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
This lovely Lesser Grey Shrike at Pervolia was a surprise late migrant.
Lesser Grey Shrike, Pervolia 4th June 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Lesser Grey Shrike, Pervolia 4th June 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Found a very flighty Red-tailed (Turkestan) Shrike at Larnaca yesterday morning. Best photos I could manage….
Turkestan (Red-tailed) Shrike, Larnaca, 22nd May 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Turkestan Shrike, Larnaca, 22nd May 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Out for an hour before sunset in the Meneou/Spiros Pool area. A few birds seem to have been put down by the heavy storms in the area during the afternoon. Interesting species seen were:
Larnaca Airport Pools South
Little Tern 2
Squacco Heron 1 (see photo)
Spiros Pool
Little Bittern 1m
Northern Pintail 1m
Eurasian Wryneck 1
Little Tern 4
Common Redstart 1f
Black-tailed Godwit 1
Common Whitethroat 2
Spiros Beach
Dunlin 1
Little Stint c40 (See photo)
Eurasian Stone Curlew 2 (See photo)
Kentish Plover c30
Common Ringed Plover 3
Northern Wheatear 1m and 1f
Eurasian Stone Curlew, Larnaca 19th April 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Little Stint, Larnaca 19th April 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Squacco Heron, Larnaca, 19th April 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
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
Grey Plover, Spiros Pool, 18th April 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
A wet Waterbird count around Larnaca today with counting done in between the rain. Highlights were two Little Gull (rising to three in the afternoon) (see photo), two Greater Sandplover, two Great Spotted Cuckoo (see photo), a Marsh Sandpiper, my first Lesser Whitethroat and Red-rumped Swallow of the year, Eurasian Curlew, Baltic Gull, Black-winged Stilt, Water Pipit and singing Eurasian Reed Warbler.
Great Spotted Cuckoo, Spiros Pool, 15th March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Little Gull, Spiros Pool 15th March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
After a very wet day yesterday and yet more rain overnight, I was pleased that the today was much better as I did an early February Waterbird Count around Larnaca. There were several Isabelline Wheatear on the coast and a flock of Common Swift, Barn Swallow and Northern House Martin to remind me that spring is on its way. Highlights were 26 Black-necked Grebe, a Ruddy Shelduck, two Little Gull, more than 2500 Greater Flamingo, some smart male Common Pochard, two Bluethroat and at least three Reed Bunting feeding on seed heads in the reeds. An adult Mediterranean Gull at Oroklini Beach was a good end to the day.
Isabelline Wheatear, Spiros Pool, 7th February 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Mediterranean Gull, Oroklini Beach 7th February 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Visited Larnaca today where there was evidence of very heavy overnight rain in the fields and around the salt lake.
Highlights:
Meneou Pool
Greater Flamingo 26
Larnaca Airport Pools South
Pied Avocet 3
Greater Flamingo 3
Armenian Gull 4+
Black-headed Gull 3+
other white-headed gulls – probably Caspian – but distant 11
Pervolia
Calandra Lark 2 in flight
Larnaca Sewage Works
Common Shelduck 8
Greater White-fronted Goose 6
Black-necked Grebe 14+
Eurasian Wigeon 2
Northern Pintail 4+
Common Redshank 1
Ferrruginous Duck 32
Armenian Gull 2 imm
Spiro Beach
Sandwich Tern 2 on buoys
Spiros Pool
Eurasian Golden Plover 26
Larnaca Salt Lake
Greater Flamingo 700+
Slender-billed Gull 1 imm
Kamares aquaduct
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Little Egret 1
Spur-winged Lapwing 5
Common Snipe 2 (see photo)
Water Pipit 3
Green Sandpiper 1
Common Redshank 2
Eurasian Penduline Tit 1h
Oroklini Marsh
Spur-winged Lapwing 34 (most in fields on other side of motorway)
Common Redshank 1
Cattle Egret 20
Peregrine Falcon 1
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Northern Shoveler c300
Black-winged Stilt 4
Water Pipit 1h
Common Snipe, Larnaca 5th December 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Plenty of the usual wintering ducks around – Northern Shoveler, Common Teal for example. Interesting birds seen during the count included: Greater White-fronted Goose (see photo), Black-necked Grebe, Ferruginous Duck, Tufted Duck, Northern Pintail, Eurasian Wigeon, Common Redshank (see photo), young Baltic Gull and Slender-billed Gull, adult Citrine Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Water Pipit, Bluethroat (see photo), Common Snipe, Northern Lapwing, Spur-winged Lapwing, Water Rail, Reed Bunting and a feeding male Penduline Tit (see photo).
Bluethroat, Larnaca Sewage Works, 19th November 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Penduline Tit, Larnaca Salt Lake, 19th November (C) Cyprus Birding Tours
Common Redshank, Larnaca Salt Lake, 19th November 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Greater White-fronted Goose, Larnaca Sewage Works, 19th November 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Visited the hide at the Sewage Works, Achna Dam, Ormideia and Oroklini this morning. Birds of interest:
Larnaca Sewage Works
Marsh Sandpiper 6
Dunlin c20
Kentish Plover 50+
Common Ringed Plover 10+
Little Stint 30+
Ruff c10
Sanderling 2
Whiskered Tern 3
Grey Heron 3
Spur-winged Lapwing c30
Garganey 2
Ruddy Turnstone 2
Akhna Dam
White-winged Tern 1
Whiskered Tern 5 (see photo of a juvenile that was preening on a rock)
Northern Lapwing 2
Spur-winged Lapwing 45
Little Egret 1
Grey Heron 5
Common Ringed Plover 6
Common Kingfisher 2
Garganey 1
European Bee-eater 14
Dekeleia Fire Station
Eurasian Thick-knee 8
Ormideia Beach
Common Kingfisher 1
Grey Plover 1
Oroklini Marsh
Spur-winged Lapwing 110
Glossy Ibis 1
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Common Redshank 1
Ruff 2
Common Ringed Plover 6
Little Stint 6
Whiskered Tern , Achna Dam 25th 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
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.
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
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