Trevor's Tweet

Note: Remember to click on the photo to enlarge the image. 2020 has been a somewhat challenging year in terms of getting out to visit birding locations. I have therefore done most of my bird watching at Secret Valley, Ayia Varvara and occasional visits to Akrotiri Marshes. However I have still been lucky enough to see some species that were new to me, and have managed to get some interesting and pleasing photographs. I have therefore picked out the following pictures as a sort of calendar selection of the year (though there are many others I could have included).  January - Black Redstart  This bird is a regular winter visitor at Secret Valley, and I usually get my first sighting in early November. The red tail is the distinguishing feature of the Redstarts, and the frequent bobbing action is also distinctive. This photo shows an unusual angle of the male during preening on the wall by the Clubhouse car park. Black Redstart - getting its feathers sorted February - Cyprus Scop...

  [Remember to click on a photograph to enlarge the image] During the spring, summer and autumn of 2020 I have been keeping an eye out for any butterflies or moths that have caught my interest. I am sure that we are all familiar with some of the larger species of butterflies that we see in gardens, parks and other vegetated spaces (including the golf course), but trying to identify the smaller and less familiar species can be quite a challenge. Photography is obviously a great help in the process, though catching individuals at rest or feeding (particularly the smaller species) requires good fortune and a fair amount of patience.  Many people wonder what the difference is between butterflies and moths. The main differences are: butterflies have club-shaped antennae, while moths have feathery or other shaped antennae; butterflies are only active during the day, whilst moths are generally nocturnal (though by no means exclusively); butterflies generally rest with their wings clo...

  (Remember to click on the photos to enlarge the images) The 2020 autumn bird migration is now well underway. I first noticed a change in the species appearing in Secret Valley in late July/early August, heralded by the welcome fluting call of the European Bee-eaters. There have already been a lot of large flocks of this species crossing the island, and frequently stopping for a rest here en route to Africa. They would seem to have had a successful breeding season in the southern and middle countries of Europe this summer (typically visiting as far north as France, Holland and Germany, as well as to many of the Eastern Europe countries, as well as Ukraine and into Southern Russia). As I write this I can still hear flocks of Bee-eaters calling as another flock makes its way south. European Bee-eaters - early autumn migrants In the last three weeks there have been a number of Lesser Grey Shrikes appearing in the shrubs around the golf course, and I noticed an adult and a juvenile on...

[Remember to click on the photograph to enlarge the image] Broad Scarlet Dragonfly (male) in flight Now that the spring bird migration has largely finished, there are fewer unusual species that I can get out to watch or photograph. So, in an effort to find a different aspect of natural history to discover and photograph, I have been out looking at Dragonflies and Damsel flies during the last month or two. And what an impressively colourful selection of insects I have found. All of the individuals illustrated below were found either in Secret Valley or at Ayia Varvara. Dragonfly Broad Scarlet - female Dragonfly Broad Scarlet - male Dragonflies and Damsel flies are all members of the Order of insects called 'Odonata' (which means 'toothed', from their protruding mouthparts). They are all long, slender-bodied insects with two pairs of wings, each with an intricate network of veins. They all have large compound eyes but have only short or incon...