Operating since 2010. See more birds with local birder with more than 30 years experience of birding in Cyprus. Website http://cyprusbirdingtours.com/
Cyprus Birding Tours will not be offering private guiding from 12th December 2017 onwards. This page will continue as a blog on Cyprus birds and birding. Cyprus Birding Tours
If you are visiting Cyprus and need an experienced local birder to take you out and show you the birds of Cyprus and their habitats please contact us for a competitive quote. Email [email protected]
Our Trips
Operat
ing since 2010 we can take you out in the Republic of Cyprus, and can tailor your outing to suit the species, habitats or areas you want to see. If you are looking for specific species, we can suggest when and where to look; or if you are planning to visit at a specific time of year, we can suggest which areas are best to visit and what birds you might see there. We have no set tours and arrange the trip out to suit our clients’ needs. Full eight hour day trips are most commonly chosen by our clients but half days (for a minimum of four hours) can be arranged if you wish. A special rate can be arranged for those wanting to go out for two or more days. All trips are in a four wheel drive car and are for a maximum of four people. A packed lunch, refreshments and transportation charges are included in the price quoted. Our Guide
Jane Stylianou has been an active birdwatcher since childhood in the UK, and has birded in Cyprus since moving here in 1985. Between 2005 and 2009 she worked with BirdLife Cyprus and led groups of visitors and locals on birdwatching walks. She contributed a monthly column on the birds of Cyprus to the Cyprus Mail newspaper and is the author of the ‘ The Birds of Cyprus’ published in 2009 by the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation. She now works freelance as a bird guide and on various conservation and bird tourism projects. Since February 2013 she has been the BirdLife Cyprus Bird Recorder and editor of the annual Cyprus Bird Report. She is currently the Chair of the Cyprus Rare Birds Committee. She has a M.A. in Values and the Environment from the University of Lancaster (UK). Our Rates
Available on application and are dependent on time spent out bird watching.
A reminder that autumn and then winter are just around the corner at Larnaca Sewage Works this morning, with increasing numbers of Northern Shoveler and Common Teal and then five Northern Lapwing (photo of four) flew in, although they were quickly chased inland by a Spur-winged Lapwing. Also of note was a Grey Plover, a juvenile Montagu's Harrier, a White-winged Tern, a flock of 23 Glossy Ibis passing over and a Marsh Sandpiper.
Visited several Larnaca sites in the morning on Friday and then spent the afternoon at Akrotiri. Best birds around Larnaca were juvenile Pallid and Montagu's Harrier, Ortolan Bunting, Grey Plover and my first Whinchat of autumn. During the afternoon at Akrotiri there was a small passage of raptors including at least 23 Western Marsh Harriers, four European Honey Buzzards, two Osprey (photo), a Montagu's Harrier and a Black Kite. Hundreds of European Bee-eaters were in the area as were Common and Pallid Swifts, a European Roller, a Little Swift, Sand Martins and Red-rumped Swallows.
One of several Common Ringed Plovers currently in the Larnaca area. This one was on the beach south of the airport 5th September 2024.
Friday 30th August 2024. Time to do some sea watching in the Polis Chrysochou Bay. I usually do this several times in August but only one visit possible this year. The morning was busy but no great numbers of anything - Purple Heron, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Garganey, Whiskered Tern, Alpine and Pallid Swift and Red-rumped Swallow. The afternoon was very quiet with one flock of Grey Heron and then the Cyprus scarcity - a Eurasian Oystercatcher flew across the bay offshore from me. This is one of the best places and times to see one of these and luckily it was on the only day of the month I managed to get there!! Record shot shown.
Thursday afternoon I visited Achna Dam. Water levels are lower than they have been for several years but there were a good number of waders and herons feeding in the mud including Little and Temminck's Stint, a Curlew Sandpiper, Common, Green and Wood Sandpiper, Spotted and Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Common and Little Ringed Plover, Squacco and Grey Heron, Little and Cattle Egret and a Great Crested Grebe. Two fem/juv type and a male Marsh Harrier patrolled the area putting the birds up every so often. In the surrounding bushes there were several Red-backed, Lesser Grey and Masked Shrike (photo).
Back on island after a few weeks away. Spent a few hours at Larnaca Sewage Works on Thursday morning just seeing what was around. Waders included a lovely Grey Plover still in breeding plumage and an early group of Northern Shoveler feeding closely in a circle. Many Little Stints feeding around the edges as well as two Sanderling, Ringed Plovers, Green and Wood Sandpipers and Ruff. Two Pallid Swift flew over the back of the pools. Thirty minutes of action involved an Eleonora's Falcon (photo) which first of all tried to mob a juvenile Pallid Harrier that was moving west across the area. Then it put up a group of eight Collared Pratincole which it then proceeded to chase around the pools until it concentrated all its efforts on just one and chased it out of sight of the hide. Not sure of the outcome but neither the falcon or the pratincole reappeared.
Another late afternoon visit to Achna Dam where the number and variety of waders increases every time I go making it probably one of the best locations to go birding at the moment. It was great to see a Spotted Redshank still in breeding plumage (photo). Other birds there included White-winged Tern, Little Bittern, Black-crowned Night Heron, Cattle & Little Egret, a juvenile Masked Shrike, Temminck's and Little Stint, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Ruff, Little Ringed Plover, Glossy Ibis, Wood, Green and Common Sandpiper, Spur winged Lapwing, Black-winged Stilt, Stone Curlew, Great Crested Grebe, Squacco Heron, TEN Eurasian Hoopoe and Common Kingfisher
Larnaca Sewage Works this morning
Until a few years ago Ruddy Shelduck were scarce winter visitors but recently there are some at Larnaca Sewage Works most months of the year. There were two there this morning (photo) along with the usual Mallards and Spur-winged Lapwings as well as:
Collared Pratincole 3, Ferruginous Duck 1, Kentish Plover 50+, Black-winged Stilt 5, Little Ringed Plover 2, Common Sandpiper 4, Green Sandpiper 1, Common Redshank 1, Little Stint 1 and Ferruginous Duck 1.
Late afternoon at Achna yesterday with a Whiskered Tern and a Stone Curlew the best birds plus Grey Herons, Little and Cattle Egret, Squacco Heron, (photo), Black-crowned Night Heron (photo), Ruff (photo), Wood, Green and Common Sandpipers, Little Ringed Plover, Glossy Ibis, Long-legged Buzzard, Great Crested Grebe, Black-winged Stilt, Spur-winged Lapwing, Eurasian Hoopoe.
A late afternoon visit to Achna Dam on Tuesday with more than 70 Cattle Egret coming into roost plus two male Little Bittern, two Black-crowned Night Heron, a Grey Heron, two Little Egrets, four Glossy Ibis, two Common Hoopoe, two Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, a Little Ringed Plover (photo), two Green Sandpiper, two Black-winged Stilt and at least 70 Spur-winged Lapwing.
Martin Abbas Hellicar, a highly respected and beloved advocate for the environment, and one of BirdLife International’s most committed conservation leaders as the Director of BirdLife Cyprus…
A juvenile Spur-winged Lapwing this morning on Meneou Pool.
A very early morning visit to Achna Dam when the temperature was already 33 degrees. A surprise was an overflying female Eurasian Sparrowhawk heading north. Water levels are still very high but there is now some mud at the shallow end near the goat farm where there were several waders including a Temminck's Stint, two Little Ringed Plover, two Green Sandpiper and three Wood Sandpiper, six Black-winged Stilt and many Spur-winged Lapwings including at least one juvenile. Other birds included a Purple Heron, a Great White Egret, four Glossy Ibis, three Little and Cattle Egrets, three Black-crowned Night Heron, four adult Great Crested Grebe, five Eurasian Hoopoe (see photo), and tens of Common Swift and Barn Swallow.
Several European Bee-eaters were in the Achna Dam area this afternoon. Most were flying around or were on the electricity wires. But these four were obligingly on a small tree near the water's edge.
A couple of hours at Achna Dam this afternoon with Whiskered Tern, Little Bittern, Squacco Heron, Little and Cattle Egret, Great Crested Grebe, Wood and Common Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt, Spur-winged Lapwing, Little Stint (photo), Western Yellow Wagtail, Spotted Flycatcher, European Bee-eater and Common Hoopoe.
A Whimbrel resting on the beach to the south of Larnaca Airport at midday today.
I always forget just how small Little Bittern are until you see one close up. This female was on the track behind Spiros Pool at Larnaca this morning and appeared tired as if only just in off the sea. After a few minutes though she moved into the nearby vegetation and then flew off inland.
There were heavy storms island wide this morning. When it stopped raining in Larnaca I checked the tamarisks and other bushes surrounding Spiros Pool and found a wet Icterine Warbler (poor record photos taken before it dried off) feeding there as well as two Willow Warblers, a Wood Warbler, a Garden Warbler, two Common Whitethroat, several Spotted Flycatchers and a Whinchat. Nearby were a male and female Golden Oriole, a Common Cuckoo, a Great Spotted Cuckoo and an unexpected female Eurasian Sparrowhawk.
Two Purple Heron were resting by a small pool on the coast to the west of Larnaca this morning.
Wherever there is water at the moment there seems to be a good collection of waders and herons. This Wood Sandpiper was one of at least 30 at the M1 Pools, Episkopi yesterday and the Squacco Heron was at Agia Varvara, Paphos where there were also Wood, Green and Common Sandpipers, Little Bittern, Great Reed, Eurasian Reed and Sedge Warblers, and Western Yellow Wagtail.
There are currently a lot of waders on the salt marshes of Lady's Mile - mainly Ruff and Little Stint but also a couple of Broad-billed Sandpipers, some Curlew Sandpipers, Black-winged Stilt, Common and Little Ringed Plover and the resident Kentish Plovers. This Ruddy Turnstone was found there on 1st May and was still present yesterday when I was in the area. A scarce passage migrant here - with most usually seen in the autumn. A cropped record photo.
Several migrant passerines around the Gravel Pits at Akrotiri again 2nd May including a couple of Tawny Pipit (photo), two Woodchat Shrike, just the one Red-backed Shrike - nearly 100 were seen there the day before, ten Spotted Flycatcher, one each of Semi-collared, Collared and Pied Flycatcher, a Whinchat and a Northern Wheatear.
After the dust of the last few days started to lift there was a fall of passerines at Akrotiri yesterday. Among the birds I saw were one of the two Icterine Warblers that were present, at least 19 Spotted Flycatchers, six male Red-backed Shrike (photo), three Common Redstart, three Tawny Pipits, a Woodchat Shrike, a couple of Whinchat, some Turtle Doves and a European Roller (photo).
Visited various farming habitats around Pervolia and Kivisili this morning. Found several European Rollers, Lesser Kestrels, Great Spotted Cuckoos (photo), an immature Montagu's Harrier, a Western Marsh Harrier, Little Owl and plenty of Laughing Dove (photo).
A Hooded Wheatear was reported on 26th April at Cape Greco. Spent more than an hour looking for a male Hooded Wheatear with no luck, then come across this female feeding on the rocks. In the evening I discovered that the original report had actually related to a female but the word female had been omitted!!!😳
A male European Serin at Neo Horio, Akamas 25th April 2024
A quick visit to the Larnaca coast late this afternoon was worth it with eight Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters (photo) on the wires near Spiros Pool, twelve Squacco Heron (photo) in the dunes on Spiros Beach and a flock of around 30 Collared Pratincole in the fields near the Desalination plant.
A day around Akrotiri with a good mixture of birds including Red-necked Phalarope (photo), Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (photo), Semi-collared Flycatcher, Woodchat Shrike, Purple Heron, Squacco Heron, European Bee-eater, Red-throated Pipit, Spur-winged Lapwing, Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt, Whinchat, Wood Warbler, European Pied Flycatcher, European Turtle Dove and Great Reed Warbler. A visit to the nearby M1 pools gave me my first Citrine Wagtail of the year.
The Cyprus Bird Report 2021 is now available. The report contains 50 colour photos, the 2021 Systematic List of 294 observed species or recognised forms which was compiled from over 55,300 records and the 2021 Ringing report. Also in the publication are several short papers and notes, including a review of the BirdLife Cyprus monitoring schemes; the first Cyprus record of an African Desert Warbler; a paper on Cyprus Wheatear behaviour; a paper on divergence in island and mainland populations. The Report includes species charts and tables and a full Cyprus bird List. The front cover features an Orange-flanked Bush-robin (Red-flanked Bluetail) photographed at Achna Dam by Stavros Christodoulides. The Report will be sent automatically to those BirdLife Cyprus members whose subscription includes it. Extra copies can be purchased if required by contacting the BirdLife Cyprus office.
Still several Garganey on the pools at Larnaca Sewage Works as well as a couple of pairs of Northern Shoveler and Common Teal. Also seen around the Larnaca Salt Lake are on 16th were plenty of Ruff, some Common Greenshank and Marsh Sandpiper, a Red-necked Phalarope, two Gull-billed Tern, a Woodchat Shrike, a couple of male and female Black-eared Wheatear, ten plus Lesser Kestrel, a Spotted Flycatcher and some Little Tern.
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Still have a Common Nightingale in garden at Nicosia. Don't know if its the same one but always good to see.
Common Nightingale in my garden in Nicosia. At least one there every year since 2020 in first week of April.
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