Did monthly Waterbird Count around Larnaca this morning. Rather quiet and we need some rain!! A male Common Pochard and two Northern Pintail in with the Northern Shoveler, Common Teal and Mallard on the Sewage Pools. The long staying Common Shelduck was still present and a juvenile Whiskered Tern was on the far bank.
In the flooded part of Spiros Pool there were Little Stint, Dunlin, Common Redshank, Common Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, two juvenile Ruff, a Eurasian Golden Plover and a Sanderling.
Several Red-backed Shrike and Spanish Sparrow were around as was a Northern Wheatear. A couple of Red-throated Pipit were heard as was the Eurasian Curlew that I saw yesterday.
Went to Agia Napa Sewage Works and Football Fields and then Oroklini and the Larnaca coast this morning. Really pleased to catch up with the male and female Cinereous Bunting that had been reported at the Agia Napa Sewage Works on Saturday. They don’t usually hang around but these birds are an exception to that. There were also several Ortolan and Cretzshmar’s in the area. I counted thirteen male Red-backed Shrike around there as well as nine females and one juvenile. There were many Willow Warbler and Lesser Whitehthroat and I also saw two Common Whitethroat, an Eastern Orphean Warbler and a couple of Eastern Olivaceous Warbler. European Bee-eater were flying over and there were two Eurasian Hoopoe, seven Spotted Flycatcher and a juvenile Common Cuckoo. All Masked Shrike seen were adult and there I only saw one Lesser Grey Shrike.
At Agia Napa Football Fields though there were at least twenty one Lesser Grey Shrike and just a few female Red-backed Shrike. Six Pallid Swift were flying over and there were also a couple of Whinchat. The water has nearly all gone from Oroklini Marsh but as I approached I saw a Great White Pelican flying over the motorway and it landed in the water as I parked. There were also over forty Spur-winged Lapwing on the mud together with several Common Ringed Plover, a Little Ringed Plover and some Little Stint.
On the fields next to the Larnaca Desalination Plant there was a flock of at least three hundred Yellow Wagtail feeding together with a Whinchat and an Isabelline Wheatear.
Spotted Flycatcher Agia Napa Sewage Works 3rd September 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Waterbird count time at Larnaca today. Everywhere still very dry so most birds were found at the Sewage Works. Garganey, Northern Shoveler and Eurasian Teal have joined the resident Mallard there and two Gull-billed Tern flew over towards the coast with a Whiskered Tern and two White-winged Tern feeding over the pools. Kentish Plover and Yellow-legged Gull were on Spiros Pool with a Common Kingfisher along the coast and sixteen Yellow Wagtail flying over the fields near the Desalination Plant.
Several Red-backed, Masked and a Lesser Grey Shrike were around the Salt Lake and three Pallid Swift were seen in with a small group of Barn Swallow.
Mixed bag of birds around Larnaca and Pervolia this morning. A Lesser Grey Shrike at Larnaca Airport Pools south; a flock of 16 Greater Flamingo flying over the Sewage Pools with another nine there feeding around the edges; also on the Sewage Pools were two eclipse Garganey, the long-staying Common Shelduck, five Ruff, a Common Sandpiper and a Little Stint. On the rocks of the Airport Coast ignoring the swimmers was a Common Kingfisher and in the fields at Pervolia near Cape Kiti were eight Collared Pratincole.
Greater Flamingo Larnaca Sewage Works 10th August 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
A quick visit to Panagia Stazousa this morning where I found several juvenile Masked Shrike and Cyprus Wheatear. Two Little Owls were near the road but the best birds were an adult and sub-adult Bonelli’s Eagle soaring over the area.
At the coast, the fields near the Larnaca Desalination Plant are being watered at the moment and there were two Collared Pratincole, four Little Stint, a Common Sandpiper, three juvenile Little Ringed Plover and several Kentish Plover feeding in the mud. Two juvenile Little Tern flew along the coast.
Little Owl Panagia Stazousa 21st July 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Little Stint Larnaca Desal Fields 21st July 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
A flock of nineteen Common Sandpiper were on the coast near the airport at Larnaca this morning and another five were on the Sewage Works Pools. Two were also at Akhna with five Green and two Wood Sandpiper. A Spotted Redshank in breeding plumage flew over Spiros Pool and another was at Akhna. Two Ferruginous Duck and the long-staying Common Shelduck were in with the Mallard on the Sewage Works Pool. There were Black-winged Stilt and Spur-winged Lapwing at the Sewage Pools, at Akhna and also at Oroklini. Three chicks were at the Sewage Pools and also at Oroklini.
A Temminck’s Stint, an adult Gull-billed Tern and three Greenshank were at Akhna with two Little Stint and a Common Redshank on the Sewage Pools. There was a Squacco Heron, nine Cattle Egret, nine Grey Heron, two Little Egret and six Glossy Ibis at Akhna and sleeping towards the back of the main pool of Oroklini were three Eurasian Spoonbill. Behind them was a Black-tailed Godwit.
Other than waterbirds I found a juvenile Masked Shrike near the Sewage Pools, a European Roller and two Eurasian Hoopoe near Tekke Mosque with another Hoopoe at Akhna. A male Black-headed Wagtail flew very close to me on the edge of the Salt Lake and may have been doing some kind of distraction display.
Black-winged Stilt Akhna Dam 15th July 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
There were two Eurasian Spoonbill on Oroklini Marsh this morning feeding with the nearly fifty Greater Flamingo spending the summer there. There must be at least forty Cattle Egret breeding in the tamarisks there with many nearly fully grown young visible. There were also a couple of Little Egret present. A couple of Slender-billed Gull were swimming among the Coots and a small Spur-winged Lapwing chick was feeding just in front of the hide. A Green Sandpiper was flying around the area.
Found migrating waders at Akhna Dam and Larnaca sites this morning. Single Collared Pratincole were at Akhna and flying over the Larnaca Airport fields. Also at Akhna were a couple of Common Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper, a Little Ringed Plover, a Common Redshank, four Green Sandpiper, a Ruff and several Black-winged Stilt and Spur-winged Lapwing. A quick visit to Oroklini produced a Slender-billed Gull and the chance to watch three young Spur-winged Lapwing feeding near the hide under the watchful eye of their parents. A Common Sandpiper was at Larnaca Sewage Works and on Spiros Beach nearly thirty Kentish Plover were roosting.
Collared Pratincole Akhna Dam 8th July 2014 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Found 10 adult Rollers this morning in the Panagia Stazousa Important Bird Area. All were adults and I didn’t see any young. There were family parties of Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Cyprus Warbler and Wheatear as well as young Wood-pigeon, Chukar and Little Owl. The juvenile Long-legged Buzzard had left the nest but was still perched closed by. An adult was flying over the area. I also saw a couple of European Bee-eater, Masked Shrike and Hoopoe.
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