White-throated Robin

This is the first section of the trip report and contains details and photos of the sites visited.

This first section spans 4 pages, this being the third:

For details and photos of the birds and wildlife seen, go to the second section.

 

16th-18th May


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B = Pozanti, C = Demirkazık, D = Fındıklı

 

Detail of the Demirkazık area:


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A = Ҫamardi, B = Özşafak Pension, C = Demirkazık, D = Pınarbaşı, E = Aladağlar (actually a bit south of the E but Googlemaps couldn't find the road)

 

Sunday 16th May

After leaving Atatürk Barajı we continued on towards Demirkazık. As we approached Ҫamardi the valley seemed full of Nightingales, though none showed themselves. The Özşafak Pension held our seventh species of sparrow for the trip – Tree Sparrow! We still had a couple of hours of daylight so headed out to Demirkazık and the next village, Pınarbaşı, where Horned Larks, Isabelline (and Northern) Wheatears, Choughs and Alpine Swifts were easily found. More pleasing were Red-fronted Serins – one of several new birds I was hoping for in this area. Scanning the high ridge I found an Ibex whilst other noisier mammalian interest was provided by scores of Sousliks. On the way back to Ҫamardi at dusk a couple of Short-toed Larks were seen, followed by two much bulkier passerines flying up from beside the road. A quick look through binoculars confirmed striking pink flight feathers – they were Crimson-winged Finches! I was dead chuffed with these as this was one of the species I’d expected to struggle with and expected to be found only at high altitude. Hopefully they’ll stick around in the area and I’ll be able to get more prolonged views in broader daylight.

 

Monday 17th May

We were picked up by jeep at 4.00 am to head up for the Snowcocks and an hour or so later we arrived below some high crags where Caspian Snowcocks could be heard calling. At first all we could see up there was a Chukar and some Snow Finches flying around but eventually I got a few brief views of a Snowcock. They continued calling until about 7.30 but there were long gaps between sightings and they never stayed on view for more than a few seconds. Even so, they’re awesome birds and even this less than perfect performance was well worth the early start and significant price tag.

Making it more worthwhile was a display of Accentors – first a rather Dunnock-like song raised hopes of Radde’s, one I was looking for but hadn’t got round to checking what they sounded like. Not this time however, the culprit was an Alpine Accentor – followed by three more chasing each other around in the snow and at least one other on the crags above. Shortly after another unfamiliar song came from just in front of us; this time more Wren-like but there on top of the rock was the much-wanted Radde’s Accentor singing its heart out.

A displaying Rock Thrush also tried to distract me from the Snowcock search but by about 7.30 we were all frozen and shortly after we headed down for breakfast. En route, and from the moving Jeep, at least 3 Finsch’s Wheatears were seen. After breakfast everything seemed to have gone quiet so I explored the track heading out towards the nearby Aladağlar Mountain. No new species here, although it increased the already good number of Rock Sparrows seen today.

Aladaglar, 17-May-10 Aladaglar, 17-May-10

Aladağlar, 17th May

Between Ҫamardi and Demirkazık a pair of Crimson-winged Finches was again seen, in two places, though not necessarily two different pairs, as were Rock Buntings and Bimaculated and Short-toed Larks. Two Red-fronted Serins were eventually pinned down close to where I’d seen two yesterday, near the base of a track running beneath the crags from Pınarbaşı. I also bumped in to one of the world’s greatest bird photographers here: the Italian Daniele Occhiato. If you’re not already familiar with his work check out his website www.pbase.com/dophoto.

Demirkazik, 17-May-10 Demirkazik, 17-May-10
wildflower, Demirkazik, 17-May-10  

Demirkazık, 17th May

 

Tuesday 18th May

It was cold this morning before breakfast – 7 degrees! But this was to be my last morning of proper birding as the next three days are to be in Cappadocia doing touristy stuff for Vitty. Not a lot doing but worth the trip. I ventured up the track from Pınarbaşı, hoping to improve on my Red-fronted Serin photos but no luck there – I did see them but only in flight. I did, however, find a nice male Finsch’s Wheatear – not good for photos either but it did provide a good opportunity to study the ID features and song.

Heading back I found a Chukar, and then a second much more obliging bird. Rock Buntings are always a favourite for me so although I’d already seen one this morning I stopped at a site where I saw them yesterday – one showed well but when the second one that wasn’t showing well started singing the song sounded more like Cretzschmar’s Bunting, a song I thought I’d learned last week. When it eventually did show its face though it proved not to be Cretzschmar’s but an Ortolan, a new bird for the trip and one that I don’t recall hearing singing before. Finally a Long-legged Buzzard would have provided a great photo opportunity if I’d not been concentrating on why the car was making funny noises, and instead flew off with an entourage of Hooded Crows.

The most direct route to the Cappadocia would have been north, but on the way up from Pozanti on Sunday we’d passed through some prime Krüper’s Nuthatch habitat. Nuthatches are among my favourite birds and Krüper’s was one of my most wanted species on this trip but I’d kept missing them. By all accounts they’re not a difficult species to find and some had reported them in the Demirkazık area so I’d not bothered looking on the way up expecting to see them there. In fact I hadn’t even found any suitable habitat there so we took the slightly longer route south to Pozanti. The first couple of pieces of forest proved fruitless but we stopped just north of Fındıklı where a track passes through forest on both sides of the road. Heading down the track I soon heard a call that sounded Nuthatch-like, although not like Krüper’s on the tapes. I didn’t hear that sound again, but while looking for it I soon heard the quiet call notes of a Krüper’s Nuthatch, and later saw one giving its typical song. Strange how the birds sounded like they were miles away when they were in the tree right next to me.

We now headed on to Cappadocia.

 

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