On a beautiful spring evening we gathered at the premises of the unique Aigaia School of Art and Design in Nicosia for the first screening of our new documentary ‘Wings on the Wind’. It was finally time for our film to “leave the nest”.  At the event young and old had many questions answered through the documentary and the discussion that followed: Why do birds matter? How did we learn about the wonder of bird migration? How long does it take?  What difficulties do birds face on this journey?

In addition to answering many questions, the film presents impressive footage of natural landscapes and birds in Cyprus: from our endemic species, the Cyprus Wheatear and the Cyprus Warbler, to the unmistakeable Roller and the bright-coloured Bee-eater. The documentary highlights the urgent need for the protection of birds and nature in general, since unfortunately they are facing a growing number of threats. Knowledge, love and appreciation are a prerequisite for taking responsible action in favour of birds and nature, but also for humans, who also depend on healthy ecosystems.
 
Birds are all around us, hidden in plain sight. Even if you cannot see them, you can definitely hear them. Especially during spring, when birds make their presence even more known with their song and their bold and beautiful colours to attract a mate and breed. The sounds, colours and smells are what make spring the perfect time to get to know nature as well as the rich avifauna of Cyprus. This documentary is a first step towards discovering the natural wealth of our island. The second step is to go outside, enjoy it and cherish it… 
 
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was involved in the making of this film as well as everyone who joined us at the event: NABU (BirdLife in Germany) and the Heinz Sielmann Foundation for their support, Albert Stoecker who has exclusively provided us with the stunning images of our birds and landscapes, Wolfgang Bloehm for filming in the field and in the school, Stephen Nugent for the script and edit and filming, Aigaia School of Art and Design – both staff and students – for allowing us to film one of our presentations for their students for the documentary and to organise our screening at their school, Zedem Media for giving new life to our board game by animating it, Loucia Serghiou for lending her voice to the female Blackcap in the animation, the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia for providing us with photographs of some of the artefacts of their collection that show birds, Amnonn Hahn for putting us in contact with Yuval Dax who provided us with footage of the Common Swift and Edward Mayer and Ulrich Tigges who provided us with audio recordings of the Common Swift.  
 
BirdLife Cyprus produced this documentary in the framework of its awareness-raising campaign against illegal bird trapping, with funding by NABU (BirdLife in Germany) and the Heinz Sielmann Foundation.

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