On 2 April, pupils from Highgate and Oroklini Primary Schools had the opportunity to visit Oroklini Lake along with staff from BirdLife Cyprus, and to discover the rich birdlife the lake holds, especially at this time of year.

54 first grade pupils from Oroklini School were quite amazed to see the Black-winged Stilt and the Spur-winged Plover through telescopes and binoculars. These two bird species, which are the qualifying species for the Special Protection Area (SPA) of Oroklini Lake, had just started to form pairs and were getting ready to nest.

On the same day, around 30 fourth grade pupils from both Highgate primary school and Oroklini primary school, enjoyed a talk given by the LIFE Oroklini project coordinator on Oroklini Lake, its importance, the threats the lake is facing and the 3-year LIFE project that will manage and restore this important wetland through conservation and communication actions. After the talk, the children visited the lake to see the birds live through telescopes and binoculars. Spring is an ideal time of year to visit Oroklini Lake as it is occupied by many bird species, some of which are visitors and some of which will stay on to raise their chicks there.

The visit was a great experience for the children and both schools expressed their enthusiasm and willingness to participate in a Volunteer ‘Clean Oroklini’ day that will be organised sometime in 2013, as foreseen under the LIFE Oroklini project.

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