Larnaca Salt Lake | Cyprus Birding Tours

August 16, 2020
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Meneou Pool, Larnaca 10th – 16th August 2020

Meneou Pool is the only one of those scattered around Larnaca Salt Lake to have water in it at present and its muddy edges are just right for feeding waders. Since Monday I’ve been lucky enough to see several of the rarer waders to Cyprus there – a Red Knot on 11th & 13th August, two Sanderling on 10th and 11th and then three Broad-billed Sandpiper on 14th. None of them approachable for photos except this morning when one Broad-billed Sandpiper was close enough for me to get the cropped photo below. Also around in variable numbers each day were Common and Little Ringed Plover (also photographed today), Little and Temminck’s Stint, Ruff, Dunlin, Curlew Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Common Redshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Collared Pratincole, Little Tern, White-winged Tern, Garganey, Black-headed Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Teal, Grey Heron, Glossy Ibis, Little Egret, Stone Curlew, Spur-winged Lapwing, Common Snipe, Common, Wood and Green Sandpiper and many Black-winged Stilt.

Broad-billed Sandpiper, Meneou Pool 16th August 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Common Ringed Plover, Meneou Pool 16th August 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Little Ringed Plover, Meneou Pool 16th August 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

July 17, 2020
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Larnaca area 17th July 2020

A surprise today around Larnaca in the shape of a female Red-necked Phalarope – bad record photo below – along with more usual birds in the shape of early passage migrants five Black-headed (see photo) and a Slender-billed Gull, a White-winged, two Common and four Little Tern; at least four Little Ringed Plover and Green and Wood Sandpiper and several breeding Spur-winged Lapwing (photo) and Black-winged Stilt.

Red-necked Phalarope, Larnaca 17th July 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Spur-winged Lapwing. Larnaca Sewage Works, 17th July 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Black-headed Gull, Larnaca Sewage Works, 17th July 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

March 17, 2020
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Larnaca area 16th March 2020

Out around Larnaca yesterday morning doing the waterbird count. Still more than 2000 Greater Flamingos plus several hundred Slender-billed Gull, 23 Little Gull, three Mediterranean Gull, more than 50 Black-winged Stilt, nine Pied Avocet, a male Tufted Duck, three Great Crested Grebe, some Little and Common Ringed Plover, Ruff, Kentish Plover, some Northern and Isabelline Wheatear, a couple of Common Hoopoe (see photo), lots of Common Chiffchaff, Lesser Whitethroat and Western Yellow and White Wagtail and a Woodchat Shrike.

Common Hoopoe, Larnaca 16th March 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

January 11, 2020
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Waterbird count Larnaca area 11th January 2020

Spent most of the day doing the Waterbird Count around Larnaca today. Lots of Greater Flamingo and Northern Shoveler to count – and surprisingly also – it took time to count the Little Gull with just over 300 in the area feeding on several pools. Other interesting birds included three Pied Avocet, three Greater White-fronted Geese and 38 Black-necked Grebe.

Meneou Pool
Little Gull 71

Larnaca Airport Pools South
Little Gull 2
Northern Shoveler 276
Greater Flamingo 13
Common Shelduck 2
Caspian Gull c50
Armenian Gull 4
Heuglin’s Gull 1

Larnaca Sewage Works
Western Marsh Harrier 3
Great Cormorant 130
Northern Shoveler 88
Common Teal 429
Greater White-fronted Goose 3
Common Coot 29
Caspian Gull 8
Grey Heron 1
Spur-winged Lapwing 3
Common Redshank 5

Spiros Beach
Little Stint 63
Dunlin 58
Kentish Plover 175
Common Ringed Plover 4

Spiros Pool
Northern Shoveler 130
Eurasian Wigeon 2
Common Redshank 4

Larnaca Desalination Plant fields
Eurasian Golden Plover 5
Dunlin 20
Common Ringed Plover 3

Larnaca Airport Pools North
Pied Avocet 3
Little Gull 124

Larnaca Salt Lake
Little Gull 107
Cattle Egret 3
Greater Flamingo 9000+
Common Shelduck 153
Northern Shoveler 449
Black-necked Grebe 38
Dunlin 38
Little Stint 25
Common Snipe 14
Common Redshank 3
Spur-winged Lapwing 5
Common Ringed Plover 7
Bluethroat 2
Reed Bunting 1
Water Pipit 2

Kiti Dam (full but no waterbirds)
Woodlark 5

Little Gull, Larnaca Salt Lake 11th January 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

December 11, 2019
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Larnaca area 30th November 2019

Lovely day birding around Larnaca today visiting Panagia Stazousa, Oroklini and the aqueduct at Kamares. Some good birds around although didn’t expect to see a very late Common Whitethroat in with the Blackcaps at Panagia Stazousa.

Main sightings:
Panagia Stazousa
Long-legged Buzzard 3
Common Whitethroat 1
Woodlark 1
Cyprus Warbler 5m and 1f (four males singing)

Pyrga
Common Chaffinch 60+
Cyprus Warbler 1m
Woodlark 6

Kamares Aqueduct
Black-crowned Night Heron 1 juv (see photo)
Common Kingfisher 1
Water Pipit 1
Western Marsh Harrier 2
Spur-winged Lapwing 2

Oroklini Marsh – south area
Common Redshank 6
Water Pipit 1
Northern Lapwing 5
Western Marsh Harrier 2
Laughing Dove 1
Green Sandpiper 1
Black-winged Stilt 13
Little Egret 3
Spur-winged Lapwing 20+

Oroklini Marsh – main lake
Greater Flamingo 7
Common Pochard 1m and 1f
Ferruginous Duck 2
Northern Pintail 1
Barn Swallow 1
Spur-winged Lapwing 20+
Western Water Rail 1h

Oroklini Beach
Pallas’ Gull 1 ad fly past heading W
Audouin’s Gull 1 flying W five minutes later
Sandwich Tern 1
Black-headed Gull 300+

Spiros Beach
Kentish Plover 11
Dunlin 9
Little Stint 4

Black-crowned Night Heron juvenile, Larnaca Salt Lake 30th November 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

November 18, 2019
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Waterbird count, Larnaca area today 18th November 2019

Evidence that winter visitors have been arriving at our wetlands the last few weeks with large numbers of Northern Shoveler (see photo), Greater Flamingo and Common Teal at the Salt Lake and Sewage Works. Also two each of Greater White-fronted Goose and Black-necked Grebe as well as four Common Pochard, a Eurasian Wigeon and two Northern Pintail. A small flock of Eurasian Golden Plover is already present as are good numbers of Eurasian Skylark and Meadow Pipit.

Northern Shoveler, Larnaca 18th November 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

November 9, 2019
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Larnaca area this morning 9th November.

Good morning out around Larnaca in the sunshine. Not a great variety of birds but already good numbers of ducks and flamingos around plus a few more unusual species.

Spiros Pool
Eurasian Golden Plover 18

Larnaca Sewage Works
Common Teal c500
Northern Shoveler 300+
Black-necked Grebe 1
Great Crested Grebe 3
Northern Pintail 1
Armenian Gull 12
Common Shelduck 1
Spur-winged Lapwing 2

Larnaca Salt Lake
Greater Flamingo 1200+
Common Crane 1

Kamares, Larnaca
Bluethroat 1 (see photo)
Black Redstart 1
Eurasian Penduline Tit 1h
Common Kingfisher 1
Common Redshank 1
Green Sandpiper 1
Common Snipe 2
Spur-winged Lapwing 3
Water Pipit 1
Eurasian Sparrowhawk 1 over being mobbed by Jackdaws
Little Egret 2

Panagia Stazousa/Pyrga
Long-legged Buzzard 1
European Serin 30+
Cyprus Warbler 2
Woodlark 7 (see photo)
Eurasian Blackbird 1

Bluethroat, Larnaca 9th November 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Woodlark, Pyrga 9th November 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

October 15, 2019
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Larnaca area waterbird count 15th October 2019

Another disappointing waterbird count in the Larnaca area this morning. Best birds were three Common Pochard, four Common Snipe (see photo) and the long-staying Mediterranean Gull.

Other birds seen:

Meneou Pool
Little Stint 1
Kentish Plover 2

Larnaca Sewage Works
Grey Heron 3
Common Coot 5
Mallard 122
Common Teal 51
Northern Shoveler 4
Spur-winged Lapwing 6
Common Pochard 2m and 1f
Great Cormorant 7
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Northern Pintail 2f
Common Shelduck 1
Red-throated Pipit 1h
Common Redshank 1h
Red-backed Shrike 1 juv
Common Whitethroat 1

Spiros Beach
Mediterranean Gull 1 (long-staying bird)

Larnaca Salt Lake
Barn Swallow 1
Greater Flamingo 40 juv and 83 ads
Kentish Plover 40
Common Snipe 3
Water Rail 1h

Kamares area
Common Snipe 1
Green Sandpiper 1
Common Redshank 1
Spur-winged Lapwing 5
Little Egret 2

Common Snipe, Larnaca 15th October 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

August 30, 2019
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Red-backed Shrike, Larnaca 28th August 2019

Several smart male Red-backed Shrikes were around the Larnaca coastal area this morning.

Red-backed Shrike, Spiros Pool 28th August 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

August 25, 2019
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Larnaca area 24th & 25th August 2019

Very hot and humid but signs of migration included Greater Flamingo, Grey Heron, Ruff, Little Stint, Little Ringed Plover, Lesser Grey, Red-backed and Masked Shrike, Common Hoopoe, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Teal, Garganey, Isabelline and Northern Wheatear, Western Yellow Wagtail, a single White Stork, Common Kingfisher (photo) and unusually a moulting Mediterranean Gull (photo) on the beach.

Common Kingfisher, Larnaca, 24th August 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Mediterranean Gull, Larnaca 25th August 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

August 10, 2019
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Shrikes on migration.

A few days in the Akamas area 6th – 8th August produced several adult and juvenile Masked Shrike, a male and a female Woodchat Shrike and among the first return migrating Lesser Grey Shrike and Red-backed Shrike. Sea watching was quiet with not much movement yet, although I had several Gull-billed and Whiskered Tern, a flock of 22 Common Sandpiper and an ‘in off’ European Roller as well as a Western Yellow Wagtail feeding in a coastal feed.
Back in Larnaca today I found a resting group of Grey Heron and Little Egret and saw a small group of Glossy Ibis flying over. Little Tern are still fishing offshore and a group of c80 Greater Flamingo are on the Salt Lake which still has some water. Another Lesser Grey Shrike was also there and while I was looking at an Olivaceous Warbler in a track side bush this juvenile Masked Shrike came to check me out.