Cyprus - 15th to 25th April

Not entirely a birding trip as all my trips abroad are mooted to be but Cyprus in spring really is a treat.  Based just south of Larnaka Airport at Perivolia, the airport lagoons and sewage works were within a short distance away which made up most of the birding for the nine days spent here.  This was only my second (birding) visit to the island (4th in total) - not a great effort but with the intervening period beset global dis-ease, this trip was very much within my radar.

Flights were booked on British Airways with a last minute aircraft change on the outbound leg to a wide-bodied Boeing 777-200ER.  

Accommodation was booked through Airbnb, an annex within a residential complex that we eventually warmed to during the stay.

Birding was leisurely, usually a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the evening with the day largely spent frolicking on the beach and dining on great local foods.  Cyprus is a lovely place that should be visited much more regularly.

A total of 106 species were observed, just one new WP species (Slender-billed gull) but plenty of quality as you would expect.  Migration had tapered off after the peak passage during the last couple of weeks of March and the first couple of weeks in April.

Sites visited included;

Larnaka Sewage Works

Spiros Pools and Beach

Larnaka Salt Lake

Troodos Mountains (Atalante Trail - 14km)

Kiti Dam

Kivisili Fields

Cape Greko

Phissouri reedbed (Akrotiri Marsh) and Oriklini Marshes.

Bird Sightings

Northern Shoveler
Present in good numbers at Larnaka Sewage Works (35) and Airport South Lagoons.

Mallard
Small numbers at Larnaka Sewage Works.

Pintail

A single drake on the 17th at Larnaka Sewage Works.

Eurasian Teal
Present at Larnaka Sewage Works with a maximum of eight seen.

Garganey

Good numbers on Larnaka Sewage Works with a high count of 24 on the 18th.  Also seen at Akrotiri Marsh.  

Ferruginous duck

Five seen flying over Akrotiri Marsh on the 22nd.

Red-crested Pochard

Two drakes at Oriklini Marshes on the 21st.  

Ruddy shelduck

Two seen at Larnaka Sewage Works on the 18th and 19th.

Chukar
A couple seen on Cape Greko and one near Spiros Pool.

Black francolin

Widespread, though seen infrequently at Larnaka Sewage Works.

Great crested grebe

Not a common bird here apparently, but up to three present at Larnaka Sewage Works for the entirety of the trip.

Little grebe
Seen at Larnaka Sewage Works, Oriklini and Akrotiri Marsh.

Great Cormorant

Present on Larnaka Sewage Works.

Grey heron

Seen daily at Larnaka Sewage Works with a group of seven flying past on the 18th evening.

Purple heron
Two 1st summer seen at Akrotiri Marsh on the 22nd.

Squacco heron

Seen at Oriklini Marshes (below), Phissouri reedbed (below) and Larnaka Sewage Works.

Night heron

A small group of six associating with Cattle egret flying over Spiros beach on the 24th.

Little egret

Widespread particularly at Spiros Pools.

Cattle egret

Regularly encountered with seven in a field near Akrotiri Marsh.

Great egret

Just a single bird seen over St. George's Chapel, Akrotiri on the 22nd.

Glossy ibis

Seen at Akrotiri Marsh and Spiros Pools with groups of around 20 flying over.

Greater flamingo

Up to 100 birds spread widely along Airport South Lagoons and the Salt Lake.

Marsh harrier

Singles at Larnaka Sewage Works and Akrotiri Marsh.

Pallid harrier

One female flew over Cape Greko on the 18th.  

Montagu's harrier

Two single birds (both ringtails), one at Larnaka Sewage Works on the 18th and one over St George's Chapel, Akrotiri on the 22nd.

Kestrel

Seen daily at many sites.  

Red-footed falcon

One seen at Kiti Dam on the 24th.

Baillon's crake

Great bird with two seen at Akrotiri Marsh on the 22nd.

Coot

At least 10 at Oriklini, three on Airport South Lagoons, and two at Larnaka Sewage Works.

Moorhen

A few seen at Akrotiri marsh and a single bird at Kiti Dam.  

Ruff

Present in good numbers on Spiros Pools and Larnaka Sewage Works with over a 100 birds there.  

Dunlin
Three summer plumage adults on Spiros pools on the 24th.

Common snipe

Two seen at Akrotiri Marsh on the 22nd.

Green sandpiper

A single bird at Oriklini and one on Akrotori Marsh.

Wood sandpiper
Widespread and seen daily at Larnaka Sewage Works.  Also present on Akrotiri Marsh.

Marsh sandpiper

Singles seen at Larnaka Sewage Works and Phissouri reedbed.

Common sandpiper

At least three at Larnaka Sewage Works.  

Ringed plover

Four on Spiros Pools.

Kentish plover

At least two males on Spiros beach/pools.  A couple seen at Akrotiri Gravel Pits.

Little stint

Good numbers on Spiros Pools with at least 30 seen.  

Greenshank

One on Sprios Pools and one at Akrotiri Gravel Pits.

Black-tailed godwit

Just a single bird seen at Oriklini on the 21st.

Spotted redshank

A single bird in summer plumage at Akrotiri Marsh on the 22nd.

Collared pratincole

Such lovely birds with two seen hawking insects at dusk over Larnaka Sewage Works on the 21st.

Spur-winged plover

Widespread with good numbers in fields behind Larnaka Sewage Works.

Black winged stilt

Common and widespread at numerous sites.

Black headed gull

Three seen passing through Larnaka Sewage Works on the 19th.

Yellow-legged gull

Present on Larnaka Sewage Works and widely seen.

Slender-billed gull
Seen on two days - 25 on Spiros Pool on the 16th and four ( 3 of the 4 shown) on Airport South Lagoons on the 19th.

Little tern

Breeding nearby and seen daily on Larnaka Sewage Works.  

Common tern

Two passing through Larnaka Sewage Works on the 18th and 23rd.

Whiskered tern

Two adult summer present on Larnaka Sewage Works on the 18th.

Woodpigeon

Small groups here and there.  

Collared dove

Common around Larnaka.

Laughing dove

Common around the complex.

Turtle dove

Seen on the northside of Phissouri reedbed with at least 10 there with 16 together on wires at Kiti Dam.

Feral pigeon

Whatever.

Cuckoo
One singing on the walk in Troodos.

Great spotted cuckoo

Four seen at Kiti Dam.  

Eurasian Scops Owl

Two calling at Kivisili on the 20th.

Swift
Seen daily throughout the stay.

European Bee-eater

Six flying over Kiti Dam on the 24th.

Blue-cheeked bee-eater

A group of 10 flying over Akrotiri Marsh on the 22nd.

Hoopoe

Singles seen at Larnaka Airport Pools, Kivisili, and Akrotiri Marshes.

Wryneck
A single bird seen at Akrotiri Marsh on the 22nd.

Crested Lark

Common around the pools south of Larnaka.

Barn swallow

Seen daily throughout the stay.

Red-rumped swallow

Two's and threes heading through the airport pools and sewage works.

House martin

Small groups over Larnaka Sewage Works.

Red-throated pipit

Seen in varying numbers in fields opposite Spyros Beach with a peak of 35 on 19th.

Tawny pipit

A single bird in fields opposite Spyros beach on the 23rd.

White wagtail

Seen frequently throughout the trip.

Yellow wagtail

Mostly seen at Larnaka Sewage Works.

Wren

Only a single bird seen at Troodos.

Whinchat

Three males seen, two males at Larnaka Sewage Works on the 19th (one later seen at Spyros Beach), one at Spyro's Pool on the 21st.

Nightingale

Two singing at Cape Greko.  

Northern wheatear

A few seen with five near Spiros beach on the 19th.

Pied wheatear

Seen on Cape Greko and eight along the trail at Troodos (below).

Black-eared wheatear (Eastern)

A single 2cy bird seen from the hide at Larnaka Sewage Works.

Blackbird

Two seen along the Atalanti Trail in Troodos. 

Sardinian warbler
Widely heard and seen.

Blackcap

Seen at various sites including Cape Greko and Kiti Dam.  

Spectacled warbler

Seen at Cape Greko and Spyros Pool (below).

Common whitethroat

Seen at Cape Greko.

Lesser whitethroat

One seen on the eastern side of Spyros Pool.  

Cetti's warbler

Widepspread with one seen well from the tower hide at Phissouri reedbed.

Reed warbler
A few singers at Oriklini Marsh.

Sedge warbler

One seen at Phissouri reedbed.

Great reed warbler

Four singing at Phissouri reedbed.

Eastern olivaceous warbler

Three singing at Kiti Dam, and one at Phissouri reedbed.

Zitting cisticola

The most irritating of species, seen and largely ignored.

Pied flycatcher

One in the woodland at St. George's Chapel on the 22nd.

Spotted flycatcher

Two at Kiti Dam on the 24th.

Coal tit (Cyrpus)

Widespread in Troodos.

Great tit

A few singing in Troodos. 

Golden oriole

Six (five males and one female) at Kiti Dam on 24th (in a bonkers five minute spell at the site).

Masked shrike

A pair nest building behind Ben Nevis cafe in Troodos.

Woodchat shrike

A single male on wires soth of the Airport Lagoons on the 23rd.

Magpie

At least five at Kiti Dam.

Jay

A few seen on Troodos.

Hooded crow

Widespread.

House sparrow

Common and widespread.  

Spanish sparrow

A small group at Larnaka Sewage Works on the 24th.

Greenfinch

Seen daily over the site complex.

Chaffinch

A few individuals at Troodos.

Linnet

Small groups seen around the Sewage Works and at Kivisili

Goldfinch

Three flying over Cape Greko.

Serin

Eight singing males within the pine woodland in Troodos.

Crossbill

Three females seen in Troodos.

Aircraft

It was interesting being so close to LCA which wasn't very busy but there were a few interesting aircraft around.

Walking the gravel pits around Akrotiri was timed well with the departure of a couple of Typhoons and a Voyager.