From 3rd to 10th of june I spent a week in southern Turkey with Enno Ebels, Lodi Nauta and turkish resident Gernant Magnin. The first two days Kerem Boyla joined us.
Our main goal was to see
Turkish Fish Owl Bubo semenowi, at lake Ogmapinar near Akseki. This species was re-discovered some ten years ago after being absent for some 30 years. It was until recently considered (and still is by most authorities) a subspecies of Brown Fish Owl
Bubo zeylonensis, but it was split recently by the Dutch (see Owls by the Sound Approach)...
We travelled from Antalya to Adana and had six days of excellent birding in the Taurus mountains, concentrating on mountain species like
Caspian Snowcock Tetraogallus caspius and Radde's Accentor Prunella ocularis at the known spot near Demirkazik. Caucasian Horned Lark Eremophila penicillata,
Red-fronted Serin Serinus pusillus and
Asian Crimson-winged Finch Rhodopechys sanguineus we saw at some other places as well. And more! I had a total of eleven new species and one additional for my WP-list.
Other birds worth mentioning are
Levant Sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes, Black Francolin
Francolinus francolinus, White-throated Kingfisher
Halcyon smyrnensis, Pied Kingfisher
Ceryle rudis,
Sombre Tit Poecile lugubris,
Upcher's Warbler Hippolais languida, Olive Tree Warbler
Hippolais olivetorum,
Caspian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus (scirpaceus) caspius,
Finch's Wheatear Oenanthe finchii , Kruper's Nuthatch Sitta krueperi and Caucasian Water Pipit Anthus (spinoletta) coutelli.
Turkish Fish Owl Bubo semenowi
chick on the nest (picture by Kerem Boyla with Lodi Nauta's camera)
Radde's Accentor
Caucasian Horned Lark
Red-fronted Serin
and off course
Cucumiau!!!
For more pictures have a look under the world button!!!
