Gadwall | Cyprus Birding Tours

February 20, 2018
by cyprusbirdingtours Leave a comment

Waterbird count Larnaca area today 20th February 2018

Numbers of ducks decreasing but still good numbers of Northern Shoveler and Common Teal as well as 24+ Black-necked Grebe, a pair of Gadwall, some Eurasian Wigeon and Common Pochard. More than 1000 Greater Flamingo in the area, although no sign today of a melanistic one seen yesterday, as well as nearly 1000 Common Shelduck on the main Salt Lake. A couple of hundred Slender-billed Gull were on the Salt Lake as well as some Caspian and Armenian Gull and plenty of Black-headed. But the best was an adult Pallas’s Gull in full breeding plumage in the north-east corner together with a Baltic Gull, two Heuglin’s Gull and a Mediterranean Gull. Waders included at least 16 Common Snipe, five Ruff, a few Eurasian Stone Curlew and hundreds of Dunlin and Little Stint.

The only spring migrants I saw were some Barn Swallows, an Isabelline Wheatear (see photo) and a Common Hoopoe. I then went along the coast towards Agios Theodoros where the Great Grey Shrike (probable aucheri intergrade) was still present and I managed to get a view of one of two Short-toed Snake Eagle that have also been in that area for a few days. Isabelline Wheatear, Kiti, 20th February 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

January 5, 2017
by cyprusbirdingtours Leave a comment

Limassol area 5th January 2017

First day out birding of 2017 on my return from UK. As I had missed out on adding Common Gull to my 2016 Cyprus list I was determined to get it for my 2017 list. So I decided to go to Lady’s Mile at Akrotiri where at least three of this uncommon Cyprus winter visitor have been present. I saw my target birds and in with the 1000+ wintering Common Black-headed Gull I also found a first winter Slender-billed Gull and three first winter Mediterranean Gulls. There were also several wintering Armenian and Caspian Gulls.

Other birds of interest in the area included:

Zakaki Marsh
Western Marsh Harrier 3 (in air at same time)
Eurasian Penduline Tit 1+ heard
Common Reed Bunting 1 heard
Gadwall 2f

Phassouri Reed-beds
Western Marsh Harrier 2
Spanish Sparrow 20

Germasogeia Dam
Cyprus Warbler 1m
Corn Bunting 22
Long-legged Buzzard 2
Great Egret 1

Adult Armenian Gull, Lady’s Mile 5th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

First winter Mediterranean Gull, Lady’s Mile 5th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

First-winter Slender-billed Gull, Lady’s Mile 5th January 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

November 18, 2016
by cyprusbirdingtours 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

December 15, 2015
by cyprusbirdingtours 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

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

December 6, 2014
by cyprusbirdingtours 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!