TURKEY PHOTO TRIP REPORT

Transcription

1 TURKEY PHOTO TRIP REPORT 5 th -9 th June 2009 Participants Peter Alfrey & Darryl Spittle INTRODUCTION The primary objectives of this trip were to get as many Western Palearctic ticks as possible, acquire as many satisfactory photographs of all birds encountered as possible, to increase our personal understanding of Turkish avifauna in terms of species identification, subspecies identification, taxonomy, vocalizations and breeding and migration ecology and also to record as many species as possible within our trip time frame to achieve a competitive mid-summer trip list. Trip Blogs ITINERARY 5th June Adana to Demirkazik 6 th June Demirkazik. Evening Drive to Goksu Delta. 7 th June Goksu Delta. Evening Drive to Adana 8 th June Yesilce. Drive to Birecik. 9 th June Birecik 0 th June. Drove to Mardin. th June Cizre. Drive to. 2 th June to Van Road and Van Marshes 3 th June Van and Ercek Golu 4 th June Bendimahi, Calidran Ovasi and Dogubeyazit 5 th June Dogubeyazit and Calidran 6 th June Bulanik 7 th June Nemrut Dagi

2 8 th June Adana and Tarsus marshes REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Kirwan G.M. et al The Birds of Turkey. Helm. Gosney D. 99. Finding Birds in Turkey, Ankara to Birecik. A Gostour Guide. Gosney D Finding Birds in Western Turkey. A Gostour Guide. Gosney D.994. Finding Birds in Eastern Turkey. A Gostour Guide. Green I. & Moorhouse N A Birdwatcher s Guide to Turkey. Bird Watchers Guide. Porter R F et al, 996. Field Guide to the Birds of the Middle East. T & A D Poyser Mullarney K et al, 999. Bird Guide. Collins. Forsman D 999, The Raptors of Europe and The Middle East. A Handbook of Field Identification. T & A D Poyser. Olsen K.M & Larsson. H Gulls of Europe, Asia and North America. Helm. OTHER TRIP REPORTS Ornithological Society of the Middle East Web Site OSME

3 5 th June 2009 DAILY ACCOUNT Species names mainly follow, and photo captions gleaned from: Kirwan. G.M et al, The Birds of Turkey. Drove to Demirkazik from Adana. 6 th June Demirkazik Highlights included: Golden Eagle, 6+ Caspian Snowcock, Radde s Accentor, Alpine Accentor, Crimsonwinged Finch, White-winged Snowfinch, Finsch s Wheatear Carmadi Road Bimaculated Lark, White-throated Robin, Bimaculated Lark, Carmadi Road. Alstrom considers M.bimaculata to be monotypic although others consider these Turkish birds to be M.b.rufescens. Horned Lark, Demirkazik. Generally considered to be E.a.penicillata throughout Turkey.

4 Ortolan Bunting, Demirkazik. A species in Turkey that is found breeding in uplands at m. 7 th June 2009 Goksu Delta Highlights: Black Francolin, Purple Swamp Hen, Graceful Prinia, Marbled Duck, Lanner Falcon, Rufoustailed Scrub Robin. Other characteristic species: Spur-winged Lapwing, Ruddy Shelduck, Whiskered Tern, White-winged Black Tern, White-throated Robin, Great White Pelican, Moustached Warbler, Great Reed Warbler Breeding Ruddy Shelduck with six young, also Marbled Duck with two young, Spur-winged Lapwing, Goksu Delta. A local summer visitor to Turkey to most wetlands except the Black Sea Coastlands. Goksu delta is the most important breeding site. A marked decline has occurred in recent decades.

5 Western Marsh Harrier, Goksu Delta. A breeding resident and partial migrant to Turkey. Black-crowned Night Herons, Goksu Delta. About 50 pairs breed in the delta complex.

6 8 th June Yesilce Area Highlights and speciality birds included: Eastern Rock Nuthatch, Desert Finch, Cinereous Bunting, Cretzschmar s Bunting, Upcher s Warbler, Olive Tree Warbler, Eastern Orphean Warbler, Eastern Blackeared Wheatear, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, White-throated Robin White-throated Robin, Durnalik, Yesicle area. A monotypic species, summer migrant and increasing population in Turkey. Occurs mainly in the south. Rufous- tailed Scrub Robin, Durnalik, Yesicle area. Turkish birds relate to one or other of the greybacked forms. Common in Eastern Turkey especially around Birecik.

7 9 th June Birecik Highlights and speciality species: Little Swift, Bald Ibis, Dead Sea Sparrow, Iraq Babbler, Chesnutshouldered Sparrow, See-see Partridge, Menetries s Warbler, Characteristic species: Sand Martin and hirundines, European Roller, European Bee-eater, Eurasian Hoopoe, Pygmy Cormorant, Ferruginous Duck, Coot, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe Little Swifts, Birecik. The subspecies is A.a.galilejensis. A local and uncommon visitor. The largest colonies in Turkey are on the Euphrates. Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Birecik. Part of a taxonomic puzzle, Eastern and Western Olivaceous Warblers are widely recognized as separate species but problems presented by three North African forms of Eastern Olivaceous, reiseri, laeneni and nominate pallid (which may integrade with elaecia) have not been resolved. Also Helbig & Seibold (999) prefer to put Olivaceous Warbler and Booted Warbler in the subgenus Iduna. Others suggest moving Olivaceous Warbler into Acrocephalus.

8 Bald Ibis, part of a feral colony at Birecik. About birds are present as part of a breeding program. Bald Ibis no longer occurs in a wild state in Turkey after suffering a population terminal decline mainly associated with poisoning by agricultural chemicals. The free flying birds are rounded up and kept in a compound during the winter to prevent the associated high mortalities that occur during the migrations to East Africa. The only wild birds in the Middle East occur in Syria- a tiny and declining colony at Palmyra. European Roller, Birecik. A fairly common summer visitor to Turkey, breeding up to at least 2000m.

9 Chestnut-shouldered Sparrow, Birecik. The subspecies is believed to be transfuga. Recently assigned to the resurrected genus Gymnoris. A scarce and local summer visitor to Southeast and East Anatolia. Breeds in pistachio orchards or groves of Oak. 0 th June and drive to Mardin Highlights: Pale Rockfinch, Cream-Coloured Courser, Lesser Short-toed Lark Characteristic species: Desert Finch, Little Swift, Greater Short-toed Lark, European Turtle Dove, Eastern and Western Rock Nuthatch Drive to Mardin: Short-toed Snake Eagle, Lesser Kestrel Black-headed Bunting,. A very common and widespread summer visitor to all regions of Turkey except the Black Sea Coastlands. Breeds in all types of agricultural and scrubby areas usually below 2400m.

10 Lesser Short-toed Lark,. Cheleensis-type and rufescens-complex birds form a confusing situation in Turkey leading to the proposition that Asian Short-toed Larks were occurring in central areas of Turkey. Further research is required to clarify the situation. Desert Finch,. A species which appears to be increasing in Turkey. The range is mainly in Southeast Anatolia. Records in the past from Eastern Turkey around Van Golu may have actually related to Mongolian Finch a species which has only recently expanded into Turkey from the east.

11 Pale Rockfinch,. This highly unusual species appears, on the basis of jaw morphology, tongue apparatus and skull structure, to represent a modern day relict of an extremely early radiation of Passeridae, Emberizidae or Fringillidae. A local summer visitor over much of Southeast and East Anatolia. th June Cizre and drive to Cizre Highlights: 5 Red-wattled Lapwing, 2 Collared Pratincole, 6 Little Tern, 2 Pied Kingfisher, Black Francolin Drive to 2 Common Sandpiper, Booted Eagle, 2 Egyptian Vulture, 6 Lesser Kestrel, Armenian Gull, Montagu s Harrier, 0+ Bimaculated Lark, 2 Greater Short-toed Lark, 0+ Black-headed Bunting

12 2 th June Van Highlights: White-headed Duck, Armenian Gull, Characteristic birds: Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Black-headed Wagtail, Great Reed Warbler, Little Ringed Plover, Ruddy Shelduck, Ruddy Shelduck, Lake Van. A widespread and reasonably common resident over much of Turkey. Large flocks assemble to moult at certain wetlands from July to September with a maximum count of 20,000 at Ercek Golu. Adult Armenian Gull, Lake Van. Armenian Gull appears to be the relict of an early colonization event from the Atlantic via the Mediterranean Basin.

13 Great Reed Warbler, Lake Van. A widespread and fairly common summer visitor to suitable habitat. Black-headed Wagtail, Lake Van. The current hypothesis of a deep split between eastern forms and the other western taxa of Yellow Wagtails is in vogue, while retaining Black-headed Wagtail as a subspecies within M.flava. Black-winged Stilt, Lake Van.

14 3 th June Van and Ercek Golu Highlights: Paddyfield Warbler, Moustached Warbler, Eurasian Penduline Tit, Characteristic species: Greater Flamingo, Ruddy Shelduck, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Black Tern, White-winged Black Tern, Common Redshank, Bearded Tit st summer Armenian Gull, Lake Van area. Active primary and secondary moult showing contrast between very worn and new remiges. Presumably the saline conditions, heat and intense sun is responsible for the obvious intense wear. Chukar, Van Hills

15 4 th June Bendimahi Gull-billed Tern, Common Quail Caldiran Ovasi 4 Crimson-winged Finch, 4 White-winged Snowfinch, Dogubeyazit 2-3 Grey-necked Bunting, Red-fronted Serin, Crimson-winged Finch, 2 Chukar, 2 Common Cuckoo, Crimson-winged Finch, Serpmentas Lava Fields Grey-necked Bunting, Dogubeyazit

16 5 th June Dogubeyazit and Serpmentas Lava Fields Dogubeyazit 2-3 Grey-necked Bunting, 2 Red-fronted Serin, 5 Common Cuckoo, 2 Eurasian Hoopoe Serpmentas Lava Fields 0+ Mongolian Finch, 4 Crimson-winged Finch, 6+ White-winged Snowfinch, 3 Black Redstart, Twite Snowfinch, Serpmentas Lava Fields Mongolian Finch, Serpmentas Lava Fields

17 6 th June Bulanik 4-5 Montagu s Harrier, 4 Long-legged Buzzard, 2 Marsh Harrier, 0+ Gull-billed Tern, 25+ Rose-coloured Starling 7 th June Nemrut Dagi 3 Red-tailed Wheatear, 8+ Horned Lark, 0+ Rock Sparrow, 4 White-winged Snowfinch, 6+ Black-eared Wheatear and 5+ Northern Wheatear. 6 Black Storks on ferry crossing. 8 th June Ceyhan Delta and Tarsus Eucalyptus forest Red-tailed Wheatear, Nemrut Dagi Highlights: White-breasted Kingfisher, Greater Sand Plover Characteristics species at delta: Little Tern, Whiskered Tern, Kentish Plover, Curlew Sandpiper, herons, Characteristic species at forest : White-breasted Kingfisher, Masked Shrike, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, Eurasian Penduline Tit

18 TRIP RECORDS Species Demirkazi k and Carmadi Road Goks u Delta Yesilce Biricek and to via Cizre Lake Van and Van Marshes North Van and Ercek Golu and Bendimahi Caldiran and Dogubeyazit Bulanik Nemrut Dagi Little Grebe Black-necked Grebe 3 Great Crested Grebe at Bendimahi Pygmy Cormorant 20+ Little Bittern Great White Pelican Black-crowned Night Heron Cattle Egret 2 2 Squacco Heron Little Egret Great White Egret Grey Heron Purple Heron 0 2 White Stork 6 Carmadi Black Stork 6 (Northern 60+ Bald Ibis) Greater Flamingo Common Shelduck 2 Ruddy 4 Shelduck young +6 young Mallard Northern 4 Pintail Eurasian Wigeon 2 Garganey Northern Shoveler 2 Marbled Teal 0+ Red-crested 8 4 Pochard Ferruginous Duck Common 4 ads 8 4 Pochard and 7 juv White-headed 5 Duck European Honey Buzzard Golden Eagle Griffon Vulture en Egyptian Vulture 2 en 200+ inc 2-3 broods Adana region

19 Species Short-toed Snake Eagle Booted Eagle Demirkazi k and Carmadi Road Goks u Delta Yesilce Biricek and to via Cizre en en Lake Van and Van Marshes North Van and Ercek Golu and Bendimahi Caldiran and Dogubeyazit Bulanik Nemrut Dagi Western Marsh Harrier Montagu s 4 Harrier Long-legged Buzzard en 2 4 Common Kestrel 2 2 nc Lesser Kestrel en 2 Lanner Falcon (probable) Eurasian Hobby 2 3 Peregrine Falcon Caspian 6 Snowcock Black Francolin 6 2 Cizre Common Quail 2 Chukar See-see 4 Partridge Eurasian Coot Common Moorhen Purple Swamp 3 Hen Black-winged Stilt Pied Avocet Eurasian Oystercatcher 2 6 Stone -Curlew Cream- Coloured Courser Collared Pratincole 5 Cizre Common Ringed Plover Little Ringed Plover Greater Sand 5 Plover Kentish Plover Grey Plover Spur-winged Plover Red-wattled 6 Cizre Lapwing Northern lapwing Cizre Adana region

20 Species Demirkazi k and Carmadi Road Goks u Delta Yesilce Biricek and to via Cizre Lake Van and Van Marshes North Van and Ercek Golu and Bendimahi Caldiran and Dogubeyazit Bulanik Nemrut Dagi Little Stint 4 Curlew 20+ Sandpiper Dunlin Ruff 5 Common Redshank Marsh 6 Sandpiper Black-tailed Godwit 0 Green Sandpiper 2 Wood Sandpiper Common Sandpiper 2 en Yellow-legged Gull 8 2 Lesser Blackbacked Gull (fuscus) Armenian Gull at Bendimahi Black-headed 3 8 Gull Mediterranea 3 n Gull Slender-billed Gull Common Tern Little Tern 6 Cizre Whiskered Tern 6 5+ Gull-billed Tern at Bendimahi 0+ White-winged 0 3 Black Tern Black Tern Rock Dove 5 Nc nc 200+ nc 00+ Nc Nc nc Nc Nc Eurasian Nc Nc Nc 20+ nc Nc Nc Nc nc Nc Nc Collared Dove European Turtle Dove Laughing Dove Common 3 Woodpigeon Common 5 Cuckoo European Scops Owl Striated Scops Owl Little Owl 2 Long-eared Owl Adana region

21 Species Demirkazi k and Carmadi Road Goks u Delta Yesilce Biricek and to via Cizre Lake Van and Van Marshes North Van and Ercek Golu and Bendimahi Caldiran and Dogubeyazit Bulanik Nemrut Dagi European Nightjar Alpine Swift Common Swift Nc Heard Mardin Little Swift 30+ Birecik 0 Eurasian Hoopoe 8 2 en European Beeeater Camadi European Roller en en Pied Kingfisher 4 Whitebreasted 3 Kingfisher Syrian Woodpecker Camadi 7 Crested Lark Nc s en Nc Nc 5 0+ Woodlark Eurasian Skylark 2 Greater Shorttoed 6 Camadi 6 2 Lark Lesser Shorttoed Lark Bimaculated Lark 2+ Camadi 5+ Calandra lark 4 3 Horned Lark 20+ and 5+ Camadi 2 8+ Eurasian Crag Martin 6 en 2 Sand Martin en Red-rumped Swallow en Barn Swallow Nc nc Common House Martin Tawny Pipit Camadi 2 2 Water Pipit White Wagtail 2 en 2 Grey Wagtail Black-headed Wagtail Citrine Wagtail 2 Winter Wren Yellow-vented Bulbul Alpine 4 Accentor Adana region

22 Species Demirkazi k and Carmadi Road Goks u Delta Yesilce Biricek and to via Cizre Lake Van and Van Marshes North Van and Ercek Golu and Bendimahi Caldiran and Dogubeyazit Bulanik Nemrut Dagi Radde s Accentor Whitethroated Robin 3 Camadi 0+ 2 en Nightingale 4 Camadi 3 Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin en 6 Black Redstart Northern Wheatear Isabelline 3 and Wheatear Camadi Finsch s Wheatear 6 Eastern Blackeared en Wheatear Red-tailed Wheatear 3 Rufous-tailed 2 Rock Thrush Blue Rock Thrush en 2 Common 4 0+ Blackbird Lesser 6 Camadi 30+ Whitethroat Menetries s 0+ Warbler Eastern Orphean Warbler 4 Common Whitethroat Graceful Prinia Moustached Warbler 2 3 European Reed Warbler Paddyfield 3 Warbler Marsh Warbler Sedge Warbler 3 Great Reed Warbler Olive-tree Warbler Upcher s Warbler 0+ 2 Eastern Olivaceous Warbler and 5 Camadi 5+ 2 Cetti s Warbler and Camadi Great Tit Camadi Blue Tit Sombre Tit 3 Adana region

23 Species Demirkazi k and Carmadi Road Goks u Delta Yesilce Biricek and to via Cizre Lake Van and Van Marshes North Van and Ercek Golu and Bendimahi Caldiran and Dogubeyazit Bulanik Nemrut Dagi Bearded Reedling 4 2 Eurasian Penduline Tit 2 Iraq Babbler 3 Eastern Rock Nuthatch 4 0? Western Rock Nuthatch 2 0? Red-backed Shrike en Woodchat Shrike en Lesser Grey Shrike 3 Camadi 2 Masked Shrike Camadi 5+ Red-billed Chough Alpine Chough 5 Common Magpie Western Nc Nc Jackdaw Rook Hooded Crow en Eurasian Jay Common en Nc Nc Starling Rose Coloured en 25+ Starling Eurasian Camadi Golden Oriole House Nc Nc nc Nc Nc Nc Nc Nc Nc Sparrow Spanish en 000+ Sparrow Eurasian Tree 5 Sparrow Rock Sparrow Chestnutshouldered 6 Sparrow Pale Rockfinch 3 Dead Sea 2 Sparrow White- winged Snowfinch Common 7 Chaffinch Common Linnet Twite European Goldfinch Adana region

24 Species Demirkazi k and Carmadi Road Goks u Delta Yesilce Biricek and to via Cizre Lake Van and Van Marshes North Van and Ercek Golu and Bendimahi Caldiran and Dogubeyazit Bulanik Nemrut Dagi European Greenfinch Red-fronted Serin 2 European Serin Mongolian 0 Finch Crimsonwinged Finch 4 and Camadi 0+ Desert Finch 2 5 Ortolan Bunting 2 and 4 Camadi Cretzschmar s 2 Bunting Grey-necked 3-4 Butning Cinereous 3 6+ Bunting Black-headed 2 and Bunting Camadi Rock Bunting Reed Bunting 2 Corn Bunting and 5+ Camadi species Adana region

25 APPENDIX. Selected record shots of various targeted species Caspian Snowcock, Demikarzik Menetries s Warbler, Birecik Eastern Orphean Warbler, Yesilce

26 Dead Sea Sparrow, Birecik Striated Scops Owl, Birecik Eastern Rock Nuthatch, Yesilce

27 Paddyfield Warbler, Ercek Golu

28 2. Some Local Forms Common Linnet. Breeding-season birds are considered to be bella which is sometimes afforded the name Turkestan Linnet being larger and paler than nominate with a virtually unstreaked white rump and uppertail-coverts, and a paler and less extensive rosy-red forehead than nominate. Northern Wheatear. Breeding birds generally referred to libanotica. European Greenfinch. The categorization of Greenfinch forms across Turkey is an ongoing work. The forms involved include muehlei, chlorotica and bilkevitchi.

29 Common Starling. The subspecies situation is complex and unclear with tauricus in Inner Anatolia, purpurascens in eastern Turkey and perhaps oppenheimi in Southeast Anatolia from Nizip and Birecik east to Cizre. The above photo was taken in Bulanik so presumably this bird is purpurascens.

30 3.PEOPLE SHOTS Darryl Spittle Christain Jensen Terry Richardson (rear)- Author of The Turkey Rough Guide Ali Safak Ojenni Peter Alfrey

31 4.LANDSCAPES Carmadi Road The Gorge, Demikarzik The Euphrates near Birecik

32 Isak Pasha View from Safak Pension Goksu Delta

33 5.OTHER WILDLIFE Spur-thighed Tortoise Golden Jackal Stripe-necked Terrapin Also recorded Red Fox, Hare sp, European Pond Terrapin- numerous Lepidoptera and odonata.

34 6.Targeted species not recorded Demosielle Crane (Bulanik) Common Crane (Bulanik) Great Bustard (Bulanik) Saker (Van) Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Van area) 7.ADDITIONAL INFORMATION All information and directions for sites are well documented. Perhaps the following additional bits of information are useful. Condition of wetlands Heavy pollution at Edremit Marsh, Northern Van Marshes in very poor condition, most river systems being quarried for aggregate including Bulanik, some areas south of Adana appear to have been drained, shot gun cartridges at Goksu and extensive quarrying at Birecik in large areas of the Euphrates. Emerging wetlands in several areas due to dam building projects. Additional sites for species that we couldn t find at favorite sites: Pale Rockfinch: Drinking pool at N , E , acc 5 meters, not only attracted this species to within several meters but also Lesser Short-toed Lark, Desert Finch, Short-toed Lark and commoner species. Paddyfield Warbler: Ercek Golu at N , E , acc 5 meters. Hotels Palmiye Otel, Adana, great for stop over and access to sites in this region: Military A lot less than anticipated and no problems at road blocks. No problems at Cizre.