Turkey 9. - 16.6.1994

Markku Huhta-Koivisto, Jarmo Komi, Tom Lindroos

9.6.

We arrived at Antalya Airport at 4.30 pm We rented a B-class car, Sahin (Fiat 131), with four doors for a bargain price of about 8,600,000 Turkish Liras (1 USD was about 31,000 Liras) per week from Hertz. We started to drive eastwards along the coastal road. We had few stops before dusk and most notable observations were about 50 Alpine Swifts, two Rollers and a Rufous Bush Robin. After dark we had dinner in a small restaurant by the road. As the road was very slow, we were still some way from Tasucu when we settled to Hotel Vivanco at the seaside near the road.

10.6.

After some more driving we reached Tasucu where we had breakfast. Before Tasucu we had a few hundred Alpine Swifts and two Peregrines. We started doing Göksu from the southern side. Two Eleonora's Falcons circling above us were among the first birds seen. There were a lot of Olivaceous Warblers and Rufous Bush Chats. A male Black Francolin performed very well in front of our car. The ditches on the northern side hosted lots of Great Reed Warblers and they were also a good place for photographing herons and egrets. We spent the whole day around Göksu and returned to Tasucu in the evening to have dinner and sleep.

11.6.

We drove some 30 kilometres north of Tasucu towards Kirobasi. We spent the morning near a small village at the junction to Uzuncaburç. There and along the road we had some Olive-tree, Orphean and Rüppell's Warblers, Sombre Tits and Krüper's and Rock Nuthatches. We started to drive eastwards towards Gaziantep. Black-headed Buntings were very common along the road. Before Adana we noted new signs for a motorway to Gaziantep. It was very fast compared to the old road with eight or six lanes and very little traffic. There was a nominal fee for using the road. It was completed almost all the way to Bahçe, where we had to return to the old road. We reached Durnalik at about 5 pm Markku left Tomppa and Jarmo on foot and drove to Isikli to bird and wait. The walk along the valley and over the mountains offered some Cinereous Buntings, Rock and Great Rock Nuthatches, two White-throated Robins and a few Upcher's Warblers. In Isikli Markku had some Short-toed Eagles, two White-throated Robins and lots of Upcher's Warblers. The walk took three hours and sun was already behind the mountains when we were together and decided to drive to Birecik for the night. At Birecik we found a surprisingly nice hotel on the western side of Euphrates. The hotel had nice Bald Ibis artwork on the wall. We drove to the owl park and had a beer. By the time we were drinking the second beer they managed to locate two Striated Scops Owls for us and the owner was generously tipped.

12.6.

We spent all the morning at the eastern bank of Euphrates, mainly north of the Bald Ibis colony. Ménétries's Warbler was very numerous and Olivaceous Warbler was quite common. Some Pied Kingfishers flew around. About one hundred Pin-tailed and ten Black-bellied Sandgrouse still came to drink at about 9 am After that Tomppa and Jarmo headed to the wadi at the ibis colony and found three See-sees and some Little Swifts. At least one pair of ibises was nesting in the wadi also. The warden at the ibis colony offered to get us a guide to show Eagle Owl, but as it would have been two kilometres into the hot wadi, we didn't have a try. After the wadi it was time for cold Pepsi at the owl park. They first showed us some Long-eared Owls, but when we requested for something smaller they showed the right thing. We had splendid views of one adult and three barred juveniles, not depicted in any field guides. Before leaving Birecik we checked the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater site at the other side of the river. They didn't seem to be nesting, but both species of bee-eater were present. On the way north we had a cursory look at Isikli and saw some Upcher's Warblers. North of Gaziantep the colour of our car changed from white to black and white as they we laying new asphalt to both the lanes at the same time and we didn't have time nor understanding to wait, slow down or drive through the fields. Luckily they managed to clean our windows with gasoline at the next service station, so that we could see out. On the way Bimaculated Larks and Black-headed Buntings were quite common and we also saw a few White-throated Robins. We reached Kayseri before dusk and found a very nice hotel with the help of a local carpet dealer. The hotel was new and had even a minibar in the room which was very exceptional among the hotels we saw. We had very well prepared mutton on the roof of an other nearby hotel while Little Owl was hooting. Kayseri is a centre for carpet manufacturing and after the meal we were pursuaded to a carpet dealer's cellar and Tomppa din't leave the place empty-handed.

13.6.

We drove from Kayseri through the mountain road via Kayakevi towards Develi. On the way up and at the Erciyos ski centre we had a few Shore Larks, Snow Finches, Crimson-winged Finches, Red-fronted Serins, Rock Thrushes and Rock Nuthatches. The rest of the day we spent at Sultansazligi. The most characteristic birds there were Whiskered Terns (ca. 500), Ruddy Shelducks (2000) and Pygmy Cormorants (ca. 400). Other interesting species included White Pelicans, Greater Sand Plovers, two Mediterranean Gulls, three White-winged Terns and some Calandra Larks in the adjoining fields. Lesser Short-toed Larks were common. We returned for dinner to Develi. After leaving the small town we drove to Demirkazik, where we arrived just after dark. Demirkazik mountain ski lodge was the only cold night we had on the trip.

14.6.

We all walked up the rocky valley to the eleveted plateau, Jarmo a couple of hours ahead of others as he was the only one interested in the snowcock. The latecomers scored even though much better in the valley with several Rock and Blue Rock Thrushes and Finsch's Wheatears. The plateau hosted Red-fronted Serins, Crimson-winged Finches and Snow Finches. Even Jarmo was on the plateau too late for snowcocks, but found some Radde's Accentors a few hundred meters after the well. Also one Ring Ouzel was there. Then finally at about 9.45 am Caspian Snowcocks called. The others had reached the plateau also by that time and a heard it also. They had one Radde's Accentor at the well but soon appeared to the other place where Jarmo still was scoping the gorge in hope of Wallcreeper. Markku and Tomppa had with them a guide dog that had followed them from the village. Jarmo started to descend to the gorge and the others started going back the same way they had come. Almost in the beginning of the gorge Jarmo had a splendid view of a Wallcreeper. The gorge was spectacular. The dog now followed Jarmo, sometimes showing the way and then stopping to rest in the shadow after difficult sections. Other birds included Red-fronted Serins, Alpine Swifts and Crag Martins. Choughs and Alpine Choughs were most abundant near the gorge. When everybody was back at the lodge we drove to Eregli and had a shortish look at Lake Akgöl which was unfortunately very much drained since the situation in 1990. We anyway saw some 700 Flamingos, about 1000 Red-crested Pochards and over 20 White-headed Ducks. We spent the night at Eregli where we cheated to pay 1,000,000 Liras for a dinner. Almost as expensive as in Finland!

15.6.

We spent the morning in the village of Adabaq where there is large colony of Lesser Kestrels. Also a 2nd-calendar-year male Red-footed Falcon visited the colony. Rest of the day was spent for driving towards Antalya. On the way most notable birds were a Krüper's Nuthatch and a few Bimaculated Larks and Short-toed Eagles. We reached Antalya in good time and after having found the hotel included in our package ordered a dinner from a menu written in Finnish!

16.6.

We drove to the airport in the night and our flight departed at 5 am to Finland. There was nobody at the Hertz office when we returned the car, so we didn't hear their opinion about the new colour.

Species list (182 species)