TomKal foto

It is not easy to photograph birds in Cyprus. Watching and photographing birds is not a popular hobby there. It was also difficult to find a local guide who would identify places where good photos could be taken. There are people on the island who run guided tours of observers, but not nature photographers. When I came to Cyprus everything became clear to me. Birds are very skittish and keep a considerable distance. This is due to the fact that in Cyprus it is allowed to shoot birds, but it is not allowed to attract them with sounds - such a southern, rather strange regulation. A little strange, but not unique standards. The European absurd is still in force. Northern and Central Europe takes care of breeding sites, has introduced numerous provisions to protect birds, sometimes even photographing some birds can be restricted and special permits are needed. And all this just to make possible cultivating the "national sport" of killing birds in the south of Europe and the Middle East. It is not about getting food but about taking life. They shoot at everything that flies, herons, lapwings, ducks. I spend some time at a lake not far from the city noise where in dense thickets Cetti's warblers, olive-tree warblers could be heard. Unfortunately, despite my long waiting only a few photos were taken. On the path along the shore of the lake among the bushes many hunting cases after shooting could be found. I think that's the real reason for such skittishness of the birds. To everybody who wants to go to Cyprus to photograph birds - I advise against it, but when one gets there, I suggest open areas, where they do not hunt because of tourists or the settings inhabited by people. It was such a place where I took pictures of two species endemic to Cyprus - the Cyprus warbler and the Cyprus wheatear. Of course, on an island with an area of ​​over 9,000 square km it was not easy to find such a place on my own. Victor, thank you for that time and for your help. Despite all these difficulties we managed to take some interesting photos and spend a great time. Unfortunately, the Eurasian thick-knee we sought for did not appear in front of the lens. But this is how it is with nature photography that the result of another attempt to photograph birds is always unpredictable...