Common Sandpiper, ©Jane Stylianou

Common Sandpiper
Μικρονεραλλίδα
Actitis hypoleucos
Credit: Jane Stylianou / Cyprus Birding Tours
Details: Taken 29-January-2011 at the Oroklini marsh, Cyprus

My latest beat-writer post is up on 10,000 Birds:
Spring is for Wheatears

Credit: BirdLife Cyprus

BirdLife Cyprus is getting ready for its second annual Bird Race on April 2nd.

Last year’s Bird Race involved 6 teams who saw 154 species over 24 hours, raising money for a Tern raft at Larnaka Sewage Works Pools, in readiness for breeding Terns to use during spring of 2011. And as the organization’s online release describes:

This is a fun, fund raising event and last year several ‘non-birding’ people expressed a great interest in the event, BirdLife Cyprus and our campaigns, so it also increases people’s awareness of birds and adds a wealth of data for conservation purposes. Hopefully, it will also raise more money for conservation.

BirdLife Cyprus has offered comments for the government’s developing Paphos Forest Management Plan, relating to general provisions in a management plan, conservation actions, the threats facing the forest, the monitoring plans for the Bonelli’s Eagle and the passerines, and the Moufflon.

Note well that the Paphos forest is a Natura 2000 area, an IBA, a SPA, and home to endemic species, subspecies, and other iconic animals. In fact it is the largest such area in Cyprus, so you can imagine what this management plan means for Cyprus.

As such, I’ll be following how this plan takes shape..

Sandwich Tern, ©Jane Stylianou

Sandwich Tern
Χειμωνογλάρονο
Sterna sandvicensis
Credit: Jane Stylianou / Cyprus Birding Tours
Details: Taken 25-March-2011 along the seafront in Larnaca, Cyprus

It happens from time to time that I come across people interested in birds and birding, and live in Cyprus, but just don’t know where to start when it comes to birding in Cyprus. Maybe they want to learn more locations, or more about habitat requirements and birds’ preferences, or more about the seasonal changes in which birds are present, or just want to understand what GISS is all about. Whatever the reason, they want to become better birders.

As it happens, I got to guide a very nice couple of such birders recently, who in fact run the Aradippou Tales blog. They asked to be taken out for two half-days, on February 12 and March 5, respectively, to know more about where they might go and what they might see.

Via the Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Many people are always amazed that we birders can so very quickly recognize a bird species. A glimpse of movement, darting across the path, is often all we need. But it helps to know something about the surrounding habitat, which helps you figure out what species you probably just glimpsed.

My latest beat-writer post is up at 10,000 Birds:
A Problem With Gulls

Eurasian Hoopoe, ©Jane Stylianou

Eurasian Hoopoe
Πουπούξιος
Upupa epops
Credit: Jane Stylianou / Cyprus Bird Tours
Details: Taken 20-March-2010 by Ayios Georgios church in Akrotiri, Cyprus

This is worth posting in it’s entirety, from BirdLife Cyprus:

The wind farm at Oreites (Paphos) was constructed without a proper Appropriate Assessment of its impacts on birds, and the consequences of its operation are expected to have a negative impact on birds unless compensation measures are immediately employed.

BirdLife Cyprus recently submitted its position for the ongoing strategic impact assessment for renewable energy development in Cyprus, with our focus set on achieving a sustainable energy strategy while avoiding negative impacts on biodiversity.

As BirdLife, we fully recognize the huge threat posed to biodiversity and ecosystems in general by climate change, and importance of developing a sound policy for renewable energy to minimize CO2 emissions. We believe Cyprus must meet the renewable targets set in agreement with the EU, but we also believe that biodiversity should not be sacrificed in the process (as this would have a massive impact on ecosystems and would risk failing to meet vital EU targets in the area of biodiversity conservation). The step-by-step transition to a renewable-based energy system must be achieved in a strategic and targeted manner that also guarantees the protection of biodiversity, with the focus on the preservation of the NATURA 2000 areas set up under the EU Birds and Habitats Directives.

BirdLife Cyprus is calling for all NATURA 2000 sites designated by the State, all Important Bird Areas (IBAs) identified by BirdLife and all major migration corridors identified by the Game Fund Service in cooperation with BirdLife Cyprus, to be declared as “no go areas” for large-scale renewable energy developments such as wind farms, solar parks and photovoltaic parks. Renewable energy developments that have already been licensed in such areas should be re-assessed wherever possible, or, where construction has already gone ahead, substantial compensation should be given with the specific target of restoring the favourable conservation status of the habitats and species for which the biodiversity area was designated or identified.