Martin's Bird Blog & Nature Photos

27th December 2024 – Cyprus

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martintayler

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The last two days of our trip to Cyprus we have spent a good amount of our time studying the flora of the Akamas Peninsula in the presence of very knowledgeable guides and their enthusiasm has rubbed off a little on us. There has been a lot of rain around but, thankfully, we have stayed dry and enjoyed the great scenery of Cyprus in moderately warm sunshine.

Yiannis Christophides leading us through the Botanical Gardens at the Baths of Aphrodite

Friar’s cowl again

The stars of the visit – the local cyclamen
The Baths of Aphrodite were a real disappointment

Across the bay to the Troodos Mountains

… and the azure waters below.

Serpentine with lava above

…and limestone only metres higher up.

For lack of birds we study the fauna – a millipede

On the way back to the airport we stopped again in search of flora but managed a sighting of a long-legged buzzard.

Long-legged buzzard

Down in the plain, and tucked behind the airport, we visited a water treatment works (not quite the lasting memory of Cyprus that the Tourist Board would wish for) and had the opportunity of a few more birds.

Green sandpiper
A common sandpiper – not my best ever photo but quite an achievement at that distance

Spur-winged plovers

A tawny pipit (a first for me) at some distance

A cattle egret was much more obliging

A firebug at even closer quarters

Southern green shield bug

Erodium malacoides – European stork’s bill.

I must admit I would rather have seen a stork to end our trip

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