprus subspecies: 

Dorothy’s Treecreeper – 7th April 2018 – Troodos Mountains. Single bird showing well and calling in the pines near the post office car park.

Cyprus Jay (glazneri) – 7th April 2018 - Troodos Mountains. Two birds showing well in the trees near to the post office. 

Cyprus Coal Tit (cypriotes) – 7th April 2018 - Troodos Mountains. A pair of birds calling and showing well along the wooden boardwalk near the post office.

Cyprus Jay - glazneri

Notable species:

Greater Flamingo – Several birds seen distantly at Akrotiri Salt Lake

Griffon Vulture – One flying near the cliffs at Kourion Stadium

Laughing Dove – Seen near the houses around Mandria 

Great Spotted Cuckoo – Two seen at Kourion Stadium

Pallid Swift – Several seen flying overhead with Common Swifts

Alpine Swift – One seen flying over near Asprokremmos Dam

Hoopoe – One seen at Paphos Headland and Akrotiri Marsh

Bee-eater – A flock of birds seen flying in off the sea at Cape Greco

Roller – One bird seen along the Dhiarizos Valley

Crested Lark – Seen at Zakaki Marsh

Black-eared Wheatear – Seen at Akrotiri gravel pits

Sardinian Warbler – Widespread across the island

Spectacled Warbler – A pair seen at Cape Greco

Eastern Subalpine Warbler – One bird seen at Kourion Stadium

Masked Shrike – Adult birds seen at Cape Greco 

Spanish Sparrow – Seen at Paphos Headland

Cretzchmar’s Bunting – Individuals seen at Cape Greco and Troodos

Eastern Subalpine Warbler

Additional species:

Mallard

Pintail

Shoveler

Teal

Garganey

Red-crested Pochard

Ferruginous Duck

Little Grebe

Shag

Cormorant

Night Heron

Cattle Egret

Little Egret

Grey Heron

Purple Heron

Glossy Ibis

Marsh Harrier

Common Buzzard (Steppe)

Kestrel

Coot

Black-winged Stilt

Green Sandpiper

Ruff

Yellow-legged Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Baltic)

Feral Pigeon

Wood Pigeon

Collared Dove

Little Owl

Common Swift

Barn Swallow

Red-rumped Swallow

House Martin

Tree Pipit

White Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail (feldegg)

Nightingale

Redstart

Northern Wheatear

Whinchat

Blackbird

Blackcap

Lesser Whitethroat

Cetti’s Warbler

Chiffchaff

Great Tit

Red-backed Shrike

Magpie

Jackdaw

Hooded Crow

House Sparrow

Chaffinch

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

Corn Bunting

Heard only:

Cuckoo

Serin

86 Trip Total

11 Trip lifers 

Orchid List:

Bug Orchid (Anacamptis coriophora) - Agios Georgios chapel
Eastern Ploughshare Tongue Orchids (Serapias bergonii) - Akrotiri Marsh

Bug Orchid

Butterfly List:

Paphos Blue - Anarita Park

Paphos Blue Butterfly

Reptile List:

Starred Agama

Starred Agama

Cyprus Birding Trip Report - Day 5 (Saturday 7th April 2018)

Our last day on Cyprus arrived once more with clear skies and warm temperatures, and saying goodbye to the hotel we travelled north to the impressive Troodos Mountain range, taking the time to explore the Diarhizos valley as we drove. Just over an hours drive from Paphos and situated right in the centre of the Greek half of Cyprus, the Troodos Mountains are home to a number of interesting Cypriot subspecies, that one day like the Cyprus Scops Owl, could be split.

Driving up the Diarhizos valley the scenic landscapes showed off the very best of the picturesque Cyprus countryside, with rolling green hillsides and whole fields bedecked with the colourful blooms of a carpet of wildflowers. 

Roller - our first of the trip

A Roller perched on one of the telephone wires by the side of the road added a splash of colour, being our first and only record of the trip, while scores of Steppe Buzzards soared overhead in the thermals (sadly no Long-legged amongst them – a species that had unfortunately evaded us during the trip despite us scouring the skies in numerous locations they were well-represented in on e-bird). Hooded Crows fed in the fields in abundance as we drove through the valley, while a brief stop in the mountains to check out a bunting perched on a roadside wire resulted in great views of a showy male Cretzchmar’s Bunting. 

Cretzchmar’s Bunting

The views as we rose in elevation were stunning, and we couldn’t resist several stops in the laybys to drink in the mountain scenery, the high pitched trilling of a nearby Serin and the spring calls of a Cuckoo both unfortunately remaining undetected in the thicket of trees.  

Starred Agama

Arriving in the cool freshness of the small mountain village of Troodos, we parked up near the post office car park, donning thick jumpers to combat what was a huge contrast in temperature to the sun kissed lowlands of Paphos. 

The cobbled streets of Troodos

Almost immediately having gone a few feet in to the pines we had notched up our first target, the unusual calls alerting us to a Dorothy’s Treecreeper scrambling slowly up the bark of a nearby pine. 

Dorothy's Treecreeper - a possible split for the future

Much paler than Short-toed Treecreeper and with a distinctive call,  Dorothy’s Treecreeper probably has the most chance of getting split out of all the Cyprus subspecies, and we watched on as it clambered up the trunks in front of us, flitting from tree to tree.

Harsh calls further down the pines alerted us to our second subspecies, this time in the form of the glazneri Jay. Mostly confined to the foothills of the Troodos range and differing from European Jays by their darker heads and lack of white on the throat and crown, we quickly tracked down two individuals perched on the thick pine branches, securing good views as they foraged amongst the pine needles. 

The Cyprus subspecies of Jay - glazneri

With 2 out of our 4 subspecies already in the bag we crossed back over to the main square of Troodos and headed towards a patch of pines lining the cobbled street. 

Almost immediately we heard the distinctive calls of the Cypriot race of Coal Tit and before long a pair of birds hopped down in front of us, calling vociferously as they bumbled through the pine needles. Differing from the nominate race of Coal Tit usually found in Europe, the Cyprus birds (cypriotes) are much darker overall with a much more extensive black bib and colouration on the head, coming right down on to the chest. We spent a good 20 minutes trying to get a discernible record shot due to their inability to stay in one place for more than a nanosecond, but eventually we managed good views as they worked their way through the pines.

The Cypriotes race of Coal Tit

Unfortunately however, our luck ran out with regards to the Crossbills, and despite searching the dripping tap area of the pines and the tracks surrounding the toilet block we failed to track any down, a calling Cyprus Scops remaining ‘heard only’ on the slopes. 

A chocolate ice cream and a stroll through the town later and with a flight to catch that evening, we headed back down the mountains, stopping en-route to stake out some suitable looking roadside scrub for any sign of migrants. This proved to be a great call, as no sooner had we stepped out of the car than Alex exclaimed he’d found a singing Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, the first bird of the trip and a lifer for me to boot!

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler

Getting some record shots as the bird moved from perch to perch, eventually we had up to 3 singing males in just a tiny patch of scrub (as well as another Masked Shrike) proving that roadside stop offs are always worthwhile. 

The scrub the Eastern Olivaceous Warblers were favouring

Despite seeing no direct evidence of limestick trapping during our trip, our drive down the Diarhizos valley made it apparent that hunting is very much an issue in Cyprus, as nearly all of the places we stopped off at were littered with spent shotgun cartridges, illustrating first hand Cyprus’s chequered history with regards to illegal bird hunting. 

Evidence of the hunting still taking place in Cyprus

With nearly 2 million birds killed annually on Cyprus, hopefully the good work from the people at Birdlife Cyprus can continue in earnest and put an end to these barbaric practices. It was a huge contrast to see protected bird reserves in one part of the valley when just several metres up the road cartridges littered the floor as evidence of the illegal bloodsport.

Wildlife Conservation Area - a direct contrast to the shotgun cartridges found just up the road

With both a Baillon’s and Little Crake showing well for most of the week at Agia Varvara we called in on our way back to Paphos (the directions in Gosney to take the third turn rendered relatively useless by the fact we were met with a 7 road junction!) and soon joined the small handful of cars already parked up on site. Unfortunately after a quick search of the reedy pools we couldn’t locate any of the crakes, and with time swiftly running out and a plane to catch, we were forced to leave the pools (and the crakes) behind. 

Agia Varvara

Enjoying one last pizza on our way to the airport we had time to reflect on what had been quite a mixed bag in terms of successes – we’d secured superb views of the target endemics and notable species but failed somewhat spectacularly on locating any migrants in worthwhile numbers. Rather somewhat frustratingly a number of rarities for Cyprus were also discovered either during our stay or directly before, but our position on the island and timing meant it was always unfeasible to connect. 

Cyprus Warbler

Cyprus Pied Wheatear

Spur-winged Plover

Cyprus Scops Owl

Never the less we enjoyed a great few days on this sun kissed Mediterranean island, soaking up the sunshine and historical culture while enjoying a taster of the rich bird life that Cyprus can offer and admiring the stunning landscapes and scenery. Given better weather conditions and probably a bit more time on the island, I have no doubt we would have improved our totals tremendously, but as it was we still came away satisfied that a number of our key targets were seen well, and for those that weren’t it simply means a few more trips to alternative locations are required in the future.

Cyprus Birding Trip Report - Day 4 (Friday 6th April 2018)

Our final full day on Cyprus dawned gloriously sunny once more, and with perfect blue cloudless skies above us we made the quick ten minute journey to the archaeological (and birding) treasure trove of Paphos Headland. 

Paying the small entrance fee and admiring the many ruins scattered around the site, we set to work exploring the small shrubs and scrub, the bright black and white butterfly flight of a Hoopoe our first bird of note while a harsh tacking in one of the bushes (that briefly got our hopes up) turned out to be yet another Sardinian Warbler. A handful of Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Lesser Whitethroats busied themselves in the lighthouse compound, but it soon became apparent that despite the headland’s reputation as a birding hotspot there was very little activity that morning (or indeed that spring – a birder who visits Cyprus every year told us this was by far the quietest he’d seen it in a long while).

One of many Hooded Crows on the headland

Paphos Lighthouse

Never the less we spent an enjoyable morning exploring the site, the blanket of wildflowers carpeting the headland providing a welcome splash of colour while the many ruins, temples and mosaics dotted around the site provided an interesting insight in to the rich historical past of ancient Cyprus. 

Some of the ancient mosaics on display at the headland even featured birds!

Checking out a woodland compound towards the centre of the headland delivered a few more birds in the form of several secretive Nightingales and a skulking Redstart, while three Purple Herons roosting in one of the trees above was a touch more unexpected. 

Purple Heron

With nothing more to show for our morning and after a relaxing lunch back at the hotel, we decided to visit Mavrokolympus Dam for a second time, primarily to try and get photos of the Cyprus Scops Owls but also to see what avian delights we could unearth on the reservoir itself and surrounding scrubland in daylight hours. 

Starred Agamas watched us from the rocks as they sunbathed

Upon arrival we were met once more by the now familiar trilling of several male Cyprus Pied Wheatears perched on the wires while Sardinian Warblers scolded us vocally from below.

The reservoir itself held just a handful of Yellow-legged Gulls loafing on the water’s surface while a stalking Night Heron in the reedy edges sat silently in the search for an evening supper.

With darkness beginning to descend and no further birds of note we headed over to the start of the dam road (an unusually large boulder on the track luckily not doing any damage to the underside of the car despite an alarmingly loud bang!) and got in to position by the side of the cliffs. A Chukar (possibly the one from the previous evening) showed remarkably well in a concrete yard in front of the car (speedily avoiding our cameras however) and it wasn’t long before the familiar double bong of the Cyprus Scops Owls echoed across the valley.

The owls favoured telegraph wires

Armed ready with our cameras, this time we managed to secure much more prolonged views, with one of the owls landing on the nearby telephone pole and calling loudly, enabling the blurriest of record shots in the fading light.

Cyprus Scops! 

Previously only considered a subspecies and endemic to Cyprus, these resident birds have long been suspected of being suitable for elevation to full species status (being much darker and having a second quieter note after the first call) and after in depth sound recordings and analysis of the mitochondrial DNA, the differences were confirmed.

Interestingly, European Scops Owls also pass through Cyprus on migration, which could create some confusion. However the endemic Cyprus Scops is largely sedentary, and due to these birds already occupying the prime habitat on the island, colonisation from any of the migrant European Scops is prevented, with no records of interbreeding between the two.

Extremely happy with our success on the Scops Owl front and with the temperature now dropping, we headed back to the hotel happy, enjoying a final evening meal of delicious Greek lamb chops before packing our things and getting ready for our final morning in the scenic Troodos Mountains before our evening flight the next day.