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Birding Turkey and planned trips

June 21, 2008

I have just returned from an extremely gruelling tour of Turkey, where I covered 5,768 kms in ten days. A total of 209 species was recorded, including 33 new to my 2008 Western Palearctic Year List (taking my total to 562 species) and 1 (IRAQ BABBLER) new to my Western Palearctic Life List (number 837).

Three pairs of IRAQ BABBLERS have bred in Birecik this year (on the Euphrates River) with the pair and five well grown youngsters in the gravel pit area north of the bridge showing very well on 12th June. Other highlights of the trip included 166 DALMATIAN and 8 EUROPEAN WHITE PELICANS at Kuscennetti Milli Park on 8th, 5 LAUGHING DOVES in Inegol town, NW Turkey, on 9th, an adult EASTERN IMPERIAL EAGLE carrying a large struggling snake to its nest near Bozuyuk on 9th, a total of 60+ LONG-LEGGED BUZZARDS, exceptional numbers of EUROPEAN ROLLERS, a male LILFORD’S WHITE-BACKED WOODPECKER and many KRUPER’S NUTHATCHES north of Akseki on 9th, 3 OLIVE-TREE WARBLERS at Akseki Walled Plantation on 9th, an adult AUDOUIN’S GULL in Aydincik Harbour on 9th with a huge Alpine Swift colony offshore there on a rocky islet, 8 MARBLED DUCKS, 3 GREY-HEADED SWAMP HENS and MOUSTACHED WARBLER at the Goksu Delta on 9th, 76 WHITE-WINGED SNOWFINCH, 12 RED-FRONTED SERINS, GOLDEN EAGLE and 137 ALPINE SWIFTS at Demircazik on
11th and 25+ UPCHER’S WARBLERS, many WHITE-THROATED ROBINS, 2 CINEREOUS BUNTINGS and DESERT FINCHES at Isikli on 12th.

A total of 86 NORTHERN BALD IBIS was at Birecik on 12th, along with BLACK FRANCOLINS, PIED KINGFISHER, large numbers of DEAD SEA SPARROWS, several
MENETRIE’S WARBLERS, 5+ CHESTNUT-SHOULDERED PETRONIAS and 2 SEE-SEE PARTRIDGES. The Bozova road produced excellent numbers of ASIATIC LESSER SHORT-TOED and CALANDRA LARKS, as well as 7 FINSCH’S WHEATEARS on 13th, with a large mixed colony of BLUE-CHEEKED and EUROPEAN BEE-EATERS nearby. Impressive numbers of PALE ROCKFINCHES were seen at several locations, including 25+ singing males at Nemrut Dagi, Tatvan, on 14th, whilst the same-named location in the west producing excellent numbers of CINEREOUS BUNTINGS and RED-TAILED KURDISH WHEATEARS and a pair of TRUMPETER FINCHES. At Kayali on 13th, a swift colony held 6 LITTLE and 500+ ALPINE, with 6 active nests of EURASIAN GRIFFON VULTURE and 3 BONELLI’S
EAGLES noted. Further highlights near Tatvan on 14th included a nesting RADDE’S ACCENTOR, BIMACULATED LARK and some very welcome singing ORTOLAN BUNTINGS, whilst ROSE-COLOURED STARLINGS were very scarce this year with just 7 birds seen during the entire trip.

Good numbers of RUDDY SHELDUCK were on Lake Van Marshes, with a female VELVET SCOTER on Lake Van itself, with Serpmentas Lava Fields producing 28+
MONGOLIAN TRUMPETER FINCHES, 15 ASIATIC CRIMSON-WINGED FINCHES and many LESSER GREY SHRIKES nearby. Just 1 singing male GREY-NECKED BUNTING could be located at Van Cutting on 14th, with Bulanik yielding 3 SPUR-WINGED PLOVERS, 300+ GULL-BILLED TERNS but no Demoiselle Cranes on 15th (although 11 birds had been recorded in the area this spring). A further pair of TRUMPETER FINCHES was supplemented by excellent numbers of European Turtle Doves in several large areas. CAUCASIAN CHIFFCHAFFS were in abundance at Gelinkaya on 15th, with Sivri Kaya producing CAUCASIAN BLACK GROUSE and numerous singing BRIGHT GREEN WARBLERS on 16th.

The Black Sea coast on 17th-18th provided further excellent birding opportunities, with BLACK STORKS, HONEY BUZZARDS and EASTERN IMPERIAL EAGLE
highlighting. On the downside, the weather was particularly inclement, particularly in the mountainous regions, and Cretzschmar’s Bunting and Ruppell’s Warbler were not recorded at all, the first time in 9 Turkish tours that I had failed to find either species.

Although my Scandinavian trip next week is now full, I still have places on my Madeiran tour in the second week of July. Two places are also available on a Spanish trip in mid-September (for Ruppell’s Griffon Vulture) and I still require a few bodies to make up the ten required to visit Mauretania in December. Algeria has one place vacant, with Morocco up to 3 (the latter trip concentrating on Andalucian Hemipode, where an isolated population has recently been discovered).

Written by Lee · Filed Under General 

















































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