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Cyprus Delights – Part III

10,000 Birds

However, my current favourite member of the family Cucilidae is the Great Spotted Cuckoo (GSC), a common bird in Cyprus in spring. Perhaps the most curious thing about the Great Spotted Cuckoo is its distribution, for it is both a non-breeding Palearctic migrant to Africa, and a trans-Africa migrant.

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Cypriot Delights: Part I

10,000 Birds

I’ve been a regular visitor to the island of Cyprus for over 25 years, making around a dozen trips during this period, every one in search of birds. According to the taxonomists, these weren’t regular Scops Owls ( Otus scops ) but the endemic Cyprus Scops Owl ( Otus cyprius ). Laughing Dove : now a common resident on Cyprus.

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Bringing Griffon Vultures into Cyprus

10,000 Birds

A few months ago I shared with the 10,000 Birds community the plight of Griffon Vultures in Cyprus , and it has only been getting worse. A census conducted on March 31 indicated that there are in fact only only 6-8 Griffon Vultures left in Cyprus. CREDIT: ©Jane Stylianou / Cyprus Bird Tours a. What is this cause for hope?

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Cyprus Delights – Part II

10,000 Birds

One thing that I have learned from repeated spring visits to Cyprus is that no two years are ever the same. Few birds sport such magnificent breeding plumage as the male ruff, but not a single bird showed more than a hint of this plumage. These ruffs still had a 1,000 or more miles to fly to reach their northern breeding grounds.

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Migrant Warblers in Cyprus

10,000 Birds

Migrating warblers typically pass through Cyprus from March until May every Spring – a fact that is sadly taken advantage of by illegal poachers. But that gets me thinking of just how many warbler species migrate through Cyprus. Their migration typically peaks about a week before the end of April however. Too good to pass up!

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Cyprus forests and avian inhabitants

10,000 Birds

All our six endemics have exclusive or partial populations living in forest habitats – exclusive being the Cyprus Jay Garrulus glandarius glazneri , Cyprus Coal Tit Periparus ater cypriotes , Cyprus Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla dorotheae and Cyprus Scops Owl Otus scops cyprius. That’s quite a lot!

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Birding without a phone

10,000 Birds

Well, this would be a fitting season for the second, then, this was the strangest Stonechat I ever saw (those birds in January already were in breeding plumage), and it’s either a 1st winter Common male or the Siberian Stonechat. published in the US as “Birds of Europe”), shows only a male in breeding plumage.

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