Avagas gorge.

Avagas gorge on the outskirts of Paphos is a stunning natural feature.A small river has cut a deep steep sided gorge through the rocks as water flows from the high ground.Its not the Grand Canyon but is a fantastic place to visit.What brought me here was news of a rather special bird that is known to over winter here.



It was a 20 min hike up to the gorge from the carpark,but I`d got wind of an interesting visitor from higher altitudes.



This is what all the fuss was about,a Wallcreeper.A bird of high mountains ranging from southern europe to central Asia throughout the Himalayas.

They breed at altitudes between 1000 and 3000 feet and so are extremely difficult to locate.

They have a grey/blue plumage with darker tail and flight feathers.Its most striking plumage feature though are its extraordinary crimson wings,largely hidden when its wings are folded.

They can be difficult to see on the mountain faces as they probe for insects and spiders with their long downcurved bill.

In winter they are known to move down to lower elevations from where they breed.and can sometimes be viewed quite close.This was one of 2 individuals I found in the gorge,a known wintering spot!

Indeed it was a pleasure to watch the Wallcreeper go about its feeding routine and rounded off for me a fantastic weeks holiday to Cyprus.Hope you enjoyed the images of this very special bird and I`d just like to wish my blog followers a very merry christmas and very happy new year,take care now!!!