Blue Eyed Birder: 2025

Another early start and out on the Mandria patch for a circuit with appropriate leg coverings this time! There was a similar suite of birds but there was also sign of some incomers with the flava Wagtail flock in excess of 700 or so birds in just a couple of fields where there were kept company by about 200 White Wags, 30 Meadow Pipits, three Red-throated Pipits, four Skylarks, at least 15 sandy Short-toed Larks and a few Cresties.

Crested Lark

Short-toed Lark

Hooded Crow

The boy can't resist a swing

Amongst the mostly Black-headed Wagtail we found the same Blue and Black-headed variant selection as at Varvara as well as several smart Grey-headed this time. Kestrels made half hearted attempts to catch them and a female Sparrowhawk simply could not fail and snatched one mid-air and kept going.

Black-headed Wagtail

Bluish-headed Wagtails

Black-headed Wagtail - superciliaris type

Wood Pigeons

This male Kestrel accompanied us all the way back to base

A Calandra Lark came in off and although pleasing it was frustrating not to be the hoped for Bimaculated but the black underwings and white trailing edge ruled that out. Six Grey Herons coasted and eight Night Herons coasted west in a loose group. There were three Med Shags and two Great Crested Grebes on the sea and a single Sandwich Tern patrolling while a Crag Martin was a good find amongst the milling hirundines.

Mixed finches

Grey Herons

Red-rumped Swallow

House Martins

Down at the beach the rocky outcrop area hosted four each of Northern and Isabelline Wheatear and five chupping Tawny Pipits in one group. Three Black Redstarts were found along the orchard fences and we heard four peeping Brevi Chiffchaffs and we disturbed a Hoopoe. A pulse of Swifts was made up of three species – there is something very special about a powering Alpine Swifts - so little effort for so much reward.

Isabelline Wheatear

Isabelline Wheatear - they are bit of a shape changer

Alpine Swift

The Black Francolins were heard again but we go lucky this time and one broke from the side of the track and flew across a wheat field affording excellent flight views. Back at the apartment the Great Spotted Cuckoos and Hoopoes were still around wit the former making a lots of noise as usual.

Hoopoe

Sardinian Warbler

Pool guard

We packed up and headed inland and north west up into the hills to get to Andrlikou area (passing three Long-legged Buzzards on the way up) where a couple of exploratory ambles were made around the quarry area. It was fairly quiet bird wise with just Cetti’s and Sardinian Warblers, a Wren and those pesky Chiffchaffs in the Olives. We did find a pair of Cyprus Pied Wheatears that showed quite well and a wheeling flock of 300 Jackdaws many of which had extensive white half collars. They enjoyed hitching a ride on the roving jingle jangling goats while a male Blue Rock Thrush actually stayed out and was merrily papped from the car window.

Anyone else see the face in the rock?

Cyprus Pied Wheatear

Jackdaws

Jackdaws - Max Hellicar

Max and I - David Bradnum

Blue Rock Thrush

Blue Rock Thrush - Max Hellicar

Myathropa florea

Eristalinus taeniops

Cyprus Pied Wheatear - Max Hellicar

From here we wiggled up to a pine forest at Smiyies that potentially offered us some fine views and more chances of Bonelli’s Eagle but to be honest it was the flora that dazzled me here and at the previous quarry sites and I unwittingly stumbled on some fantastic Orchids which James Lowen very kindly assisted me with later that evening. There were Song Thrushes and Blackbirds and a couple of Serins in the otherwise silent woods.

Ophrys argolica elegans

Ophrys fusca cinereophila

Ophrys sphegodes taurica

Ophrys umbilicata flavomarginata

Ophyrs bornmuelleri - like teddy bears with open arms

Ophyrs bornmuelleri

Giant Orchid Barlia robertiana

Green Winged Orchid Orchis morio libani

Roman Orchid Dactylorhiza romana

Serapia vomeracea

Serepsis bergonii

Alexanders Smyrnium olusatrum

Allium subhirsutum

Ashpodel

Avocado

Bellevalia trifoliata

Borage

Clematis cirrhosa

Cistus creticus

Cistus parviflorus

Cistus salvifolius

Cynara sp

Erodium gruinum

Field Marigold Calendula arvensis

Fumana arabica

Greek Sage Salvia fruticosa

Hawthorn sp

Jerusalem Sage Phlomis fruticosa

Joint-Pine Ephedra fragilis

Juniperus phoenicea

Lithodora hispidula

Onopordum cyprium

Prasium majus

Ranunculus cornutus

Red Star Thistle Centaurea calcitrapa angusticeps

Shield Clover Trifolium clypeatum

Spanish Medick Anthyllis circinnata

Vicia peregrina

Hairy Yellow Vetchling Vicia hybrida

Lathyrus cicera

Alyssum loiseleurii

Thymus longiflorus

Valeriana dioica

Down again and towards the coast passing a couple of superb Chukar and a male Northern Wheatear in some ploughed fields on the way.

Sheep to the left of me, goats to the right, mixed in the middle in front of me

Northern Wheatear

Chukar

We parked up at the Aphrodite's Baths, bought an ice-cream and walked through the botanical gardens where wild Cypriot Cyclamens were flowering and down to the pool that legend has it was used by Aphrodite – the Greek Goddess of Love. It was nestled in a large alcove overhung and shaded by a huge spidery Fig tree. I even found Water Crickets here although they evaded any pics as the water was too clear and it only focused on the pool bed!

Aphrodite's Bath

Cyclamen graecum

Long Birthwort Aristolochia sempervirens

Ranunculus asiaticus

Mastic Pistacia lentiscus

Turpentine Pistacia terebinthus

Shrub Tabacco Nicotina glauca - as usual if anyone sees any botanical errors please let me know!

A poke around the bushes before the sea gave us our first Lesser Whitethroat and a Common Cuckoo as well as a Raven drifting along the ridge line. A scan of the sea gave us a few Yellow-legged Gulls and a single Shag.

We looped back in towards the quarry again and just out the other side got lucky with a full adult Bonelli’s Eagle drifting over. It even allowed us enough time to stop and get out and watch it quartering the landscape. Stunningly pied underneath and as ever such a unique flight profile.

Bonelli’s Eagle

The journey back gave us another Common Buzzard and a couple more Long-legs so we opted to head back to Varvara Pools where the water levels in all the pools had changed and there were almost no margins but we did see one male Little Crake, heaps of normal Moorhens (just saying) and a bonus Great Bittern that was sitting up in the vegetation on the top pool while the Crake fed underneath it!

Great Bittern & Little Crake

Great Bittern

Little Crake

Little Crake - Max Hellicar

Red-rumped Swallow

Yellow-legged Gulls

There were lots of hirundine activity and the gulls from the pre-roost at the nearby reservoir were already heading back to the coast to bed. We tried the Asprokremnos dam anyway but there were only a few distant gulls and we opted to try again earlier on another evening. A Cyprus Brown Hare lolloped across the track in front of us.

With the sun setting we headed for the beach at Mandria were a Marsh Harrier was still out hunting and an in off Ruddy Shelduck was a surprising way to round up the day!

And I rescued this big fat Oil Beetle outside our digs

Blue Eyed Birder

Friday, 4 April 2025

Cyprus - Day 3 - 20th March 2025