kuzeycem
Medicinal Birding
During the last week reports of lifers such as Spotted Crake, Collared Pratincole, Terek Sandpiper and many more were coming from a place called Kulu and Konya, where there are mainly 2 bird attractions: Kozanlı and Düden Lake.
Düden Lake is a lake of saline water, and is surrounded by never-ending fields and a few small gardens.
There is also a smaller and shallower lake on the other side of the road.
The lake itself holds vast numbers of flamingos and waterfowls, while the shoreline, especially on the small lake, has a good variety of waders.
So yesterday at 7 AM I found myself looking at hundreds of Greater Flamingos just as the sun was rising. A quick check for a Lesser Flamingo, which is regular there, didn't reveal anything, which is normal because I didn't check carefully as I had already seen it a few times.
Many ducks and gulls were swimming around the legs of flamingos. Many of the ducks were too far away to ID, but I eventually got Common Shelduck, Mallard, Northern Shoveler and Northern Pintail. There were Black-headed and Slender-billed Gulls with them. Mediterranean Gulls on the other hand preferred to roost on the shoreline.
Flocks of Barn Swallow and Calandra Larks were flying around.
Not surprisingly not many waders were at this particular lake, only several Pied Avocets, 2 Kentish Plovers and 2 Spur-winged Lapwings.
From here I went to the small lake to check for Terek Sandpiper, as well as finding my own rarity such as a Pectoral Sandpiper.
On the way there a quick check around the fields revealed Lesser Short-toed and Calandra Larks, Yellow Wagtails, Tawny Pipits and a single Ortolan Bunting.
The small lake has lots of shorebirds as always, consisting mainly of Little Stints and Ruff, with good numbers of other species such as Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Northern Lapwing, Common Ringed and Kentish Plovers, Dunlins, Marsh and Wood Sandpipers, Eurasian Curlew, Common Snipes and Greenshanks.
The Terek didn't reveal itself, and it was only when I checked the photos from the computer I realised I had photographed without knowing it. Oh well!
Meanwhile Western Marsh Harriers were patrolling over the lake, with Whiskered Terns and European Bee-eaters flying above. Greater Short-toed Larks were feeding around the lake.
From here I decided to move to Kozanlı, but before leaving I took yet another quick look at the small lake, which gave me 2 Greater Sand Plovers.
Kozanlı, unlike Kulu, is more vegetated with large amounts of reedbeds, as well as more gardens and trees surrounding it. However, as the weather was nice tons of fishermen were there and left no birds but 2 European Honey Buzzards, several Lesser Kestrels, White-winged Terns and Bearded Reedlings. So I left the area in less than 5 minutes and returned to Düden.
As it was around 11 I was once again at the small lake at Düden. Many of the flamingos had went to the larger lake. There was a dramatic decrease in the number of waders as well, but it was nice finding 3 Red-necked Phalaropes.
At around 12 AM we left Kulu. On the way back to Ankara I checked Uyuz Lake, a small, reeded lake. 9 White-headed Ducks were nice, as well as Little Ringed Plover, Curlew Sandpiper and Black Stork.
After all I had nailed 61 species in 5 hours - not really bad!
Düden Lake is a lake of saline water, and is surrounded by never-ending fields and a few small gardens.
There is also a smaller and shallower lake on the other side of the road.
The lake itself holds vast numbers of flamingos and waterfowls, while the shoreline, especially on the small lake, has a good variety of waders.
So yesterday at 7 AM I found myself looking at hundreds of Greater Flamingos just as the sun was rising. A quick check for a Lesser Flamingo, which is regular there, didn't reveal anything, which is normal because I didn't check carefully as I had already seen it a few times.
Many ducks and gulls were swimming around the legs of flamingos. Many of the ducks were too far away to ID, but I eventually got Common Shelduck, Mallard, Northern Shoveler and Northern Pintail. There were Black-headed and Slender-billed Gulls with them. Mediterranean Gulls on the other hand preferred to roost on the shoreline.
Flocks of Barn Swallow and Calandra Larks were flying around.
Not surprisingly not many waders were at this particular lake, only several Pied Avocets, 2 Kentish Plovers and 2 Spur-winged Lapwings.
From here I went to the small lake to check for Terek Sandpiper, as well as finding my own rarity such as a Pectoral Sandpiper.
On the way there a quick check around the fields revealed Lesser Short-toed and Calandra Larks, Yellow Wagtails, Tawny Pipits and a single Ortolan Bunting.
The small lake has lots of shorebirds as always, consisting mainly of Little Stints and Ruff, with good numbers of other species such as Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Northern Lapwing, Common Ringed and Kentish Plovers, Dunlins, Marsh and Wood Sandpipers, Eurasian Curlew, Common Snipes and Greenshanks.
The Terek didn't reveal itself, and it was only when I checked the photos from the computer I realised I had photographed without knowing it. Oh well!
Meanwhile Western Marsh Harriers were patrolling over the lake, with Whiskered Terns and European Bee-eaters flying above. Greater Short-toed Larks were feeding around the lake.
From here I decided to move to Kozanlı, but before leaving I took yet another quick look at the small lake, which gave me 2 Greater Sand Plovers.
Kozanlı, unlike Kulu, is more vegetated with large amounts of reedbeds, as well as more gardens and trees surrounding it. However, as the weather was nice tons of fishermen were there and left no birds but 2 European Honey Buzzards, several Lesser Kestrels, White-winged Terns and Bearded Reedlings. So I left the area in less than 5 minutes and returned to Düden.
As it was around 11 I was once again at the small lake at Düden. Many of the flamingos had went to the larger lake. There was a dramatic decrease in the number of waders as well, but it was nice finding 3 Red-necked Phalaropes.
At around 12 AM we left Kulu. On the way back to Ankara I checked Uyuz Lake, a small, reeded lake. 9 White-headed Ducks were nice, as well as Little Ringed Plover, Curlew Sandpiper and Black Stork.
After all I had nailed 61 species in 5 hours - not really bad!
