Early morning saw the four of us (Alan and Ruth, Owen and Glynis) at Fassouri reed beds near the RAF base at Akrotiri.  We’d only just got out of the car when a pratincole swept overhead.  Quick panic as we all tried to get on to the bird.  Luckily it turned and spent several minutes hawking insects above the reed bed and passing almost overhead several times.  Given the close views we were able to see the dark underwings and lack of white trailing edge to the wings identifying the bird as a Black-winged Pratincole, a really good bird for Cyprus.  It was nice to see this bird again having recently seen both it and its close relative, Collared Pratincole, in Ghana only a few days earlier.  No sooner had the pratincole lifted off high to the north than we noticed a flock of dark birds approaching from the east.  As they came closer we could identify them as a flock of ten Glossy Ibis.  The pools at the edge of the reed bed held drake Garganey, three Squacco Herons the first of the spring here on Cyprus, at least two Water Pipits and a Little Stint.  Two Marsh Harriers quartered the reed beds and as we watched these, a paler raptor appeared: a stunning male Pallid Harrier.  Amazingly a second male Pallid Harrier quickly followed and both birds gave wonderful views floating over the marsh. 
We then moved to the nearby saltpan.  This area does not normally hold many birds as the water is very saline, and as a result does not provide good feeding for waders and wildfowl.  Scanning across the huge expanse of the salt pan, we saw a flock of large grey birds shimmering in the heat haze towards the centre of the pan.  The heat haze was so bad that it was impossible to make out any detail.  Our best guess was that these birds could be cranes, and with the report of a flock of Demoiselle Cranes recently in the area, we excitedly set off across the baking heat of the pan to get closer views.  We walked and walked, and still the heat haze allowed no better views.  After half an hour or so of hot, hard slog across the encrusted surface of the sun-scorched salt pan, we finally reached the point where we could at last make out some detail on the birds.  Imagine our huge disappointment when our ‘cranes’ turned out to be a flock of 29 Grey Herons.  Gutted even doesn’t come close!  We trudged back towards the car, hot, dejected, and incredulous that a flock of Grey Herons could have taken up so much of our day and precious birding time.  A nearby café provided welcome refreshment and extremely good chocolate cake which lifted our spirits a little.
Lady’s Mile, a series of shallow pools just behind the beach, was our next birding venue.  Unfortunately little water remained from the winter rains.  A single Little Stint and a Kentish Plover were the only waders.  The freshwater pool at the far end of the beach was better, with Penduline Tit, Water Rail, Ferruginous Duck, Greater Flamingo and Caspian Gull.  The rest of the afternoon was spent combing Akrotiri flats for migrants.  This area of scrub and bushes held many wheatears, including Cyprus Pied, Black-eared, Isabelline and Northern, Short-toed Lark, Crested Lark, Tawny and Red-throated Pipit, Blue Rock Thrush and frustratingly, three Wood Larks which flew over calling but only seen by one of us, so no new birds for the year list today.
On the way back to Pafos, we decided to have one last attempt to find something new, and called in at Mandria to check the coastal field for migrants in the fading light.  It proved to be a good decision as the area was heaving with wagtails, including some stunning Black-headed birds amongst Blue-headed and White Wagtails.  The same fields also held a large flock of Short-toed Larks and at least a dozen Tawny Pipits.  No year ticks but a great end to a bird-filled day. 
Species List: 1868 still
Posted 6pm Pafos, Cyprus 24th March