Birders trip,

ALMOST 2,000 ruffs were spotted in the TRNC by members of the Society for the Protection of Birds and Nature (Kuşkor) during a recent “cold and blustery field trip”.

Spokesperson Gavin Croucher told Cyprus Today such a large number of ruffs, spotted at the Kukla Wetlands near Köprülü, had never been seen before.

He said about 1,500 ruff species birds were seen, rising to over 1,800 at one stage. Kuşkor were not able to explain why the number of ruffs was so high on this occasion, but Mr Croucher said: “It’s a big wetland holding a lot of water. They were migrating on their way from Africa to southern Europe for breeding.”

He described the incident as “exciting” and that it had generated great discussion among the group on the trip, which was attended by about 10 people in three cars.

The number of attendees was lower than on previous trips due to concerns about forecasts of bad weather, although the rain held off.

“It was also interesting to see bigger birds such as glossy ibis, flamingos and pelicans,” he added.

Other species observed on the birdwatching trip were red-crested pochard, spoonbill in yellow breeding plumage, black-winged stilts and a variety of duck species.

Kuşkor aims to carry out regular trips every month and is planning to hold its annual Audouin’s gull nest counting trip in May to the islets at the tip of the Karpaz peninsula, which will be reached by boat.

This trip is significant for the collection of statistical data regarding the rarely seen endangered species which “breeds only in a few places in the Mediterranean, including Cyprus, and only in 10 areas around the world”.