Karl Martin bird blog: Ayia Napa Football Fields

On my last day in Cyprus I visited the Ayia Napa Football Fields not far from where I was staying to see what I could find. I had read about large numbers of Cattle Egret being spotted there on numerous occasions and sure enough, as I arrived there were 26 of them on the second pitch! To see one Cattle Egret would’ve been good enough but to see a congregation of over 25 was something else. They gave me some good photo opportunities perched on top of a large fence and even flew overhead allowing some nice flight shots. Other birds included a Green Sandpiper which came as a surprise and multiple Zitting Cisticola. There were a few Crested Larks, one of which showed nicely for the camera. At one point, a Kestrel flew towards me, calling, landed briefly and then flew off. I walked in the direction it flew and in doing so spooked a Long-Legged Buzzard up from a telegraph pole! This was a first for me. This was really the best place I’d been to throughout the holiday in terms of photo opportunities and I took advantage as best I could. A nice way to round off the trip.