Birding in Turkey (Adana area) (1 Viewer)

[Jose Ramon]

Hi all,

I am planning a birding tour to Turkey for May or June.

I would like to see as many bird as possible but I would like to focus mainly in the new species for me.

Checking in eBird, it seems that most of the birds that I want to see are in the area around Adana (central-south Asian Turkey).

Moving to the East (Gaziantep) I will find the Eastern species, moving to the West may be other species and moving to the North, in the mountains, the upland species.

A few species are not found in the area like the Caucasian black grouse, Grey-necked bunting and Mongolian finch, founded in extreme eastern Turkey but I do not know if it is worth visiting this area as they should be difficult species to find.

So I believe that the best plan should be a round tour in the area of Adana.

I would like if you know any skilled local birding guide in the area of Adana.

In addition, any suggestion will be welcome.

All the best,

 

[Jose Ramon]

I answer for myself.

I have been searching information in internet and I found:

Ali y Baser Safak
Based in Oz Safak pension in Cukurbag, near Aladag mountains, the place to look for the Caspian snowcock and other upland species.
Özşafak Pension
[email protected]

Mustafá Culcuoglu
Based in Birecik, the place to look for the Middle East species
No email or web page
Facebook: Log in to Facebook
Whatsapp: +90 536 719 59 13

Vigo tours
Based in Antalya, the place to look for the Brown Fish Owl and Rüppell's warbler
Bird watching in Turkey


All these places are located North, East and West of Adana in Eastern Turkey (Asian Turkey).

According to my information mainly from eBird, birding in Western Turkey (European Turkey) will not provide you access to many new birds if you are an European birder, even less if you have already visited any country in South Eastern Europe.

Birding in extreme Eastern Turkey (border with Georgia, Armenia, ...) could provide you a few more birds (Caucasian black grouse, Grey-necked bunting Mongolian finch,...) but they are very unreliable and difficult to spot in Turkey and should be easier to found them if you move to the East outside Turkey. So I believe that it demands too much effort and promise very little reward so it is not worth going there.

Well, as I mentioned I may be organizing a tour to Eastern Turkey flying to Adana and visiting these three areas.

It would be in April or May.

It would be very affordable if you live in Europe as the fares of Turkish Airways are low and the prices in Turkey too.

So, a tour of around 7 days should not cost more that 1.000 euros/pounds per person.

I will announce the tour in the forum "Companions for Birding Trips" if I finally go.

Any suggestion will be more than welcome.

Regards,

 

[jurek]

Hi,
When I went to Turkey, I used trip reports from cloudbirders and old but still very good booklets Bill Gosney Finding Birds - most birding spots are the same since years.

However, when I tried using online reports for Turkey, I wasted a whole day for a place which was supposed to have 4 species I needed but had neither the birds nor the proper habitat. Some place error, or somebody was a very poor birder.

 

[Jose Ramon]

Hi,
When I went to Turkey, I used trip reports from cloudbirders and old but still very good booklets Bill Gosney Finding Birds - most birding spots are the same since years.

However, when I tried using online reports for Turkey, I wasted a whole day for a place which was supposed to have 4 species I needed but had neither the birds nor the proper habitat. Some place error, or somebody was a very poor birder.

Now, eBird is very usefull as you may know where and when the bird has been seen.

I use the "magnifying glasses" in eBird to search for lifers that has been seen in the area around me in the previous 7 days.

For me it is very useful in addition to the info from trip reports, webpages, books,...

 

[Steve Lister]

I can recommend Soner Bekir as a very good guide for the whole of Turkey. We used him for our Brown Fish Owl trip a few years ago and he was excellent for that. He leads for companies like Birdfinders.

The Ozsafak pension people are very good for the local mountain species and have transport to get you up the rough tracks to the snowcock habitat. When I was last there in 2010 there were actually two different pensions, opposite sides of the road and run by different people from the same family.

The north-eastern species - Caucasian Black Grouse, Grey-necked Bunting, Mongolian Finch, Green Warbler - are not that difficult if you know where to look and eBird should tell you that. I was in an unguided group a few years ago and we found all of them, though the grouse perhaps needs local advice on access to the slopes they frequent.

If you are going east of Birecik I would recommend having a reliable local guide as police etc can be awkward in the Kurdish areas and near borders. Our driver did not appreciate having a policeman's rifle shoved through his window, nor did we particularly enjoy then being arrested and held in a police station for three hours. All for watching some Pale Rock Sparrows at the roadside.

 

[opisska]

We went to the east with no issues, found Mongolian Finch very quickly, Grey-necked Buntings were abundant (did not look for the other species). We went alone, the only problem was once when we were told off for wild camping. It's a full day trip from the "general Adana area" but it's easy, just tiring.

 

[Arbu]

Jose, I don't think you need a guide at Birecik. The birds are quite easy to find with the exception of See-See Partridge which I found to be a lot easier at Kizilkuyu, although I did find it eventually at Birecik.

Worth a trip to Mt. Nemrut too, for Kurdish Wheatear, and because it's such a spectacular monument.

 

[Jose Ramon]

Jose, I don't think you need a guide at Birecik. The birds are quite easy to find with the exception of See-See Partridge which I found to be a lot easier at Kizilkuyu, although I did find it eventually at Birecik.

Worth a trip to Mt. Nemrut too, for Kurdish Wheatear, and because it's such a spectacular monument.

Thank you, Arbu

Happy to hear so as a local guide asked me for 200 euros per day (only guiding, I should rent a car and drive and pay all may expenses, and maybe eve his).

That is a huge amount of money for Turkish standards.

Anyway, I think that they believe we are all rich Europeans who will pay any amount of money.

Maybe I may bargain to get a more reasonable price (this is a Turkish Market ).

Did you went to Aladag mountains to look for Redfronted serin, Caspian snowcock, Krüpers nuthatch, White throated robin, Binaculated lark, Raddes accentor, ...?

I do not know if mountains birds are so easy to find.

I contacted Oz Safak pension in Cukurbag and although expensive for Turkish standards, it is not that huge amount of money.

Regarding information, Bill Gosney's booklet is still usefull ans of course info from eBird. Could you recommend me any recent good report, better with specific info and coordinates?

Regards,

 

[Jose Ramon]

I can recommend Soner Bekir as a very good guide for the whole of Turkey. We used him for our Brown Fish Owl trip a few years ago and he was excellent for that. He leads for companies like Birdfinders.

The Ozsafak pension people are very good for the local mountain species and have transport to get you up the rough tracks to the snowcock habitat. When I was last there in 2010 there were actually two different pensions, opposite sides of the road and run by different people from the same family.

The north-eastern species - Caucasian Black Grouse, Grey-necked Bunting, Mongolian Finch, Green Warbler - are not that difficult if you know where to look and eBird should tell you that. I was in an unguided group a few years ago and we found all of them, though the grouse perhaps needs local advice on access to the slopes they frequent.

If you are going east of Birecik I would recommend having a reliable local guide as police etc can be awkward in the Kurdish areas and near borders. Our driver did not appreciate having a policeman's rifle shoved through his window, nor did we particularly enjoy then being arrested and held in a police station for three hours. All for watching some Pale Rock Sparrows at the roadside.

Thank you Steve,

Do you have an email of the other pension in front of Ozsafak pension?

I have a real problem to contact guides and pensions in Turkey, they have neither web sites nor emails, usually only Facebook pages or Whatsapp.

Regards,

 

[Jose Ramon]

We went to the east with no issues, found Mongolian Finch very quickly, Grey-necked Buntings were abundant (did not look for the other species). We went alone, the only problem was once when we were told off for wild camping. It's a full day trip from the "general Adana area" but it's easy, just tiring.

Thank you, Opisska

Do you know where to find good detailed information of where to find the birds in extreme Eastern Turkey?

Maybe any good report?

I got my info from eBird and I could not find good hotspots to find the specific birds, just scattered citations in very low numbers.

Regards,

 

[opisska]

I have used the scattered obsevations from eBird, the Finches were exactly where the scattered observations are

 

[Jose Ramon]

Jose, I don't think you need a guide at Birecik. The birds are quite easy to find with the exception of See-See Partridge which I found to be a lot easier at Kizilkuyu, although I did find it eventually at Birecik.

Worth a trip to Mt. Nemrut too, for Kurdish Wheatear, and because it's such a spectacular monument.

Arbu,

checking your info.

Are you talking about see-see partridge (Ammoperdix griseogularis) in Kizilkuyu (40°13'17.8"N 30°37'59.7"E) North of Eskisehir in Western Asian Turkey?

According to eBird, see-see partridge (Ammoperdix griseogularis) is only presente in Eastern Turkey, near the border with Syria.


Regarding Kurdish Wheatear, Mt. Nemrut seems to be the best place in Turkey according to eBird.

Regards,

 

[Arbu]

Arbu,

checking your info.

Are you talking about see-see partridge (Ammoperdix griseogularis) in Kizilkuyu (40°13'17.8"N 30°37'59.7"E) North of Eskisehir in Western Asian Turkey?

According to eBird, see-see partridge (Ammoperdix griseogularis) is only presente in Eastern Turkey, near the border with Syria.


Regarding Kurdish Wheatear, Mt. Nemrut seems to be the best place in Turkey according to eBird.

Regards,

No, it's near Sanlurfa

 

[Arbu]

Thank you, Arbu

Happy to hear so as a local guide asked me for 200 euros per day (only guiding, I should rent a car and drive and pay all may expenses, and maybe eve his).

That is a huge amount of money for Turkish standards.

Anyway, I think that they believe we are all rich Europeans who will pay any amount of money.

Maybe I may bargain to get a more reasonable price (this is a Turkish Market ).

Did you went to Aladag mountains to look for Redfronted serin, Caspian snowcock, Krüpers nuthatch, White throated robin, Binaculated lark, Raddes accentor, ...?

I do not know if mountains birds are so easy to find.

I contacted Oz Safak pension in Cukurbag and although expensive for Turkish standards, it is not that huge amount of money.

Regarding information, Bill Gosney's booklet is still usefull ans of course info from eBird. Could you recommend me any recent good report, better with specific info and coordinates?

Regards,

I got Hassan Safak at Safak Pansiyon to drive me up to the Arfalik Plateau, and then walked by myself across the mountains (crampons useful even in June). I didn't manage to find the Snowcock or Accentor on my hike, only with Hassan. Map attached. Red-fronted Serin is common.

 

[Jose Ramon]

No, it's near Sanlurfa

Right.

Two places with the same name.

Thanks Arbu.

Regards

 

[Steve Lister]

Thank you Steve,

Do you have an email of the other pension in front of Ozsafak pension?

No, sorry I don't. I can't remember the name either, But it is a bigger and probably more modern set-up than the Oz Safak,.Commercial tour groups stay there - one time I visited the area we stayed at Basar Ali's Oz Safak place and a much larger Birdfinders group, guided by Soner Bekir and peter Lansdown, were at the one across the road. I think the owner is Hassan Safak, Basar's uncle.

Just looked on Google maps and the second place is called Safak Pansiyon. Phone number +90 537 822 62 24.

 

[Arbu]

info [at] safaktravel.com
Hassan şafak
mobile number 0537 822 62 24

 

[mgilvus]

I can recommend Soner Bekir as a very good guide for the whole of Turkey. We used him for our Brown Fish Owl trip a few years ago and he was excellent for that. He leads for companies like Birdfinders.

The Ozsafak pension people are very good for the local mountain species and have transport to get you up the rough tracks to the snowcock habitat. When I was last there in 2010 there were actually two different pensions, opposite sides of the road and run by different people from the same family.

The north-eastern species - Caucasian Black Grouse, Grey-necked Bunting, Mongolian Finch, Green Warbler - are not that difficult if you know where to look and eBird should tell you that. I was in an unguided group a few years ago and we found all of them, though the grouse perhaps needs local advice on access to the slopes they frequent.

If you are going east of Birecik I would recommend having a reliable local guide as police etc can be awkward in the Kurdish areas and near borders. Our driver did not appreciate having a policeman's rifle shoved through his window, nor did we particularly enjoy then being arrested and held in a police station for three hours. All for watching some Pale Rock Sparrows at the roadside.

I just want the know which is currently the best paperback or hardcover field guide to use. I'll be in Istanbul for a few days in March 2023. Any suggestions, anyone?

 

[Steve Lister]

I just want the know which is currently the best paperback or hardcover field guide to use. I'll be in Istanbul for a few days in March 2023. Any suggestions, anyone?

The Collins Bird Guide covers Turkey well.