Trip Report: Turkey, September 22 - October 1, 1996

Istanbul. Bosphorus. Important Bird Area
22 September - only for a few hours.

• Small falcon, Falco sp. 1 in the airport. Probably Kestrel/Lesser Kestrel.
• Buzzard species. When the plane was landing in Istanbul airport it went past a group of Buzzards soaring on thermals. I saw 4 or 5 birds on my side of the plane, and a couple of them were taking evasive flight. This must happen often during migration. I wonder if these encounters with soaring birds are a problem for planes landing in Istanbul...
• Alpine Swift, Apus melba. Some seen over Göztepe.
• Hooded Crow, Corvus corone cornix.
• House Sparrow, Passer domesticus.

Ankara. 23 September-1 October.

• Small falcon, Falco sp. 3 in the airport. Probably Kestrel/Lesser Kestrel.
• Feral Rock Dove, Columba livia.
• Collared dove, Streptopelia decaocto.
• Crested Lark, Galerida cristata. Horse riding club.
• Magpie, Pica pica.
• Jackdaw, Corvus monedula.
• House Sparrow, Passer domesticus.
• Spotted Flycatcher, Muscicapa striata. Emek.

Gölbasi Gölü. Important Bird Area.

Visited in the afternoons of 24th and 25th September. Only birded along the western shore of this lake, but did pretty much all the available tracks there. Weather was very windy (from SW), and stormy on the 24th, when it rained hard and there was some thunder. On the 25th it was sunny and calm. In terms of migration, on the 24th there was a huge fall (many thousands) of hirundines, mostly Sand Martins. These were much less abundant on the 25th. On the contrary, there were lots of small Phylloscopus warblers (and a few wheatears) on the second day, while hardly any on the previous day. There was no evidence of any hunting, and birds were very approachable. This lake is a great place, and it is very close to Ankara (30 minutes by car from the city centre!).

• Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis. 20-30 seen, some juveniles.
• Great Crested Grebe, Podiceps cristatus. 30-40 seen, some juveniles.
• Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo. Max. 5.
• Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea. 1.
• Purple Heron, Ardea purpurea. 2.
• Little Egret, Egretta garzetta. Max. 5.
• Squacco heron, Ardeola ralloides. 2-3.
• Glossy Ibis, Plegadis falcinellus. 1.
• Garganey, Anas querquedula. At least 3 females.
• Ferruginous Duck, Aythya nyroca. 1 male seen very well.
• Pochard, Aythya ferina. 20-30 seen. Some still in eclipse.
• Red-Crested Pochard, Netta rufina. 30-40 seen in the middle of the lake.
• Marsh Harrier, Circus aeruginosus. Max. 10 seen.
• Lesser Kestrel, Falco naumanni. One male seen very well perched on a telephone line.
• Kestrel species, Falco sp. 1-2 more seen.
• Red-footed falcon, Falco vespertinus. 3-4 different birds.
• Small dark falcon, Falco sp. Probably Hobby, this bird caught a Sand Martin.
• Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus. 5-10 seen.
• Coot, Fulica atra. The most common bird on the lake. Many thousands (4000?). Some juveniles.
• Lapwing, Vanellus vanellus. Max. 20-25 seen.
• Dunlin, Calidris alpina. Max. 5-10 seen.
• Unidentified small waders, Calidris sp. Some 10-15 seen.
• Snipe, Gallinago gallinago. 10-15 seen.
• Wood Sandpiper, Tringa glareola. 2 seen.
• Unidentified Tringa sp. waders, Max. 5 seen.
• Ruff, Philomachus pugnax. Max. 10-15 seen.
• Black-headed Gull, Larus ridibundus. Max. 10-15 seen.
• Whiskered Tern, Chlidonias hybridus. 5-10 seen.
• Black Tern, Chlidonias niger. 5-10 seen.
• White-winged Black Tern, Chlidonias leucopterus. 5-10 seen. All three marsh terns seemed to be present in similar numbers.
• Feral Rock Dove, Columba livia.
• Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis. 1-2 seen.
• Crested Lark, Galerida cristata.
• Swift, Apus apus. Only 2 seen amidst the thousands of hirundines.
• Swallow, Hirundo rustica. Some seen amidst the thousands of Sand Martins.
• Sand Martin, Riparia riparia. Many thousands seen over the lake on the 24th. It was a fantastic show - they were everywhere, feeding over the reeds and the lake. There seemed to be a strong southerly movement, against the strong SW wind. Once or twice a small falcon flew past a flock, and all of them stopped feeding and flew up. Noticeably less common on the 25th.
• Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla flava. Common around the lake.
• White Wagtail, Motacilla alba. Only a few.
• Wheatear species, Oenanthe sp. A few seen from the car, poor views. Probably Oenanthe oenanthe.
• Whinchat, Saxicola rubetra. One seen.
• Sedge Warbler, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus. A few seen in the reeds.
• Willow Warbler, Phylloscopus trochilus. Many on the 25th. There may have been other species present, but didn't identify anything else.
• Shrike species, Lanius sp. One young seen. Probably Red-Backed Shrike, Lanius collurio.
• Magpie, Pica pica.
• Starling, Sturnus vulgaris. Some flocks, totalling a few hundred birds.
• Crow species, Corvus sp. Saw a flock of crows flying very far away. Probably Hooded Crows or Rooks.
• House Sparrow, Passer domesticus.
• Corn Bunting, Miliaria calandra.

Uyuz Gölü and Çöl Gölü

26th September. Visited these two lakes on the afternoon. Weather was fine, sunny and warm, temperature on the high twenties, light wind. Çöl Gölü was completely dry, and there were a few herds of cows/sheep grazing on the dry lake bed. I drove all around Çöl through the villages of Gökler, Çeltek and Gölbek. There were some discarded gun cartridges near Uyuz Gölü, evidence of recent hunting, and maybe because of this fact all the birds were extremely flighty. Most of the ducks and all the waders flew off when I got out of the car, and all the Coots, Moorhens and grebes escaped to the reeds.

• Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis. 30-40 seen on Uyuz.
• Unidentified ducks. 70-80 flew off Uyuz when I got out of the car, parked on the road near the lake. Most of them looked like Shoveler Anas clypeata. A few stayed on the lake.
• Unidentified small ducks, Anas sp. 20-30 on Uyuz. Probably Garganey, Anas querquedula, but Teal also a possibility. Poor views from a distant view point (all the birds were very flighty).
• White-Headed Duck, Oxyura leucocephala. At least one seen on Uyuz.
• Marsh Harrier, Circus aeruginosus. 2 seen, hunting over the reeds on Uyuz.
• Pallid Harrier, Circus macrourus. One male seen very well near Uyuz.
• Long-Legged Buzzards, Buteo rufinus. One over Uyuz and one at Çöl
• Common Buzzard, Buteo buteo. One at Çöl .
• Unidentified buzzard, Buteo sp. One on the road between Çöl and Ankara.
• Kestrel species, Falco sp. 4 different birds seen around Çöl Gölü. All females or immatures. Probably Lesser Kestrel.
• Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus. 5-10 seen on Uyuz.
• Coot, Fulica atra. 70-80 seen on Uyuz.
• Small Calidris waders, Calidris sp. 3 seen on Uyuz.
• Snipe, Gallinago gallinago. 2 seen on Uyuz.
• Wood/Green Sandpiper, Tringa sp. 1 seen on Uyuz. Probably Green Sandpiper, Tringa ochropus.
• Large wader. 2 seen on Çöl, in a little stream flowing out of Çeltek village. Probably Ruff, Philomachus pugnax.
• Redshank, Tringa totanus. One seen on Uyuz.
• Feral Rock Dove, Columba livia.
• Collared Dove, Streptopelia decaocto. Seen in one of the villages near Çöl.
• Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis. 1-2 seen on Uyuz.
• Crested Lark, Galerida cristata.
• Calandra Lark, Melanocorypha calandra. Two flocks around Çöl (around 50 birds each).
• Swallow, Hirundo rustica. 10-20 seen over Uyuz.
• Sand Martin, Riparia riparia. 30-40 over Uyuz.
• Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla flava. Common around both lakes.
• Wheatear, Oenanthe oenanthe. Many. No evidence of presence of any other wheatear species, but don't have much experience with some species in this group.
• Whinchat, Saxicola rubetra. One seen near Çöl
• Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus scirpaceus. Seen in the reeds at Uyuz.
• Great Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus arundinaceus. One seen in the reeds at Uyuz.
• Sedge Warbler, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus. Seen in the reeds at Uyuz. Apparently, Moustached Warbler, Acrocephalus melanopogon, breeds in the lake. The local subspecies is very similar to Sedge Warbler, so the birds I saw could possibly have been Moustached Warbler, but they really looked like the Sedge Warblers I know well...
• Phylloscopus warbler species. Many seen near Uyuz. At least one looked like Phylloscopus collybita.
• Pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca. One in Komisini village.
• Spotted flycatcher, Muscicapa striata. One around Çöl.
• Red-Backed Shrike, Lanius collurio. 2 young seen.
• Magpie, Pica pica.
• Jackdaw, Corvus monedula.
• Rook, Corvus frugilegus. 30-40 seen near Gölbek village.
• Starling, Sturnus vulgaris. Many thousands, specially around Çöl.
• House Sparrow, Passer domesticus.

Also, saw some unidentified amphibians and one terrapin in Uyuz Lake.

On the road from Ankara to Seyfe Gölü, 28th September

Rainy for the first hour, windy afterwards.

Between Beynam and Balâ

• Long-Legged Buzzard, Buteo rufinus. 1.
• Red-Footed Falcon, Falco vespertinus. 6 (4 + 2).
  
  
• Jackal, Canis aureus. One dead on the road.

Between Balâ and Karakeçili

• Long-Legged Buzzard, Buteo rufinus. 1.
• Unidentified Buzzard, Buteo sp. 1.
• Unidentified Kestrel, Falco sp. 1. Probably Lesser Kestrel, Falco naumanni.
• Rook, Corvus frugilegus. Over 50, in a mixed flock with 50 Jackdaws, Corvus monedula.

Between Karakeçili and Kaman

• Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis. 1 on the Kizilirmak at Köprüköy.
• Long-Legged Buzzard, Buteo rufinus. 3 (2+1).
• Common Buzzard, Buteo buteo. 2.
• Unidentified Buzzard, Buteo sp. 1.
• Unidentified Kestrel, Falco sp. 7 (4+3). Probably Lesser Kestrel, Falco naumanni.
• Lesser Kestrel, Falco naumanni. 12 (10+2).
• Red-Footed Falcon, Falco vespertinus. 30 (25+4+1).

Between Kaman and Kirsehir

• Unidentified Buzzard, Buteo sp. 1.
• Unidentified Falcon, Falco sp. 3.
• Palm Dove, Streptopelia senegalensis. Kirsehir.

Seyfe Gölü. Important Bird Area

Visited in the late morning of the 28th September, for three hours. Weather was sunny but windy. Heat vibration made observations with telescope difficult. Parked the car at Seyfeköy (where there are a few stork nests), and walked to the lake's edge along the freshwater marshes, fields and poplar plantations East of the village. Most of the birds seemed to be concentrated on the northern/western parts of the lake, which were mostly dry, but muddy. Didn't survey birds in the water on the eastern/southern part, but from the road one could not see any obvious flocks of big birds there. Saw a hunter building a waiting hut and staying there. Also saw some recently spent hunting cartridges. This lake is a fantastic place, and in the three hours I spent there I didn't know where to look at, so many things were "happening" at the same time... Didn't see any Gull-Billed Tern, Gelochelidon nilotica, or White Pelican, Pelecanus onocrotalus.

• Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea. Min. 20 in front of Seyfeköy.
• Little Egret, Egretta garzetta. Min.. 15 in front of Seyfeköy.
• Greater Flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus. Min. 2000 around the lake.
• Unidentified ducks. Min. 500 in front of Seyfeköy.
• Shelduck, Tadorna tadorna. Min. 20 in front of Seyfeköy.
• Ruddy Shelduck, Tadorna ferruginea. Min. 750 in front of Seyfeköy.
• Pallid Harrier, Circus macrourus. 1 male seen extremely well, flying North-South by the lake's edge, in front of Seyfeköy. It was mobbed by a group of Starlings.
• Long-Legged Buzzard, Buteo rufinus. Min. 6 around Seyfeköy.
• Honey Buzzard, Pernis apivorus. 2 juv. in the poplar plantations near Seyfeköy.
• Unidentified Buzzard, Buteo sp. 1.
• Lesser Kestrel, Falco naumanni. 1 seen around Seyfeköy.
• Unidentified Kestrel, Falco sp. Min.4 around Seyfeköy. Probably Lesser Kestrel, Falco naumanni.
• Hobby, Falco subbuteo. 1 adult around Seyfeköy.
• Red-Footed Falcon, Falco vespertinus. Min. 3 around Seyfeköy.
• Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus. 1 seen on the freshwater reservoir near Seyfeköy.
• Little Ringed Plover, Charadrius dubius. 2 seen in front of Seyfeköy.
• Avocet, Recurvirostra avosetta. A few seen in front of Seyfeköy.
• Ruff, Philomachus pugnax. A few seen in front of Seyfeköy.
• Greenshank, Tringa nebularia. One seen in front of Seyfeköy.
• Redshank, Tringa totanus. A few seen in front of Seyfeköy.
• Little stint, Calidris minuta. 30+ seen in front of Seyfeköy.
• Slender-Billed Gull, Larus genei. Min. 500 seen in front of Seyfeköy.
• Unidentified gulls or terns. Min. 1000 seen in front of Seyfeköy.
• Unidentified marsh tern, Chlidonias sp. 2 seen in front of Seyfeköy.
• Bee-Eater, Merops apiaster. 30 flying north-south by the lake's edge, in front of Seyfeköy.
• Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis. 2 seen in the freshwater canals in front of Seyfeköy.
• Crested Lark, Galerida cristata.
• Calandra Lark, Melanocorypha calandra. One or two flocks.
• Swallow, Hirundo rustica.
• Sand Martin, Riparia riparia.
• Red-Throated Pipit, Anthus cervinus. Min. 3-4 in fields near the lake, with Yellow wagtails, in front of Seyfeköy. Some still with lots of reddish tinge on breast and face.
• Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla flava. Abundant.
• White Wagtail, Motacilla alba.
• Phylloscopus sp. Some.
• Spotted flycatcher, Muscicapa striata.
• Red-Backed Shrike, Lanius collurio. 2 young.
• Starling, Sturnus vulgaris. Some flocks, totalling many hundred birds.
• Goldfinch, Carduelis carduelis.

Kizilirmak river, between Gülsehir and Avanos. The road approaches the river in a couple of places, and I stopped there.

• Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea. 5.
• Little Egret, Egretta garzetta. 9.
• Yellow-Legged Gull, Larus cachinnans.

Göreme area (Kapadokya). 28th-29th September

Did a long walk on Göreme Valley on the early morning of the 29th September, and went up the highest point of the region, a vast plateau near Uçhisar on the afternoon of that day. Watched there for migrating raptors for 45 minutes. Weather was sunny and warm, calm. Göreme valley (and other similar valleys in the area) are interesting places, because they offer a well wooded and diverse landscape in the otherwise tree-less and arid Anatolian Plateau. Saw there lots of migrants and some woodland species absent from much of the central Anatolian plateau. Very nice place - fantastic landscape! It's not everywhere that one can birdwatch in between visits to 10th century Byzantine churches with original frescoes...

• Long-Legged Buzzard, Buteo rufinus. Min. 2 at Göreme valley.
• Honey Buzzard, Pernis apivorus. 1 adult migrated through the plateau near Uçhisar
• Sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus. 1 migrated through the plateau near Uçhisar
• Hobby, Falco subbuteo. 1 young migrated through the plateau near Uçhisar.
• Red-Footed Falcon, Falco vespertinus. 5 (3 males, one female and one juvenile) migrated through the plateau near Uçhisar.
• Feral Rock Dove, Columba livia.
• Unidentified Dendrocopos sp. woodpecker, Göreme valley. Great spotted or Syrian. Heard a few times, saw briefly 4-5 different birds.
• Alpine Swift, Apus melba. 50-100 flying low over Göreme valley late in the evening of 28th September. Some entering holes in the rock chimneys (for roosting during the night?). Absent the next morning.
• Crag Martin, Ptyonoprogne rupestris. 2 or 3 around Göreme.
• Tree Pipit, Anthus trivialis. 1 in Göreme valley.
• Redstart, Phoenicurus phoenicurus. Several in Göreme valley.
• Black Redstart, Phoenicurus ochruros. One male near Göreme.
• Blackbird, Turdus merula. Common in Göreme valley.
• Blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla. Abundant in Göreme valley.
• Whitethroat, Sylvia communis. 1 in Göreme valley.
• Willow Warbler, Phylloscopus trochilus. Common in Göreme valley.
• Rock Nuthatch, Sitta neumayer. Common in Göreme valley.
• Spotted Flycatcher, Muscicapa striata. Some in Göreme valley.
• Great Tit, Parus major. Common in Göreme valley.
• Sombre Tit, Parus lugubris. 1 in Göreme valley.
• Magpie, Pica pica.
• Jay, Garrulus glandarius. Common in Göreme valley.
• Goldfinch, Carduelis carduelis. Common in Göreme valley.
• House sparrow, Passer domesticus.
• Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus. Common in Göreme valley.

On the road just north of Gülsehir

• Hare, Lepus sp. 1.

On the road before Karakeçili

• Hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus. 1 dead.

On the road between Balâ and Beynam

• Little Owl, Athene noctua. 1 dead in good condition. I brought it to Ankara (in Özlem's freezer now).
  
  
• Rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus. 1.

PS - Was expecting to find Lesser Short Toed Lark, Calandrella rufescens, Isabelline Wheatear, Oenanthe isabellina, and Black-Headed Bunting, Emberiza melanocephala, somewhere, but didn't see any. Why?

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