Cyprus Contact

Hi Mike

As I sat reading a birding report on the Spanish Pyrenees, it occurred to me that I may be able to help visitors to your site who are intending to holiday in Cyprus.  I lived there for over two years and did quite a lot of birding while I was there.

I would never recommend Cyprus for a birding holiday, but over a year there are periods when certain areas can be particularly productive and spring and autumn migration usually produces lots of interest; on one occasion, when walking from my house to the nearby beach (300 metres), I saw four different species of shrike.   The "target" would be birders who are on family holidays, but fancy allocating a day or two to birding.  Car hire is cheap and easy and, of course, they drive on the left!  The summer months (late May to October) are very hot and most breeding/fledging is over early, although that period can produce highlights, in particular the Demoiselle Cranes' "stopover" on Akrotiri Salt Lake, which occurs early to mid-September, usually.  I witnessed this on a couple of occasions after having spent the previous night "assisting" newly hatched turtles into the sea; I can honestly say that those 12 hours were the most fascinating and wonderful of my birding/natural history experiences.
from
Bill Attwood.    Contact Bill via The Gloster Birder