Two good days birding out with Mathias and Barbara. We spend Monday around Larnaca, visiting Oroklini Marsh, Larnaca Salt Lake and Sewage Works areas, Pervolia and Panagia Stazousa. On Tuesday we went west and birded around Anarita Park, Agia Varvara, Mandria, Paphos Sewage Works and Asprokremmos Dam. We had a good selection of 99 species (we tried to make it 100 but found Eastern Bonell’s Warblers instead of the promised Wood Warblers at our last location). We had flocks of migrating Grey and Purple Herons and Garganey offshore; a Peregrine Falcon mobbing a Long-legged Buzzard; migrating European Bee-eaters; an early Little Tern; great views of a male Black Francolin chasing a female; a singing Great Reed Warbler in the open in reeds next to us; several flocks of Greater Short-toed Lark and displaying Calandra Lark; good views of both Cretzschmar’s and Ortolan Bunting; and a soaring Bonell’s Eagle.

Highlights per location:

Monday 4^th April

Oroklini Marsh – Purple Heron 18, Greater Flamingo, Black Francolin 2m and 1f, Black-winged Stilt, -Spur-winged Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Spanish Sparrow

Oroklini Jumbo Channel – Temminck’s Stint 3, Little Ringed Plover

Larnaca Salt Lake – Little Egret, Kentish Plover, Little Tern, Greater Short-toed Lark, Tawny Pipit, Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, Slender-billed Gull c10

Larnaca Sewage Works and nearby pools – Ruddy Shelduck, Black-winged Stilt, Spur-winged Lapwing, Whinchat, Eastern Black-eared Wheatear

Pervolia – Black Francolin, Calandra Lark

Panagia Stazousa – Bonelli’s Eagle, Great Spotted Cuckoo 5, European Bee-eater 12, Cyprus Wheatear, Cyprus Warbler, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Masked Shrike, Cretzschmar’s Bunting 2.

Tuesday 5^th April

Anarita Park – Western Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Lesser Kestrel, Eurasian Stone Curlew 3, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Little Owl 3, Red-rumped Swallow 6, Tawny Pipit, Tree Pipit, Whinchat, Woodchat Shrike, Ortolan Bunting

Agia Varvara area – Long-legged Buzzard, Common Buzzard, Little Bittern, Great Reed Warbler, Woodchat Shrike

Mandria – Garganey c20 offshore in bay, Spur-winged Lapwing 1, Eurasian Hoopoe 4+, Greater Short-toed Lark c40, Red-throated Pipit 1 seen others heard, Yellow Wagtail 20+, Common Nightingale 1, Whinchat 3, Northern Wheatear 12+, Woodchat Shrike 2

Asprokremmos Dam area – Common Buzzard 1, Long-legged Buzzard 1 being mobbed by a Peregrine Falcon, Grey Heron 40+, Purple Heron c70, Baltic Gull 3, Common Redstart 1f, Cyprus Wheatear 1, Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, Willow Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Woodchat Shrike 1

Total species seen: 99

Little Grebe, Little Bittern, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Purple Heron, Grey Heron, Greater Flamingo, Ruddy Shelduck, Eurasian WIgeon, Eurasian Teal, Mallard, Garganey, Nothern Shoveler, Western Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Long-legged Buzzard, Bonelli’s Eagle, Lesser Kestrel, Common Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Chukar, Black Francolin, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Black-winged Stilt, Eurasian Stone Curlew, Little Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Spur-winged Lapwing, Little Stint, Temminck’s Stint, Dunlin, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Common Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Common Black-headed Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Baltic Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Little Tern, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Little Owl, Common Swift, European Bee-eater, Eurasian Hoopoe, Calandra Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, Crested Lark, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Common House Martin, Tawny Pipit, Tree Pipit, Red-throated Pipit, Blue-headed Wagtail, Black-headed Wagtail, White Wagtail, Common Nightingale, Common Redstart, Whinchat, Common Stonechat, Isabelline Wheatear, Northern Wheatear, Cyprus Wheatear, Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, Cetti’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Sedge Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Blackcap, Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Great Tit, Woodchat Shrike, Masked Shrike, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, European Serin, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Common Linnet, Ortolan Bunting, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Corn Bunting