I’ve been a typical customer to the island of Cyprus for over 25 years, making round a dozen journeys all the way through this era, each and every one on the lookout for birds. Tucked away on the excessive japanese finish of the Mediterranean, Cyprus is appeared politically as a part of Europe, however with regards to birds it’s very a lot Heart Japanese in flavour, with a variety of species which are not easy and even unattainable to seek out in Europe, plus a trio of endemics.
I made my most up-to-date talk over with previous this month, arriving with my 3 birding partners, Martin, Mike and Chris, on a heat spring night. It was once darkish once we reached our lodging within the hillside village of Pachna, the place we have been greeted through a duet of Scops Owls. In step with the taxonomists, those weren’t common Scops Owls (Otus scops) however the endemic Cyprus Scops Owl (Otus cyprius). It is a contemporary break up, for after I closing visited Cyprus in 2018 the 2 have been thought to be conspecific. Like any Scops Owls, although, those birds proved elusive and tough to look. In spite of listening to them each and every evening, most effective Mike controlled a temporary glimpse.
Guffawing Dove: now a not unusual resident on Cyprus. They prefer to perch on TV aerials
I woke earlier than break of day on my first morning to the glad chattering of Swallows now not a long way from my bed room window. They have been accompanied through the monotonous cooing of the inevitable Collared Doves, and every other chook that I’d by no means heard in Cyprus earlier than: a Guffawing Dove. Any person who has loved a safari in East Africa will probably be aware of the satisfying tune of the Guffawing Dove, which is the background soundtrack to on a daily basis spent within the bush. It was once bizarre to listen to it right here in Cyprus. First recorded breeding at the island in 2013, this dove is now each well-liked and not unusual. Although it has unfold naturally, Anders Grey from BirdLife Cyprus informed me that it’s numbers were boosted through releases of captive-bred birds through hunters. It’s now at the professional quarry record at the island. We discovered it virtually all over the place we went, but it surely’s generally an city chook, and now not one you discover a long way out within the nation-state.
Sardinian Warblers are one of the vital not unusual breeding birds on Cyprus, although they just bred for the primary time within the Eighties
On my first talk over with to Cyprus, again within the mid 90s, I appeared myself as fortunate to discover a Sardinian Warbler, as this species most effective bred at the island for the primary time within the Eighties. Now it’s all over the place, for it has turn into one of the most most common of Cypriot birds. Sadly this has come at a price, for it has ousted the endemic Cyprus Warbler, which is now a tough chook to seek out. Bodily the 2 are very an identical, however the Cyprus is reasonably smaller and so is out-competed through the dominant Sardinian. While you come throughout a male Cyprus Warbler there’s no mistaking it, for it’s the one Sylvia warbler with a dismal noticed underside. We looked at a large number of Sardinian Warblers earlier than we after all discovered our chook (under).
Cyprus Warbler, now a hard-to-find endemic. Be aware the noticed underside.
By contrast to the warbler the Cyprus Wheatear is among the perfect birds to seek out in spring, for they’re discovered all over the place, from pine woods and vineyards to the center of villages. As soon as thought to be a definite race of the extra well-liked Pied Wheatear, it’s now thought to be a complete species in its personal proper. In spite of being not unusual and somewhat approachable, it’s a kind of birds which are remarkably tricky to {photograph}. The tune is extremely unique. The Collins Chicken Information describes it as “a sequence of an identical cracked hoarse notes, ‘bizz-bizz-bizz-bizz-bizz…’” I couldn’t put it higher myself.
Cyprus Wheatears are the perfect to seek out of the 3 endemic birds that happen on Cyprus
Black Francolins as soon as bred in Portugal, Spain and Italy, all nations from which this good-looking little recreation chook has lengthy been misplaced. They nonetheless stay well-liked and somewhat not unusual on Cyprus, and the male’s far-carrying territorial name is among the maximum feature sounds of Cyprus in spring. Consistently repeated, it at all times sounds to me like a toy trumpet. Francolins like to name from a outstanding perch, corresponding to a low bush (under), but when they believe they’ve been noticed they temporarily disappear from view, so they may be able to be frustratingly elusive.
Black Francolins are extra incessantly heard than noticed
Once I first visited Cyprus, Spur-winged Lapwings have been uncommon and difficult to seek out. Nowadays they’re a Cypriot good fortune tale, for they’ve established themselves at many places, or even breed in the course of roundabouts within the bustling the city of Larnaka. It’s now not not easy to determine why they’ve been such a success, for they’re extraordinarily competitive to anything else that dares manner their nests, chasing of passing Picket Sandpipers or even Yellow Wagtails with the similar enthusiasm as they do Hooded Crows. They’re noisy birds, and unattainable to put out of your mind.
Now a not unusual breeding chook at the island: Spurwinged Lapwing
For plenty of visiting birders, Eleonora’s Falcons are one of the most greatest attracts. Cyprus holds essentially the most easterly colonies of this good-looking raptor, and they’re most simply noticed on Kensington Cliffs, close to Episkopi. The primary birds go back from their wintering grounds in Madagascar in mid April, so the birds we noticed had most effective simply arrived. They’re very past due breeders, as they feed their younger on autumn migrants which they usually intercept out to sea. One September I watched a pack of 7 Eleonora’s looking a juvenile Swift. In spite of its velocity, the Swift didn’t stand an opportunity, for those falcons are fatal hunters. They continue to be at the island smartly into October, with a couple of lingering into November.
Cyprus has essentially the most easterly colonies of Eleonora’s Falcons on the planet
Except the Kingfisher we don’t have any brightly colored breeding birds in Britain, so it’s at all times a deal with to look birds corresponding to Bee-eaters, Hoopoes and Rollers (pictured under). Rollers are well-liked, and a chook you incessantly see when using, sitting on roadside telegraph wires. Hoopoes are not unusual breeding birds. Bee-eaters additionally nest, however many of the birds noticed at the island are passage migrants. We noticed our first birds on 17 April: numbers of migrating birds top on the finish of April.
Like Bee-eaters, many of the shrikes are past due migrants, although Masked Shrikes are an exception to the late-arrival rule through returning in March. We discovered them simply within the pine woods of the Troodos mountains. Those sensible little birds – the smallest and daintiest of the Eu shrikes – nest at the island. So too do Woodchat Shrikes, whilst Pink-backed are most effective occasional breeders. Lesser Gray Shrikes are common migrants, however are seldom noticed earlier than the closing week of April. We ignored them, however there have been a variety of different compensations, as I can disclose subsequent week.
Masked Shrike: those dainty shrikes are well-liked breeders on Cyprus, returning in mid March