Paphos

Paphos Cyprus

This has now become the meeting place for birding visitors to Cyprus and where information is exchanged about latest sightings. A headland in the south-western corner of the island, Paphos has short turf with scrub, a lighthouse and gardens, ideal for attracting migrant passerines.

Pipits, including Red-throated Pipit and Tawny Pipit, and larks such as Bimaculated Lark and Greater Short-toed Lark, occur in good numbers. Passage wheatears include Isabelline Wheatear and Black-eared Wheatear. Orphean Warbler and Ruppell's Warbler, shrikes, buntings, Wryneck and Hoopoe also occur. Other migrants pass by the headland over the sea and these include shearwaters, skuas, gulls and terns, waders and waterfowl, even herons and local specialities such as Glossy Ibis and Greater Flamingo. Passage raptors can include all four harriers and Red-footed Falcon, also occurring are Greater Sand Plover, pratincoles, Hoopoe and European Roller. Both endemic species, Cyprus Pied Wheatear and Cyprus Warbler, breed commonly in the Paphos area and this is one of the easiest sites in the Western Palearctic to find Black Francolin. The headland is a regular wintering site for Merlin and Stone-curlew.

This well-watched area inevitably produces vagrants and in recent years Cream-coloured Courser, Pallas's Gull, Caspian Plover and Mourning Wheatear have been recorded.

Cyprus is a very popular holiday island with an excellent tourist infra-structure. There are numerous guest-houses, hotels and other forms of accommodation, car-hire is readily available and the island is easily reached by air from most major European cities. One of the many package deals to the island is an ideal and inexpensive way to explore this island. Paphos is a pleasant harbour town with plentiful accommodation and an airport. For the headland follow signs from the town to the lighthouse.

Birds

Birds you can see here include:

Cory's Shearwater, Yelkouan Shearwater, Great Cormorant, Mediterranean Shag, Little Bittern, Black-crowned Night Heron, Squacco Heron, Little Egret, Great White Egret, Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis, Greater Flamingo, Northern Pintail, Garganey, Honey Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Pallid Harrier, Montagu's Harrier, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Red-footed Falcon, Merlin, Hobby, Chukar Partridge, Black Francolin, Common Quail, Stone-curlew, Collared Pratincole, Black-winged Pratincole, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Spur-winged Plover, Ruff, Common Sandpiper, Turnstone, Arctic Skua, Mediterranean Gull, Little Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Audouin's Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Woodpigeon, Turtle Dove, Common Swift, Alpine Swift, Common Kingfisher, Hoopoe, European Bee-eater, European Roller, Wryneck, Calandra Lark, Bimaculated Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, Crested Lark, Eurasian Skylark, Eurasian Crag Martin, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Tawny Pipit, Tree Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Red-throated Pipit, Water Pipit, Blue Wagtail and Black-headed Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Common Wren, Nightingale, (PM), Eurasian Robin, Black Redstart, Common Redstart, Whinchat, Stonechat, Isabelline Wheatear, Northern Wheatear, Cyprus Pied Wheatear, Black-eared Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Song Thrush, Cetti's Warbler, Fan-tailed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Cyprus Warbler, Ruppell's Warbler, Orphean Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Wood Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Spotted Flycatcher, Collared Flycatcher, Semi-collared Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Cyprus Coal Tit, Red-backed Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Masked Shrike, Cyprus Jay, Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, European Serin, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Ortolan Bunting, Cretzschmar's Bunting, Corn Bunting

Content and images originally posted by Steve