Yesterday we moved on from our base in Paphos to the Akromas Peninsula. We had a brief stop at Agios Georgious. Heavy rain was forecast and so we made the most of our time to stroll along the beach and study the local fauna and flora.
The highlight was a blue rock thrush up on the cliffs. Out to sea we could just make out a shag on a nearby island.
On the beach, surprisingly, we saw a hare. The other highlight was a tiny Kotschy’s gecko under the rocks.
The rain set in but it wasn’t particularly a problem as we stopped for a leisurely lunch in a wonderful mountain taverna.
Today we headed up into the foothills of the Troodos mountains to Peristerona Gorge. Luckily there the weather held and we had gorgeous views of the valley and back down to the coast. Over the gorge we saw a long-legged buzzard and crag martins. With careful inspection with telescopes we also made out a small group of Chukar Partridge.
Peristerona Gorge
We then had a short stop on a ridge to study some of the local flora. The standout for me was an Eastern Strawberry tree.
The rain then set in and we took shelter in a small mountain café where I tasted the local Cyprus coffee (a bit like Turkish coffee) and a welcome glass of water.
The group then headed up the mountain in the rain to see some mouflon which were being reared before release into the wild. I took time to publish my previous day’s blog on my phone – quite amazing as we were in the middle of nowhere and I seemed to have better connection up there than in the middle of Bristol.
Before heading home we stopped at the Ebretou Dam where all we saw of note was a common sandpiper, a white wagtail, jackdaws, goldfinch and some feral pigeons. It was getting cold by then and we were happy to be heading back to the comforts of our hotel.
Martin's Bird Blog & Nature Photos 
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