A juvenile Greater Sand Plover was on Spiros Beach this morning.
Back out birding in the heat of Larnaca this morning and found the following:
Meneou Pool
Eurasian Stone Curlew 2
Spur-winged Lapwing 1 juvenile
Larnaca Sewage Works and surrounding fields
Spur-winged Lapwing 25
Little Tern 1
Greater Flamingo 12
Glossy Ibis 1
Common Sandpiper 6
Ruff 3
Little Ringed Plover 2
Spotted Redshank 1
Little Stint 17
Wood Sandpiper 1
Red-crested Pochard 4 fem/juv types
Ferruginous Duck 7
Green Sandpiper 1
Common Swift 5
Kentish Plover 3
Spiros Beach
Kentish Plover c60 ads and juvs post breeding flock
Larnaca Airport Coast
Common Kingfisher 1
Common Sandpiper 9
Larnaca Salt Lake – only water is near Kamares
Little Egret 2
Glossy Ibis 1
Spur-winged Lapwing 13
Yellow-legged Gull, Spiros Beach, 25th July 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Apart from the usual Mallards, Little Grebe and Eurasian Coot, there was a Whiskered and a White-winged Tern at the Sewage Pools as well as breeding Spur-winged Lapwing, the long-staying Ruddy Shelduck and two Ferruginous Duck. A small group of Kentish Plover flew in while I was there. The majority of bird life on the main Salt Lake was in the north east corner where I found more breeding Spur-winged Lapwing, some Black-winged Stilt, a Grey Heron, two Little Egret, two Cattle Egret and a Squacco Heron. A pair of Black-headed Wagtail were at Spiros Pool and the reeds near the Kamares aqueduct were full of Eurasian Reed Warbler families.
Black-winged Stilt, Larnaca 13th June 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Barn Swallow, Larnaca 13th June 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Some sightings from the Troodos area and the Omodos vineyards. Many Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Common Chaffinch, Coal Tit and Short-toed Treecreeper also seen:
Eurasian Jay, Livadi tou Pashia, 10th June 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Grey Wagtail, Caledonia Trail, 10th June 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Masked Shrike, Livadi tou Pashia, 10th June 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Masked Shrike juvenile, Livadi tou Pashia, 10th June 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Spotted Flycatcher, Livadi tou Pashia, 10th June 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
A walk around the dam at Athalassa today which still has plenty of water. A couple of pairs of Black-winged Stilt were present as were four Ferruginous Duck, an adult Little Bittern, two Squacco Heron, two Black-crowned Night Heron, four Little Egret and several European Turtle Dove. Eastern Olivaceous and Eurasian Reed Warbler could be heard and seen flitting in the trees and reeds and there were several Cetti’s Warbler. Several Mallard had large duckling with them and Eurasian Coot were feeding young – ranging from recently hatched to larger birds. Plenty of Common Moorhen and Little Grebe but no young seen of either species. As usual the area was full of Common Woodpigeon and Hooded Crow.
Black-winged Stilt, Athalassa 9th June 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
European Turtle Dove, Athalassa Dam, 9th June 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Eurasian Coot with young, Athalassa 9th June 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Common Woodpigeon, Athalassa 9th June 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Red-rumped Swallow, Platania, 31st May 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Cyprus Wheatear fledgling, Amiandos, 31st May 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Cyprus Wheatear, Amiandos, 31st May 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Winter Wren, Caledonia Trail, 31st May 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Common Chaffinch, Livadi tou Pashia, 31st May 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Eurasian Blackbird, Caledonia Trail, 31st May 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
European Greenfinch Platania, 31st May 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Knowing that migration was now virtually over, this day out with Steve and Mary concentrated on finding migrant breeders and allowed them to see several lifers which included Black Francolin, Chukar, European Stone Curlew, Spur-winged Lapwing, Cyprus Wheatear, Laughing Dove, Alpine Swift, Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler and Cretzschmar’s and Black-headed Bunting. The bird of the day was a male Black-headed Bunting singing perched on a large cow-parsley flower head!
Highlights per location:
Paphos Sewage Works – Black Francolin 2m and 1f, Spur-winged Lapwing 6+
Petra tou Romiou – Eleonora’s Falcon 2, Peregrine Falcon 1, Alpine Swift 10+
Kouklia – Laughing Dove 2
Anarita Park – Eastern Black-eared Wheatear 1 pale throated male, Spanish Sparrow, Little Owl, Cetti’s Warbler – 1 fledgling, European Roller 3, Cyprus Wheatear 1 male with two fledglings, Chukar 2 ad and 12 young
Road to Episkopi – European Roller 2, Cyprus Wheatear 6+
Ezousas Valley, Episkopi – European Roller 2, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler 1 seen well, European Turtle Dove 2
Minthis Hills – European Roller 1, Cyprus Wheatear 2, Cretzschmar’s Bunting 1 singing male and another adult with a young bird
Arodes – Black Francolin 1h, Eleonora’s Falcon 1, European Roller 4, Cyprus Wheatear 4+, Red-rumped Swallow 1, Black-headed Bunting 1 singing male
Androlikou – Cyprus Wheatear 6 plus one young bird, European Roller 1, Eurasian Scops Owl 1 h, Little Owl 1h
All species seen: Common Kestrel, Eleonora’s Falcon, Peregrine Falcon, Chukar, Black Francolin, Eurasian Stone Curlew, Spur-winged Lapwing, Yellow-legged Gull, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, European Turtle Dove, Laughing Dove, Eurasian Scops Owl, Little Owl, Common Swift, Alpine Swift, European Roller, Crested Lark, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Common House Martin, Cyprus Wheatear, Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, Cetti’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Great Tit, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Common Linnet, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Black-headed Bunting, Corn Bunting
Akamas, 26th May 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Laughing Dove, Aradippou, 20th May 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Laughing Dove 2, Aradippou, 20th May 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Good to get to do a European Roller survey for BirdLife Cyprus at one of my favourite places this morning. Found four European Roller, four European Bee-eater, an adult and five juvenile Great Spotted Cuckoo, two Eurasian Hoopoe, six male Cyprus Wheatear, five male Cyprus Warbler and a juvenile, a singing male Cretzschmar’s Bunting and two young Little Owl.
European Roller, Panagia Stazousa, 20th May 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Young Little Owl, Panagia Stazousa, 20th May 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Auduoin’s Gull, Spiros Beach, Larnaca, 17th May 2016
Breeding success in evidence this morning as I visited my Common Birds Monitoring transect at Mennogeia. I found family parties of Chukar, Cyprus Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Crested Lark and best of all – three juvenile Great Spotted Cuckoo in a carob tree being called by their Hooded Crow foster parents who were flying above.
Out in the Larnaca area for the waterbird count with interesting species found listed below:
Meneou Pool
Little Tern 2
Greater Flamingo 3
Kentish Plover 3 ad
Larnaca Sewage Works pools and surrounds
Black Francolin 1 m and 1f
Black Tern 1
White-winged Tern 2
Curlew Sandpiper 5,
Black-winged Stilt 8
Ruff 17
Ferruginous Duck 1
Little Stint 5
Common Ringed Plover 1
Spur-winged Lapwing 15
Common Black-headed Gull 1
Ruddy Shelduck 1
Sand Martin 4
Spiros Pool
Kentish Plover 2
Spur-winged Lapwing 1
Larnaca Salt Lake
Kentish Plover 23
Black-winged Stilt 1f
Ruff 42
Glossy Ibis 6
Black-crowned Night Heron 5
Grey Heron 1
Little Bittern 1m.
Squacco Heron 2
Spur-winged Lapwing 3
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Yellow Wagtail feldegg 1h
Common Redstart 1f
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler 2
Eurasian Reed Warbler c10
Ruddy Shelduck , Larnaca Sewage Works 16th May 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Ruddy Shelduck , Larnaca Sewage Works 16th May 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Cyprus Birding Tours 