A hot morning out for the waterbird count around Larnaca. Three Whiskered Tern were on the Sewage Works pools, an Audouin’s Gull flew ovre and there were plenty of young birds – Mallard, Black-winged Stilt, a few Coot and some Spur-winged Lapwing. Three Common Sandpiper and a Green Sandpiper there showed that migrant waders are now moving through. More waders were at Oroklini – nine Wood, three Common and a Green Sandpiper plus three Ruff, a Common Redshank and several adult and juvenile Little Ringed Plover. There were still some Cattle Egret in the small colony that is now established there as well as four feeding Little Egret. Large flocks of Barn Swallow were everywhere with a few Common Swift and House Martin as well.
Two juvenile Little Tern were at Oroklini – one was fed by an adult while another appeared to be having fishing lessons from a parent – the juvenile was diving in the water and the adult was squawking near by. At least eleven Little Tern were on the main Salt Lake although it was a bit too hazy for an accurate count. There were also around twenty Greater Flamingo and plenty of Black-winged Stilt. A couple of juvenile Eurasian Reed Warblers were in the reeds on the north eastern edge of the lake.
Little Ringed Plover Oroklini Marsh 15th July 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Barn Swallow Larnaca Sewage Works 15th July 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Less wind than on previous days in the Larnaca area as summer takes hold. Had a quick look around Cape Kiti and Larnaca Sewage Works this morning. Was surprised to find a European Bee-eater on the wires near Meneou. Just one Calandra Lark was seen at Pervolia with none heard singing today. Single Little Terns were at Meneou Pool and Larnaca Sewage Works where there was also a scruffy looking Whiskered Tern. An Audouin’s Gull was with several Yellow-legged Gulls on Spiros Pool.
Much quieter around Akrotiri today than it was when I visited on Tuesday, with a big clear out of waders especially. Still some good sightings though: two male Honey Buzzard over Phassouri Plantations being mobbed by Hooded Crows; two Eleonora’s Falcon putting up a flock of around one hundred marsh terns – mainly White-winged – over Akrotiri Salt Lake; good views of three White-winged, 14 Little and two Gull-billed Tern at the Zakaki outflow; and a European Roller behind Lady’s Mile.
On the Larnaca Sewage Works Pools there were twelve White-winged Tern and a Eurasian Spoonbill was on Spiros Pool where the numbers of waders has also decreased compared to the last few days.
White-winged Tern and Little Tern Akrotiri Salt Lake 16th May 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Eurasian Spoonbill Spiros Pool 16th May 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Found the melanistic Greater Flamingo today in with the others on Larnaca Salt Lake – not as interesting a find to be honest as the Lesser Flamingo found on Tuesday at Kouklia Reservoir outside Famagusta. The first record of this species in Cyprus and it seems it may have been overlooked on other occasions in with the group of Greater Flamingo there, and has been there at least a week. Would be nice if it decided to move further south to give others the chance to see it. After all the melanistic bird showed that the species is quite mobile when here in Cyprus moving between wetlands.
Other interesting species included Gull-billed, Little and White-winged Tern, Temminck’s Stint and Broad-billed Sandpiper.
Seventeen White-winged Tern and six Whiskered Tern were feeding over Larnaca Sewage Pools this evening as was a Little Gull. There was a good selection of wader on Spiros Pool – many of them in breeding plumage which we don’t often get the chance to see. There were single Red-necked Phalarope and Broad-billed Sandpiper, three Black-winged Godwit, several Curlew Sandpiper, five Dunlin, many Ruff and Little Stint, some Common Ringed Plover and Wood Sandpiper.
Two Collared Pratincole were on the Desalination Plant fields where more Wood Sandpiper and Ruff were feeding. It was good to see a small group of European Bee-eater and there was also a Whinchat and a Woodchat Shrike.
No sign of the Broad-billed Sandpiper, that had been present last night, on Spiros Pool this morning but still plenty of interest as there were nearly twenty Curlew Sandpiper, a Red-necked Phalarope, four Black-tailed Godwit, two Little Tern, a Little Gull, more than a hundred Little Stint and a Ruff in near breeding plumage among the twenty or so of that species.
A couple of Whinchat and a late Northern Wheatear were also seen, ten Glossy Ibis passed over and then along the airport coast I watched 41 Collared Pratincole flying over the sea and then move inland. A Whiskered Tern was on the Sewage Pools.
A drive around the south side of the Larnaca Salt Lake today dodging the showers produced some interesting species. The water in the pools is slowly receding meaning that the conditions are just right for migrating waders.
From Meneou to Airport coast 17.30pm – Common Swift 500+
Yesterday a quick drive through Panagia Stazousa gave good views of European Roller, Eurasian Hoopoe, Cyprus Warbler, Cretzschmar’s Bunting and Great Spotted Cuckoo.
Some good birds seen around the area of Larnaca Salt Lake both north and south of the airport today, which included the famous black Greater Flamingo which today was on the main Salt Lake. Waders of note included eight Pied Avocet, four Eurasian Dotterel, two Whimbrel flying offshore, three Red-necked Phalarope, more than thirty Common Greenshank and plenty of Black-winged Stilt. Several migrating Grey Heron and Little Egret were around and three Squacco Heron went east along the coast in the morning with a flock of sixteen Great Egret flying over the area just before 9 am. There were several Slender-billed Gull on the main Salt Lake where there was also a European Roller and four European Bee-eaters flew over heading north. Eight Garganey were on the Larnaca Sewage Pools and a few Eurasian Teal still remain from the winter.
The fields were full of Red-throated Pipit and Yellow Wagtail early in the morning with several Greater Short-toed Lark and I found one Eurasian Wryneck. I also saw two Western Marsh Harrier and a female Pallid Harrier.
Little Egret Larnaca Salt Lake 15th April 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Some good birds around the Larnaca area seen on both an early morning and later afternoon ‘drive around’. I thought the days highlight would be a male Golden Oriole I found when doing my Common Bird Survey at Mennogeia until I found a Eurasian Dotterel on the Larnaca Airport Fields late in the day.
Larnaca Airport Pools South – Little Gull 1, Red-necked Phalarope 3, Common Greenshank 7, Marsh Sandpiper 2, Black-winged Stilt 50+, Greater Flamingo c120 (all pink!)
Meneou Pool – Whiskered Tern 1
Alaminos – European Roller 1, Red-rumped Swallow 3
Mennogeia – Cyprus Warbler 2m and 1f, Great Spotted Cuckoo 2, Golden Oriole 1m, Masked Shrike 1, Common Nightingale 1 singing
Picking Bob up in Limassol for a day’s birding in Larnaca we decided to check out Lady’s Mile and Zakaki Marsh before heading east. We found a Squacco Heron on the marsh together with at least six Little Egret, three Ferruginous Duck and a male Garganey. We could hear several Eurasian Reed Warbler singing in the reeds while at least two Sedge Warbler could be seen. On Lady’s Mile we found a selection of waders including Kentish Plover, Black-winged Stilt, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper and Little Stint.
On arrival at Oroklini we were pleased to receive a fly pass from a very pale Long-legged Buzzard. There were many Black-winged Stilt here as well, plus several Spur-winged Lapwing, a Common Snipe, some Little Stint, nearly fifty Ruff and a Wood Sandpiper. A male and female Northern Pintail were also present. The water was very deep on the main lake where we found a lone Greater Flamingo and some late Eurasian Teal and Northern Shoveler. A European Coot already had several quite large young.
The water level was also very high on the main Larnaca Salt Lake but in the north east corner we found nearly three hundred Greater Flamingo, at least eighteen Purple Heron, two Cattle Egret, around thirty Black-winged Stilt and three Spur-winged Lapwing. A flash of yellow moving between the mud and the reeds caught our eye and we were really pleased to find a male Citrine Wagtail. A Water Pipit and Woodchat Shrike were also seen and a Western Marsh Harrier quartered the area.
The other side of the airport close to the sea we found more Greater Flamingo and Black-winged Stilt as well as four Common Greenshank. Near to the coast a Gull-billed Tern was flying along the shore as were several migrating Barn Swallow. We found another Woodchat Shrike and plenty of Northern and Isabelline Wheatear on a ploughed field together with a small flock of Yellow Wagtail – both flava and feldegg races. As we were leaving the area we caught site of a Little Gull on the Airport Pool South and we spent some time watching it flying over the water – almost tern like.
We had had enough of the wind so headed inland to Kiti Dam. The trees there were quite quiet although we did manage to find at least three Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler and a Blackcap. A Little Egret also flew out of the trees much to our surprise and two Eurasian Hoopoe were feeding on the track as we drove up. Our final stop was Kivisilli fields where we were pleased to find at least three Lesser Kestrel (and a couple of Common) as well as the usual Isabelline and Northern Wheatear plus eight Tawny Pipit.
On our return to Limassol in failing light we made for the Zakaki Marsh hide again where we were treated to great views of one of the male Little Crake currently there. We may not have seen great numbers of birds but we had seen some quality species.
Number of different birds seen – 65
Little Grebe, Squacco Heron, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Greater Flamingo, Eurasian Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Ferruginous Duck, Western Marsh Harrier, Long-legged Buzzard, Lesser Kestrel, Common Kestrel, Black Francolin h, Little Crake, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Black-winged Stilt, Kentish Plover, Spur-winged Lapwing, Little Stint, Ruff, Common Snipe, Common Redshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Little Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Swift, Eurasian Hoopoe, Crested Lark, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Common House Martin, Tawny Pipit, Water Pipit, Blue-headed Wagtail (flava), Black-headed Wagtail (feldegg), Citrine Wagtail, White Wagtail, Isabelline Wheatear, Northern Wheatear, Cetti’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Sedge Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Spectacled Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Eurasian Blackcap, Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, Great Tit, Woodchat Shrike, Eurasian Magpie, Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, European Goldfinch, Corn Bunting
Kivisilli Fields 2nd April 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Mixture of migrants and winter visitors around Larnaca today
Black-winged Stilt Meneou Pool 17th March 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Meneou Pool – Black-winged Stilt 6
Larnaca Airport Pools South – Black-winged Stilt 13, Slender-billed Gull 49, Greater Flamingo 776, Black-headed Gull 215, Common Shelduck 42, Little Gull 1, Armenian Gull 2+, Caspian Gull 2
Larnaca Sewage Works – Green Sandpiper 2, Northern Shoveler 21, Eurasian Teal 111, Spur-winged Lapwing 6, Ferruginous Duck 2, Ruppell’s Warbler 1f, Great Cormorant c180 flying E at 17.15pm
Spiros Pool and Beach area – Wryneck 2, Temminck’s Stint 1, Little Stint 3
Larnaca Airport Pools North – Greater Flamingo 39
Larnaca Salt Lake – Greater Flamingo 2770, Slender-billed Gull 159, Little Ringed Plover 3, Northern Shoveler 313, Common Shelduck 44, Eurasian Wigeon 1m and 1f, Northern Pintail 1m and 1f, Black-necked Grebe 11, Eurasian Reed Warbler 6+heard singing, Eurasian Teal 38, Green Sandpiper 1, Black-winged Stilt 2, Spur-winged Lapwing 2, Common Redshank 21, Common Snipe 1, Ruff 3, Little Stint 54, Dunlin 4, Common Ringed Plover 1, Kentish Plover 11
Kiti Dam – Masked Shrike 1, Eurasian Coot 31, Northern Shoveler 3, Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler 1
Petounta Point – Eurasian Hoopoe 4, Isabelline Wheatear 2, Corncrake 1 (flew from side of track into cereal crop), Red-throated Pipit 3, Kentish Plover 2
Eurasian Hoopoe Petounta Point 17th March 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
With no rain forecast, for the first time in days, I headed out with first stop Agios Sozomenos on the outskirts of Nicosia. There was still a male Finsch’s Wheatear present. Two sub-adult Bonelli’s Eagle, a Peregrine Falcon and a Long-legged Buzzard flew over and at the water treatment plant there were two Ferruginous Duck. Blackcap could be heard singing from many bushes as could several male Spectacled Warbler. I also saw two Long-legged Buzzard flying over Panagia Stazousa on the way to Larnaca. A single Isabelline Wheatear and Eurasian Hoopoe at Petounta Point showed that migration continues to stutter into gear. On the beach there were four Kentish Plover. Nine Eurasian Curlew were near the Larnaca Sewage Pools and at least eight Calandra Lark were in the fields outside Pervolia.
Eurasian Hoopoe Petounta Point 26th February 2015 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
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