American Birding Association spring tour of Turkiye
Fall 2007 Migration in Turkey: Raptors, Waders & Songbirds
CLICK HERE FOR THE APPLICATION FORM
Enjoy
great birding, pay less and help conservation. Experience raptor, wader and
songbird migration, as well as unequalled Turkish hospitality. Not to
mention the delicious cuisine, 10.000 years of history, and breathtaking
vistas. Take this opportunity to see many spectacular birds and rare
specialties of raptors, waders and songbirds.
Soner
Bekir will be your leader. He will cover an itinerary visiting the best bird
watching sites in all major habitats of Turkey, ranging from sub-desert
chapparal to rivers, from Lesser Caucasus rain forests to the three most
important raptor migration bottlenecks, namely the Bosphorus, Borcka, and
Belen.
Turkey
is a land bridge between Europe, Asia and Africa that supports excellent
“thermal pathways” for soaring birds. The three important bottlenecks in the
country are the Bosphorus in the northwest, Borcka in the northeast, and the
Belen Pass in the south. This is the first birding tour to follow the autumn
migration at all 3 bottlenecks, and will also include other important
birding destinations such as Akyatan, Sivrikaya, and Lake Van. Those
interested, can take a week-long pre-trip extension to bird in other
hotspots, such as Birecik, Demirkazik and Goksu.
Biyotematur
organized the first and only non-profit bird watching tour in Turkey in
2005, which was a great success. Biyotematur is Turkey’s leading ecotourism
company and is a branch of one of Turkey’s biggest NGOs, the TEMA
Foundation, with more than 280,000 supporters and 550 voluntary
representatives throughout the country. All proceeds from our ecotourism
activities fund TEMA projects for sustainable rural development projects
that not only help prevent soil erosion, but also contribute towards habitat
restoration and biodiversity conservation.
The
tour will be limited to 8-14 people who will travel in two air-conditioned
Mercedes 14 person vans and will stay in comfortable boutique hotels, while
paying the minimum price for this kind of birdwatching tour, thanks to our
being a local, non-profit operator. During our previous bird watching tour
that took place during May-June 2005, participants broke the Turkey birding
tour record by observing 276 bird species in three weeks. This number was
achieved by the help of our experienced and enthusiastic leaders Dr. Cagan
Sekercioglu and Soner Bekir. Since this is the fall season, we you are
unlikely to break another record, but we can assure you that you’ll
experience the spectacular raptor migration, we’ll focus as much on quality
as quantity, and we’ll do our best to see as many Turkish specialties as we
can.
The
overall pace will be moderate while ensuring that all the good birding sites
are visited. Since we will have two guides and two vans for 12-14 clients,
we will have the capacity to split into two groups of birders, those who
want to combine more leisurely, birding with some sightseeing and cultural
activities and those birders who want to have the biggest trip list
possible. This flexibility, not seen in many birding tours, means that we
can accommodate any activity level. Also, you will have optional side trips
in some villages, focused on the local culture and cuisine.
Please
join us in this unique and spectacular tour to enjoy great birding while
paying less and helping Turkish conservation. Reserve your spot soon to
ensure an unequalled ornithological experience in the most diverse corner of
the Western Palearctic.
BIYOTEMATUR Raptor Birding Tour, September 2006
15 September 2006, Friday
Arrival in Istanbul and staying at a boutique hotel.
16 September 2006, Saturday
Free time for those who are arrived or those want to visit Istanbul, Saint Sophie, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Topkapı Palace, or Dolmabahçe Palace. We may see Common, Pallid and Alpine Swifts, Laughing Dove, Rose-ringed and Alexandrine Parakeets and Yelkovan and Cory’s Shearwaters.
17 September 2006, Sunday
Departure from the hotel towards Çamlıca Hills, which has a panoramic view of Istanbul and Bosphorus from the best viewpoint. You will see many raptors and other migratory birds and also about half of the magnificent Bosphorus. Birds you may see include White Stork, Black Stork, Black Kite, Short-toed Eagle, Egyptian Vulture, Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk, Levant Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Honey Buzzard, Booted Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Peregrine, Hobby, Kestrel, Lesser Kestrel, Pallid Swift, and Ring Ouzel. Among some rarer birds, we have a chance to see Osprey, Pallid Harrier, Goshawk, Long-legged Buzzard, Saker, and Lanner. Istanbul, mainly the Bosphorus, attracts passerine migrants as well, such as Pied, Collared and Red-throated Flycatchers, swallows, martins, swifts and warblers.
18 September 2006, Monday
Early arrival at Belgrad Forest and the Black Sea coast in order to watch warblers. Free time in the afternoon after which we will fly to Trabzon and settle in a mountain chalets near The Monastery of Virgin Mary
19 September 2006, Tuesday
In the morning, we will bird our way to The Monastery of Virgin Mary, which is carved into a step cliff facing the Altındere valley in the Maçka region. The building complex is suspended nearly 300 meters above the stream. We will look for Green Warbler, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Dipper, Coal Tit, Treecreeper, Jay, and Dunnock. Accommodation in İkizdere under Ovit Mountains where White-winged Snowfinch, Horned Lark, Twite, and Black Redstart can be seen.
20 September 2006, Wednesday
Very early rise to look for Caucasian Black Grouse. Then we depart for Borçka, Karagöl (Black Lake) where Dippers, Mountain Chiffchaffs and Yellow Wagtails are expected to be seen. We spend that night in Borçka.
21 September 2006, Thursday
Forest bird watching in the morning departure for Camili. Raptor watching at the Borcka Pass and accommodation in Camili.
22 September 2006, Friday
Birding at the Borçka Pass. If lucky we might also see Caspian Snowcock, Caucasian Blackgrouse, Green Warbler, Mountain Chiffchaff and flycatchers in the region. Those who wish to do so, can stay in Camili and experience a traditional Turkish village, where you may see Honey Buzzard, Black Kite, Hen Harrier, Montagu's Harrier, Pallid Harrier, Booted Eagle, Steppe Buzzard, and Levant Sparrowhawk migrating overhead.
23 September 2006, Saturday
We will leave Camili for Kars after the morning raptor watch. On the way, we will stop at Lake Aktaş, an Important Bird Area divided by the Georgian border, thanks to which it has been well protected. Ruddy Shelduck, Velvet Scoter, Great White Pelican, Dalmatian Pelican, Armenian Gull, Red-backed Shrike, Black-headed and Yellow Wagtails are among the bird species that we will be looking for. Accommodation in Kars.
24 September 2006, Sunday
We will watch songbirds, look for Black Vultures along the Aras River, and visit the haunting ruins of Ani. Ani, built on a spectacular plateau encircled by deep ravines, was the capital of the Bagratid Dynasty one thousand years ago. Apart from experiencing the breathtaking ruins, keep your binoculars handy since thjs area is also s good spot for bird watching. Choughs nest in the ruins, Armenian Gulls fly over the river, and Wryneck, Blue Rock Thrush, Black Vultures, Griffon Vultures, and Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters have been seen. Then we head to Doğubeyazıt to observe highland birds, including Shore Larks, Grey-necked Buntings and Black Redstarts. Accomodation in Doğubeyazıt.
25 September 2006, Monday
In the morning we will look for Twite, Mongolian and Crimson-winged Finches, stop by the Muradiye Waterfall to look for Saker, Rock Bunting, and Rock Thrush, and then head for Lake Van in the afternoon. Night in Erciş.
26 September 2006, Tuesday
We will be birding along the Murat River to look for Great Bustard, Demoiselle Crane, Spur-winged Plover, Long-legged Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Hobby, Eurasian Teal, Oystercatcher, Pygmy Cormorant, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Armenian Gull, Spoonbill, Squacco Heron, Little Egret, Little Tern, Gull-billed Tern, White-winged Black Tern, Little Ringed Plover, Snipe, Black-headed Wagtail, Roller, Hoopoe, and Bee-eater. We will stay in the city of Van on the shore of Lake Van, Turkey’s largest.
27 September 2006, Wednesday
We will head to the third and last migration bottleneck, Belen Pass, by flying to Hatay where we overnight.
28 September 2006,
Belen Pass is the main migration passage where the migrating birds come together from the other two bottlenecks, Bosphorus and Borçka. These are mostly the same birds that fly over the famous raptor bottleneck Eliat in Israel. Birds to see during migration include White Pelican, Black Stork, White Stork, Spoonbill, Honey Buzzard, Black Kite, Egyptian Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk, Levant Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Booted Eagle, Osprey, Lesser Kestrel, Kestrel, Hobby, Peregrine, and Crane. Rarities are possible, such as Turkey’s first record of Fan-tailed Raven last year.
29 September 2006,
To add to our species list,, we will continue to watch the migration towards Africa.
30 September 2006,
After a final day of raptor watching, we will head to Adana where we will spend the night.
01 October 2006,
In the morning, we will go to the Akyatan Lagoon. This Important Bird Area hosts extremely large populations of wintering waterfowl. During the trip we might see Black Francolin, Purple Gallinule, Spur-winged Plover, Graceful Prinia, and Smyrna Kingfisher. Our inaugural Turkey raptor hotspots trip comes to an end when we take the evening flight from Adana to Istanbul.
02 October 2006,
We will catch our flights back home.
