Birding/ Bird watching on Cyprus - March 2021

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Jiffy (also jiff)

noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.

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E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.

Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.

Monday 8 ^th of March 2021 and I met my Guide from CYPRUS BIRD WATCHING TOURS on the street at 6 thirty and I started my eBird app at eBird hotspot: Acheleia (Αχέλεια) 06:42.

We spot a group of White Wagtails in the vegetation and just when we were continuing I spotted a beautiful European Goldfinch.

European Goldfinch or Goldfinch

European Goldfinch or Goldfinch

European Goldfinch or Goldfinch

We drive to the sewage plant to look for the Bluethroat. We pass the field where we spotted all the Cattle Egrets and the Spur-winged lapwings last time. There was no single bird today and we could not help to wonder where all the birds was gone.

We drive up on the path behind the sewage plant. We play the Bluethroat sound and we wait to see if the bird shows up. And the Bluethroat shows up after a few minutes.

Bluethroat

Bluethroat

Bluethroat

Bluethroat

Bluethroat

I was very happy when we left Acheleia (Αχέλεια), we had spent an hour and I had got to see two very beautiful birds. I had seen these birds in Sweden, but I had never got any good pictures but I was happy for today’s pictures.

Otherwise we had not seen much interesting at Acheleia (Αχέλεια), actually we had not seen much of anything in the area. Last time here, 3 years ago we had seen a lot of birds.

Today's track at Acheleia (Αχέλεια)

eBird Report

Acheleia (Αχέλεια), Pafos, Cyprus Mar 8, 2021 06:42 - 07:39
Protocol: Traveling
7.03 kilometer(s)
Checklist Comments: Bird watching with Cyprus Bird Watching Tours.
11 species

Chukar 1
Feral Pigeon 20
Common Woodpigeon 30
Collared Dove 6
Hooded Crow 11
Barn Swallow 5
Common Chiffchaff 1
Bluethroat 1
European Stonechat 4
White Wagtail (alba) 10
European Goldfinch 1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S82996229

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

We leave Acheleia (Αχέλεια) driving north towards Agia Varvara (Αγιά Βαρβάρα). Agia Varvara looks to be a dry flood bed in a valley. Now there is an aqueduct (Pipeline) on the west side and there is a stream on the east side that we had to cross to get down to the bottom. There are also irrigation ponds in the area.

We stop at three irrigation ponds before we go down the valley. Two of the ponds were dry but the middle pond had water. We spotted five Common Swifts and several Barn Swallows. We heard a lot of Cetti's Warblers in the bushes but we could only see one of them.

Hooded Crow

Hooded Crow

We leave the ponds and we stop on the bridge to check out the stream, not much interesting going on and we drive to the ponds to look for birds, 2 mallards and one Little Grebe.

I took the opportunity to record the frogs. They went on with their calls and I enjoyed the sound of the frogs while looking for birds.

Cyprus water frog

We left the ponds and frogs behind and we passed through a tangerine orchard and we stopped so I could go pick a few tangerines. I tested one and it was not very good so I just brought two back to the car, one for me and one for the Guide.

Tangerine

The tangerine is a group of orange-coloured citrus fruit consisting of hybrids of mandarin orange with some pomelo contribution. The name was first used for fruit coming from Tangier, Morocco, described as a mandarin variety. Under the Tanaka classification system, Citrus tangerine is considered a separate species. Wikipedia

Tangerine tree

Tangerine

Tangerine, did not taste so very good

Tangerine, was a little sour and full of pips so this is nothing that I will eat again. We drove down for as long as we could towards the bottom and we turned around. I managed to get one picture, a female House Sparrow. One picture is of course better than no picture.

Female House Sparrow

Today's track at Acheleia (Αχέλεια)

eBird Report

Agia Varvara (Αγιά Βαρβάρα), Pafos, Cyprus Mar 8, 2021 07:44 - 09:06M
Protocol: Traveling
8.35 kilometer(s)
Checklist Comments: Bird watching with Cyprus Bird Watching Tours.
16 species

Mallard 2
Chukar 2
Little Grebe 5
Common Woodpigeon 7
Common Swift 5
Common Buzzard 1
Common Magpie 5
Hooded Crow 5
Barn Swallow 10
Common Chiffchaff 1
Cetti's Warbler 2
Sardinian Warbler 1
European Stonechat 3
House Sparrow 1
White Wagtail (alba) 2
Meadow Pipit 3

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S82997651

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

We leave Agia Varvara (Αγιά Βαρβάρα) and we are going down to the beach, the eBird hotspot: Timi (Τιμή) Beach. It is quite strong wind, but it was not cold.

My Guide had sent me a message to bring warmclothes as the forcast said cloudy and cold with strong winds. We had have blue sky and sunshine all morning.

We park at the end of the dirt track and we walk along the beach to look for birds. We did not see any birds and I had expected to see a lot of sea birds and shore birds. A picture of a House Sparrow was the only picture I got.

We met another birder and he had written the book about birding on Cyprus. He walked for us along the beach and he took off in to the trees. Me and my Guide walked back to the car and we left the beach.

House Sparrow

Timi (Τιμή) Beach

Timi (Τιμή) Beach

Today's track at Timi (Τιμή) Beach

eBird Report

Timi (Τιμή) Beach, Pafos, Cyprus Mar 8, 2021 09:17 - 10:15
Protocol: Traveling
2.49 kilometer(s)
Checklist Comments: Bird watching with Cyprus Bird Watching Tours.
8 species

Yellow-legged Gull 4
European Shag 1
Hooded Crow 4
Eurasian Skylark 1 Sand bathing
Crested Lark 1
Black Redstart 1
House Sparrow 1
Spanish Sparrow 35

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S82998454

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

We leave the beach and next stop is the eBird hotspot: Mandria (Μανδριά)--Coast. We drive via Ovalık, Baf and I start my eBird app coming up on the Ovalık, Baf. We drive for hundred meters when we hear a Black Francolin from accross the field.

I cannot see the bird, only hear it. And I cannot see any birds at all, the field is empty in front of me. Helicopter approaching and suddenly the field was full of wagtails taking off scared by the helicopter. I managed to get two Black Francolin calls recorded.

We spotted one European Stonechat next to the road and I managed to get two pictures before the bird took off. So one recording and 2 pictures.

Listen to the Black Francolin

Sound from www.xeno-canto.org

Remarks from the Recordist

Recorded with my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder

Bird heard across the field. No birds to be seen in the field. One helicopter arriving and scare the birds, hundred of White Wagtails take off from the field at the same time.

Did not hear the Black Francolin again.

European Stonechat

European Stonechat

Today's track at Ovalık, Baf

eBird Report

E603, Ovalik, Baf, Cyprus (34.713, 32.514), Pafos, Cyprus Mar 8, 2021 10:18 - 10:27
Protocol: Traveling
1.42 kilometer(s)
Checklist Comments: Bird watching with Cyprus Bird Watching Tours.
4 species

Black Francolin 1 Heard only
Crested Lark 3
European Stonechat 1
White Wagtail (alba) 100 I did not see any birds, but I make a sound recording of a Black Francolin across the field. I get 2 calls when one helicopter approaching.. The empty field was suddenly full of wagtails taking off from the field scared by the helicopter

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S82998606

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

I turn off my eBird app and I restart it again when I have changed it to the hotspot Mandria (Μανδριά)--Coast and we were soon passing pipits and Crested larks in the fields. But it is almost impossible to get good pictures of pipits and larks so the pictures went straight to the garbage. We spotted two Northern Wheatear (Eurasian).

I tried to get pictures, the pictures turned out good but the bird was too far away for any use.

Northern Wheatear

Isabelline Wheatear

Common Kestrel

European Greenfinch

Picnic lunch

We drive around and as we are getting hungry we stop at the picnic area. There are a few European Greenfinches in the picnic area. We also see one Blue Rock Thrush in the picnic area.

Fantastic lunch, sitting seaside in the sunshine and I enjoyed the picnic.

We looked for the Laughing Dove but we never found it and we left the area after 90 minutes of birding minus the time for our lunch.

Today's track at Mandria (Μανδριά)--Coast

eBird Report

Mandria (Μανδριά)--Coast, Pafos, Cyprus Mar 8, 2021 10:29 - 11:54
Protocol: Traveling
13.67 kilometer(s)
Checklist Comments: Bird watching with Cyprus Bird Watching Tours.
12 species

Yellow-legged Gull 1
Common Kestrel 2
Hooded Crow 8
Eurasian Skylark 1
Crested Lark 4
Blue Rock Thrush 1
Northern Wheatear (Eurasian) 2
Isabelline Wheatear 1
White Wagtail (alba) 1
Meadow Pipit 4
European Greenfinch 5
Common Linnet 2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S82999490

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Next area we will visit is the Asprokremnos Dam (Φράγμα Ασπρόκρεμμου) and we leave Mandria behind. We give the Laughing Dove one more chance and we found one after a little bit of searching.

Laughing Dove

Laughing Dove

We continue toward the Asprokremnos Dam and we will start at the wall. We parked on the wall and we looked out over the dam, no birds, but I discovered two egrets sitting on the edge to the overflow channel.

We got back in to the car and we started to drive around to look for birds. We stopped to look for the Cyprus Warbler, no sign of the bird, but we spotted a soaring Bonelli's Eagle.

Comming back home and I discover another bird of pray above the eagle and I send the picture to my Guide and he ID the second bird as a Common Kestrel.

Asprokremnos Dam (Φράγμα Ασπρόκρεμμου)

Little and Great Egret

Little and Great Egret

Bonelli's Eagle and Common Kestrel - Click picture for fill size picture

Today's track at Asprokremnos Dam (Φράγμα Ασπρόκρεμμου)

eBird Report

Asprokremnos Dam (Φράγμα Ασπρόκρεμμου), Pafos, Cyprus Mar 8, 2021 12:10 - 12:33
Protocol: Traveling
4.82 kilometer(s)
Checklist Comments: Front of the dam. Bird watching with Cyprus Bird Watching Tours.
9 species

Great White Egret 1
Little Egret 1
Bonelli's Eagle 1
Common Kestrel 1 I was taking picture of the soaring Bonelli's Eagle. When I am back home looking at the pictures I discover the Kestrel on the picture
Common Magpie 2
Great Tit 1
Crested Lark 1
Black Redstart 1
White Wagtail (alba) 2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S82999932

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Road is suddenly blocked

Road is suddenly blocked

Road is suddenly blocked

We cannot drive along the gate to get to the back of the dam so we have to take a long way to reach the back. We ran in to herds of sheep, or goats on the way. But we managed to make it to the back of the dam. We reached a bridge over a very small stream, almost dry.

The stream is supplying water for the dam and as the flood bed was dry we could drive on the flood bed to the back side of the dam.

Must have been dry for a long time, the flood bed was gravel and stones and there was a track that looks to have been there for years.

Reaching the dam and we spotted Grey Herons and Cormorants on some rocks on the other side of the dam, too far away for any pictures. We will drive along the west side of the dam until we reach the abandoned village Phinikas.

Phinikas

(Greek: Φοίνικας, also spelled Φοίνηξ in Katharevousa and Phoenix in English, meaning Palm tree, Turkish: Finike) is an abandoned village in the Paphos District of Cyprus, located 3 km northeast of Anarita. Wikipedia

History of the village goes all the way back to 12th Century. Richard the Lionheart sold the island to the Naites that turned Phinikas in to the Capital.

The village was abandoned 1973 when the Turk Cypriots was forced to move with the rest of the Turk Cypriots to the occupied part of the island.

Reaching the dam

Phinikas/Foinikas (Φοίνικας)

Phinikas/Foinikas (Φοίνικας)

Phinikas/Foinikas (Φοίνικας)

Leaving Phinikas/Foinikas (Φοίνικας)

Today's track at Phinikas/Foinikas (Φοίνικας)

eBird Report

Phinikas/Foinikas (Φοίνικας), Pafos, Cyprus Mar 8, 2021 12:56 - 14:02
Protocol: Traveling
6.03 kilometer(s)
Checklist Comments: Back of the Asprokremnos Dam (Φράγμα Ασπρόκρεμμου) Bird watching with Cyprus Bird Watching Tours.
10 species

Great Cormorant 13 Sitting together with 5 Grey Herons
Grey Heron 5 Sitting behind the Cormorants
Great White Egret 1
Little Owl 1 Heard only. At the abandoned village Phinikas on the west side of the dam
Common Kestrel 1
Common Magpie 2
Eurasian Jackdaw 2
Hooded Crow 5
Black Redstart 1
Common Linnet 2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S83002339

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

We called it a day and we drove back to my apartment in Paphos. We have had gorgeous weather all day long and we were happy as the forecast had said cold and windy. So we are looking forward to nice weather tomorrow as well. We will spend tomorrow at the Limassol area and we will start at 6 o'clock.

Just click HERE to find out if we see any birds in Limassol.

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