A flock of nineteen Common Sandpiper were on the coast near the airport at Larnaca this morning and another five were on the Sewage Works Pools. Two were also at Akhna with five Green and two Wood Sandpiper. A Spotted Redshank in breeding plumage flew over Spiros Pool and another was at Akhna. Two Ferruginous Duck and the long-staying Common Shelduck were in with the Mallard on the Sewage Works Pool. There were Black-winged Stilt and Spur-winged Lapwing at the Sewage Pools, at Akhna and also at Oroklini. Three chicks were at the Sewage Pools and also at Oroklini.
A Temminck’s Stint, an adult Gull-billed Tern and three Greenshank were at Akhna with two Little Stint and a Common Redshank on the Sewage Pools. There was a Squacco Heron, nine Cattle Egret, nine Grey Heron, two Little Egret and six Glossy Ibis at Akhna and sleeping towards the back of the main pool of Oroklini were three Eurasian Spoonbill. Behind them was a Black-tailed Godwit.
Other than waterbirds I found a juvenile Masked Shrike near the Sewage Pools, a European Roller and two Eurasian Hoopoe near Tekke Mosque with another Hoopoe at Akhna. A male Black-headed Wagtail flew very close to me on the edge of the Salt Lake and may have been doing some kind of distraction display.
Black-winged Stilt Akhna Dam 15th July 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
There were two Eurasian Spoonbill on Oroklini Marsh this morning feeding with the nearly fifty Greater Flamingo spending the summer there. There must be at least forty Cattle Egret breeding in the tamarisks there with many nearly fully grown young visible. There were also a couple of Little Egret present. A couple of Slender-billed Gull were swimming among the Coots and a small Spur-winged Lapwing chick was feeding just in front of the hide. A Green Sandpiper was flying around the area.
Spent the day in Troodos yesterday. Found family parties of Masked Shrike, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Winter Wren, Spotted Flycatcher, Short-toed Treecreeper, Coal Tit, Chaffinch and Cyprus Wheatear. Also a lone Hoopoe at Livadhi tou Pashia and several male Blackbirds. I heard at least one Red Crossbill fly over Troodos Square. There were a couple of Pallid Swift in with around twenty Common Swift flying around together with at least fifty House Martin and several Barn Swallow. A Scops Owl called a couple of times.
Went to the Myllomeris Waterfall to see if Grey Wagtail were breeding there again this year. I saw a male fly off but as I mistimed my visit there and it coincided with the arrival of several jeep loads of other visitors, there was unfortunately no chance to find any birds at all let alone juvenile Grey Wagtails.
I stopped at Zakaki Marsh on the way home and found two juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron and a Black-tailed Godwit. The Black-winged Stilt young are growing. A Great Reed Warbler was seen climbing among the reeds as well as several Eurasian Reed Warbler.
Caledonia Trail near Troodos 11th July 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Black Pine Troodos 11th July 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Found migrating waders at Akhna Dam and Larnaca sites this morning. Single Collared Pratincole were at Akhna and flying over the Larnaca Airport fields. Also at Akhna were a couple of Common Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper, a Little Ringed Plover, a Common Redshank, four Green Sandpiper, a Ruff and several Black-winged Stilt and Spur-winged Lapwing. A quick visit to Oroklini produced a Slender-billed Gull and the chance to watch three young Spur-winged Lapwing feeding near the hide under the watchful eye of their parents. A Common Sandpiper was at Larnaca Sewage Works and on Spiros Beach nearly thirty Kentish Plover were roosting.
Collared Pratincole Akhna Dam 8th July 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
As well as two small Black-winged Stilt chicks there were three slighty bigger ones and two that were almost adult size. A small Spur-winged Lapwing chick was feeding near the hide. There were two Black-tailed Godwit that spent most of the time fighting each other. A Little Tern was sitting on a mound and four adult Little Ringed Plover were feeding in the mud as were two juvenile birds. Also present were some Little Egret, a couple of Ruff, a Common Sandpiper and two Common Redshank, two adult Spur-winged Lapwing, a couple of Ferruginous Duck and Mallard, Coots and Little Grebe. Several Reed Warbler could be seen flitting around the base of the reeds and a male Black-headed Wagtail was also present.
Was at Akhna and Oroklini this morning and it is obvious that wader return migration is underway. As well as a Wood Sandpiper at both locations and five Green Sandpiper at Akhna, there was a Spotted Redshank still in breeding plumage at Akhna and a single Black-tailed Godwit feeding close to it. At Oroklini there were four Black-tailed Godwit and three Common Redshank.
Also at Akhna were several Spur-winged Lapwing with juveniles, a Gull-billed Tern, a European Roller and hundreds of House Sparrows coming to the water’s edge to bathe and drink. At Oroklini there were around 100 Greater Flamingo, several Black-winged Stilt and there now seem to be more than thirty Cattle Egret nests with several young visible too.
Black-tailed Godwit Oroklini July 2nd 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Found 10 adult Rollers this morning in the Panagia Stazousa Important Bird Area. All were adults and I didn’t see any young. There were family parties of Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Cyprus Warbler and Wheatear as well as young Wood-pigeon, Chukar and Little Owl. The juvenile Long-legged Buzzard had left the nest but was still perched closed by. An adult was flying over the area. I also saw a couple of European Bee-eater, Masked Shrike and Hoopoe.
Was at Agia Napa Sewage Works early this morning and found a couple of male Black-headed Bunting and a female. Not much else around as the heat of summer starts to take hold. Heard several Spectacled Warbler and there were nearly twenty Little Grebe on the sewage pools. Leaving the area an Eleonora’s Falcon flew over the road being mobbed by a Common Kestrel.
Knowing that there was still water in Akhna Dam and there had been some good sightings there recently I decided to pay it a visit. The first bird I saw there was a Eurasian Spoonbill which made the detour worthwhile. There were four Squacco Heron, twelve Black-winged Stilt, a Common Sandpiper, a Common Greenshank, a Little Egret and two Grey Herons as well as nearly twenty Spur-winged Lapwing. There were several juvenile Spur-winged Lapwing. Cattle Egret flew in while I was there and the seven adults had five young birds with them. Eurasian Reed Warbler were heard in the reeds and a European Roller flew over the area, rolling while trying to catch an insect which was not giving in easily. After the dry winter and spring it was good to visit an area with water in it for a change, even if there was no sign of the Black Tern that had been there last month.
Eurasian Spoonbill Akhna Dam 24th June 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Black-winged Stilt, Akhna Dam 24th June 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Cattle Egret, Akhna Dam 24th June (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Common Greenshank Akhna Dam 24th June 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Combining the monthly Waterbird Count and a Breeding Bird Atlas survey in Larnaca this morning produced a few interesting observations which included a couple of Turtle Doves, two juvenile and an adult Great Spotted Cuckoo, two young Black-winged Stilt with a few other adults around, incubating Spur-winged Lapwing, a couple of Ferruginous Duck, solitary Common Shelduck and male Northern Shoveler. There were plenty of juvenile Common Kestrel flying around the Larnaca Salt Lake area, Dromolaxia and Kiti. The whole area had an amazing number of House Sparrow – hundreds of adults and young birds in flocks feeding on the fields and in the built up areas as well.
Great Spotted Cuckoo 17th June 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Last autumn I had taken Terry and Sarah out for a morning in the Paphos area. This time they chose a day around Limassol with target species Cyprus Warbler and Greater Flamingo. We were lucky with the first target at Kourio Stadium. At least two and maybe three male Cyprus Warbler were singing there and we were able to see two of them really well. We also caught up with a family party at our last stop at Prastio Kellakiou.
At first it appeared that all the Greater Flamingo had left Akrotiri Salt Lake and the high numbers of over summering birds of the last two years had misled me into thinking we could find the same this summer. We scanned the edges of the lake in the haze and could see some movement in the area behind the Zakaki Marsh although it wasn’t clear which species were involved. So we headed as close to the area as we could by car and then walked. There were a few Greater Flamingo on the shore opposite us but in the haze were only just visible as Flamingos. On cue however four – an adult and three immature birds – appeared from behind the reeds and paraded in front of us much to Sarah and Terry’s delight and my relief!
Other highlights of the day included hunting Eleonora’s Falcon over Phassouri Reed Beds; a male Spectacled Warbler and a young Kentish Plover together with a female sitting on a nest at Akrotiri Gravel Pits; good views of Black-winged Stilt, Ferruginous Duck, Little Egret, Squacco Heron, Black-headed Wagtail, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Spur-winged Lapwing and an unseasonal White Wagtail at Zakaki Marsh; and Black-headed and Cretzschmar’s Bunting, the Cyprus Warbler family, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, European Serin and Masked Shrike at Prastio Kellakiou.
Species seen – 55
Little Grebe, Squacco Heron, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Greater Flamingo, Mallard, Ferruginous Duck, Common Kestrel, Eleonora’s Falcon, Peregrine Falcon, Chukar, Black Francolin (h), Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Black-winged Stilt, Kentish Plover, Spur-winged Lapwing, Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, Yellow-billed Gull, Little Tern, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Eurasian Turtle Dove (h), Common Swift, Alpine Swift, European Roller, Crested Lark, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Sand Martin, Common House Martin, Black-headed Wagtail, White Wagtail, Cetti’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Spectacled Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Cyprus Warbler, Great Tit, Masked Shrike, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Common Chaffinch, European Serin, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Common Linnet, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Black-headed Bunting.
Back in Cyprus after a couple of weeks away, I went to Panagia Stazousa and Pyrga this morning. Found at least six European Roller, two Eurasian Hoopoe, a pair of Long-legged Buzzard with two young on the nest, a couple of Cretzschmar’s Bunting and several Masked Shrike. There were at least two Cyprus Wheatear family parties as well as several singing males. I heard a Cyprus Warbler and several Eastern Olivaceous Warbler singing. A Eurasian Scops Owl called briefly and a Little Owl disappeared quickly into its nest hole as I drove past. As well as many Barn Swallow there were also at least four Red-rumped Swallow. Two juvenile Great Spotted Cuckoo were being fed by Magpies. The only species missing from visits there this time last year was European Bee-eater.
If you will be birding in Cyprus in July and August, and have an iPad or iPhone please help test a brand new interactive app based around the Important Bird Areas of Cyprus. For further details please contact BirdLife Cyprus
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