The Greater Flamingo: a Winter Visitor to Cyprus
by Glynis Smy on 04/01/09 at 8:00 am
A magnificent bird visits Cyprus in the winter, the Phoenicopterus ruber roseus. This is a great attraction on the East coast of the island, tourists and residents watch the Greater Flamingo, land and feed. A welcome visitor indeed.
The Greater Flamingo visits the salt flats of Southern Cyprus, they arrive between October and March.
Photograph by Glynis Smy (Larnaca 2009)
The birds may delay their arrival if the rains have not been sufficient on the island, how they know whether the rain has fallen or not is incredible. They can be seen on the East side of the island, at Larnaca Salt Lake (near the airport) and Akrotiri Salt Lake (near Limassol).
Photograph by Glynis Smy (Larnaca 2009)
The salt lakes are usually dried up during the summer months and are not very appealing, the Flamingo cannot feed in deep waters, therefore the levels at the salt lakes are important to them, too much they cannot feed and too little water means poor food sources.
Photograph by Glynis Smy (Larnaca 2009)
They fish for small crustaceans and have been known to gather in their thousands, the early visitors will arrive and gather in small groups, until eventually the waters look streaked with pink.
Photograph by Glynis Smy (Larnaca 2009)
The salt lake in Larnaca is supplied by the Medititerranean sea that lies beside the airport, it flows underground into the basin of the lake, the salt from the sea settles to the bottom of the lake and when the waters dry up, evidence of the salt can be seen glistening in the sunlight.
Photographs by Glynis Smy (Larnaca 2009)
The arrival of these magnificent birds and rains, at Larnaca make it a peaceful, pleasant place to visit, you soon forget the airport is across the road. There is a car park and picnic area, it is a treat for all to sit and watch the birds wade the waters.
Photograph by Glynis Smy (Larnaca 2009)
Hala Sultan Tekke is a muslim shrine, to read more about it Wikipedia has a background history.
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34 Comments
CHAN LEE PENG
Jan 4th, 2009
Thanks for your trip!Take care!
Sotiris
Jan 4th, 2009
Flamingo are very beautiful. They remind me of dancers!
nobert soloria bermosa
Jan 4th, 2009
what a view to adore,nice photos
Glynis Smy
Jan 4th, 2009
Thanks, not sure why first two pics are the same, going to check it out now!
Glynis Smy
Jan 4th, 2009
Thanks Triond for fixing!
R J Evans
Jan 4th, 2009
Love them! The last one brings back memories of my last time in Cyprus – the village I stayed in was close (ish) Ter Sefano I think it was called…
Mark Gordon Brown
Jan 4th, 2009
Great photos because you have shown not only the birds but the surrounding area. The last picture is my favorite. Send me my plane tickets now!
papaleng
Jan 4th, 2009
what a collection of beautiful pictures. Glynis do you know that at this time of the season migrants birds like stork, egret and the likes are visiting selected places in our country.
thestickman
Jan 4th, 2009
Nice.
Glynis Smy
Jan 4th, 2009
Thanks for the comments, the last pic is my favourite too. When DH and I got married we had a few coins in our pocket, so on the monday we had a day at London zoo for our honeymoon, we stood in front of the flamingos for photographs as it was the only place without fencing and it made it look as if we had been somewhere exotic! 30yrs later we saw the real thing,so I feel they are special to us.
Michele Cameron Drew
Jan 4th, 2009
Beautiful, Glynis
Hein Marais
Jan 4th, 2009
Very Beautiful.
Anne Lyken Garner
Jan 4th, 2009
Thanks for sharing these, Glynis. They’re awesome.
Juancav
Jan 4th, 2009
Cyprus obliged stop of flamingos.
Charles Dickens
Jan 4th, 2009
Damn I want to go to Cyprus, love the food.
Lauren Axelrod
Jan 4th, 2009
Wow, I am so jealous. The next time you visit let me know, I’ll hop on a plane to join you. Thanks Glynis.
Inna Tysoe
Jan 4th, 2009
Thank you for that.
Inna
Rask Balavoine
Jan 4th, 2009
Good stukk Glynis – not a side of Cyprus I’ve ever imagined.
Monica Sappleton
Jan 4th, 2009
Thanks for sharing them with us Glynis, they are beautiful.
Monica.
PR Mace
Jan 4th, 2009
Outstanding article. The photos enchanced the piece. Thank you so much for sharing this. I learned a lot.
payge
Jan 5th, 2009
Beautiful picture…great article to match too.im learning about something I didnt know existed through you…
S A JOHNSON
Jan 6th, 2009
So cool! Thanks for sharing the information and great pics!
maranatha
Jan 7th, 2009
Lovely photographs and a little bit of history, makes me want to go there. Thanks for sharing.
Glynis Smy
Jan 7th, 2009
It has come to my attention via a friend, that the ‘church’ is the Hala Sultan Tekke muslim shrine, I have submitted a fix and a link to more info.
Joni Keith
Jan 7th, 2009
Beautiful photos. You must have truly enjoyed taking them. The last one is also my favorite and I love your comment about the way “the lake is considered an area created by God for the birds to rest for a while”, a point certainly worth mentioning.
Allope
Jan 7th, 2009
Beautiful Photos.
Geri Ohara
Jan 7th, 2009
Hi Glynis brilliant
eddiego65
Jan 8th, 2009
So beautiful. Brilliant article.
Glynis Smy
Jan 8th, 2009
Joni thank you, the article has now changed since you read it.
Allope and Geri, thank you.
lindalulu
Jan 9th, 2009
What a magnificent bird. I have always loved to watch them. You are lucky to have such beautiful visitors there.
Timothy P Stavert
Jan 11th, 2009
The beauty and grace of this bird fascinates me and it is even better to seeing it in its own environment, rather than a zoo or wildlife park.
Although I have never been to Cyprus, The article drew me to one day visit the place. I don’t know when if ever I get round to it, but I would recommend with the information given.
Secondly thank you for your comments on the Credit Crunch article I wrote.
Tim
Maria Blazz
Jan 22nd, 2009
Hi Glynis, thanks for visiting my article. I’ll look forward yours, specially these about Cyprus, sounds like a fascinating place to visit.
despina
Aug 30th, 2009
Hala sultan is the best spot in cyprus..love it and each time i drive my car from larnaca to nicosia i always pass from there even if there not flamingos in the saltlake i just feel blessed for having this great place in my island..so beautiful and peaceful
Glynis Smy
Aug 30th, 2009
Despina, I drove past yesterday to the airport, I just had to stop for a few minutes and take in the beauty of the place. Thanks for stopping by and commenting
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