Trevor's Tweet

NB. Remember to click on the photographs to enlarge the image . The Marsh Harrier is the largest of the European Harriers and, in my experience, is the one that is most commonly seen here in Cyprus. It is a little larger than the Common Buzzard, with longer and slightly narrower wings.     A juvenile Marsh Harrier, newly arrived   As its name suggests it is most frequently seen on low-lying marshy land, reed beds and coastal farmland.  Scanning for likely prey     It is a passage migrant in Cyprus, most commonly seen in Spring (March - May) and in Autumn (August - November), generally spending the winter in Africa. However there are usually individuals (particularly juveniles) that will be resident here all year round, and there are very few occasions when visiting Akrotiri Marsh that I have not seen one or more of them.  The impressive wingspan and underwing colouring This winter there has been a juvenile bird resident in the Ayia Varvara valley, and ...

 N.B. - Remember to click on the photograph to enlarge the image for greater detail Springtime 2022 was considerably delayed this year, largely due to the exceptionally cold periods that lasted throughout February and March. Consequently the spring migration of many birds was much later, and it was well into April and May before the usual flocks of Bee-eaters were finally heard (and sometimes seen) to be passing northwards.   The following selection are some of the birds that I was able to photograph during March and April, mostly at Akrotiri Marsh, Lady's Mile and Mandria. 1. Chiffchaff The Chiffchaff is one of the smaller members of the Warbler family and can be hard to distinguish from the Willow Warbler. However, the resident and migratory populations of Chiffchaff were present in large numbers during this spring, whilst the Willow Warbler did not appear until rather later. Though not particularly associated with marshland habitats this species is nevertheless commonly see...