Sunday, 5 February 2017

Cyprus, Larnaca - 26th January 2017

As forecast was for another windy day, we took a run over to the Larnaca area which had a few interesting birds. 

First stop off was Menou Pools which had a small mixed flock of waders and 21 Common Shelduck.

Dunlin, Little Stint and Redshank

We went to Larnaca Sewage Works and found one of the recent Pallas' Gulls present, a 3yr bird which was later joined by a 1st year bird. The usual mix of Duck and Gulls were present along with eight White-fronted Geese that dropped in briefly, along with 36 Ruddy Shelduck.

3rd year Pallas' Gull

White-fronted Geese with Wigeon

Ruddy Shelducks

A quick look at Spiro's Pool and the fields adjacent to the airport produced very little but a Cattle Egret was in Menou village.

We then spent some time exploring around Larnaca Salt Lake which held a lot of Flamingos, somewhere in the region of 436 Common Shelduck, a couple of Ruddy Shelduck, only 13 Black-necked Grebes, single Avocet, Sanderling, Temminck's Stint and Jack Snipe, plus single Slender-billed and Heuglin's Gulls.A couple of Moustached Warblers were seen in the reed bed area along with 28 Song Thrush, and a single Starling.

Flamingos in front of the Tekke


Greylags, eastern race birds

Black-necked Grebes

Kestrel

Little Egret

Final stop off for the day was Oroklini where a Little Ringed Plover was on the beach and in the Marsh area in addition to the usual species we had 8 Pintail, single Shelduck, three Water Pipit, two Bluethroat,  Moustached Warbler, five Starling and five Reed Buntings.