Cyprus Birding Tours

Offering guided bird watching tours around Cyprus


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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

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

Common Ringed Plover, 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

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


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Meneou this morning 9th August 2020

Some interesting birds at Meneou this morning including at least 230 Black-winged Stilt, plus much smaller numbers of Ruff, Common and Little Ringed Plover, Little Stint, Common and Green Sandpiper and Collared Pratincole. At least eight Little Tern and a juvenile White-winged Tern. Plenty of Yellow-legged Gull roosting on salt flats and flying around the Sewage Works including several juveniles (see photo).

Yellow-legged Gull, Larnaca Sewage Works 9th August 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Yellow-legged Gull, Larnaca Sewage Works 9th August 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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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

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

Spur-winged Lapwing. Larnaca Sewage Works, 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

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


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Akrotiri morning 2nd July 2020

A morning around the Akrotiri peninsula with some interesting species seen.

Akrotiri Salt Lake
Slender billed Gull 50+
Common Tern 2
Gull billed Tern 4
Caspian Tern 1
Little Tern 15
Spotted Redshank 1
Marsh Sandpiper 4
Wood Sandpiper 1
Green Sandpiper 4
Common Redshank 4+
Greater Flamingo c1000
Little Ringed Plover 4
Little Egret 3
Black winged Stilt 100+

Akrotiri Marsh (Phasouri Reed beds)
Glossy Ibis 24
Little Egret 16 (see photo)
Grey Heron 2
Cattle Egret 8
Spur winged Lapwing 1
Squacco Heron 4
Little Bittern 1m
Eleonora’s Falcon 1
Red rumped Swallow 7 heading S
Black crowned Night Heron 1 juv in flightLittle Egret, Akrotiri 2nd July 2020


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Terns, Larnaca 25th June 2020

Three species of tern fishing this morning at Larnaca Sewage Works: two Common Tern, at least two Gull-billed Tern (photo) and several Little Tern.

Gull-billed Tern, Larnaca Sewage Works, 25th June 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Gull-billed Tern, Larnaca Sewage Works, 25th June 2020 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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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.

Masked Shrike juvenile, Larnaca 10th August 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Masked Shrike juvenile, Larnaca 10th August 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Masked Shrike juv 2, Larnaca 10th August 2019

Masked Shrike juvenile, Larnaca 10th August 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Larnaca late afternoon 19th April 2019

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

Eurasian Stone Curlew, Larnaca 19th April 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Little Stint, 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

Squacco Heron, Larnaca, 19th April 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Larnaca waterbird count 18th April 2019

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

Black-winged Stilt, Spiros Pool, 18th April 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Grey Plover, Spiros Pool, 18th April 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Grey Plover, Spiros Pool, 18th April 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Larnaca area this morning 25th July 2018

One of several juvenile Yellow-legged Gull currently to be found along Spiros Beach and Larnaca Sewage Works. Also in the area today were an Eleonora’s Falcon, Little and Gull-billed Tern, Temminck’s and Little Stint, Dunlin, Ruff, Little Ringed Plover and Greater Flamingo.

Yellow-legged Gull, Spiros Beach, 25th July 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Yellow-legged Gull, Spiros Beach, 25th July 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Akrotiri, 7th May 2018

Still some migrating waders around today with two Ruddy Turnstone and six Broad-billed Sandpipers the highlights. Plenty of Ruff, Little Stint, Wood Sandpiper, Common Ringed Plover and Black-winged Stilt. Also two Black-tailed Godwit and Marsh Sandpiper and a few Little Ringed Plover, a Curlew Sandpiper and a Common Greenshank. Still a large flock of Little Tern on Lady’s Mile so hopefully they will stay to breed. I also found two Woodchat Shrike and four Red-backed Shrike with a Black-eared Wheatear, a Whinchat, a female Common Redstart and several Spotted Flycatcher.

Little Ringed Plover, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Little Ringed Plover, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Ringed Plover, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Ringed Plover, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Ruddy Turnstone, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Ruddy Turnstone, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Female Red-backed Shrike, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Female Red-backed Shrike, Akrotiri 7th May 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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Akrotiri 28th April 2018

A very enjoyable day birding around Akrotiri even if I got a later start than intended. Highlight was definitely finding a female Semi-collared Flycatcher as I was checking the ID’s of several females near Bishop’s Pool – also a female Collared Flycatcher which was actually my first Collared for the year. In that area there were also Pied and Spotted Flycatcher, Wood Warbler, Blackcap and several beautiful male European Golden Oriole. Plenty of Woodchat Shrike around with a few Red-backed as well. A large group of more than twenty Little Tern were on Lady’s Mile in the morning as were nine Collared Pratincole and many Marsh Sandpiper and Common Greenshank (see photos).

Late in the afternoon I visited the eastern shore of the Salt Lake and the Zakaki run off. There I saw more than ten Temminck’s Stint, ten Black-tailed Godwit, a few Curlew Sandpiper, fishing Little Tern, feeding White-winged and Whiskered Tern and best of all – a resting flock of around 300 Collared Pratincoles (see photo). Lovely!

Collared Pratincole, Akrotiri Salt Lake 28th April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Collared Pratincole, Akrotiri Salt Lake 28th April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Common Greenshank, Lady's Mile 28th April 2018  (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Common Greenshank, Lady’s Mile 28th April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Marsh Sandpiper, Lady's Mile 28th April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Marsh Sandpiper, Lady’s Mile 28th April 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours


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One of several Black-winged Stilt this morning at Larnaca Sewage Works.

Black-winged Stilt, Larnaca Sewage Works 17th July 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

Black-winged Stilt, Larnaca Sewage Works 17th July 2017 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours

 
Several juveniles were also present as well as a Slender-billed and Black-headed Gull, a few Little Tern and an adult and juv Whiskered Tern, seven Ferruginous Duck, a couple each of Ruff, Common Sandpiper and Little Ringed Plover and at least twenty Spur-winged Lapwing.