May 2016

22-29 May. Back to Tuscany via Bologna. The area around Lucie's house is verdant at present. There are golden orioles singing in the woods. Three honey buzzards, including a pale male, circled low over the house mid-week, with a hobby present too. A peregrine flew over Lucignano.

Around Lucie's and Monterchi

Lucignano, where we had one of the best meals ever, at Il Goccino

Bologna

4-11 May: Cyprus. A holiday with my daughters, cut short because of a hospitalisation event. Still, I managed an excellent day's birding with Jane Stylianou. It was the latest in spring that I have been to Cyprus, and many of the typical April migrants (yellow wagtails, pipits, wheatears etc.) had moved on. The countryside was alive with bee-eaters however, and the sight of about 40 red-footed falcons in Anarita Park was memorable. A highlight was seeing Cyprus's first Amur falcon, a new bird for me. Other new birds seen on the day trip were long-legged buzzard and black-headed bunting.

The Amur falcon. Apart from the striking underwing, other notable differences from the red-footed falcons were the darker colour, and the extensive red around the eye.

Red-footed falcons - first-summer male and female.

Lesser kestrel - first-summer male.

Peregrines at Petra tou Romiou.

Great-spotted cuckoo

Laughing dove at Kouklia

Displaying roller

Bee-eaters

Common swift

Bird list. Abbreviations: ES - Ezousas Soakway; PSW - Paphos Sewage Works; ; AP - Anarita Park; PR -Petra tou Romiou

Woodland near Kannaviou Dam - Cretzschmar’s bunting and masked shrike here.

Near Kathikas, where black-headed buntings were singing in the olive groves, and a long-legged buzzard soared overhead.

Black francolin - heard around PSW.

Chukar. 2 PSW 8th.

Black-crowned night heron. 1 ES 5th.

Squacco heron - 10, ES and PSW 5th.

Cattle egret. Up to 4 (5th), PSW.

Little egret. Two, Paphos, 10th.

Purple heron. ES 5th, Kannaviou Dam 7th.

Glossy ibis. Maximum 3, PSW, 5th.

Marsh harrier. AP, 7th.

LONG-LEGGED BUZZARD. 3 on trip, 7th, including one at AP.

Bonelli's eagle. 2 over AP, 7th.

Osprey - I high over PSW, 8th.

Lesser kestrel. ca. 4 AP, 7th.

Common kestrel. Widespread.

Red-footed falcon. ca. 40, AP, 7th.

AMUR FALCON. Adult male, AP, 7th.

Eleanora's falcon. 2, PR, 7th.

Peregrine. Female and 2 juveniles, PR, 7th.

Yellow-legged gull. Widespread along coast.

Common tern? Paphos harbour, afternoon of 6 May. I didn't have binoculars, but identified by another birder.

Feral pigeon.

Wood pigeon.

Collared dove.

Turtle dove. Scattered records, including up to 2 ES.

Laughing dove. 2, Kouklia, 7th.

Great spotted cuckoo. ca.6, AP, 7th, some chasing their hosts, the magpie.

Little owl. 2 AP, 7th.

Common swift.

Alpine swift. 1 PR, 7th.

European bee-eater. Common - heard migrating over our hotel at night, ca. 40 ES 5th, 100+ on trip, 7th.

European roller. 2+ on trip, including a displaying male AP, 7th. One PSW 8th.

Crested lark.

Sand martin. PSW.

House martin.

Barn swallow.

Red-rumped swallow. 2 AP 7th.

Cyprus wheatear. ca. 5 on trip, 7th, including 2 at AP.

Cetti's warbler.

Zitting cisticola.

Reed warbler. Singing male, ES, 8th.

Eastern olivaceous warbler.

Sardinian warbler.

Cyprus warbler. Singing male, AP, 7th.

Spotted flycatcher. 1 Agia Varvara 7th.

Coal tit. Several singing in woodland near Kannaviou Dam, 7th.

Great tit.

Golden oriole. male, ES 5th.

Masked shrike. 2 woodland near Kannaviou Dam, 7th, one carrying food.

Eurasian jay. 1 woodland near Kannaviou Dam, 7th.

Eurasian magpie.

Western jackdaw.

Hooded crow.

House sparrow.

Spanish sparrow.

Common chaffinch. Heard, woodland near Kannaviou Dam, 7th.

European serin. Woodland near Kannaviou Dam, 7th.

European greenfinch.

European goldfinch.

Common linnet.

Cretzschmar’s bunting. 2 singing males, woodland near Kannaviou Dam, 7th.

BLACK-HEADED BUNTING. 2 singing males, near Kathikas.

Corn bunting. Several on trip, 7th.

62 species.