Greater Flamingo Larnaca Salt Lake 16th January 2016 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Spent quite a long time today counting Greater Flamingos. 12,000 plus in the Larnaca area. Hundreds of Northern Shoveler, Eurasian Teal and Common Shelduck; twenty five Black-necked Grebe, three Gadwall, a Ferruginous Duck, eight Eurasian Wigeon and seven Greater White-fronted Geese at Larnaca Sewage Works. A small flock of less than thirty Eurasian Golden Plover at Spiros Pool with two Sandwich Tern offshore. Among the many Common Black-headed Gull it was good to find a Little Gull on Meneou Pool.
A lot of disturbance around the Salt Lake including some idiots walking in the water to get nearer to the Greater Flamingos there. Away from them in a quieter area there was a Temminck’s Stint, a few Little Ringed and Common Ringed Plover, seven Common Snipe and larger numbers of Kentish Plover, Dunlin, Little Stint and Common Redshank.
The White-headed Duck were still at Oroklini when I popped in there before heading home.
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
Visited Agios Sozomenos for a quick birdwatch this morning and found two male and one female Finsch’s Wheatear, several Red-throated Pipit, a Long-legged Buzzard and a lovely male Hen Harrier. My time there ended abruptly on receipt of a message from local birder, Matt Smith, saying he had found three White-headed Duck on Oroklini Marsh. So a quick dash there and although they were sleeping and on the far side of the lake, I spent some time enjoying this rare visitor floating around. Also on the lake were Northern Lapwing, Spur-winged Lapwing, some Common Redshank, two Common Snipe, lots of Eurasian Teal, Northern Shoveler and Eurasian Coot, and three Northern Pintail. As I left I spotted a Moustached Warbler in the reeds. Some good birds for my first birding in Cyprus for a few weeks!
Record shot of three White-headed Duck, Oroklini Marsh 14th December 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Did the waterbird count at Larnaca and late in the afternoon visited Oroklini. The Red-breasted Goose is still at the Sewage Works together with five Greater White-fronted Geese. A Pied Avocet was the best wader and the Red Knot is still present. A young Peregrine Falcon flew in and snatched up a Coot only to be forced to drop it by an adult Peregrine that came swooping in. Both Peregrines flew off calling and briefly grappling. The Coot was left there although it was gone when I revisited in the afternoon.
The Ruddy Shelduck is still at Oroklini and there were three Temminck’s Stint and six Common Snipe feeding as well as a Bluethroat and Water Pipit.
Full list of sightings:
Larnaca Sewage Works
Greater Flamingo 56 (only one adult)
Pied Avocet 1
Common Shelduck 1
Black-winged Stilt 8
Little Stint c50
Common Redshank 6
Dunlin 9+
Ruff 3
Common Ringed Plover 1
Baltic Gull 1 juv
Armenian Gull 11
Marsh Sandpiper 1
Greater White-fronted Goose 5
Red-breasted Goose 1
Black-necked Grebe 1
Northern Pintail 6
Red Knot 1
Peregrine Falcon 2
Larnaca Desalination Plant Fields
Eurasian Skylark 100+
Calandra Lark 5
Eurasian Golden Plover 4
Common Starling 11
Larnaca Salt Lake
Greater Flamingo 6
Eurasian Teal 13
Little Ringed Plover 5
Common Ringed Plover 25
Spur-winged Lapwing 2
Common Redshank 30
Dunlin c100
Kentish Plover c140
Little Stint 30+
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Water Pipit 2
Oroklini Marsh
Spur-winged Lapwing 35
Ruddy Shelduck 1
Cattle Egret 60
Common Snipe 6
Little Stint 2
Temminck’s Stint 3
Common Ringed Plover 5
Little Ringed Plover 2
Water Pipit 1
Water Rail h
Eurasian Penduline Tit h
Northern Pintail 2
Common Starling 40
Bluethroat 1
Corn Bunting 8
Oroklini Beach
Sandwich Tern 2
Common Black-headed Gull c150
Larnaca Sewage Works
Common Crane 9 (also seen later gaining height and heading out S over the sea)
Eurasian Spoonbill 1
Mediterranean Gull 1
Slender-billed Gull 6
Grey Plover 1
Northern Lapwing 1
Ruddy Turnstone 1
Marsh Sandpiper 1
Black-winged Stilt 8+
Little Stint 12+
Common Ringed Plover 5
Common Redshank 10+
Greater Flamingo 62
Ferruginous Duck 4
Tufted Duck 1m and 1f
Common Pochard 1f
Northern Pintail 4
The six Common Crane were back on the Sewage Pools this morning and the long-staying Ruddy Shelduck was still there. There were many Eurasian Teal, Northern Shoveler, Mallard, Eurasian Coot, Little Grebe, Little Stint, Dunlin, Kentish Plover, Common Ringed Plover and several Black-winged Stilt. There were also single Grey Plover, Ruddy Turnstone and Northern Lapwing as well as more than sixty Greater Flamingo.
Also in the area was a late Northern Wheatear and at least six Red-throated Pipits. There were plenty of Common Stonechat setting up territories and away from the coast at Panagia Stazousa I counted at least 12. There were also several singing European Robin, a Little Owl and two late Cyprus Wheatear in that area.
Common Crane Larnaca Sewage Works 21st October 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Ruddy Shelduck Larnaca Sewage Works 21st October 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Not a lot of water, even the Sewage Works Pools are emptying but some interesting birds with a Red-breasted Flycatcher (not a male though 😦 ) as a bonus!
Larnaca Sewage Works
Bluethroat 1
Spur-winged Lapwing 9
Greater Flamingo 66
Northern Shoveler c300
Eurasian Teal c150
Black-winged Stilt 13
Grey Heron 2
Great Egret 1 (flew off heading E)
Dunlin c60
Little Stint c40
Ruddy Shelduck 1
Ruff 5
Pintail 3
Northern Lapwing 1
Kentish Plover 16
Common Ringed Plover 17
Marsh Sandpiper 1
Eleonora’s Falcon 2 flew over fast heading W
Red-breasted Flycatcher 1
Spiros Pool
Spur-winged Lapwing 30
Common Crane 6 (in pm were on Sewage Pools)
Common Ringed Plover 25
Ruff 5
Water Rail 1h
Common Redshank 1
Common Snipe 1h
Yellow-legged Gull 27 flew over
Red-throated Pipit 2+h
Three great days out with Robert and Ruth visiting Akrotiri, the sites around Larnaca and those around Cape Greco. Although migration was not as busy as we would have expected at this time of September we still had some great birds while missing out on some usual sitters such as Zitting Cisticola! We had over 100 European Honey Buzzards on at Akrotiri on 18th; displays by flying Eleonora’s Falcons at Akrotiri Gravel Pits, Larnaca Sewage Works and Kensington Cliffs; close views of Long-legged Buzzard at Panagia Stazousa; a probable Saker at Cape Greco (we are checking our photos); Temminck’s Stint and Marsh Sandpipers; six Eurasian Spoonbill at Larnaca Sewage Works; three Demoiselle Crane flying up over Lady’s Mile on 18th; Gull-billed and White-winged Terns; Greater Sand Plover near Kermia Beach 21st; more juvenile Red-backed Shrikes than we thought possible; several Cyprus Wheatear and a showy female Cyprus Warbler when the males let us down; and so many flocks of European Bee-eaters.
Highlights per location and date
Friday 18th September
Phassouri Reed Beds – European Honey Buzzard c130, Sand Martin 100+, Red-rumped Swallow 20+, Ortolan Bunting 1
On Saturday I had been surprised to see Ruff on Spiros Pool which appeared to be completely dry; visiting the area briefly yesterday I saw a Western Marsh Harrier put up many waders from that location. I returned for a search today and found water in the area near the Sewage Plant and Desalination Buildings. A good collection of waders and mosquitos awaited me. These included a Black-tailed Godwit (probably the same as seen at the Sewage Works last week), two Grey Plover moulting from their breeding plumage, a Temminck’s Stint, a Sanderling, several Wood Sandpiper, two Dunlin, a Curlew Sandpiper, two Little Ringed Plover and around ten Common Ringed Plover, four Common Snipe and tens of Ruff and Little Stint. Several Black-winged Stilt were there and a juvenile Collared Pratincole flew away as I arrived. Four Greater Short-toed Lark flew over the area calling and there were at least three Yellow Wagtail. The Western Marsh Harrier was still quartering the area.
After the excitement of finding a juvenile Rose-coloured Starling on the coast near the airport boundary fence, I then watched a young Peregrine Falcon chase a feral pigeon while being mobbed by two Commom Kestrel.
As I arrived at the Sewage Works pools a Long-legged Buzzard was soaring over the area. On the water were an adult and two juvenile ‘Baltic’ Gulls, an eclipse plumage Northern Pintail, at least four Garganey, six Northern Shoveler and a Eurasian Teal. A few waders around the edge of the pools – Common Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Ruff, Common Ringed Plover, Spur-winged Lapwing and Black-winged Stilt.
Had my first Pallid Harrier of the autumn today with a juvenile quartering the fields near Larnaca Desalination Plant. A Common Kingfisher was on the coast there and several Yellow Wagtail were in the fields. It was strange to see around twenty Ruff on the bone dry Spiros Pool.
On the Sewage Pools there were seven Garganey, around four Northern Shoveler and at least one Eurasian Teal – migrants mixed in with the resident Mallards. Around the edge were also some migrant waders – a Black-tailed Godwit, a Sanderling, two Common Ringed Plover, a Common Redshank, around twenty Little Stint, five Common Sandpiper and a Green Sandpiper. Two moulting adult White-winged Tern were flying over the water together with a juvenile. There are still good numbers of Black-winged Stilt and Spur-winged Lapwing there.
Near Tekke Mosque there were two Lesser Grey Shrike and two male, three female and a juvenile Red-backed Shrike.
Early start to avoid the humid heat of Larnaca today. Larnaca Sewage Works had most species including migrating Common Ringed Plover, Wood and Common Sandpiper, Dunlin, Common Redshank, White-winged and Whiskered Tern. Two adult Slender-billed Gull were present, three Grey Heron flew over heading W and a Eurasian Curlew that flew in briefly was later seen heading E. There was a single Greater Flamingo also with the usual resident Mallard, Coot and Little Grebe and a good number of Spur-winged Lapwing and Black-winged Stilt – both with several juveniles.
More than two hundred Kentish Plover were roosting on Spiros Beach in a post-breeding flock which contained many juveniles.
Little Stint were feeding around the edge of the main Salt Lake where there were also more Black-winged Stilt and Spur-winged Lapwing. Two European Roller and a male Red-backed Shrike were near Tekke Mosque.
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