Karl Martin bird blog: Ayia Napa Water Treatment Works

While I was in Cyprus I made the trip to the Ayia Napa sewage works and pushed past the awful smell to see what birds I could find. I walked along a dirt trail to get there after getting the bus to the Cactus and Sculpture Park. Along this trail I heard and saw a Cyprus Warbler and around 25 Chukar, all of which were too elusive for the camera. There were also Crested Lark, Spectacled Warbler and Sardinian Warblers. As I approached the sewage pools, I saw a large bird of prey circling in the distance, which turned out to be a Marsh Harrier! This bird seemed to hang around as I got much closer views later on around the sewage works. Upon arriving, there was not much in the first two pools, but as I continued up the hill, peering over the fence, I spotted some Common Sandpipers and lots of Spur-Winged Lapwings, a first for me. Their call was very loud and persistent. I walked to a second set of pools along a road but access was restricted and there was nothing there that I could see. I walked along a dirt path to get a view from further up and scared up a Hoopoe on the way. When I got another view of the pools there was nothing apart from a group of Little Grebe. When I returned to the original pools I heard an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler of which I was able to get a quick photo of before it hid in the thick stuff. There were also lots of Swallows which I was hoping might have been Red-Rumped, but a few photographs confirmed to me that they were just Barn Swallows. Other than the ever present abundance of Laughing Doves, that was everything. A well worthwhile trip for the Spur-Winged Lapwing alone if you ask me. Enjoy the photos, which are of limited quality due to the distance from the birds and also the fact I was obstructed by a wire fence.