Overview

In the same way that Minoan culture flourished in the Eastern Mediterranean islands thanks to a intense contact with the African civilizations along the Nile River, every year billions of birds use this land as a natural stopover when migrating from Africa to Europe and way back.

This ancient land, with strong links with both continental Greece and Crete, is a natural corridor for bird migration in their route to their nesting grounds in Eastern Europe and European Russia, and conforms along with the Levant Mediterranean the most interesting area for bird migration in Europe.

Along the last millennials, this island have seen passing a long list of civilizations including Minoan, Greek, Phoenician, Roman, Byzantine, Arabian, Venetian and Ottoman to name some of the main ones. All of them had to adapt to this unique terrain or especifically evolved here. In the same way, the island is home to some endemic birds that, even if closely related to similar species living in the same geographically area, have successfully adapted to the unique landscapes and conditions in Cyprus.

Despite the dramatic events that ended with the partition of the island into two sides during the second half of the XXth century, Cyprus keeps being as peaceful and welcoming as ever. The inclusion of the Southern half (Republic of Cyprus) into the European Union and the significant presence of British troops guarantee the status quo while waiting for a definitive solution to this conflict.

This relaxed tour concentrates in the Southern part of the island, where a number of salty & freshwater lagoons, forested valleys and bushed capes allow a formidable concentration of birds in migration. Main targets for us will be to connect with the endemic species and some interesting races, and to enjoy to good variety of waders, passerines and birds of prey in their way South.

During our trip we will visit a number of the different hotspots of the island during the spring migration. This is an excellent place to enjoy species such as Citrine Wagtail, Red-throated Pipit, Great Spotted Cuckoo or Little Crakes. These and other species can arrive in good numbers depending on week. Along with them, we will try to catch up with scarcer specialties including Baillon’s Crake or one of the last Finsch’s Wheatear in the island before they go back to their nesting grounds in the Caucasus.

We will also have time to enjoy the island endemics, including the recently splitted Cyprus Scops Owl and other interesting nesting birds such as Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Black Francolin & the local race of Short-toed Treecreeper.