Bits and pieces from around Larnaca, Cyprus

When I'm abroad in sunnier climes, I love seeing species which I wouldn't necessarily expect to see in the Mediterranean but which are common or frequent visitors to the UK.  I suspect that the majority of birders who visit Cyprus don't go for the European white-fronted geese, yet here are five of them feeding on fields near Larnaca airport and occasionally flying onto the water treatment reservoirs.

Part of a flock of 61 black-necked grebes on Larnaca water treatment reservoirs.

Larnaca water treatment reservoirs.

I called in at Cape Greco for a couple of hours on Tuesday, just to have a break from salt lakes and gulls. This is a Finsch's wheatear site, but I didn't see any, though having seen them elsewhere on previous visits to Cyprus I wasn't too worried about that.

There were several blue rock thrush........

.....as well as lots of chukar.

I visited Oroklini lake a couple of times, and at dawn on the second occasion  I was fortunate to be there when the cattle egrets left the roost for the day.

Yialos salt lake held the largest flocks of gulls while I was in Larnaca.