Cyprus Day 6 - Herons galore

7^th April

The rest of the trip owed us nothing after yesterday and although we were still keen to check Cape Greco thoroughly it was nice to take things easier and have a day of relative rest (almost like normal people would be on holiday!). We got to the Cape nice and early although I had a bit of a hangover from celebrating the Caspian Plover at the bar! It felt as if the birding was changing and we started to pick up later spring migrants including 10 stunning European Beeaters , a Quail calling from the stubble field , a much welcomed Turtle Dove ( sadly getting much scarcer on migration, changes in breeding habitat and continued hunting persecution around the Mediterranean may cause extinction in my lifetime. Although I hope we can change this!) and an impressive flock of 44 Gull Billed Tern over the sea.

Hoopoe

Crested Lark

Tawny Pipit

 

We had lunch at our favourite restaurant by Orlikini Marsh and enjoyed views of 40 Glossy Ibis ,6 Purple Heron, a male Little Bittern feeding right underneath the hide and a good breeding record of Red Crested Pochard with 8 ducklings. We took our time watching from the hide as it was so windy everywhere else today,  more Garganey were present with at least 25 showing at any one time. The heronry was also very busy with many breeding Cattle Egrets whilst the final Flamingos seemed to have departed to their breeding grounds.

Little Bittern

We just had to go back to Paralimni to see the Caspian Plover and sure enough it was showing well straight away! We walked out to the bird again and had the bonus of seeing 2 Great Snipe which were flushed by another Pallid Harrier! Another great lifer for Pete. I walked further into the marsh and realised just how much more habitat there was to look through, seeing many more Purple Herons, Spotted Crakes and a good variety of waders including 2 Common Sandpiper ( the only ones we saw all week). We then met back up and watched the reed bed for Crakes again, seeing another Spotted Crake and yesterdays Little Crake. There was also a nice flock of Larks and Pipits near to dusk and it was a pleasure to watch 40 plus Greater Short-toed Larks at close range.  It’s amazing how much these birds vary in appearance and it’s always good to study them abroad and get your eye in (and learn the calls, the two I have found in Cornwall I picked up on call before I saw them). It was getting late by now and it was time to go back to the Hotel to pack and get ready for our last day on the island. Paralimni had been so kind to us and it felt like a good time to make it our last visit of the trip here , rather than rush back tomorrow when we would be heading back to Larnaca to catch our flight home.

Purple Heron's

Cape Greco: 7 Isabelline Wheatear, 1 Water Pipit, 1 Red-throated Pipit, 1 Quail, 1 Turtle Dove, 5 Tawny Pipit, 40 Short-toed Lark, 1 Audouins Gull, 44 Gull-billed Tern, 5 Little Egret, 8 Grey |Heron, 2 Red Rumped Swallow, 10 European Beeater. Orlikini Marsh: 1 Little Bittern, 2 Red-Crested Pochard with 8 young, 6 Purple Heron, 16 Glossy Ibis. Paralimni: 1 Caspian Plover, 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Pallid Harrier, 1 Little Crake, 3 Spotted Crake, 16 Purple Heron.