No. 12. Some secretive birds of the Reed bed.

(Note:  Click on the photo to enlarge the image)

Should you ever be inclined to take a trip to Lady's Mile, at the Limassol Port end of the Akrotiri peninsula, you will doubtless notice a large wooden hut positioned in the reeds on the western side of the road. This is the Zakaki Marsh bird hide, and it is gradually disappearing into the rapidly expanding reed beds. Unless a reed bed is actively managed to maintain some areas of open water, their value as sites for bird watching can very quickly be greatly diminished. Even so, reed beds usually sustain a wide range of bird species, from the smallest of warblers and tits, through kingfishers, ducks and waders, to the largest of herons and harriers. But because of the secretive nature of the habitat, actually seeing any such birds can require patience and a slice of good fortune.

The following selection of photographs were mostly taken in the space of a few hours at Zakaki, in November 2018, when there was still an area of open water to allow some sightings.

Water Rail

This bird is not often seen because it skulks through the vegetation in the densest reed beds but can be seen when it scurries across small gaps. It is very easily identified by its dark grey head and front and its long red bill which it uses to probe for insects, frogs and fish. It also has a very distinct red eye. Its body is very slim and is slightly compressed laterally to help it pass between the reed stems. It is a little smaller than a Moorhen.

Water Rail. Note the distinct red eye and long red bill

Water Rail emerging from edge of reed bed

Spotted Crake

This bird is related to the Coot and Moorhen and resembles the Water Rail in general shape and habits, but it has a much shorter bill. The white spots on the neck, breast and upper parts are distinctive. The bill is yellowish but with a red spot at the base. It is rarely seen in Britain now as numbers have been severely reduced by historic drainage works, and is also quite rare in Cyprus. It is a very shy bird and is more likely to be heard than seen, particularly at night when the call can carry long distances. They overwinter in Africa.

Spotted Crake - a shy and rarely seen reed bed inhabitant 

Spectacled Warbler

As the photographs below show, the Spectacled Warbler is perfectly camouflaged in the dry and brown stems of old sections of reed beds. However, the reed bed is by no means its only habitat as it is also  seen in the scrub of mountain slopes or in the brush of dry heaths or salt flats. It is named after the distinct white eye ring, though the male also shows a grey head and buff throat. The Rufus brown wings help with the identification.

Spectacled Warbler - small and hard to see against the reed stems

Spectacled Warbler - making a dash for lunch

Moorhen

The Moorhen is a common breeder on ponds, small lakes and rivers that have dense vegetation cover.  The adult is easy to identify from its red and yellow bill, red shield on the forehead and greenish yellow legs. The juvenile lacks the colourful head colourings of the adult but is still strikingly visible by the pale line along its side.

Juvenile Moorhen, searching for insects

Penduline Tit

The Tit family are all small lively birds with short bills. Most are woodland dwellers but the Penduline Tit inhabits and breeds in trees bordering rivers and lakeshores, as well as in reed beds. It has a very small, conical and sharply pointed bill, and a black mask that covers the eye of the adults. It is a very agile and nimble climber on the thinnest of supporting vegetation, and will happily perch upside down on the thinnest of stems to pick small insects from overhanging leaves and vegetation - hence its name.

Penduline Tit - searching for insects on the reed

Penduline Tit - master of balance

Penduline Tit - agility in action

Bluethroat

This small member of the Thrush family is found in swampy places, overgrown with shrubs and reeds. It is a summer visitor to Cyprus, overwintering in North Africa and Western India. It is a very slim bird with long thin legs (what bird hasn't?) and stands quite erect (looking a bit like a Robin). The distinctive colouring of the breast (particularly of the male) is unique with its bright blue bib bordered by a narrow black band and then a rusty red band. In my experience it is a very shy bird and hides in the waterside vegetation before emerging for a few seconds to feed on open areas of muddy bank - and then it's gone again.

Bluethroat male - a momentary sighting

Moustached Warbler

This bird is not often seen (certainly not by me!) but is fond of dense areas of fallen reeds where it spends much of its time low down in the vegetation. It is very similar to a Sedge Warbler but has a bolder white eye stripe and a white throat. It often hops on the ground or fallen vegetation, and frequently flicks its tail. A good sighting if you are lucky enough to see one.

Moustached Warbler - hiding in the vegetation