NORTHERN CYPRUS, AUGUST 2006

by Ian McKerchar

          With spring birding hols taken up with Hong Kong this year, my usual trip to Northern Cyprus was relegated to August this year, a period I had never visited the island and one I knew little about. The little I did know was that it would be much quieter bird wise than spring and would be very hot, but conversely, the sea would be warm for swimming and the Efes beer taste all the better for it!

            We (with my non-birding family) arrived on the 23rd of August, leaving on the 30th and as usual were based in Karsiyaka but with temperatures too hot for birding from about 10ish in the morning, much of the day was spent lazing, swimming, eating, drinking with occasional birding, from Shirley Valentines restaurant in Lapta, positioned right on the coast, surrounded by favourable birding habitat and fortuitously, owned by my mum!

Karsiyaka, 24/08, 06:40-09:00

Clear skies, very hot.

A walk around the olive groves, with now bare, scorched fields.

Above: a section of olive grove, here with more open areas than usual which attracted good numbers of shrikes.

Yellow Wagtail- 2 species over, heading east.

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler- 2+

Eastern Bonelli's Warbler- 1

Masked Shrike- 7+, including 4+ juveniles

Gecitkoy Reservoir, 24/08, 17:40

Still bloody hot!

Green Sandpiper- 5

Common Sandpiper- 1

Greenshank- 1

Roller- 1

Above: Roller hunting avidly around the very dry, eastern end of the reservoir

Barred Warbler- 2 immatures

Korucam Burnu, 25/08, 06;20-09:40

Hot, very still and very good visibility.

The Burnu was much different than spring, with fields of beautiful wild flowers now bare earth and scorched grass and avian activity almost apparently non-existent compared with springs continuous and often bewildering activity.

Above: the 'long reeds' with scorched grasses, bare earth and few birds!

Grey Heron- 70+ in a large V formation flying high south

Black-headed Wagtail- 1 over east

Cyprus Pied Wheatear- 7+

Barred Warbler- 2+

Lesser Whitethroat- 1 by the water tank

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler- 6+, a target bird for the trip they offered superb views in bushes around the water tank but I found were impossible to digiscope!

Masked Shrike- 1 adult male in the long reeds

Red-backed Shrike- 1 immature in the long reeds

Above: a nice male Masked Shrike

Shirley Valentines, Lapta, 26/08

Glossy Ibis- 21 in V formation, very high over sea heading west

Great White Egret- 1 over sea heading west

Above: Glossy Ibis migrating out to sea.

Kanlikoy Reservoir, 27/08, 07:20-08:30

Clear, light SE wind, slightly hazy.

The reservoir still had good levels of water in and birds!

Little Grebe- 224, an impressive flock!

Glossy Ibis- 1

Mallard- 370

Shoveler- 29

Garganey- 146
Spur-winged Plover- 6

Little-ringed Plover- 1 juv

Black-winged Stilt- 37

Above: some Stilts around the shore of the reservoir

Greenshank- 1

Little Stint- 5 juveniles

Spotted Redshank- 1 non-breeding plumaged adult

Black-tailed Godwit- 2 1st winter birds

Common Sandpiper- 3

Green Sandpiper- 22

Wood Sandpiper- 1

Snipe- 1

Blue-headed Wagtail- 20+ juveniles

Sedge Warbler- 2

Reed Warbler - 3+ (looked like 'scirpaceus')

Willow Warbler- 1 juvenile

Black-headed Bunting- 1 immature

Shirley Valentines, Lapta, 27/08, 17:00-

Glossy Ibis- 2 very close inshore flying west

Little Egret- 111, in two flocks of 58 and 53, flying low west hugging the waves and causing me a swift swim to the rocks to grab my bins!

Caspian Gull- 3 adults, all heading west very close inshore

Eleonora's Falcon- 2 juvs, flew north out to sea (right past me!), interacting briefly close offshore then flying out to sea- fantastic!

St.Hilarion Castle, 27/08

Typically very hot for midday with a very light SW wind.

Situated very high up in the mountains the castle has some of the most impressive views on the island and birding which deserved more attention than I gave it and perhaps preferably during spring and early summer.

Hobby- 1 juvenile hawking insects over the castle.

Wren- 1

Cyprus Pied Wheatear- 7+, including 1 very young juvenile still with down

Blue Rock Thrush- 1+ singing!

Blackcap- 2 (a pair)

Orphean Warbler- 2

Spectacled Warbler- 1 immature

Great Tit- 2+

Also, along the mountain road leading west from the castle back towards Lapta which too deserved better coverage:

Alpine Swift- 1

Blue Rock Thrush- 3+

Olivaceous Warbler- lots! Among the pines along the roadside affording superb views but as usual, bugger all digiscoping opportunities.

Willow Warbler- lots!

Korucam Burnu, 28/08, 06:30-10:20

Hot (as if it would be anything else!), very slight SW wind and very good visibility.

Scopoli's Shearwater- 2, both very close inshore heading west at 08:10 and 08:15. Doubtless a longer seawatch would have produced more but I was very content with the views I had of this target species.

Shag- 3 immatures

Glossy Ibis-57 west at 07:13

                  109 heading west in one flock at 07:14                

Little Egret- 8 west at 06:55

                   24, heading west at 10:25 with large Purple Heron flock             

Purple Heron- 133, in 1 flock heading west at 10:25 very close inshore, circling quite low over the sea occasionally

Above: migrating Purple Heron flock with Little Egrets amixed, out to sea.

Garganey- 79 heading west with a flock of 109 Glossy Ibis

                 152 heading west out to sea 07:14, keeping very close to the water in a large V formation

                 34 heading west 08:47, close inshore hugging the sea

Lesser Kestrel- 1 female, affording good views by the long reeds

Greater Sand Plover- 1 adult on a small rocky section of the extreme cape, an area I have previously ignored, to my loss no doubt!

Above: Greater Sand Plover on the cape (with darkish legs)

Grey Plover- 2 breeding plumaged birds  flew over high west, calling at 07:55 and 08:05

Dunlin- 1 adult over high NW, calling

Caspian Gull- 1 adult west at 08:43

'Baltic' Lesser Black backed Gull- 1 3rd winter fuscus west at 08:44

Common Tern- 34 west 08:46

Sandwich Tern- 2 west 08:53

Rock Dove- 8 came in from the east and dropped on to the small sea cliffs on the northern edge of the cape

Blue-headed Wagtail- 3 over SE

Crested Lark- 22 around the long reeds

Northern Wheatear- 1 female

Spectacled Warbler- 1 male

Lesser Grey Shrike- 1 adult in the long reeds

Masked Shrike- 1 juvenile by the water tank

Golden Oriole- 1 male flew from large fig tree by the water tank and into nearby bushes

Chaffinch- 1 juvenile flew into trees in the long reeds briefly, panting heavily and wing opening desperately to loose some heat!

Shirley Valentines, 28/08, 18:40

Purple Heron- 53 in 1 flock out to sea heading east

Korucam Burnu, 29/08, 06:30

Hot again, with a strong SW to W wind and very good visibility.

Above: seawatching from the extreme tip of the cape at Korucam Burnu

Scopoli's Shearwater- 14+ in a 30 minute seawatch, some quite close inshore

Black Francolin- 1 female/immature near the water tank

Above: female or immature Black Francolin

Greater Sand Plover- 1 until 07:05, a different bird than yesterdays but at the same spot, how I wish I'd checked this at previous visits!

Above: a different Greater Sand Plover on the cape (with pale legs)

Willow Warbler- 1 long reeds

Orphean Warbler- 1 water tank

Spotted Flycatcher- 1 water tank

Red-backed Shrike- 1 male in the long reeds

Above: male Red-backed Shrike in the long reeds

Shirley Valentines, 29/08, 11:00

Oh yes, very hot, with a moderate W to NW wind.

Above: Hooded Crow, a common bird throughout Northern Cyprus with a liking for the rocky shore around Shirley Valentines

Above: Cyprus Pied Wheatear, another fairly common bird

Cormorant- 8 juveniles heading W at 14:55

Garganey- 743 in 16 flocks throughout the day, with many probably missed through me not paying attention due to swimming (sea and pool, despite having bins reasonably close to hand) and drinking Efes beer! The flocks, all heading west, hugging the waves, consisted of:

               38 @ 11:10

               41 @ 11:24

               43 @ 11:38

               53 @ 11:45

               62 @ 11:55

               113 @ 12:41

               81 @ 13:12

               28 @ 13:34

               42 @ 13:56

               14 @ 14:12

               5 @ 14:53

               12 @ 15:20

               38 @ 16:10

               55 @ 16:46

               63 @ 17:52 (which were farther out to sea but still hugging the waves)

               55 @ 17: 56 (after which I gave up looking!)

'Baltic' Lesser Black-backed Gull- 3, 3rd winter fuscus W at 11:30, 13:12 and 17:40

Common Tern- 3 1st winters W at 12:50

Turtle Dove- 2 together west over the coast 15:13

Lesser Grey Shrike- 1 on wires opposite the restaurant car park

Karsiyaka, 30/08, 07:45

Hoopoe- 2

Crag Martin- 1 flying quite high over the village

Olivaceous Warbler- 12+

Red-backed Shrike- 3+ juveniles

Masked Shrike- 7+ juveniles

Above: juvenile Red-backed Shrike

Above: juvenile Masked Shrike

The Hut Restaurant, Lapta, 30/08, 10:50-12:30

For our last morning on the island we stopped for breakfast at The Hut in Lapta, situated right on the coast with a great view. All species noted below were flying west.

Grey Heron- 22 at 11:57

Little Egret- 17  at 11:44

Glossy Ibis- 13, with a flock of 12 at 11:15 and a single bird very close, flying over the restaurant 12:20

Caspian Gull- 5, comprising 3 adults, 1 3rd winter and a single 1st winter, coming almost directly above the restaurant and giving superb prolonged views

And so ended another trip to this beautiful part of Cyprus, one in which, yet again, I encountered no other birders- heaven!

Above: looking to the west from Shirley Valentines restaurant, the sea to your right, at another beautiful sunset!

Ian Mckerchar, Greater Manchester

NORTHERN CYPRUS, AUGUST 2006 PHOTO GALLERY

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