Peterborough Bird Club :: GPOG Turkey April 2007

Daily Itinerary
Monday 9th April
We arrived at our accommodation late afternoon and were warmly welcomed by our hosts. We occupied six of the eight comfortable rooms overlooking the gardens and pool, with a view over adjacent farm land. A perfect edge of town location. A gentle stroll out from the pension provided a staple diet of common species together with a few specialities such as Penduline Tit, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Subalpine Warbler, Black-eared Wheatear, Short-toed Eagle, Masked Shrike and Red-rumped Swallow.

A Quail was calling opposite the pension at the start of an early morning walk down the river towards Koycegiz Golu then inland towards the hill mentioned in Gosney. This is a good vantage point to see over the reed fringed southern edge of the lake, providing views of Glossy Ibis, Pratincole sp., Great White Egret and Savi’s Warbler. On the hill itself, Western Rock Nuthatch. Late morning we travelled the 25k to Kocegiz and found a few waders on the shore line and an obliging Citrine Wagtail at the far end of the esplanade. Further along the road to Hamit Koy we explored footpaths towards the lake. Great Spotted Cuckoo, Osprey, Orphean and Barred Warbler were the highlights. A Kruper’s Nuthatch was an unexpected surprise in the deciduous woods near Teperasi on our way back to Dalyan.

Wednesday 11th April
Our first long day trip to the Seki pass and the Sogut plain, covered in Gosney in the section ‘Hills around Korkuteli’. Highlights at the Karamel pass, our first stop on the N350, included Ruppell’s Warbler and, for a lucky few, Finsch’s Wheatear. On the outskirts of Seki the arable fields provided more excellent birding including Isabelline Wheatears, Syrian Woodpecker and good views of Long-legged Buzzard. Once through Seki village the road climbs steeply to the pass of at a height of 1830m. We had hoped to reach the snow line at this point but an early thaw meant that there was just bare mountainside. Very productive nonetheless with a small flock of Red-fronted Serin, Sombre Tit and Rock Thrush. The afternoon, spent on the Sogut plain, was much less rewarding with Hen Harrier and Ruddy Shelduck the highlights. Our return journey took us via Elmali and back through the Seki pass. We had some excellent birding in the first gorge beyond Yilmazli including a flock of Cretzschmar’s Buntings feeding under the goat troughs and more Red-fronted Serin and Sombre Tits on the bare hillside.

An easy day spent exploring the area around Dalyan. In the morning we discovered a small wetland on the road to Sangerme which produced several wader species, Lesser Kestrel hunting over the fields and our first fabulous Roller. In the afternoon we took the row boat across to Kaunos to explore the ruins and rock tombs. Highlights included White-tailed Eagle, Ortolan Bunting and Eleanora’s Falcon.

Friday 13th April
Our second long trip to explore Bafa Golu and the Menderes Delta, sites well described in Gosney. On the salt flats beyond Akkoy, numerous larks and pipits. Around the fisherman’s huts on the delta Dalmatian Pelican, terns and waders. We had lunch overlooking the spectacular remains at Milet and in the afternoon followed the river levy track (Gosney site 4). Here we were treated to Collared Flycatcher, Little Bittern, White Pelican and Spur-winged Plover. At the fisherman’s hut on the shore of Bafa Golu, a small flock of Pygmy Cormorant and c 170 Glossy Ibis. Visitors to this site are warned to avoid the fisherman’s dogs, one of which gave one of our party a nasty bite! Our evening meal, at a restaurant near Marmaris, was accompanied by a very obliging Scops Owl.

The morning was spent on a leisurely boat trip around Kocegiz Golu. We added Night Heron to our list and found another Pygmy Cormorant whilst exploring the many channels and inlets in pursuit of the large kingfisher sp., which we unfortunately didn’t find! At £10 per head, including a sumptuous breakfast, it was excellent value. The afternoon was spent at the deciduous woods near Teperasi and a further exploration of the pastures around Hamit Koy. Middle Spotted Woodpecker and Whiskered Tern (from the esplanade at Koycegiz) were additions to the list.

Sunday 15th April
Our last full day, so we decided to make a return visit to the mountains to see if we could locate some of the species missed around Seki. An inspired decision to follow the newly widened track to Mentes Tekke (1 k, along the Seki road from the junction with the N350) provided an outstanding days birding. The track terminates at a newly constructed ski lodge from which we explored the snow covered hills and gorges. We were handsomely rewarded for our efforts with a pair of White-throated Robin, several Snow Finch and Horned Lark, another Finsch’s Wheatear (seen by everyone) and Rock Sparrow. A truly memorable day’s birding.

Monday 16th April
We spent our final morning around Dalyan and Sangerme where Montagu’s Harrier was a pleasant addition to the list. We had more views of Glossy Ibis and Spur-winged Plover at the pools beyond the airport before returning to the minibuses and catching our flight home.

In total we saw 175 species, had some fantastic birding, discovered some new sites and were well looked after by Catherine and Ercan. What more could you ask for - a great trip!