Filenews 14 November 2021 - by Pavlos Neophytou, Photos-videos: Giorgos Constantinou
At this time, which is migratory and the flocks of birds leave Europe to avoid winter, wintering in Cyprus or making a small stop, apart from hunters, they run in the countryside to meet birds and birdwatchers – bird photographers. The latter for their beauty, patiently allocating endless hours for this "hunt", which acquires meaning when they finally secure even one photo from a "random visitor", i.e. a rare bird from the "visitors" of Cyprus. "If you don't have passion, you can't wait. If you have passion you feel that anxiety to see them and it gives you strength to stay endless hours there", says George Constantinou, who as soon as he "drops wire" for the arrival of a rare bird, runs to any part of Cyprus to capture it with his lens.
Indeed, during this period, the well-known naturalist and president of the Association for the Protection of Natural Heritage and Biodiversity of Cyprus is completing his two-volume book entitled "The birds of Cyprus", each volume of which will consist of about 500 pages, with thousands of photographs and descriptions of almost all the birds that have been recorded in Cyprus. They are the labors of a lifetime, photographs and knowledge of observation – recording, he notes, while very willingly he gives us for the needs of the reportage a taste of his involvement with birdwatching – bird photography, and specifically for the approximately 210 migratory and "random visitors".
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According to the naturalist, around 10,000 different species of birds have been recorded across the planet. In Cyprus, about 410 species of birds have been recorded (along with migratory ones), and this number is increasing every year with new records. Specifically, of the 410 species of birds, 54 are permanent residents of Cyprus, 210 are migratory, which we meet during the seasons of emigration, which are autumn and spring, and the rest are rare species for Cyprus and are considered "random visitors".
It takes passion
"If you do not have a passion for the bird world, you cannot engage in this occupation", stresses George Constantinou, because it requires time, effort, patience and money. He assures that in the community of birdwatchers and bird photographers of Cyprus there is cooperation for information about the arrival of a unique, as far as the rarity to visit Cyprus, bird is concerned. "As soon as a 'wire' falls - usually in social media groups - for a rare bird in a certain area, we run to photograph it, no matter how far away that may be," he says, pointing out that this is where the difficult things start, because all possibilities are open. They happen to reach the point of information and wait endless hours, full of fatigue and suffering, until they manage to locate the bird or birds.
"If you don't have passion, you can't wait. If you have passion you feel that anxiety to see them and this gives you strength to stay endless hours there", he stresses. Other times they may be lucky and as soon as they get to the point of "hitting" the bird in front of them – but here there are cases that "allow" them to take a couple of photos and then disappear, so they have to act quickly. On the contrary, it happens that they return to their homes idle, full of frustration. Still to visit the spot again and again, in the hope of capturing the bird... "In the end the reward is to go home and have nice photos and videos of the bird you met for the first time in your life", concludes the naturalist.
Geladars (Bubulcus ibis)
"These are rare birds most of the time, which you have the opportunity to meet for the only time in your life. I have in my archive photos of many birds that I saw once in my life", he explains, citing some examples: "Such as the Heron of magroves (Butorides striata), who in 2014 came and stayed a few days in Zakaki, Limassol, the hermitage (Brown-necked raven - Corvus ruficollis), who was mentioned in 2016 in Cape Greco and the Asian red-footed (Falco amurensis) the same year in Agia Varvara, Paphos. There are too many birds for which there are to date one or two reports of their presence in Cyprus, and if the second is true, the interval between them can be 10-20 years.
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Enemy of birds - man
"The enemy of these birds is, as always, man", stresses the naturalist. "Their habitats are destroyed, eggs are being snatched by collectors, chicks are being snatched and killed by unscrupulous hunters. In Cyprus it is very common for hunters to shoot these magnificent birds and find themselves killed or injured by shots. Poaching is also a serious risk, as significant numbers of migratory birds, often rare, are trapped in limes and nets", he adds. "Of course, migratory birds face other risks, such as storms and hurricanes, but these are natural phenomena and do not threaten them to the same extent as humans."
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KILLING NATURE...
"Unfortunately, I used to be a hunter, killing the birds, these wonderful creatures, and today I realize how much of a mistake I made by 'killing' nature itself. I believe that I have made amends, as over the years I have convinced several hunters to stop this so-called sport and become photographers and bird watchers, thus saving hundreds of birds. Also, with my tireless environmental action, I believe that I have also put my own stone in the learning and awareness of the world, regarding the wondrous and rare biodiversity of our country. Believe me, the pleasure is very great, to return home from a dash, bringing with you wonderful photos and videos of birds, instead of killed, lifeless birds. I hope and pray that this example will be followed by other hunters..."
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Three beautiful birds – With plume, spots and... "whiskers"
"In each species of migratory bird you can identify its own distinct property. Many are distinguished for very fast flying, others for their hunting or fishing abilities, especially for how they catch insects in the air or fish in the sea. Some migrate traveling incredibly long distances on their journey and others are distinguished for their wonderful chirping", says George Constantinou.
Regarding the element of beauty, which as a photographer of wildlife particularly fascinates him, he has to say that each species of bird has its own distinct beauty. They have an incredible variety of colors and designs in the plumage, resulting in the attraction every year in Cyprus of many foreign birdwatchers and photographers of wild birds. They "hunt" the wide variety of birds that we meet in our country, especially during the seasons of their emigration, and here the naturalist seized the opportunity to invite the Cypriot State to focus on the promotion of bird tourism, which, as he stresses, can attract quality tourism.
He notes that of all the birds he has encountered on his excursions, some hold for him a special place, due to their incredible beauty, and three of them are migratory:
Ssumpos or pupouxios (Hoopoe – Upupa epops) is a species that is often found in our country, that is, it is common. It comes in the spring to nest, it feeds on caterpillars and large insects and is a very beneficial bird, since a large part of its diet consists of the zucchini insect that causes great damage to crops. It also feeds on the caterpillar of the pine, the well-known pityokampi (caterpillar of bats) which is one of the most important enemies of the pine tree. The pupouxios nests in holes, which you meet on banks, ruins, hollows of trees even on the ground. This species, although strictly protected, very often falls prey to unscrupulous hunters.
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The starling (European Starling – Sturnus vulgaris) is a very common species for our country. It feeds on insects, worms, olives and fruits. It usually moves to large flocks in search of food and water. In Cyprus we find it near farms feeding on insects and worms that it finds in animal faeces. In winter it roosts in the thousands in the trees of the parks located near Eleftherias Square.
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Impressive is the flight of these birds as they fly in swarms by the thousands, manoeuvres in the sky, creating incredible shapes and patterns and that look like a huge black cloud that stretches and folds. It does not reproduce in our country.
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These birds have the ability to excellently imitate the chirping of other birds. Because these birds have the habit of moving in flocks and many times at a low height, they are decimated by hunters, who with only one rifle kill dozens.
Bearded Reedling (Panurus biarmicus) is a rare species for our country, with very few references. It lives, feeds and reproduces exclusively in reedbeds and other dense vegetation, on the banks of freshwater or brackish water systems, mainly in lakes and marshes.
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In the species appears tribal dimorphism, that is, the male is very different from the female, in terms of colouring of the feather, with the male outperforming in beauty from the female. It is a restless bird that constantly moves on reeds and dense aquatic vegetation in search of its food consisting mainly of insects. It does not reproduce in our country.
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When the eagles migrate - Impressions from the fishing eagle
From the magical world of birds, eagles are among the most majestic and powerful birds and we find them on all continents of the planet. According to George Constantinou, in Cyprus we can usually see five species of eagles, four of them are migratory and we detect them during the periods of bird migration (autumn and spring). They stay in Cyprus for a few days and then continue their journey. The well-known perticosiachino or spazaetos is the permanent resident of Cyprus and it reproduces here.
The species of migratory eagles found in Cyprus are the Lesser Eagle (Clanga pomarina), the Cross Eagle - falcon eagle (Booted Eagle - Hieraaetus pennatus), the Snake Eagle (Short-toed snake eagle - Circaetus gallicus) and the Fishing Eagle (Osprey - Pandion haliaetus).
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Here George Constantinou shares with us his impressions of fishermen he met in dams and lakes of Cyprus:
"He flies gently over the lake and as soon as he locates his prey he makes an impressive fall into the water, catching his prey. I've seen this immersion several times and it really is an incredible sight. It usually hunts fish of small and medium size, while the species are diverse and depend on the hunting area and the abundance of each species. Just before touching the water, he lengthens his legs forward so that they are the first to get into the water and bends his wings backwards. As soon as the feet touch the fish and capture it, it regains height with strong flaps of the wings. In flight he holds the fish with both legs, putting one in front of the other. The consumption is done with the fisherman sitting on a support and always eating the head first.
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"Its success in hunting is around 50% but is influenced by the environmental conditions of the region. It builds its nest in inaccessible places, such as steep cliffs, small islands in lakes and piles that protrude from the water. It lays two to four eggs.
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"It does not reproduce in our land. His favourite wetland in Cyprus is the Achna dam during the periods of emigration. I should mention that in the dam of Achna hunting is prohibited but nevertheless a fishing eagle was once found dead from a poacher's shots".
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*For migratory, as well as endemic, birds of Cyprus you can find documentaries, photos and texts of George Constantinou on the website of the Association for the Protection of Natural Heritage and Biodiversity of Cyprus biodiversitycyprus.blogspot.com.cy and in the Facebook Group Birds of Cyprus - Birds of Cyprus. Also on his youtube channel George Konstantinou
