Cyprus Birding Tours

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Tag Archives: Black-winged Stilt


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Waterbird count Larnaca area 18th August 2020

Two flocks of 220 and 60 White Storks were the highlight of the waterbird count around Larnaca this morning. Numbers of Black-winged Stilts on Meneou Pool are slowly dropping as they start to leave (see photo of a juvenile there).
Black-winged Stilt, Meneou 18th August 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Black-winged Stilt, Meneou 18th August 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Interesting sightings included:
Meneou Pool
Black-winged Stilt 133
Common Ringed Plover 10 (incl six that flew out to sea)
Kentish Plover 3
Little Stint 111
Ruff 20
Grey Heron 6
Greater Flamingo 4 (1 juv)
Glossy Ibis 1
Common Sandpiper 10
Green Sandpiper 6
Little Ringed Plover 4
Western Yellow Wagtail 1h
Slender-billed Gull 2
Black-headed Gull 1
Temminck’s Stint 1
Curlew Sandpiper 2 (1 ad and 1 juv)
Little Egret 2
Larnaca Airport Pools South
White Stork 218 roosting at 08:15.
Spur-winged Lapwing 1
Larnaca Sewage Works
Spur-winged Lapwing 33
Mallard 236
Great Cormorant 1
Ruff 9
Common Coot 4
Grey Heron 4
Greater Flamingo 1 juv
Common Sandpiper 2
Common Shelduck 1
Larnaca Salt Lake
Greater Flamingo 3 juvs
Masked Shrike 2 juv
Red-backed Shrike 1 m
White Stork c60 gaining height and moving SE N of Tekke Mosque at 10:15
Cattle Egret 7
Spur-winged Lapwing 11
Little Egret 9
Wood Sandpiper 1
Common Kingfisher 1


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Meneou Pool, Larnaca 10th – 16th August 2020

Meneou Pool is the only one of those scattered around Larnaca Salt Lake to have water in it at present and its muddy edges are just right for feeding waders. Since Monday I’ve been lucky enough to see several of the rarer waders to Cyprus there – a Red Knot on 11th & 13th August, two Sanderling on 10th and 11th and then three Broad-billed Sandpiper on 14th. None of them approachable for photos except this morning when one Broad-billed Sandpiper was close enough for me to get the cropped photo below. Also around in variable numbers each day were Common and Little Ringed Plover (also photographed today), Little and Temminck’s Stint, Ruff, Dunlin, Curlew Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Common Redshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Collared Pratincole, Little Tern, White-winged Tern, Garganey, Black-headed Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Teal, Grey Heron, Glossy Ibis, Little Egret, Stone Curlew, Spur-winged Lapwing, Common Snipe, Common, Wood and Green Sandpiper and many Black-winged Stilt.
Broad-billed Sandpiper, Meneou Pool 16th August 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Broad-billed Sandpiper, Meneou Pool 16th August 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Common Ringed Plover, Meneou Pool 16th August 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Common Ringed Plover, Meneou Pool 16th August 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Little Ringed Plover, Meneou Pool 16th August 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Little Ringed Plover, Meneou Pool 16th August 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Meneou this morning 9th August 2020

Some interesting birds at Meneou this morning including at least 230 Black-winged Stilt, plus much smaller numbers of Ruff, Common and Little Ringed Plover, Little Stint, Common and Green Sandpiper and Collared Pratincole. At least eight Little Tern and a juvenile White-winged Tern. Plenty of Yellow-legged Gull roosting on salt flats and flying around the Sewage Works including several juveniles (see photo).

Yellow-legged Gull, Larnaca Sewage Works 9th August 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Yellow-legged Gull, Larnaca Sewage Works 9th August 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Larnaca area 17th July 2020

A surprise today around Larnaca in the shape of a female Red-necked Phalarope – bad record photo below – along with more usual birds in the shape of early passage migrants five Black-headed (see photo) and a Slender-billed Gull, a White-winged, two Common and four Little Tern; at least four Little Ringed Plover and Green and Wood Sandpiper and several breeding Spur-winged Lapwing (photo) and Black-winged Stilt.

Red-necked Phalarope, Larnaca 17th July 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Red-necked Phalarope, Larnaca 17th July 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Spur-winged Lapwing. Larnaca Sewage Works, 17th July 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Spur-winged Lapwing. Larnaca Sewage Works, 17th July 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Black-headed Gull, Larnaca Sewage Works, 17th July 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Black-headed Gull, Larnaca Sewage Works, 17th July 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Akrotiri morning 2nd July 2020

A morning around the Akrotiri peninsula with some interesting species seen.

Akrotiri Salt Lake
Slender billed Gull 50+
Common Tern 2
Gull billed Tern 4
Caspian Tern 1
Little Tern 15
Spotted Redshank 1
Marsh Sandpiper 4
Wood Sandpiper 1
Green Sandpiper 4
Common Redshank 4+
Greater Flamingo c1000
Little Ringed Plover 4
Little Egret 3
Black winged Stilt 100+

Akrotiri Marsh (Phasouri Reed beds)
Glossy Ibis 24
Little Egret 16 (see photo)
Grey Heron 2
Cattle Egret 8
Spur winged Lapwing 1
Squacco Heron 4
Little Bittern 1m
Eleonora’s Falcon 1
Red rumped Swallow 7 heading S
Black crowned Night Heron 1 juv in flightLittle Egret, Akrotiri 2nd July 2020


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Achna Dam morning 6th June 2020.

Achna Dam 6th June 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Achna Dam 6th June 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

I don’t remember as much water in Achna Dam before as I found today . But even so I managed to have a good walk in several areas and found some interesting birds. Its getting hotter though now so I guess walks of an hour or more will soon be out of the question!

Birds seen included:
Glossy Ibis 13
Squacco Heron 8
Gull billed Tern 12
Spur winged Lapwing 8
Great Cormorant 2
Grey Heron 3
Great Crested Grebe 1 ad
European Roller 1
Cattle Egret 2 (one with stick in bill)
Little Egret 2
Little Bittern 1f
Purple Heron 1
Common Hoopoe 4
Black winged Stilt 2


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Larnaca area 16th March 2020

Out around Larnaca yesterday morning doing the waterbird count. Still more than 2000 Greater Flamingos plus several hundred Slender-billed Gull, 23 Little Gull, three Mediterranean Gull, more than 50 Black-winged Stilt, nine Pied Avocet, a male Tufted Duck, three Great Crested Grebe, some Little and Common Ringed Plover, Ruff, Kentish Plover, some Northern and Isabelline Wheatear, a couple of Common Hoopoe (see photo), lots of Common Chiffchaff, Lesser Whitethroat and Western Yellow and White Wagtail and a Woodchat Shrike.

Common Hoopoe, Larnaca 16th March 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Common Hoopoe, Larnaca 16th March 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Larnaca area 30th November 2019

Lovely day birding around Larnaca today visiting Panagia Stazousa, Oroklini and the aqueduct at Kamares. Some good birds around although didn’t expect to see a very late Common Whitethroat in with the Blackcaps at Panagia Stazousa.

Main sightings:
Panagia Stazousa
Long-legged Buzzard 3
Common Whitethroat 1
Woodlark 1
Cyprus Warbler 5m and 1f (four males singing)

Pyrga
Common Chaffinch 60+
Cyprus Warbler 1m
Woodlark 6

Kamares Aqueduct
Black-crowned Night Heron 1 juv (see photo)
Common Kingfisher 1
Water Pipit 1
Western Marsh Harrier 2
Spur-winged Lapwing 2

Oroklini Marsh – south area
Common Redshank 6
Water Pipit 1
Northern Lapwing 5
Western Marsh Harrier 2
Laughing Dove 1
Green Sandpiper 1
Black-winged Stilt 13
Little Egret 3
Spur-winged Lapwing 20+

Oroklini Marsh – main lake
Greater Flamingo 7
Common Pochard 1m and 1f
Ferruginous Duck 2
Northern Pintail 1
Barn Swallow 1
Spur-winged Lapwing 20+
Western Water Rail 1h

Oroklini Beach
Pallas’ Gull 1 ad fly past heading W
Audouin’s Gull 1 flying W five minutes later
Sandwich Tern 1
Black-headed Gull 300+

Spiros Beach
Kentish Plover 11
Dunlin 9
Little Stint 4

Black-crowned Night Heron juvenile, Larnaca Salt Lake 30th November 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Black-crowned Night Heron juvenile, Larnaca Salt Lake 30th November 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Larnaca area this morning 10th October 2019

First time around the area for a few weeks. The best place for birds was Oroklini Marsh where these two Eurasian Spoonbill were feeding (photo).

Eurasian Spoonbill, Oroklini Marsh 10th October 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Eurasian Spoonbill, Oroklini Marsh 10th October 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Also in the area were:

Oroklini Marsh
Eurasian Spoonbill 2
Great White Egret 1
Little Egret 3
Cattle Egret 1
Common Teal 13
Northern Shoveler 34
Greater Flamingo 30
Common Snipe 6
Wood Sandpiper 1
Green Sandpiper 1
Common Redshank 3
Spur-winged Lapwing c45
Common Kingfisher 1
Western Marsh Harrier 1 m
Black-winged Stilt 1
Marsh Sandpiper 1
Laughing Dove 3

Larnaca Salt Lake
Greater Flamingo c150
Eurasian Spoonbill 10
Red-rumped Swallow c20

Spiros Pool
Red-throated Pipit 2

Larnaca Airport Coast
Northern Wheatear 2

Larnaca Sewage Works
Spur-winged Lapwing 7
Armenian Gull 2
Great Cormorant 1
Common Teal 15
Ruff 7
Western Marsh Harrier 1


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Black-winged Stilt chick, Larnaca 3rd July 2019

The Black-winged Stilt appear to have had a successful breeding season in the Larnaca area. Lots of juveniles of all age and sizes around.

Black-winged Stilt chick, Larnaca 3rd July 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Black-winged Stilt chick, Larnaca 3rd July 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Black-winged Stilt chick, Larnaca, 3rd July 2019 (1 of 1)

Black-winged Stilt chick, Larnaca 3rd July 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Larnaca waterbird count 18th April 2019

Out around Larnaca counting the waterbirds today. The depth of the water on the Sewage Pools means they hold very few birds but the surrounding Salt Lake area still had Greater Flamingo as well as Black-winged Stilt (see photo), Spur-winged Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Ruff, Little Stint, Common and Little Ringed Plover, Garganey and single Mediterranean Gull.  Whiskered Tern and Grey Plover.

Black-winged Stilt, Spiros Pool, 18th April 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Black-winged Stilt, Spiros Pool, 18th April 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Grey Plover, Spiros Pool, 18th April 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Grey Plover, Spiros Pool, 18th April 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours