Ancient Kourion and then a dash back to Mandria

Another great day in Cyprus, highlight was at Ancient Kourion where a breathtaking adult male pallid harrier suddenly appeared right alongside me from nowhere and then soared up high with several alpine swifts.  Also at Kourion, a male Cretzschmar's bunting and lots of warblers and wheatears of various varieties. There's been an arrival of Ruppell's warblers over the past few days, they're everywhere and really showy. Then it was a dash back to Mandria to see a pair of Caspian stonechats in the company of an eastern subalpine warbler, yet more Ruppell's and a male desert wheatear.

I really wanted to see this bird, a male Caspian stonechat. I've seen one previously in Kuwait but only had a brief look at it. Today there was a pair behind the picnic area at Mandria and though they were a little distant they were really wonderful.

The males have a very distinctive tail pattern, not unlike northern wheatear, and also these great big white patches on their wings.

Here's the female on the right of the photo, but notice the photo bomber on the left! I have several photos of the stonechats with the eastern subalpine warbler in the background. It definitely seemed to be associating with them.

Here's the male Caspian stonechat with the eastern subalpine warbler. I wonder how far they have travelled together?

Eastern subalpine warbler.

Female Caspian stonechat.

Caspian stonechat Saxicola maurus hemprichii is considered a race of Siberian stonechat Saxicola maurus which is a separate species to the European stonechat Saxicola rubicola that we see in the UK.

Woodchat shrike at Akrotiri gravel pits.

Male desert wheatear.

Fortunately these Ruppell's warbler's are very showy.

Sadly this is the only photo I managed of the pallid harrier. It flew low over the fields then rose up and did a little harrier dance before rising very high and joining a flock of alpine swifts that were going over.

Isabelline wheatear.

Common redstart.

Woodlark.

Blue rock thrush.

White wagtail, one of at least 100 today, along with at least 15 black-headed yellow wagtails and one "dombrowskii" hybrid.