Cyprus observations Feb

[Oscar Swartz]

I have seen at http://www.birdlifecyprus.org/ that you publish a monthly sightings archive. If you wish you can have notes from my visit in Cyprus.

Report by Oscar Swartz. I stayed in Agia Napa Feb 5 to Feb 25. I was there to do writing and not primarily for holidays or birdwatching but I took walks almost every morning from harbour and westwards along shore and around an undeveloped area about 500 m west of harbour (almost like seashore continues far up, a typical Isabelline Wheatear habitat - and yes, two of them were present there).

On Feb-18 and Feb-19 I made bicycle tours to Cape Greco and on Feb-24 up into hills btwn Agia Napa and Protaras (Fanos). Also other walks in and around Agia Napa. These are my notes:

GREAT CORMORANT Phalacrocorax carbo

1 seen almost daily around Agia Napa harbour. 7 flying in formation over Cape Greco Feb-19.

LITTLE EGRET Egretta garzetta

Agia Napa (harbour and west, also east),1 virtually every day 5-feb to 25-feb. Once in the period 2 was seen flying past harbour as a pair.

(?) PURPLE HERON Ardea purpurea

Agia Napa, Lanna Beach, 22-feb, 09:30 AM. Hoarse heron call heard from above. 3 were seen flying but too far up and against white sky. The call was not exactly the normal two-syllable call of Grey Heron I am used to from Sweden. I guess it was Purple Heron but maybe it is too early for them?

COMMON BUZZARD Buteo buteo

2 Fanos (hills NW of Agia Napa) on Feb-24.

COMMON KESTREL Falco tinnunculus

Here and there in Agia Napa-Cape Greco area, Feb-5 - Feb-24. Several sites.

CHUKAR Alectoris chukar

Not uncommon around Agia Napa and out towards and including Cape Greco area. Seen every day when leaving town center Feb-5 - Feb-24.

KENTISH PLOVER Charadrius alexandrinus

1 on Feb-18 on shore 500 m west of Agia Napa harbour.

GREATER SAND PLOVER Charadrius leschenaultii

2 both Feb-13 and Feb-14 just west of Agia Napa harbour, one full winter plumage, one with pale rusty breast band starting to appear.

COMMON SANDPIPER Actitis hypoleucos

1-2 virtually every day Feb-5 - Feb-24 just west of Agia Napa harbour.

AUDOUIN'S GULL Larus audouinii 

2 on Feb-16 in Agia Napa harbour. Single gulls seen several times Feb-16 - Feb-24. 2 on Feb-18 at Cape Greco.

ARMENIAN GULL Larus armenicus

A few birds identified as Armenian around Agia Napa harbour in period Feb-5 to Feb-24.

Many unidentified gulls, but surprisingly few gulls in this area.

SANDWICH TERN Sterna sandvicensis 

Single terns a few times around Agia Napa harbour Feb-6 - Feb-18. Maximum number: 3 simultaneously on Feb-14.

EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE Streptopelia decaocto

Numerous in and around Agia Napa.

COMMON SWIFT Apus apus

1 morning Feb-18, 500 m W of Agia Napa harbour, maybe coming in from sea.

COMMON KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis

1 patrolling area from Agia Napa harbour to 500 m West virtually every non-stormy day Feb-17 to Feb-25. According to long-stayers a kingfisher is there all winter, every year.

CRESTED LARK Galerida cristata

Abundant.

EURASIAN SKYLARK Alauda arvensis

4 Cape Greco, Feb-18. 1 Fanos (hills btwn Agia Napa and Protaras) Feb-24.

BARN SWALLOW Hirundo rustica

1 Agia Napa Feb-17, thereafter more and more every day.

COMMON HOUSE MARTIN Delichon urbica

2 Cape Greco Feb-19, thereafter more and more common every day. 1 seen collecting mud on ground, 500 m w of Agia Napa harbour.

riparia riparia

1 Agia Napa, Napa Forest, Feb-24, among many Barn swallows and House martins.

MEADOW PIPIT Anthus pratensis

Present all period on undeveloped area 500 m west of Agia Napa harbour, highest number >10 on Feb-25. 4 Cape Greco Feb-18. Also between Agia Napa and Cape Greco.

WHITE WAGTAIL Motacilla alba

Quite common all period.

EUROPEAN ROBIN Erithacus rubecula

Heard twice in Agia Napa area.

WESTERN BLACK REDSTART Phoenicurus ochruros

4 different birds Cape Greco (3 male, 1 female), Feb-18 and Feb-19. 1 female present all period 500 m west of Agia Napa Harbour.

COMMON STONECHAT Saxicola torquata

Abundant.

ISABELLINE WHEATEAR Oenanthe isabellina

1 Cape Greco, Feb-19. 2 present on undeveloped area 500 m west of Agia Napa harbour daily Feb-20 to Feb-25. 2 Fanos Feb-24.

KURDISTAN WHEATEAR Oenanthe xanthoprymna

1 Cape Greco, Feb-19. It was present on and around hiking track below high rocks (never higher up) and was singing from top of a number of stones, apparently staking out a territory.

BLUE ROCK THRUSH Monticola solitarius

1 singing male + 1 female (different locations), Cape Greco, Feb-18. 1 male in third location, Cape Greco, Feb-19.

SONG THRUSH Turdus philomelos

2 Cape Greco, Feb-18.

CETTI'S WARBLER Cettia cetti

Heard several times in different locations around Agia Napa whole period.

ZITTING CISTICOLA Cisticola juncidis

Common. Heard many times in many locations in and around Agia Napa.

SPECTACLED WARBLER Sylvia conspicillata

Common in all area Agia Napa - Cape Greco whole period.

EURASIAN BLACKCAP Sylvia atricapilla

Heard singing and seen in Agia Napa several times in whole period.

COMMON CHIFFCHAFF Phylloscopus collybita

Heard and seen many times in many locations in whole period.

COMMON STARLING Sturnus vulgaris

1 flock of 8 outside Agia Napa Feb-18.

HOUSE SPARROW Passer domesticus

Abundant.

COMMON CHAFFINCH Fringilla coelebs

2 Agia Napa, Napa Forest, Feb-24.

EUROPEAN SERIN Serinus serinus

Heard a few times in Agia Napa and on way to Cape Greco.

EUROPEAN GREENFINCH Carduelis chloris

Here and there all period. 6 Agia Napa 500 m W of harbour on Feb-25, 10 Cape Greco Feb-18.

EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH Carduelis carduelis

Common in whole area all period.

CORN BUNTING Miliaria calandra

Singing on Feb-18 and Feb-19 btwn Agia Napa and Cape Greco. Singing 500 m w of Agia Napa harbour on Feb-25.

Oscar Swartz

http://swartz.typepad.com/

[chris.j...@cytanet.com.cy]

Very many thanks Oscar, I'll forward these to BirdLife Cyprus Office for the Recent Sightings pages and no doubt our Recorder, Colin Richardson, will include these sightings for the annual report.

I hope that your writing went well and that your enjoyed your stay in Cyprus.

All the very best

June Neal
----- Original Message Follows -----
From: Oscar Swartz <os...@bahnhof.se>
To: cyprus...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [cyprus-birds] Cyprus observations Feb
Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2011 15:02:54 +0100