Karl Martin bird blog: Cape Greco and Ayia Napa, Cyprus

I have recently returned from a week away in Ayia Napa, Cyprus. While I was there I managed to squeeze in a few birding trips. In general, birds were scarce enough given the time of year and the heat, however, there was still plenty to be seen, and I managed to capture a few things on the camera. My hotel was close to the Ayia Napa Aqueduct, which I visited on the first day. Straight away, it was noticeable that the most common bird in Cyprus must be the Laughing Dove, as they were everywhere. Other than this though, there was not much to be seen around the aqueduct, apart from a Cetti’s Warbler which I managed to get a record shot of. A couple of days later I decided to get the bus out to Cape Greco, which is said to be good for birds during spring and autumn migration - unfortunately, I arrived in the middle of those times, and birds were again scarce. Regardless, there were plenty of Sardinian Warblers and a few Spectacled Warblers - these are incredibly hard to photograph as they are very skittish and spend lots of time in the depths of thick scrub. The highlight on this day however was a group of around 10 Chukar, of which I managed to take a few photographs. Crested Larks were also abundant. The photos here are not great, but I will attach them to give an idea what some of them look like.