Cyprus Birding Tours

Offering guided bird watching tours around Cyprus

Tag Archives: Common Ringed Plover


by Leave a comment

Achna Dam, 28th September 2020

Spent the morning at Achna Dam where I was lucky to get some slightly closer photos of the Pied Kingfisher that has been around there for a couple of weeks now. Not as sharp or as close as I would have liked but never mind!! A good morning out overall with other sightings including an Osprey, Montagu’s Harrier, male Western Marsh Harrier, a Long-legged Buzzard, a Purple Heron, several Common Kingfisher, Wood, Green and Common Sandpipers, Common Snipe, Common Ringed Plover, European Bee-eater, Common Hoopoe, juvenile Masked and Red-backed Shrike, Spur-winged Lapwing, a few Western Yellow Wagtail and a lone White Wagtail.

Pied Kingfisher, Achna Dam 28th September 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


by Leave a comment

Achna Dam 14th September 2020

Went to Achna for first time in several weeks to see if I could find the Pied Kingfisher that had been seen there on Thursday. Surprisingly it was the first bird I saw when I arrived – it called and flew in front of me as it headed to another part of the dam. Later on I saw two in that area – I assume one of those was the one I had seen earlier. No chance of anything other than a record flight shot as they were flying around the area and then disappearing! But it was a great morning’s birding with other birds seen including a Spotted Crake, Little Bittern, Great Crested Grebe, Western Marsh and Montagu’s Harrier, lots of Red-backed and Masked Shrike, many Common Hoopoe, Spur-winged Lapwing, Common Ringed Plover, Wood, Green and Common Sandpiper, Dunlin, Common Snipe, Purple and Squacco Heron, Olivaceous and Willow Warbler.

Achna Dam, 14th September 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Birds
Spotted Crake, Achna Dam, 14th September 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Distant flight photo of one of Pied Kingfisher, Achna Dam 14th September 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Spur-winged Lapwing, Achna Dam, 14th September 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Masked Shrike, Achna Dam, 14th September 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Common Hoopoe, Achna Dam, 14th September 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


by Leave a comment

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


by Leave a comment

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


by 1 Comment

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


by Leave a comment

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


by Leave a comment

Waterbird count Larnaca area 11th January 2020

 

Spent most of the day doing the Waterbird Count around Larnaca today. Lots of Greater Flamingo and Northern Shoveler to count – and surprisingly also – it took time to count the Little Gull with just over 300 in the area feeding on several pools. Other interesting birds included three Pied Avocet, three Greater White-fronted Geese and 38 Black-necked Grebe.

Meneou Pool
Little Gull 71

Larnaca Airport Pools South
Little Gull 2
Northern Shoveler 276
Greater Flamingo 13
Common Shelduck 2
Caspian Gull c50
Armenian Gull 4
Heuglin’s Gull 1

Larnaca Sewage Works
Western Marsh Harrier 3
Great Cormorant 130
Northern Shoveler 88
Common Teal 429
Greater White-fronted Goose 3
Common Coot 29
Caspian Gull 8
Grey Heron 1
Spur-winged Lapwing 3
Common Redshank 5

Spiros Beach
Little Stint 63
Dunlin 58
Kentish Plover 175
Common Ringed Plover 4

Spiros Pool
Northern Shoveler 130
Eurasian Wigeon 2
Common Redshank 4

Larnaca Desalination Plant fields
Eurasian Golden Plover 5
Dunlin 20
Common Ringed Plover 3

Larnaca Airport Pools North
Pied Avocet 3
Little Gull 124

Larnaca Salt Lake
Little Gull 107
Cattle Egret 3
Greater Flamingo 9000+
Common Shelduck 153
Northern Shoveler 449
Black-necked Grebe 38
Dunlin 38
Little Stint 25
Common Snipe 14
Common Redshank 3
Spur-winged Lapwing 5
Common Ringed Plover 7
Bluethroat 2
Reed Bunting 1
Water Pipit 2

Kiti Dam (full but no waterbirds)
Woodlark 5

Little Gull, Larnaca Salt Lake 11th January 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Little Gull, Larnaca Salt Lake 11th January 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


by Leave a comment

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


by Leave a comment

Larnaca area 15th September 2018

Greater Flamingo, Larnaca Sewage Works 15th September 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Greater Flamingo, Larnaca Sewage Works 15th September 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Did the waterbird count this morning around Larnaca. Most of the birds were at the Sewage Works – Greater Flamingo, Little and Cattle Egret, Grey and Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis, Kentish and Common Ringed Plover, Little Stint, Sanderling, Ruff, Marsh Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt, Spur-winged Lapwing, Common Redshank, Northern Shoveler, Common Teal, Garganey, Ferruginous Duck. Plus migrating Montagu’s and Pallid Harrier, lots of European Bee-eater, an Isabelline and Northern Wheatear, Red-backed (see photo), Masked and Lesser Grey Shrike. Good morning’s birding.

Red-backed Shrike, Larnaca 15th September 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Red-backed Shrike, Larnaca 15th September 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


by Leave a comment

Terek Sandpiper, Oroklini Marsh this morning 28th August 2018

While doing the waterbird count at Larnaca Sewage Works this morning, I remarked to another birder there that this time last year a Terek Sandpiper had been found at the Sewage Works. An hour later at Oroklini Marsh the first bird I saw from the hide was this Terek Sandpiper! Not annual here this would be the 15th Cyprus record of the species since 2000 if accepted. Sorry for the awful photos but it was just too far for anything decent.

Terek Sandpiper, Oroklini Marsh 28th August 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Terek Sandpiper, Oroklini Marsh 28th August 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Also seen this morning in the Larnaca area:

Meneou Beach
Laughing Dove 1
Barn Swallow 3

Larnaca Airport Pools South
Eurasian Thick-knee 4
Grey Heron 4 over flying W

Larnaca Sewage Works
Black Kite 2 flying low heading W 7:35
Greater Flamingo 418 inc 67 juvs
Black-winged Stilt 30
Northern Shoveler 33
Little Stint 29
Common Ringed Plover 6
Dunlin 6
White-winged Tern 4
Gull-billed Tern 2
Spur-winged Lapwing 7
Marsh Sandpiper 3+
Curlew Sandpiper 1
Ruff 3
Black-headed Gull 2
Yellow-legged Gull 30
Common Kingfisher 1
Ferruginous Duck 1
Common Sandpiper 1
Whiskered Tern 1
Kentish Plover 2
Garganey 1
Common Teal 9

Larnaca Airport Coast
Common Sandpiper 1

Spiros Beach
Yellow-legged Gull 24
Kentish Plover 2

Spiros Pool
Western Marsh Harrier 1f

Larnaca Salt Lake
Spur-winged Lapwing 2
Black-headed Wagtail 1m
Laughing Dove 2

Oroklini Marsh
Terek Sandpiper 1
Curlew Sandpiper 4
Spur-winged Lapwing 107
Black-winged Stilt 8
Common Redshank 4
Marsh Sandpiper 4
Little Stint 5
Common Ringed Plover 2
Little Ringed Plover 6
Whiskered Tern 1


by Leave a comment

Akrotiri, 7th May 2018

Still some migrating waders around today with two Ruddy Turnstone and six Broad-billed Sandpipers the highlights. Plenty of Ruff, Little Stint, Wood Sandpiper, Common Ringed Plover and Black-winged Stilt. Also two Black-tailed Godwit and Marsh Sandpiper and a few Little Ringed Plover, a Curlew Sandpiper and a Common Greenshank. Still a large flock of Little Tern on Lady’s Mile so hopefully they will stay to breed. I also found two Woodchat Shrike and four Red-backed Shrike with a Black-eared Wheatear, a Whinchat, a female Common Redstart and several Spotted Flycatcher.

Little Ringed Plover, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Little Ringed Plover, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Ringed Plover, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Ringed Plover, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Ruddy Turnstone, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Ruddy Turnstone, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Female Red-backed Shrike, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Female Red-backed Shrike, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


by Leave a comment

Waterbird count Larnaca area today 15th March

Black-necked Grebe, Larnaca Sewage Works 15th March 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Black-necked Grebe, Larnaca Sewage Works 15th March 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Morning around Larnaca doing the monthly waterbird count. Most wintering ducks have gone as have most of the Greater Flamingos. Highlights were a Greater Sandplover at Spiros Pool, a flock of more than 600 Slender-billed Gulls on the Salt Lake and my first Wood Sandpiper of the year.

Main sightings:

Meneou Pool
Kentish Plover 6

Larnaca Airport Pools South
Eurasian Thick-knee 2
Greater Flamingo 178
Black Francolin 1h
Laughing Dove 1 (first time seen here)

Larnaca Sewage Works
Spur-winged Lapwing 6
Black-necked Grebe 13 (see photograph)
Northern Shoveler 247
Common Pochard 3f
Eurasian Wigeon 1m and 1f
Green Sandpiper 2
Common Teal 44
Common Hoopoe 1

Spiros Beach
Greater Sandplover 1 (later seen on Spiros Pool)
Kentish Plover 2

Spiros Pool
Little Stint 14
Kentish Plover 1

Larnaca Airport Pools North
Greater Flamingo 100

Larnaca Salt Lake
Greater Flamingo 17
Common Shelduck 2
Slender-billed Gull 657
Ruff 145
Dunlin 16
Kentish Plover 14
Little Stint 56
Common Ringed Plover 28
Eurasian Reed Warbler 5+h
Reed Bunting 1h
Common Snipe 6+
Water Pipit 4
Common Redshank 1h
Spur-winged Lapwing 9
Little Egret 1
Bluethroat 1
Wood Sandpiper 1
Little Ringed Plover 1
Yellow Wagtail 1 first winter/spring