With cloud bubbling up it was up to the north coast for a
couple of hours speculative sky watching from the Argennos bandstands looking
over towards Turkey. At that point it was a little cooler than in recent days
(below 30c!) and there was enough shade to make it quite pleasant. It was fairly quiet but enjoyable and aside
from the local two Buzzards, three Short-toed Eagles, male Goshawk, male
Peregrine and two Sparrowhawks, I did manage to pick up some incomers with six
Marsh Harriers and seven juvenile Honey Buzzards. Bee-eaters were constantly on the move and
the best part of 200 coasted while I was there for two hours between 10 and
12. A Common Swift snuck through with
them – I say snuck, as I have just noticed it in my pics!
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Honey Buzzard |
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| Goshawk |
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| Short-toed Eagle |
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| Bee-eaters with Common Swift at the very top! |
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| Bee-eaters |
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| Bee-eater |
I counted 21 Chaffinches and six Tree Pipits coasting
south-east and Ravens were as ever my constant companions and aid in picking up
raptors. A couple of Willow Warblers were foraging in the roses and weeds.
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Willow Warbler - always amazes me how dark the legs are on some |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Ravens |
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| Ravens |
From here we dropped back to Skala Sikamineas hearing
roadside Robins and Medium-tailed Tits in the process and seeing a Redstart
flit across in front.
A banana and chocolate chunk icecream followed as per the
norm before the bump back west along the north coast track. It was back up in the mid 30’s and the whole
landscape was a patchwork of golden, crispy browns with glaucous Olives and
fading Oaks. A few Red-backed Shrikes, Spotted Flycatchers, both Wheatears and
Willow Warblers moved ahead but it was generally quiet and I only saw four
Yellow-legged Gulls on the seaward side for the whole journey.
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| Little fish feasting on a loaf that they made spin with all their wiggling |
Back to the Pela for some roosting. I tried skywatching from here but actually
nodded off propped up against the wall. With cloud still billowing up to the north I had picked up a
Honey Buzzard and three Short-toed Eagles before the lids closed and at 5pm I
persuaded myself that if I went down to the Eastern Kalloni Salt Pan Track that
the sun would be obscured and the temperature lower.
Wrong on both counts but I stuck to my plan
and walked down to level with the Pelican Pan where 14 Dalmatian of various
ages were seen along with a much darker, more contrasting youngster that on the
one occasion it popped its head up seemed to have a large bare patch around the
eye. I suspect a juvenile White Pelican.
Hopefully I will get another look.
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| Dalmatian Pelicans |
There were 33 Spoonbills and four Black Storks and a few
Grey Herons and Great Egrets amongst the Flamingos and among the 18 Redshank I
found seven Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, 58 Avocets, three Grey, two Ringed and five Kentish
Plovers. Five amazingly long billed Curlews were noted and two Black-necked Grebes
were actively feeding on the far lagoon.
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| Flamingos |
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Avocets
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| Crested Lark |
The weather front to the north seemed to be gathering some
momentum and the wind was really getting up so with rain threatening I walked
back and retreated for dinner. Of course it never rained. A quick poodle out
after dinner on the Papiana tracks gave one fly through Nightjar and a Green
Toad hopping across the track.
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