trip report cyprus 30 sept. to 7 oct. 2015

TRIP REPORT CYPRUS 30 SEPT. TO 7 OCT. 2015 GLYN & CHRIS SELLORS MALE CYPRUS WHEATEAR FACTS & FIGURES FLIGHTS WITH JET2 FROM EAST MIDLANDS TO PAPHOS, CYPRUS -­‐ £ 300 EACH CAR PARKING AT EAST MIDLANDS AIRPORT -­‐ £ 60 ACCOMMODATION IN CYPRUS, VILLA BAXES, PEYIA -­‐ £ 600 CAR HIRE IN CYPRUS -­‐ £ 200 SPENDING MONEY – APPROX. £ 500 TOTAL COSTS – APPROX. £ 1900 FOR 7 NIGHTS ITINERARY WE FLEW FROM EAST MIDLANDS TO PAPHOS, CYPRUS – FLIGHT TIME APPROX. 4.5 HOURS. OUR RENTAL VEHICLE WAS AT THE AIRPORT – A NISSAN NOTE – IT WAS SMALL, BUT OK FOR 2 WITH LUGGAGE. UNFORTUNATELY OUR FLIGHT WAS DELAYED FOR OVER AN HOUR – WHEN WE ARRIVED IN PAPHOS IT WAS NEARLY DARK – ALTHOUGH WE HAD DIRECTIONS TO OUR VILLA IN PEYIA, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO FIND, BUT EVENTUALLY WE FOUND IT & DUMPED OUR LUGGAGE & WENT OUT FOR AN EVENING MEAL. AN EVENING MEAL FOR 2 WAS APPROX. 45 EUROS – ONE NIGHT WE HAD GRILLED RED SNAPPER & THAT WAS 75 EUROS. I VISITED CYPRUS 20 YEARS AGO, SO I KNEW MOST OF THE BEST BIRDING SITES – OUR LONGEST DRIVE WAS TO AKROTIRI – JUST OVER AN HOUR FROM PEYIA. MANDRIA, NEAR PAPHOS AIRPORT, IS A WELL KNOWN SITE FOR RED-­‐FOOTED FALCONS ON AUTUMN MIGRATION – UNFORTUNATELY THIS YEAR THEY DIDN’T HANG AROUND & WE MISSED THEM, BUT IT WAS STILL A GOOD TRIP FOR OTHER SPECIES. I FOUND DAVE GOSNEY’S SMALL BOOKLET VERY HELPFUL – FINDING BIRDS IN SOUTHERN CYPRUS. SYSTEMATIC LIST GREAT CRESTED GREBE SHAG – 2 MANDRIA CORMORANT BITTERN – A LOCAL FLUSHED 1 FROM THE ROADSIDE AT MANDRIA NIGHT HERON – 7 JUVENILES BATHS OF APHRODITE LITTLE EGRET GREY HERON – ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRIP WAS A FLOCK OF 400 GREY & PURPLE HERONS FLYING OVER THE BATHS OF APHRODITE – ALSO ANOTHER FLOCK OF 60 GREY HERONS JUST DOWN THE COAST. PURPLE HERON – PROBABLY 10% OF THE ABOVE FLOCK WERE PURPLE HERONS – MAINLY JUVENILES. WHITE STORK – 5 OVER CORAL BAY SHELDUCK MALLARD GADWALL SHOVELER TEAL POCHARD TUFTED DUCK GRIFFON VULTURE – 1 KENSINGTON CLIFFS BEING MOBBED BY ELEONORA’S FALCONS. BONELLI’S EAGLE – 2 ADULTS THELETRA & 4 ADULTS NEAR ASPROKREMNOS DAM. BLACK KITE – 1 THELETRA MARSH HARRIER LONG-­‐LEGGED BUZZARD – C. 6 BUZZARD HONEY BUZZARD – A DARK JUVENILE AKROTIRI SPARROWHAWK KESTREL HOBBY – 1 ELEONORA’S FALCON – ALWAYS A DELIGHT TO SEE THESE DYNAMIC FALCONS – C. 15 KENSINGTON CLIFFS PEREGRINE – 1 THELETRA BLACK FRANCOLIN – HEARD ONLY CHUKAR PARTRIDGE SMALL CRAKE SPECIES – 1 FLUSHED NEAR PAPHOS AIRPORT MOORHEN COOT STONE-­‐CURLEW – 50 IN ONE FIELD AT MANDRIA RINGED PLOVER KENTISH PLOVER – C. 50 LADY’S MILE BEACH GREATER SAND PLOVER – 2 PAPHOS HEADLAND LAPWING DUNLIN LITTLE STINT – C. 10 LADY’S MILE BEACH COMMON SANDPIPER GREENSHANK CURLEW WHIMBREL – 1 PAPHOS HEADLAND BLACK-­‐HEADED GULL MEDITERRANEAN GULL YELLOW-­‐LEGGED GULL WOOD PIGEON COLLARED DOVE TURTLE DOVE DIAMOND DOVE – 1 MANDRIA ( ESCAPE ) HOOPOE – 1 AGIA VARVERA KINGFISHER BEE-­‐EATER – QUITE A FEW MIGRATING BIRDS CRESTED LARK WOOD LARK SHORT-­‐TOED LARK SWALLOW TAWNY PIPIT – 3 PAPHOS HEADLAND & 3 MANDRIA FIELDS TREE PIPIT RED-­‐THROATED PIPIT – C. 50 MANDRIA FIELDS WHITE WAGTAIL YELLOW WAGTAIL – C. 100 MANDRIA FIELDS WREN REDSTART – 2 WHEATEAR CYPRUS WHEATEAR – 6 MAVROKOLYMPOS DAM AREA & 4 THELETRA WHINCHAT STONECHAT BLUE ROCK THRUSH BLACKBIRD BLACKCAP EASTERN ORPHEAN WARBLER – 1 THELETRA SARDINIAN WARBLER – VERY COMMON CYPRUS WARBLER – C. 10 MAVROKOLYMPOS DAM AREA – DISTINCTIVE CALL ZITTING CISTICOLA CETTI’S WARBLER EASTERN OLIVACEOUS WARBLER – 1 PAPHOS HEADLAND WILLOW WARBLER CHIFFCHAFF SPOTTED FLYCATCHER GREAT TIT BLUE TIT RED-­‐BACKED SHRIKE – ONLY A FEW MASKED SHRIKE – 2 JUVENILES PAPHOS HEADLAND & 1 JUVENILE NEAR MANDRIA MAGPIE JACKDAW HOODED CROW RAVEN STARLING HOUSE SPARROW SPANISH SPARROW – PAPHOS HEADLAND CHAFFINCH LINNET GOLDFINCH REED BUNTING CORN BUNTING [email protected] www.glynsellorsphotography.com IMAGES BELOW JUVENILE NIGHT HERON JUVENILE NIGHT HERON GREY & PURPLE HERONS GREATER SAND PLOVER GREATER SAND PLOVER EASTERN OLIVACEOUS WARBLER JUVENILE MASKED SHRIKE JUVENILE MASKED SHRIKE JUVENILE HONEY BUZZARD JUVENILE HONEY BUZZARD ELEONORA’S FALCON DARK PHASE ELEONORA’S FALCON ELEONORA’S FALCON WHITE STORK FEMALE CYPRUS WHEATEAR MALE CYPRUS WHEATEAR LONG-­‐LEGGED BUZZARD LONG-­‐LEGGED BUZZARD MALE SPANISH SPARROW MALE SPANISH SPARROW CRESTED LARK CRESTED LARK CRESTED LARK ZITTING CISTICOLA