Cyprus Birding Tours

Offering guided bird watching tours around Cyprus

Tag Archives: Black-necked Grebe


by Leave a comment

Larnaca area today, 26th February 2017

Morning out around Larnaca. No sign of the Greater White-fronted or Greylag Geese at the Sewage Works although they may well have been in the fields.

Interesting sightings include:

Meneou Pool
Greater Flamingo 24
Kentish Plover 27
Little Stint 6
Dunlin 4
Black Francolin 1 singing
Common Ringed Plover 6

Larnaca Airport Pools South
Eurasian Stone Curlew 12

Larnaca Sewage Works
Great Cormorant 8
Barn Swallow 3
Ferruginous Duck 2
Northern Shoveler 35
Eurasian Teal 220
Ruddy Shelduck 11
Green Sandpiper 2
Northern Pintail 1m
Great White Pelican 1
Caspian Gull 1 juv
Yellow-legged Gull 1 ad

Spiros Pool
Eurasian Golden Plover 14
Kentish Plover 2
Common Greenshank 6
Eurasian Wigeon 15

Larnaca Airport Coast
Eurasian Skylark 34+

Meneou Beach
Greater Sand Plover 4 two almost in breeding plumage. Flew off SE when people walked along beach.

Larnaca Salt Lake
Greater Flamingo c2200
Common Shelduck c550
Slender-billed Gull 105
Common Black-headed Gull 1100+
Eurasian Golden Plover 64
Common Redshank 36
Green Sandpiper 1
Eurasian Skylark c20
Common Swift 2
Dunlin c20
Little Stint c30
Northern Shoveler 75
Black-necked Grebe 6+
Spur-winged Lapwing 6
Common Snipe 12
Little Ringed Plover 3
Barn Swallow 5

Kamares area of Larnaca Salt Lake
Laughing Dove 1 (first time reported in this area)
Western Marsh Harrier 1f
Eurasian Teal 4
Yellow Wagtail 1 (same as present since December)
Grey Wagtail 1
Green Sandpiper 4
Common Snipe 4
Water Pipit 1
Moustached Warbler 1 singing
Bluethroat 1
Water Rail 2h
Spur-winged Lapwing 3

Oroklini Beach
Mediterranean Gull 2 ad (one almost full breeding plumage)
Caspian Gull 2
Armenian Gull 6
Sandwich Tern 1

JUMBO Drainage Channel
Spur-winged Lapwing 4
Common Redshank 1
Common Kingfisher 1
Barn Swallow 1

Common Snipe, Larnaca Salt Lake 26th February 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Common Snipe, Larnaca Salt Lake 26th February 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Greater Sand Plover, Meneou Beach, 26th February 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Greater Sand Plover, Meneou Beach, 26th February 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Eurasian Stone Curlew 4, Larnaca Salt Lake, 26th February 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Eurasian Stone Curlew , Larnaca Salt Lake, 26th February 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Mediterranean Gulls, Oroklini Beach, 26th February 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Mediterranean Gulls, Oroklini Beach, 26th February 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


by Leave a comment

Waterbird Count Larnaca 14th January 2017

Out counting the waterbirds around Larnaca today was very enjoyable – not a lot of Greater Flamingos to count (last year there were 12000+ on this day!) – but lots of interesting birds including the largest flock of Greylag Geese in Cyprus for more than 30 years, five Pallas’ Gulls, two Common Quail, two Barn Swallow and plenty more. One of the Pallas’ Gulls was sitting at the north end of the Salt Lake with some Greater Flamingos (see record photo below).

Greater Flamingo and a Great Black-backed Gull, Larnaca Salt Lake, 14th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Greater Flamingo and a Great Black-backed Gull, Larnaca Salt Lake, 14th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Meneou Pool
Common Redshank 4
Greater Flamingo 97
Common Shelduck 43
Common Ringed Plover 2
Kentish Plover 2

Larnaca Airport Pools South
Eurasian Stone Curlew 5

Larnaca Sewage Works
Eurasian Curlew 17
Great Cormorant 24
Greater White-fronted Goose 8
Eurasian Wigeon 16
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Eurasian Teal 736
Northern Shoveler 16
Mallard 232
Great Black-headed Gull (Pallas Gull) 2 ad and 2 imm
Black-necked Grebe 3
Northern Pintail 4
Tufted Duck 1m
Caspian Gull 3
Meadow Pipit c30
Great White Pelican 1
Mediterranean Gull 1 imm

Spiros Pool
Greater Flamingo 37
Eurasian Wigeon 3
Eurasian Golden Plover 336

Larnaca Airport Coast
European Shag 2

Larnaca Airport Pools North
Greater Flamingo 37
Common Shelduck 26
Northern Shoveler 41
Kentish Plover 4
Common Redshank 3
Dunlin 12

Larnaca Salt Lake
Common Starling 50
Greater Flamingo 1028
Common Shelduck 576
Common Ringed Plover 8
Little Stint 39
Common Redshank 7
Common Black-headed Gull 261
Greylag Geese 57 (presumably same birds as those at Akrotiri during the week)
Dunlin 62+
Hen Harrier 1
Black-necked Grebe 12
Slender-billed Gull 1 ad
Caspian Gull 60+
Armenian Gull 24
Great Black-headed Gull 1 ad
Common Quail 2 flushed
Corn Bunting c60
Common Buzzard 2
Common Snipe 4
Spanish Sparrow 20+
Common Reed Bunting 1h
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Song Thrush 2
Eurasian Blackbird 1
Marsh Sandpiper 1
Common Greenshank 1

Kamares area
Spur-winged Lapwing 3
Common Chiffchaff 50+
Moustached Warbler 1
Yellow Wagtail 1 1st winter bird – same as seen there in mid Dec
Common Snipe 1
Green Sandpiper 1
Common Redshank 1
Common Ringed Plover 1
Western Jackdaw 15
Barn Swallow 2
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Water Pipit 2


by Leave a comment

Athalassa Dam, Nicosia this morning 6th January 2017

Once again some good birds in Nicosia; this time at Athalassa Dam where highlights were ten Tufted Duck, a Black-necked Grebe and two fishing Whiskered Terns (unusual for January, they are usually passage migrants through Cyprus).

Main birds seen:

Black-crowned Night Heron 2 ad
Cattle Egret 1
Little Egret 2
Grey Heron 3
Great Cormorant 2
Black-necked Grebe 1
Common Pochard 1m
Ferruginous Duck 3
Tufted Duck 10 (inc 4 males)
Grey Wagtail 2
Eurasian Blackbird 2m
Whiskered Tern 2
Northern Shoveler c80
Eurasian Teal c50
Mallard c40
Common Chiffchaff 20+

Athalassa Dam, Nicosia this morning 6th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Black-crowned Night Heron, Athalassa Dam, Nicosia, 6th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


by Leave a comment

Waterbird Count Larnaca 16th December 2016

A good day around the Larnaca area doing the December waterbird count. Although one of the Sewage Pools is still empty the other one had some good birds including six Greater White-fronted Goose, a Ruddy Shelduck, an immature Great White Pelican, two Common Shelduck, five Black-necked Grebe, nine Eurasian Wigeon, four Common Pochard and two Northern Pintail. Twelve Eurasian Golden Plover were on Spiros Pool and six Eurasian Curlew were in the nearby fields which also had many Eurasian Skylark and Meadow Pipit feeding in them.

Nearly 700 Greater Flamingo were on the main Salt Lake as were around 140 Common Shelduck. An unexpected find were three Common Crane – maybe the same birds that were at Akrotiri Salt Lake recently (see record photo). Flocks of Kentish Plover, Dunlin and Little Stint were feeding on the edges of the water. Towards the north east corner there were more than 20 Common Snipe and a single Temminck’s Stint. Water and Meadow Pipit were around and were put up by hunting Western Marsh and Hen Harrier and two Common Buzzard. In the reeds I found three Moustached Warbler and two Bluethroat, a Water Rail and a Jack Snipe, as well as many Common Chiffchaff, two Grey Wagtail and a first winter Yellow Wagtail.

Common Crane, Larnaca Salt Lake 16th December 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Common Crane, Larnaca Salt Lake 16th December 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Bluethroat, Larnaca Salt Lake 16th December 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Bluethroat, Larnaca Salt Lake 16th December 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Moustached Warbler, Larnaca Salt Lake 16th December 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Moustached Warbler, Larnaca Salt Lake 16th December 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


by Leave a comment

Larnaca, Akhna and Oroklini today 18th November 2016

Most of my time out today was spent doing the Waterbird count around Larnaca. After the rain a few weeks ago there is still some water in parts of the Salt Lake and isolated patches of water contained some good birds. Best birds were a Common Crane flying over the Sewage Works, a Gadwall and three Black-necked Grebe on the Sewage Pools, eight Eurasian Stone Curlew and eight Eurasian Curlew, hunting Western Marsh and female Hen Harrier, flocks of Eurasian Skylark, two Bluethroat (see photo), six Temminck’s Stint, a Water Rail and around thirty Common Snipe in the north east corner of the Salt Lake.

Akhna Dam had less birds than when I visited a month ago although there was a Great White Pelican there and some recently arrived thrushes including Song and Mistle Thrush and Fieldfare. More than sixty Spur-winged Lapwing were at Oroklini together with twenty four Northern Lapwing, around fifty Greater Flamingo and a Great Egret.

Bluethroat, Larnaca Salt Lake 18th November 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Bluethroat, Larnaca Salt Lake 18th November 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


by Leave a comment

Larnaca area this morning 5th November 2016

An unexpected visit to Larnaca this morning and good to see some water at the wetlands after the rain earlier in the week. Notable were an Osprey, a Pied Avocet and two Ruddy Shelduck at the Sewage Works and more than sixty Spur-winged Lapwing at Oroklini Marsh (see photo). Water levels at Oroklini were good and there was also a Black-necked Grebe there as well as many Eurasian Teal and Northern Shoveler. A Common Buzzard was chased away from the area by Hooded Crows.

Spur-winged Lapwing, Oroklini Marsh 5th November 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Spur-winged Lapwing, Oroklini Marsh 5th November 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


by Leave a comment

Larnaca area this morning, 7th February 2016

A couple of hours around the Sewage Works area with Ruddy Shelduck, Pied Avocet, Eurasian Stone Curlew, Caspian Gull, Baltic and Heuglin’s Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Ferruginous Duck, Black-necked Grebe, Gadwall, Common Shelduck, Sandwich Tern, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Eurasian Curlew and Barn Swallow.

Plus the sight of a Western Marsh Harrier trying hard to put the flock of Eurasian Coot to flight so it could catch one – it had no joy while I was watching it, gave up and flew away. But I had the feeling it would go back and keep trying until it was successful.

Western Marsh Harrier over Eurasian Coot Larnaca Sewage Works 7th February 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Western Marsh Harrier over Eurasian Coot Larnaca Sewage Works 7th February 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Eurasian Stone Curlew Larnaca Airport Pools South 7th February 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Eurasian Stone Curlew Larnaca Airport Pools South 7th February 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


by Leave a comment

Larnaca area Waterbird count, Wednesday 15th December 2015

Did the waterbird count around Larnaca Salt Lake today. Some interesting birds around despite the general lack of water. The Sewage Works pools had c750 Northern Shoveler, c490 Eurasian Teal, c130 Mallard, a Gadwall, 219 Greater Flamingo, a Ruff, two Ruddy Shelduck, a Common Shelduck, six Greater White-fronted Geese, a Tufted Duck, 11 Ferruginous Duck, 13 Black-necked Grebe, a Mediterranean and Armenian Gull and 11 Northern Lapwing. In the fields there were many Eurasian Skylark, some Red-throated Pipit, plenty of Spanish Sparrow and flocks of European Goldfinch, European Greenfinch and Common Linnet. On the Airport Pools South there was a flock of 330 Eurasian Golden Plover.

There is not a lot of water on the main Salt Lake and a lot of the birds mentioned below were seen in the north east corner where it is quite boggy: 9 Greater Flamingo , 2 Heuglin’s Gull , 1 Mediterranean Gull , 2 Armenian Gull , 1 Yellow-legged Gull, 39 Common Shelduck , c170 Kentish Plover, 4 Common Ringed Plover, 11 Corn Bunting, a Common Reed Bunting, 5 Common Snipe, 2 Water Pipit, 2 Spur-winged Lapwing, Water Rail (h), Eurasian Teal c175 and two Marsh Sandpiper.

Common Redshank, Meneou Pool, 15th December 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Common Redshank, Meneou Pool, 15th December 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Female Sardinian Warbler keeping an eye on what's above her, Larnaca Sewage Works 15th December (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Female Sardinian Warbler keeping an eye on what’s above her, Larnaca Sewage Works 15th December (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


by Leave a comment

Larnaca and Oroklini 14th November 2015

Did the waterbird count at Larnaca and late in the afternoon visited Oroklini. The Red-breasted Goose is still at the Sewage Works together with five Greater White-fronted Geese. A Pied Avocet was the best wader and the Red Knot is still present. A young Peregrine Falcon flew in and snatched up a Coot only to be forced to drop it by an adult Peregrine that came swooping in. Both Peregrines flew off calling and briefly grappling. The Coot was left there although it was gone when I revisited in the afternoon.

The Ruddy Shelduck is still at Oroklini and there were three Temminck’s Stint and six Common Snipe feeding as well as a Bluethroat and Water Pipit.

Full list of sightings:
Larnaca Sewage Works
Greater Flamingo 56 (only one adult)
Pied Avocet 1
Common Shelduck 1
Black-winged Stilt 8
Little Stint c50
Common Redshank 6
Dunlin 9+
Ruff 3
Common Ringed Plover 1
Baltic Gull 1 juv
Armenian Gull 11
Marsh Sandpiper 1
Greater White-fronted Goose 5
Red-breasted Goose 1
Black-necked Grebe 1
Northern Pintail 6
Red Knot 1
Peregrine Falcon 2

Larnaca Desalination Plant Fields
Eurasian Skylark 100+
Calandra Lark 5
Eurasian Golden Plover 4
Common Starling 11

Larnaca Salt Lake
Greater Flamingo 6
Eurasian Teal 13
Little Ringed Plover 5
Common Ringed Plover 25
Spur-winged Lapwing 2
Common Redshank 30
Dunlin c100
Kentish Plover c140
Little Stint 30+
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Water Pipit 2

Oroklini Marsh
Spur-winged Lapwing 35
Ruddy Shelduck 1
Cattle Egret 60
Common Snipe 6
Little Stint 2
Temminck’s Stint 3
Common Ringed Plover 5
Little Ringed Plover 2
Water Pipit 1
Water Rail h
Eurasian Penduline Tit h
Northern Pintail 2
Common Starling 40
Bluethroat 1
Corn Bunting 8

Oroklini Beach
Sandwich Tern 2
Common Black-headed Gull c150

Sandwich Tern Oroklini Beach 14th November 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Sandwich Tern Oroklini Beach 14th November 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


by Leave a comment

Waterbird Count today around Larnaca, 17th January 2015

Out today doing the waterbird count around Larnaca Salt Lake area and Kiti Dam. Also visited Petounta Point. The highlight was a group of seventeen Black-necked Grebe on Larnaca Salt Lake which is full of water and had few waders as a result.

Highlights were:
Meneou Pool – Greater Flamingo 465

Larnaca Sewage Works – Eurasian Teal 829, Mallard 119, Eurasian Wigeon 15, Black-necked Grebe 5, Tufted Duck 4, Caspian Gull 3, Western Marsh Harrier 1, Eurasian Curlew 1

Spiros Pool & Beach area – Greater Flamingo 15, Golden Plover c300 flying over airport in distance, Dunlin 2, Little Stint 3, Green Sandpiper 1, Common Ringed Plover 12, Kentish Plover 89

Larnaca Airport Pools North – Greater Flamingo 24, Common Redshank 1

Larnaca Salt Lake – Black-headed Gull 108, Common Shelduck 607, Northern Shoveler 87, Greater Flamingo 1820, Black-necked Grebe 17, Reed Bunting 3, Common Snipe 2, Eurasian Teal 107, Common Redshank 3, Common Buzzard 1, Western Marsh Harrier 2, Water Pipit 1, Dunlin 4, Blackbird 1

Larnaca Airport Pools South – Greater Flamingo 123, Caspian Gull 50, Armenian Gull 12, Heuglin’s Gull 1 (maybe 2)

Kiti Dam (has water) – Western Marsh Harrier 1, Eurasian Teal 6, Black-headed Gull 54

Petounta Point – Sandwich Tern 2, Common Buzzard 1


by Leave a comment

Two rarities Larnaca area this morning, 6th December 2014

The star bird on the Larnaca Sewage Pools this morning was a female/juvenile type White-headed Duck. A rare winter visitor, its a couple of years since one has been seen although that site is often favoured when one does appear. Also present were eight Greater White-fronted Geese, at least four Gadwall, several Eurasian Wigeon, a male Common Pochard, two Black-necked Grebe and the long staying lone Common Shelduck.

Around 150 Greater Flamingo were on Meneou Pool where a Western Marsh Harrier was on the mud with the remains of something it caught earlier. A Eurasian Curlew was on the coast near the airport and in the fields there were a couple of hundred Eurasian Skylark, some Meadow Pipit and Corn Bunting and at least one Red-throated Pipit.

But the morning got better when I got a tip off from a local birder of a juvenile Black-legged Kittiwake on Larnaca Sea front.  It was still there when I arrived. Only six previous records of this bird in Cyprus. Great morning in Larnaca!

Black-legged Kittiwake Larnaca Sea Front 6th December 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Black-legged Kittiwake Larnaca Sea Front 6th December 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Western Marsh Harrier Meneou Pools 6th December 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Western Marsh Harrier Meneou Pools 6th December 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


by Leave a comment

Larnaca Sewage Works area this morning, 27th October 2014

There were several Common Greenshank at the Sewage Pools where there were also nearly 100 Greater Flamingo, a female Pintail and a couple of Black-necked Grebes. The flooded area of Spiros Pool had Dunlin, Little Stint and Common Ringed Plover. A Bluethroat and Red-backed Shrike were in the scrub near the Sewage Pools. Red-throated Pipit and Eurasian Skylark were in the fields.

White Wagtail, Spiros Pool 27th October 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

White Wagtail, Spiros Pool 27th October 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours