Lying right on the south-east edge of Europe, Turkey is a superb country for birding. There are a number of species for which the country is the best place in Europe to see and we hope to see several on this exciting new tour. We will visit a range of habitats from a private boat trip around Oymapinar Lake for Brown Fish Owl to an excursion into the mountains of Aladaglar National Park for Caspian Snowcock and other montane specialities such as Radde’s Accentor, Crimson-winged Finch and Red-fronted Serin. Turkey is a large country with lot’s of great birding possibilities but for this tour we have opted for a short and relatively action-packed itinerary to target some of those real Western Palearctic specialities. Several other highly desirable species such as Upcher’s Warbler, Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, Olive Tree Warbler, Kruper’s Nuthatch, Finsch’s Wheatear, Bimaculated Lark and White-throated Kingfisher can also be expected. It is sure to be a great tour! Dominic Mitchell will be your leader joined by local guides.
DAY ONE
We fly to Antalya airport where we arrive late evening and transfer straight to a comfortable hotel close by.
DAY TWO
Today is planned as leisurely introduction to birding in South-east Turkey as we make our way towards Manavgat. We will bird our way there with various stops en route, with first chances at some of those hillside scrub species such as Rufous Scrub Robin, White-throated Robin, Olive Tree Warbler, Roller, Lesser Grey Shrike, Cretzchmar’s Bunting, Masked Shrike and Ruppell’s Warbler. Expected arrival is in the afternoon. Overnight in Manavgat.
DAY THREE
We start for very early in the morning to look for Brown Fish Owl. We will have a private boat trip at Oymapinar Lake and afterwards we will drive to Akseki for some eastern Mediterranean specialties. Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, Olive-tree Warbler, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Krüper’s Nuthatch and Sombre Tit will be some of our targets. If we were unsuccessful with the Fish Owl this morning, we will try a night excursion to a different location. Overnight in Akseki.
DAY FOUR
Before breakfast, we bird around Akseki for any species we missed the day before. After a leisurely breakfast we drive north-east, inland to central Anatolia. We bird en-route and then reach a wetland where we look for shorebirds, gulls, terns, egrets and wildfowl. Then we will have short stops to search for White-throated Robin, Bimaculated Lark, Egyptian Vulture, Lesser-spotted Eagle, Black storks and more. Overnight Ereğli.
DAY FIVE
We will have an early breakfast in the hotel then drive to the Sultan Marshes. We will pay attention to the internationally important wetland areas which can be found in this part of Turkey, in particular the famous marshes and lakes of Sultansazligi. Among the many species we may encounter in this fine area, dominated to the north by the towering volcanic cone of Erciyas Dagi, are Black-crowned Night Heron, Eurasian Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, White-headed Duck, Eurasian Hobby, Citrine Wagtail, Whiskered Tern, Turkestan Short-toed Lark, Calandra Lark, Isabelline Wheatear, Savi’s and Moustached Warblers. Nesting White Storks are an attractive feature of the area and in the surrounding countryside we may find a Great Spotted Cuckoo. Late afternoon we will explore the eastern slopes of Aladaglar National Park. We shall look out for Upcher’s Warbler, Rock Thrush, Radde’s Accentor, Crimson-winged Finch and Red-fronted Serin. White-winged Snowfinch, Alpine Chough, Chough, Finsch’s Wheatear and raptors such as Golden Eagle, Lammergeier, Long-legged Buzzard are also among the local specialties. We will drive to western part of Aladaglar in the evening to enjoy a homemade dinner at Safak Pension. Overnight Safak Pension (the owner has been birding for over 40 years!).
DAY SIX
Today we’ll make a very early start to enjoy some superb birding. We’ll climb with a tractor from 1500m to 2000m (depending on seasonal snow level) to look for Caspian Snowcock and many alpine species at dawn. During lunch we’ll look for Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Syrian Woodpecker and some garden specialists in the orchards. In the afternoon we’ll walk another great valley of Aladaglar to look for species we may have missed along the way. Afterwards we return to the Demirkazik Mountain Pension where we spend our second Night. Overnight Safak Pension.
DAY SEVEN
We will try again for Caspian Snowcock if the weather was unkind yesterday. Alternatively, we will visit the nearby Emli Valley for other montane species and where Eurasian Eagle Owl can sometimes be found. Then we will set off on the long drive to the Mediterranean coast where we will spend the late afternoon birding at Cukurova Delta. We will fly home in the evening.
