Birding in a Living Complex in Ankara, Turkey (1 Viewer)

[kuzeycem]

I've already had a write-up about my patch birding endeavors here - A year in the life of a Turkish patch-watcher
To summarise that long article, I've been heavily birding my closed living complex for a few years now. My first record goes back to 2011 - when our house was still being built - but we only started living year-round in 2017, and my birding efforts became more serious only in 2020.
The complex, which lies between the city center and Mogan Lake, consists of 277 villas each with a small garden, a shared pocket park, two plain areas, another wooded area adjacent to the social facilities and last but not least a small watering pond with reed fringe and conifer plantation around it.
I will share some photos from these areas in the next few posts. Then I will quickly summarise January and February in single posts, before moving onto a weekly format from March onwards.
I hope this can of both inspiration and amusement to readers here.

Attached is the list of species I've recorded so far.

 

[kuzeycem]

Social Center Woods
Right at the entrance to the complex, there is a small "social center" with a few restaurants, a swimming pool, and a tennis court. Adjacent to these is a small yet formidable patch of woods. Compared to other green spaces of the complex, this is a more unkempt and "tangled" piece of greenery with many trees co-existing - birch, oak, pine, cedar, chestnut, plum, juniper, tamarisk, silverberry, cotoneaster, etc. There are also some small patches of tall grass. The area can be further divided into an upper level, with an abandoned walking track (2nd photo), and the lower level with the tennis courts etc.
Eurasian Jay is the symbol bird of here. Breeding area for Lesser Whitethroat and Eastern Olivaceous Warbler. In winter, good numbers of Redwings and occasionally Fieldfares can be seen. Many warblers and flycatchers during passage, especially August.
Interesting records: Pallid Swift, Black Stork, Cinereous Vulture, Booted Eagle, Hen Harrier, Levant Sparrowhawk, Peregrine Falcon, Woodchat Shrike, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Woodlark, Icterine Warbler, River Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Ring Ouzel, Meadow Pipit, Red-throated Pipit, Hawfinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, Red Crossbill, Corn Bunting, Rock Bunting, Cirl Bunting.

 

[kuzeycem]

Upper & Lower Plains
Two open areas in the middle of the complex, both lined with tamarisks, hedges and junipers. Favored by Red-backed Shrikes and Whinchats during migration.
Interesting records: Ruddy Shelduck, Common Cuckoo, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Western Marsh Harrier, Lesser Kestrel, Eurasian Hobby, Masked Shrike, Northern Raven, Bluethroat, European Stonechat, Western Yellow Wagtail, Rock Bunting.

 

[kuzeycem]

Park
A tightly managed pocket park with a playground and some benches. Berry bushes, plum trees, birch, cedars, and a maintaned lawn. Breeding grounds for a pair of Long-eared Owls. In winter, many seed-eaters, especially Yellowhammers, spend the night inside the trees and bushes. Popular with warblers and flycatchers during passage.
Interesting records: Common Cuckoo, Green Sandpiper, Black Stork, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Levant Sparrowhawk, Peregrine Falcon, Masked Shrike, Eurasian Skylark, Red-throated Pipit, Common Rosefinch, Twite, Black-headed Bunting.

 

[kuzeycem]

Pond
Small watering pond, bordered on one side by a concrete dam; the other side is small river mouth with some reed cover and tall trees - though unfortunately the managent cut down a good chunk of these to enlarge the pond! (Former??) breeding area for Common Moorhen, Cetti's Warbler, and as of last year, Mallard; also Eastern Olivaceous Warblers and Eurasian Scops Owl. Black-crowned Night Herons are regular from April to at least October; Grey Herons pop up regularly year round, and Little Bitterns (used to?) stop over in May. Reed cover also good for many warblers, flycatchers etc. In winter, the thrushes that spend the day feeding by the social center spend the night inside the conifers.
1st and 3rd photos are of the "old" pond. The 4th one is the recent version, notice the lack of reeds and trees. 2nd photo is of the small stream that flows from the pond towards another complex. The final photo was taken last summer from above; again with plenty of reed cover.
Interesting records: Ruddy Shelduck, European Turtle Dove, Water Rail, Spotted Crake, Eurasian Coot, Common Snipe, Green Sandpiper, Great Cormorant, Squacco Heron, Purple Heron, Little Egret, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Levant Sparrowhawk, Common Kingfisher, European Green Woodpecker, Eurasian Hobby, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Northern Raven, Woodlark, Icterine Warbler, River Warbler, Savi's Warbler, Ring Ouzel, Western Yellow Wagtail, Hawfinch, Red Crossbill.

 

[kuzeycem]

January 2023
1 January - 25 sp. Nothing of interest. https://ebird.org/checklist/S125046556
2 January - 27 sp. Long-legged Buzzard - 1, soaring over the pond. https://ebird.org/checklist/S125172910
10 January - 28 sp. Goldcrest - 1, rarer than Common Firecrest here. Grey Wagtail - 1, feeding by the pond. https://ebird.org/checklist/S125847511
18 January - 24 sp. Western Marsh Harrier - 1, f/imm drifting S over the pond. Goldcrest - 1, in the conifers surrounding the pond. https://ebird.org/checklist/S126439296
23 January - 25 sp. Long-legged Buzzard - 1. Dunnock - 1, skulking on the side of the walking path above the courts. https://ebird.org/checklist/S126785325
24 January - 20 sp. Nothing of interest. https://ebird.org/checklist/S126846366
26 January - 25 sp. Rose-ringed Parakeet - 2, first sighted by residents of other 17th. https://ebird.org/checklist/S126956865
29 January - 18 sp. Long-legged Buzzard - 1, soaring above the upper plain escorted by a pair of sparrowhawks. Rose-ringed Parakeet - 2. https://ebird.org/checklist/S127158507

 

[kuzeycem]

February 2023
3 February - 27 sp. Goldcrest - 1, in conifers at the park. European Greenfinch - 3, scarcer than other winter finches. https://ebird.org/checklist/S127508692
4 February - 22 sp. Nothing of interest. https://ebird.org/checklist/S127582207
8 February - 24 sp. Northern Goshawk - 1, adult male spooking pigeons over the rooftops. Dunnock - 1, under the shrubbery lining the lower plain. https://ebird.org/checklist/S127874712
11 February - 27 sp. Northern Goshawk - 1, presumably the same as 8th, being chased by Hooded Crows. Fieldfare - 1, 1st of the year, always a hit-and-miss species. European Greenfinch - 1. https://ebird.org/checklist/S128061327
23 February - 26 sp. Rook - 2, FOY. Fieldfare - 1, this time at the park. https://ebird.org/checklist/S129434388
27 February - 32 sp. Mallard - 2, FOY, probably the same pair that bred last year (they are still here at the time of writing so I won't write about them unless something unusual happens). Rook - 3, flying from W to E as usual. Fieldfare - 3, inside the cotoneaster. https://ebird.org/checklist/S129778707

 

[kuzeycem]

1-7 March 2023
1 March - 27 sp. Sunny, 18°C. Green Sandpiper - 1, at the pond, seemingly different than the one seen in December. Long-eared Owl - 2, pair back at their breeding territory. Rook -1. Fieldfare - 1. https://ebird.org/checklist/S129920933
5 March - 21 sp. Rainy, 6°C. NOI. https://ebird.org/checklist/S130222148
6 March - 32 sp. Sunny, 8°C. Common Moorhen - 1, FOY, apparent migrant at the pond. Long-legged Buzzard - 1, flying N over the pond. Rook - 4. Fieldfare - 2, in the cotoneaster as usual. Dunnock - 1, skulking among junipers and silverberries. European Greenfinch - 1, heard over the courts. https://ebird.org/checklist/S130317396
7 March - 29 sp. Partly cloudy, 9°C. Black-headed Gull - 615, flocks of 95+520 heading S as usual this time of year. Rook - 4. Fieldfare - 26, all flushed from the cotoneaster. Dunnock - 2, calling simultaneously from the junipers lining the upper plain. https://ebird.org/checklist/S130390930

 

[Richard Prior]

Thanks for starting this thread Kuzey, I look forward to reading your updates through the year!