Wetlands, coastal scrub, dunes, farmland, impressive coastal cliffs…

the Akrotiri Peninsula hosts a unique mosaic of habitats as well as the largest wetland complex on the island Cyprus. It is one of the most important areas for biodiversity on the island, providing refuge to rare species of plants and wildlife, and is a top destination for any nature lover. The future of the peninsula, its species and its habitats are however in immediate danger. Increasing pressure for development in the area, disturbance, increased visitor numbers and the effects of climate change are threatening this sensitive area with degradation and loss of habitat. Can we save it?

Some things are not so perfect yet, but slowly I work my way into the scene. The weather conditions in February were not so optimal for nature, birds and photographers, a lot of rain and unusually cold temperatures for Cyprus leave their mark even on the fruit trees.

In addition to the videos, I always take photos, as far as I can implement this in alternation with the video recordings. In the next episodes there will be more bird species to see, many had hoped to see, but not really expected.

I have now put together an article with documents for interested replica builders about the construction and implementation of the entire project. There is also a small photo gallery.

I planned the pond and the hide from the point of view of photography in an east-west direction. The birds are most active in the morning and mid-morning, so I need good and not too harsh light that illuminates the subjects from the front. But there would also be the opportunity to take photos from a Western hide point in the afternoon, that was the plan.

For the pond I had to level an area of 4x2m with a height difference of approx. 30 cm. Since I dug everything up by hand and our garden is very rocky with slabs of rock, it wasn't easy to work with. I finely sieved the excavated soil so that I could later use the fine material as a substructure for the pond liner.

The pond liner with the dimensions 4x3 m is 1mm thick and came pre-cut from Germany. The pond liner has an overhang on the left and right sides that covers the side edges. I built the side edges using soil to compensate for the slope, then additionally with 4 m long plastic pipes DN125 mm. The conclusion then form 4 m long wood 30 x 60 mm. The free ends were modeled with stones and soil, which are later to form the planned resting areas for the birds. After spreading the fine soil, a foil is laid out against growth from below in the next step, then the pond foil, as you can see in the photos. Then you can fill it with water and see that the foil lies neatly in the rounded corners.

I then got large, rounded stones at the sea and thus formed the first steps in the water space at the ends for the further design of the approach zones. The pit for recording the hide hut is created at a distance of 1.5m from the pond, so the entire photo area remains behind the pond with 1.5m to 5.8m in the usable focal length range of a 100-400mm and 150-600mm lens.

My goal is for an annual documentary to produce monthly photos and videos of the migratory birds that stop in our garden on the west coast of Cyprus. A wildlife camera attached to the pond provides a 24-hour overview of all bird species and what else can be found from the animal kingdom at the pond.

My Location: Cyprus, Peyia, Agios Georgios, Copyright: https://www.nature-of-cyprus-photography.com