Köyceğiz & Mugla area - SW Turkey (4 Viewers)

[angusmcoatup]

Cheers Dave. Yesterday was a good day and obviously there are occasions where I only see the same regulars (fantastic though they are) so not worth a report. Waders can be hard work here as they’re often on marginal areas with lots of disturbance or flyovers from hidden areas in the marsh. Iztuzu & Çandır look much better for them plus I still need to explore Nasuhdede properly.
Roll on next year for you then. 👍🏼

 

[angusmcoatup]

The river/canal/ scrape often referred to .

 

[angusmcoatup]

And how it looked last year.

 

[Bananafishbones]

View attachment 1508361
The river/canal/ scrape often referred to .

Paul
Is the small beach to the left on this image and the road bridge behind where you are taking the photo from?

 

[angusmcoatup]

Paul
Is the small beach to the left on this image and the road bridge behind where you are taking the photo from?

Yes. This was taken from the bridge. The beach is left, lake side, the dump is on the right. At the far end is an area of reed bed, and a hidden muddy open space (good for Savi’s & Little Bittern). The river behind is still in reasonable nick, quite dense vegetation and lots of frogs so still attracting herons, egrets and waders.

 

[angusmcoatup]

08/05/23
2 Rollers
09/05/23
Highlights only
2 Little Stints & Ringed Plover oddly on the dump rather than beach or river. Guessing they’d been flushed but they were very comfortable at a reasonably close distance around the puddles.
1 Dunlin - beach
Little Bittern pair- easily seen on both sides of the river where it meets the lake & around that side of the reedbed itself.
Savi’s Warbler - still in the hidden clearing beyond the river path. Very claggy mud that way now after the rains.
Penduline Tits- same area, good views along with Great Reed Warbler.
Black Headed Bunting - after 1st small road bridge
1 diving duck- lake. Worth mentioning despite too far to I.d. Ducks not common here apart from winter Tufties & Garganey moving through.
White Throated Kingfisher- Siğla wood edge past boat yard.
Dead Badger - main road before dog sanctuary turn off
Golden Oriole male - turned up in my landlords Medlar tree as I was about to scrump it. Quickly turned tail.
Goshawk - male. Mobbed by Hooded Crows from a large pine near the flat.

 

[angusmcoatup]

11/05/23
White Throated Kingfisher - over the garden.
Common Redstart - garden

 

[angusmcoatup]

12/05/23
I abandoned the bike and took a walk up to Yeşilköy this afternoon. There have been a huge number of Bee-eaters in the area for days and it was no different up there. Taking a side road I ended up with old fashioned hand mown pasture, with Olive & Citrus trees on one side and a lush hillside , wilder mixture of scrub, meadow & citrus on the other.
First up - a male Ruppells Warbler. Something of a relief to find here as they generally seem to be higher into the hills. Stunning sharp bird singing at times.
Further along 3 birds flew up from the mown hay into separate bushes. Rufous Bush Robin -all 3 staying out in the open and by the time I’d left I’d seen 5 individuals across this piece of land.
A Woodchat Shrike was on the wire above and a Red Backed Shrike on the cemetery fence. A Red Throated Pipit sat without concern on a water tank edge in a very photogenic pose- wasted on me unfortunately as my cameras buggered apart from record shots.
A Montagu’s /Pallid Harrier female passed along the hill line with the sun obscuring close features. Worth another trip as that area looks largely deserted farmland. Lots of regular birds seen too , Corn Bunting, Yellow Wagtail, Crag Martin, Warblers etc
A Raven pair cronked over as I walked back as they do most days here.
Later as the wife and I admired the Bee-eaters a Hoopoe flew into cover in the garden.

 

[angusmcoatup]

13/05/23
A long ride via Zaferler then up to Çayırköy. Most of the regulars plus:
- 1 male Semicollared Flycatcher - woodland on the Zaferler road. Good long views to clinch the collar. Also Short-Toed Eagle again here (3rd time this year).
2 Rollers- not rare obviously but always great to see.
Garden Warbler
3 Grey Plover - far end of the dredged river area.

 

[angusmcoatup]

14/05/23
Took a midday bike ride up to Yeşilköy , and then beyond it. Uphill all the way- thought I was pretty fit but I felt every pie, pint and 25 years of London air as I pushed my crappy bike ever upwards. Not best way of birding but the views were spectacular.
2 Rufous Bush Robins were at the same site as a couple of days ago plus I rescued a road crossing Tortoise. Also Skylark on a wire, making a change from Crested Lark.
Across the road in the cemetery a Great Spotted Cuckoo scooted through the trees and a Spotted Flycatcher hunted the margin.
Onward and upward I found a Roller on a side road in a tiny village area plus a pair of Cretzschmars Buntings on a scrubby hillside.
Then onto a small shop for a break. Didn’t expect anything at this roadside stop but 1 then 2 Sombre Tits in a mixed olive/citrus/ garden was a cool accompaniment to my rest.
Two distant Kestrels were intriguing but views brief through the haze. I carried on uphill but reached a point where I either did the complete road up to Ağla or planned for another day with an early start. Chose the latter but not before watching a Chukar pair from the roadside.
Then the easy bit, a long fast roll back down to Gelişim , with a good view of a dozy Lesser Spotted Woodpecker which I nearly collided with it as it flew to the cemetery.
Garden was rocking with all the splendid regulars this morning and a second male Oriole.

 

[angusmcoatup]

15/05/23

A mixed flock of up to 30 White Winged Terns & Whiskered Terns over the lake in the evening.

 

[angusmcoatup]

16/05/23
A morning ride in the hope of catching something new. Foiled though by coinciding with the goat herd on its way down the river dirt road, a couple of blokes fixing up a huge boat on the dump and farmers ploughing the groves. Lots of regulars but only notables being a Cirl Bunting pair and finding an occupied Penduline Tit nest.

 

[angusmcoatup]

17/05/23
Peregrine Falcon - over the flat.

Took an impromptu ride along the Sigla wood /lake front. Deserted so I settled down in a couple of places and waited for the birds to come to me. Lots of warblers including singing Marsh Warbler, a Moustached Warbler, plenty of Great Reed Warblers, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler , Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Blackcap, Eastern Bonellis and ChiffChaff. Also a Common Nightingale, Serin and a Common Kingfisher.

 

[angusmcoatup]

18.05.23
An evening trip up to Tutkus cafe by Doğusbelen was worthwhile for the sighting of a Nightjar where the forest meets the foothills.
2 Whiskered Terns were earlier resting on the Kayak marker buoys off the Kordon.

 

[angusmcoatup]

21/05/23
Akyaka
Hobby clutching a dragonfly near Gokova.
Roller, Woodchat, Red Backed, Masked Shrikes all seen along the route. A very dark Purple Heron was interesting.
Syrian & Lesser Spotted Woodpecker -woodland campsite edge

22/05/23
Rain overnight- always shakes things up a little. Overcast and thundery all day. Highlights.

Rufous Bush Robin singing in full view on the dump path, Moustached Warbler - also but on the other side. Turtle Doves - several purring across the marsh & woods.
Peregrine pair - Hamitkoy marsh. A stand of trees there which is reliable for raptors. Always worth a look.
Penduline Tit - about 6 foot away Hamitkoy marsh side.
Cirl Bunting male
9 x Rose-Coloured Starlings - picked up flying across the marsh side fields in a huge curve. Set off for Toparlar road in the hope of catching them. Found a Short Toed Eagle , presumed nesting , but no Starlings. Later when about to set off home presumably the same flock flushed from the riverside meadow trees.
Pygmy Cormorant individual on a dead tree in an inaccessible area I’ve suspected has deep ditches. Even got a crap photo. Not the first there and Purple Heron has dropped in that way before so presumably a nice little wild haven.
Added Red Rumped Swallow to my roadkill list , plus Spanish Sparrow last week. A friend photographed a roadkill Beech Marten by the Akyaka roadside yesterday.
7 Whiskered Terns - now becoming an evening regular sight though sometimes vastly different numbers and occasionally mixed species. Flying in from beach side across to Eski Köyceğiz direction.
I went to Dalyan on Saturday for a boat trip. Will have to add that tomorrow. Plus I’ve undoubtedly forgotten a couple of good birds- long day.

 

[angusmcoatup]

26/05/23
Honey Buzzard pair wheeling off over Doğusbelen.
28/05/23
Black Stork -disturbed from the forest near dusk by election result fire works. Circled the area for some time before heading back into the trees. Also 3 Night Herons over at the same time.
30/05/23
Golden Oriole male out in the open this morning.
Last week a couple of Common Cuckoo’s , Rufous Bush Robins , Sardinian & Orphean Warblers in the fields around the flat.

 

[angusmcoatup]

31/05/23
I took a wander to the end of the garden and had a look at the meadow /grove at the back.
1 Masked Shrike - just as I was thinking the lizard infested woodpile would make a good larder for a Shrike this flew from an overhanging branch.
Eastern Bonellis Warbler
Red Backed Shrike
Turtle Dove
Laughing Dove
Peregrine Falcon- over towards Yeşilköy from the balcony
Lesser Spotted & Green Woodpecker

 

[angusmcoatup]

Had download issues with this from last week. Lots to edit but this gives the jist of what is on the SD card.
A family of Wild Boar including 6-7 suckling youngsters have been coming in the night for the profusion of fallen Mulberries. Tracks and dung everywhere this morning over the soaked ground.

 

[angusmcoatup]

01.05.23
Hobby - hunting above the orange grove next door.
A Jay did me a favour by annoying the female Golden Oriole and a female Masked Shrike just enough to bring them out in the open for good views.It looks like the Shrike is nesting right at the end of the garden too from its behaviour. Have to take the long way around without disturbing them and have a watch this week.
Eastern Orphean Warbler - this morning in the olive tree out front
I found a few half decent images on an SD card from last year in Köyceğiz. Surprising as I’ve struggled to get any sharp focus from the camera and thought it had finally had it.

Collared Flycatcher - Kordon

 

[angusmcoatup]

02/06/23(yesterdays as usual dated incorrectly)
I took a fairly quick ride out in the intermittent drizzle. Highlights only.

Not much to note though the regulars are still pretty spectacular to me.
A lone bird sat in a dead tree by the river bed turned out to be a Wryneck. Also good views of 2 separate Nightingales drinking at puddles.
Point blank views of Purple Heron & Little Bittern at the end of the river scrape were welcome on a quiet day. A number of Alpine Swifts over the town square with Common /Pallid Swifts heralded the onset of rain.
A Lesser Grey Shrike was a good balcony sighting and a male Peregrine stooping against the mountains is always impressive. Scops Owl sounded close last night as were the regular Little Owls.