Final full day of guiding for the Travelling Naturalist Cyprus group today which we spent in Paphos. We visited Paphos Sewage Works, Timi beach, Mandria, Asprokremmos Dam and Paphos Headland and throughout the day it got windier which hampered our birding. But even so we had great views of two Bimaculated Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, a Eurasian Stone Curlew and Western Yellow Wagtail at Mandria; at least ten Spur-winged Lapwing at Paphos Sewage Works and a bush full of feeding and resting warblers at the Headland which included several Eastern Subalpine and Ruppell’s Warbler. As we left the Headland we saw a lovely male Whinchat – one of the first of spring.
Swallowtail, Timi beach 25th March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Today the Travelling Naturalist group visited Akrotiri starting at Kensington Cliffs where we saw a Griffon Vulture and a male Cyprus Warbler. During the day we found many migrants in the area including Black-winged Stilt, Spur-winged Lapwing, Western Yellow Wagtail, Common Redstart, Ruppell’s and Subalpine Warbler, Little Ringed Plover, Eurasian Bittern, Common Hoopoe (photo). Black-eared Wheatear, Red-throated & Tree Pipit and ‘Steppe’ Buzzard.
Common Hoopoe, Phasouri 24th March 2019 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Finally a sunny day with not a lot of wind and no rain coincided with a day I was free to go out. Went to the east again and checked out Oroklini, Achna, Paralimni Lake and the rocky coasts. A good collection of birds including Greater Flamingo, Greater Sandplover, Grey Plover, Slender-billed Gull, Audouin’s Gull, Blue Rock Thrush, Peregrine Falcon, several Western Marsh Harrier, Great Crested Grebe, Northern and Spur-winged Lapwing and Black-winged Stilt.
Photos of one of the Grey Plover and Greater Sandplover that were at Agia Trias, Paralimni
Back after a few weeks away and spent the day on the east of the island. All wetlands now have a lot of water and from the weather forecasts more is to come. Visited Oroklini, Akhna Dam, Paralimni Lake and the coastal sites of Agios Trias, Kermia and Macronissos Beaches. Highlights were:
Oroklini Marsh
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Northern Lapwing c70+
Spur-winged Lapwing 5+ (see photo)
Black-winged Stilt 5
Northern Pintail 2m and 1f
Red-crested Pochard 1m and 1f
Ferruginous Duck 2
Northern Shoveler 80+
Greater Flamingo 73
Grey Heron 1
Common Teal 30+
Common Starling 1
Cattle Egret 140+ evening roost
Akhna Dam
Great Crested Grebe 1
Grey Heron 2
Great Cormorant 6
Woodlark 3 (1 singing from wire)
Eurasian Skylark h
Common Starling 5
Corn Bunting 1
Paralimni Lake – a lot of water
Grey Heron 17
Northern Lapwing 79
Ruff 5
Common Redshank 1
Greater Flamingo 112
Common Teal 5
Western Marsh Harrier 2
Common Starling 8
Pied Avocet 2
Laughing Dove 1+
Visited Larnaca today where there was evidence of very heavy overnight rain in the fields and around the salt lake.
Highlights:
Meneou Pool
Greater Flamingo 26
Larnaca Airport Pools South
Pied Avocet 3
Greater Flamingo 3
Armenian Gull 4+
Black-headed Gull 3+
other white-headed gulls – probably Caspian – but distant 11
Pervolia
Calandra Lark 2 in flight
Larnaca Sewage Works
Common Shelduck 8
Greater White-fronted Goose 6
Black-necked Grebe 14+
Eurasian Wigeon 2
Northern Pintail 4+
Common Redshank 1
Ferrruginous Duck 32
Armenian Gull 2 imm
Spiro Beach
Sandwich Tern 2 on buoys
Spiros Pool
Eurasian Golden Plover 26
Larnaca Salt Lake
Greater Flamingo 700+
Slender-billed Gull 1 imm
Kamares aquaduct
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Little Egret 1
Spur-winged Lapwing 5
Common Snipe 2 (see photo)
Water Pipit 3
Green Sandpiper 1
Common Redshank 2
Eurasian Penduline Tit 1h
Oroklini Marsh
Spur-winged Lapwing 34 (most in fields on other side of motorway)
Common Redshank 1
Cattle Egret 20
Peregrine Falcon 1
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Northern Shoveler c300
Black-winged Stilt 4
Water Pipit 1h
Common Snipe, Larnaca 5th December 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Plenty of the usual wintering ducks around – Northern Shoveler, Common Teal for example. Interesting birds seen during the count included: Greater White-fronted Goose (see photo), Black-necked Grebe, Ferruginous Duck, Tufted Duck, Northern Pintail, Eurasian Wigeon, Common Redshank (see photo), young Baltic Gull and Slender-billed Gull, adult Citrine Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Water Pipit, Bluethroat (see photo), Common Snipe, Northern Lapwing, Spur-winged Lapwing, Water Rail, Reed Bunting and a feeding male Penduline Tit (see photo).
Some different birding today visiting Oroklini, Akhna, Paralmini area and Agia Napa coast.
Birds seen, including a lovely juvenile Great White Pelican:
Oroklini Marsh morning and late afternoon
Common Crane 1 juv still present 16:45
White Stork 1 still present 16:45
Grey Heron 1
Spur-winged Lapwing c30
Common Teal c30
Common Redshank 3
Bluethroat 1
Eurasian Skylark 7 over
Greater Flamingo 58
Black-winged Stilt 1
Black-headed Gull 30+
Cattle Egret c250 coming into roost late pm visit
Common Ringed Plover 2
Little Stint 15+
Common Starling 7
Akhna Dam
Great White Pelican 1 juv (see photos)
Cattle Egret 1
Little Egret 5
Squacco Heron 1
Moustached Warbler 1
Whiskered Tern 1
Grey Heron 6
Akhna Dam
White-winged Tern 1
Whiskered Tern 5 (see photo of a juvenile that was preening on a rock)
Northern Lapwing 2
Spur-winged Lapwing 45
Little Egret 1
Grey Heron 5
Common Ringed Plover 6
Common Kingfisher 2
Garganey 1
European Bee-eater 14
Dekeleia Fire Station
Eurasian Thick-knee 8
Ormideia Beach
Common Kingfisher 1
Grey Plover 1
Oroklini Marsh
Spur-winged Lapwing 110
Glossy Ibis 1
Western Marsh Harrier 1
Common Redshank 1
Ruff 2
Common Ringed Plover 6
Little Stint 6
Whiskered Tern , Achna Dam 25th September 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Greater Flamingo, Larnaca Sewage Works 15th September 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
Did the waterbird count this morning around Larnaca. Most of the birds were at the Sewage Works – Greater Flamingo, Little and Cattle Egret, Grey and Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis, Kentish and Common Ringed Plover, Little Stint, Sanderling, Ruff, Marsh Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt, Spur-winged Lapwing, Common Redshank, Northern Shoveler, Common Teal, Garganey, Ferruginous Duck. Plus migrating Montagu’s and Pallid Harrier, lots of European Bee-eater, an Isabelline and Northern Wheatear, Red-backed (see photo), Masked and Lesser Grey Shrike. Good morning’s birding.
Red-backed Shrike, Larnaca 15th September 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
While doing the waterbird count at Larnaca Sewage Works this morning, I remarked to another birder there that this time last year a Terek Sandpiper had been found at the Sewage Works. An hour later at Oroklini Marsh the first bird I saw from the hide was this Terek Sandpiper! Not annual here this would be the 15th Cyprus record of the species since 2000 if accepted. Sorry for the awful photos but it was just too far for anything decent.
Migration slowly getting busier with c50 Collared Pratincole in the fields near Larnaca Sewage Works and a group of 13 Common Sandpiper resting on the rocks on the nearby coast this morning. Feeding on the Sewage Pools were Gull-billed, Whiskered and White-winged Tern. A couple of Slender-billed and Black-headed Gull were present as were more than 100 Greater Flamingo, a couple of Black-winged Stilt, 23 Ferruginous Duck, a Common Greenshank, six Grey Heron and six Cattle Egret, plenty of Spur-winged Lapwing and both the long-staying unseasonable Great Crested Grebes.
Back in Cyprus and out today around Larnaca. Not much around and area very dry but I did find several young Spur-winged Lapwing in the area and this adult trying to scare away some Hooded Crows.
Spur-winged Lapwing, Larnaca 25th June 2018 (c) Cyprus Birding Tours
