While I was checking the gulls on Larnaca Airport Pools South today an adult Great Black-headed Gull flew in and joined the Armenian, Caspian and Yellow-legged Gull there. It didn’t stay long as on my way out of the area it was no longer present and I didn’t find it at the Salt Lake either. There were also over 300 Golden Plover which later moved to Spiros Pool and a single Eurasian Curlew. The Greylag Goose that was found at the Sewage Pools just before Christmas was still present and as well as seven Ruddy Shelduck, nine Black-necked Grebe, thirteen Greater White-fronted Geese, five Eurasian Wigeon, seven Northern Pintail, well over a thousand Northern Shoveler and at least seven hundred Teal. There were also four Black-winged Stilt, a couple of Common Redshank and a Marsh Harrier which kept putting the birds up as it flew over. On the causeway between the two pools there was a first winter Mediterranean Gull. Twelve Northern Lapwing were on the fields together with some Eurasian Skylark and a mixed flock of House and Spanish Sparrow.

With some water now on the main Salt Lake there are around 1000 Greater Flamingo now present as well as over 600 Common Shelduck and hundreds of Common Black-headed Gull. Near the Tekke Mosque there were flocks of Linnet, Goldfinch and Corn Bunting as well as Spectacled and Sardinian Warbler. The Little Owl was also in its usual location. On the eastern side I found at least six Reed Bunting in a stand of reeds near to the hide there and on the mud there were several Common Ringed Plover, a Dunlin, many Little Stint and Kentish Plover and others too distant to identify.