Bird Identity

Chat with fellow forum users. No adverts or trade links in here please.
Post Reply
User avatar
aphrodite
Posts: 725
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:35 am
Location: Kamares, Tala originally from London

Bird Identity

Post by aphrodite »

I have quite a lot of small pretty black and white birds hopping around in the garden and they have a nice song. Difficult to take a photo as my cats chase them away. Does anyone know what they are called please?
Image
User avatar
cyprusmax47
Chief Cat Spotter
Posts: 4968
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:10 am
Location: Paphos area since 1982

Re: Bird Identity

Post by cyprusmax47 »

aphrodite wrote: Mon Apr 20, 2020 9:03 pm I have quite a lot of small pretty black and white birds hopping around in the garden and they have a nice song. Difficult to take a photo as my cats chase them away. Does anyone know what they are called please?
Perhaps these one's Aphrodite? In this case it is the Cyprus wheatear....

Image

Max
User avatar
aphrodite
Posts: 725
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:35 am
Location: Kamares, Tala originally from London

Re: Bird Identity

Post by aphrodite »

Yes Max, that is the one, thank you for photo. Do you know if they are a common bird as I have not seen them before?

One thing I have noticed, the magpies have disappeared!
Image
User avatar
bromerzz
Posts: 732
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2016 9:32 am
Location: Deryneia
Contact:

Re: Bird Identity

Post by bromerzz »

They are not particularly rare in Cyprus and they are an endemic species, which means this is the only place they breed, although they are found across into Israel and NE Africa.
User avatar
cyprusmax47
Chief Cat Spotter
Posts: 4968
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:10 am
Location: Paphos area since 1982

Re: Bird Identity

Post by cyprusmax47 »

aphrodite wrote: Tue Apr 21, 2020 12:56 pm Yes Max, that is the one, thank you for photo. Do you know if they are a common bird as I have not seen them before?
Since I have built some breeding boxes they are using them, even when "experts" told me they will not accept them.... :D :D
Image

and how they look one week after they fledged... 4 of them in one nest... so cute :)
Image

Max
User avatar
cyprusmax47
Chief Cat Spotter
Posts: 4968
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:10 am
Location: Paphos area since 1982

Re: Bird Identity

Post by cyprusmax47 »

bromerzz wrote: Tue Apr 21, 2020 1:11 pm They are not particularly rare in Cyprus and they are an endemic species, which means this is the only place they breed, although they are found across into Israel and NE Africa.
They are breeding two times per season and this year there are more of them, unlike last year when I could not see one....

Max
User avatar
bromerzz
Posts: 732
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2016 9:32 am
Location: Deryneia
Contact:

Re: Bird Identity

Post by bromerzz »

Well done Max, that is a great thing to do.
User avatar
cyprusmax47
Chief Cat Spotter
Posts: 4968
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:10 am
Location: Paphos area since 1982

Re: Bird Identity

Post by cyprusmax47 »

aphrodite wrote: Tue Apr 21, 2020 12:56 pm Yes Max, that is the one, thank you for photo. Do you know if they are a common bird as I have not seen them before?
Found another photo: young and parent....
Image

Max
User avatar
Lincoln
Posts: 3068
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 9:56 am
Location: Polis

Re: Bird Identity

Post by Lincoln »

Thought you might like these two.
Feeding Time.jpg
Feeding Time.jpg (29.6 KiB) Viewed 4838 times
Keep your nose out.jpg
Keep your nose out.jpg (27.28 KiB) Viewed 4838 times
All things are possible
User avatar
cyprusmax47
Chief Cat Spotter
Posts: 4968
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:10 am
Location: Paphos area since 1982

Re: Bird Identity

Post by cyprusmax47 »

20 minutes ago hundreds of bee-eaters high in the air, on their way down to the river valleys.... Great news for me :)

Max
User avatar
Devil
Forum Curmudgeon
Posts: 3939
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 8:34 am
Location: Mosfiloti

Re: Bird Identity

Post by Devil »

I said to the OH just yesterday that I hadn't seen/heard any bee eaters this year. Still haven't ! :(
kansas
Posts: 912
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2016 10:38 am

Re: Bird Identity

Post by kansas »

We heard the bee eaters yesterday morning on our walk, and again today over our house.
User avatar
Lincoln
Posts: 3068
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 9:56 am
Location: Polis

Re: Bird Identity

Post by Lincoln »

We saw them today as well not many though.
Bee Eater.jpg
Bee Eater.jpg (4.49 KiB) Viewed 4767 times
All things are possible
User avatar
aphrodite
Posts: 725
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:35 am
Location: Kamares, Tala originally from London

Re: Bird Identity

Post by aphrodite »

Thank you everyone for your information and photos of these lovely little birds. I still have quite a few coming into the garden. I haven’t heard (I usually hear them before I see them) any Bee Eaters yet, can’t wait. I have had a lot of large buzzing creatures which I thought might be hornets 🐝 but they turned out to be large black flying beetles, horrible things! I will be looking for the shooting stars tonight and Venus at its brightest,
Image
User avatar
bromerzz
Posts: 732
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2016 9:32 am
Location: Deryneia
Contact:

Re: Bird Identity

Post by bromerzz »

Ah Venus took this the other night - bit of a letdown really but it is a long way off.[img]
User avatar
bromerzz
Posts: 732
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2016 9:32 am
Location: Deryneia
Contact:

Re: Bird Identity

Post by bromerzz »

Yep -it does, but it ain't.
Cherry345
Posts: 210
Joined: Thu Nov 01, 2018 5:20 pm
Location: Tsada

Re: Bird Identity

Post by Cherry345 »

I still have never seen a bee eater, hopefully one of these days, but I have seen two of those huge black buzzy beetles flying around, one sent me screaming into the house last week lol...love all the pictures of the birds totally fabulous.
User avatar
cyprusmax47
Chief Cat Spotter
Posts: 4968
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:10 am
Location: Paphos area since 1982

Re: Bird Identity

Post by cyprusmax47 »

Cherry345 wrote: Thu Apr 23, 2020 10:56 am I still have never seen a bee eater, hopefully one of these days, but I have seen two of those huge black buzzy beetles flying around, one sent me screaming into the house last week lol...love all the pictures of the birds totally fabulous.
It's a carpenter bee which is a very important pollinator and does you no harm. You can see some photos I did 2 years ago when playing with the camera. There is one plant they really love, but don't ask me about the name...

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6245


Max
Cherry345
Posts: 210
Joined: Thu Nov 01, 2018 5:20 pm
Location: Tsada

Re: Bird Identity

Post by Cherry345 »

Good to know Max, I will try not to scream next time one comes flying past me lol, I really enjoyed those pics, and the plant that smells like joy,, thanks for the link.
Post Reply