Date Cost Availability Deposit Single Supp	22 Mar - 29 Mar 2025 £2615.00 10 Spaces £520.00 £200.00 Book Now

Leaders	Roy and Jane Atkins
Flights	EasyJet, scheduled, Speedy Boarding and extra legroom included Outbound: Morning, Gatwick-Paphos Inbound: Afternoon, Paphos-Gatwick

Day 1	Fly to Paphos, then a short drive to our hotel and depending on timing perhaps some birding in the afternoon - 7 nights Vasilias Nikoklis Inn.
Days 2-7	Exploration of the island in search of migrants and other interesting birds, including days at wetlands, coastal plains, migrant hotspots and higher slopes and mountains. We’ll also visit the mosaics and ruins at Paphos Headland.
Day 8	After a morning birding we transfer to Paphos for our flight back to Gatwick.

Weather	A mixture of sunshine and showers (sometimes heavy!) is likely. Daytime temperatures are usually pleasant and warm, but it can be cold in the early morning and evening (12°-25°C). In the mountains it may be noticeably colder and sometimes there is still snow here.
Walking	Mostly easy walking on good tracks up to a mile or so. One or two tracks are steepish and uneven.
Meals	All included from lunch on Day 1 to lunch on Day 8.
Insects	Mosquitoes can be a problem at some sites so bring repellent.
Accomm	Rural hotel with double, twin and single rooms all ensuite.
Group	12

With thousands of migrants heading north into Eastern Europe anything can turn up - warblers, flycatchers, shrikes, waders, raptors - perhaps even something really rare!

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	*   Eastern migrants such as Rüppell’s Warbler, Isabelline Wheatear and Masked Shrike
	*   Delightful traditional inn in the Dhiarizos Valley - with great food!
	*   Cyprus specialities - Cyprus Warbler, Cyprus Wheatear and Cyprus Scops Owl
	*   Chance of Bonelli’s Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, Lesser Kestrel and Pallid Harrier
	*   Birding around the Roman ruins and mosaics at Paphos Headland
	*   A day winding our way up into the Troodos Mountains for endemic subspecies
	*   Spur-winged Plover, Marsh Sandpiper, Black Francolin, Great Spotted Cuckoo

Day 1	Arriving at our hotel in the Dhiarizos Valley we may have time to explore around the hotel or nearby. We are not very far from the coast and migrants often make their way up the valley or into bushes around the nearby Asprokremnos Dam. Cyprus Pied Wheatear may be here singing its buzzy song, while Sardinian Warblers scold us from the bushes. In the past we have found Cretzschmar’s Buntings, Collared Flycatcher, Black-eared Wheatear, Purple Heron, Wryneck, Long-legged Buzzard and many species of warbler! At dusk Cyprus Scops Owl, which has recently been split from Eurasian Scops Owl, may be found in the hotel garden, making its distinctive two note call.
Days 2-7	Waves of small migrants pass through the island in early spring, creating that exciting feeling of not knowing what we’ll find, as we search any suitable habitat near the coast. In coastal fields, amongst Northern Wheatears and Short-toed Larks, we’ll check for Red-throated and Tawny Pipits, Isabelline and Black-eared Wheatears, plus flocks of Yellow Wagtails of various sub-species - including the stunning Black-headed Wagtail. We’ll visit the area around Paphos Headland and enjoy the beautiful Roman mosaics and ruins of the amphitheatre and houses. The low bushes, scattered trees, wildflowers and crumbling ruins can be the first landfall for many birds - anything can turn up! Amongst Lesser Whitethroats and Blackcaps we’ll hope to find perhaps an Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler or maybe Rüppell’s or Subalpine Warbler, Wryneck or perhaps a Collared Flycatcher - but it is all very unpredictable and weather dependent - that’s part of the fun. Heading up towards the hills, we reach Asprokremnos and Evretou Dams, which may hold more migrants in trees by the reservoir, as well as resident birds such as Chukar, Stone Curlew, Zitting Cisticola and Black Francolin. This can be a good spot for Cyprus Warbler, a species that seems to be declining, perhaps with the increase of Sardinian Warblers on the island. We’ll check favoured spots for Little and Baillon’s Crake and rocky slopes are the haunt of Great Spotted Cuckoo, Long-legged Buzzard and Cretzschmar’s Buntings. Higher still, we’ll scan the skies for Bonelli’s Eagle and Lesser Kestrels and search for elusive Rock Thrush or Roller. Alpine Swifts are passing through amongst the Common Swifts and there is a chance of Pallid too. Starred Agama and Snake-eyed Lizards scuttle away from our feet and the rocky slopes are covered in flowers, while butterflies may include the local race of Orange-tip, Swallowtail or endemic Paphos Blue. We’ll drive snaking roads, past scenic views, high into the Troodos Mountains, where there may still be a scattering of snow amongst the pines. Our route passes through some lovely areas and we’ll make a few stops on the way to look for Cyprus Wheatear, Bonelli’s Eagle or migrants working their way north. In the tall pines higher in the mountains we hope to find endemic races of Coal Tit, Short-toed Treecreeper, Jay and Crossbill. We have found breeding Masked Shrikes here and should enjoy some fabulous views. More birds await at the wetlands around Phassouri, Akrotiri and Larnaka. Squacco Heron and Great White Egret are likely and Greater Flamingos feed out on the salt lakes. The extensive reedbeds may hold Great Reed Warbler, while Spectacled Warbler nest in the low saline scrub. If the water levels are good, there may be many waders and we’ll check through the more common ones such as Ruff, Little Stint and Kentish Plover, for Marsh and Wood Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt and Spur-winged Plover. Garganey are passing through and we’ll look out for Slender-billed Gulls and maybe the last of the Baltic, Armenian or Caspian Gulls before they head north. These areas can be very unpredictable but we have found some good rarities in the past, such as Cream-coloured Courser and Sociable Lapwing. Kensington Cliffs are a good spot to look out for Griffon Vultures and we often enjoy Alpine Swifts at eye level. If we are really lucky, the first Eleanora’s Falcon may have arrived. If it is rainy, then expect more migrants in bushes near the coast - some rarities have turned up in the past, such as Hooded Wheatear, Bimaculated Lark and Desert Warbler and we’ve found our own including Great Snipe and Blue-cheeked Bee-eater - the fun is in searching for them! We may visit the Akamas Peninsula, an area of unspoilt scenery with a different ‘feel’ to the rest of the island, where stands of taller trees can hold flycatchers and warblers.
Day 8	After a morning birding we return to the airport for our flight back to London.

Just some of what we hope to see..

Cyprus Warbler	Spectacled Warbler	Little Crake
Cyprus Pied Wheatear	Eastern Bonelli's Warbler	Squacco Heron
Black Francolin	Black-headed Wagtail	Spur-winged Plover
Long-legged Buzzard	Red-throated Pipit	Masked Shrike
Bonelli's Eagle	Black-eared Wheatear	Great Spotted Cuckoo
Griffon Vulture	Isabelline Wheatear	Cyprus endemic races
Pallid Harrier	Red-rumped Swallow	Cretzschmar’s Bunting
Chukar	'Cyprus' Scops Owl	Collared Flycatcher
Ruppell's Warbler	Marsh Sandpiper	Roller