SE Turkey 7.-25.5. 2022 (1 Viewer)

[Arbu]

I didn't take any GBP cash with me, but I think the reality is that it would be a big mistake to do so and try to change it there. I did take some euro, which was widely accepted, but mostly I used bank cards and I got 20.9 for the pound on my latest payment.

 

[jogresh]

I got the wheatear at Nemrut Dag. Two singing males on the mountain. I also found Finsch's Wheatears more easily than it sounds like you did, seeing them at Aladaglar, Birecik and Kizilkuyu. Well, I think so, anyway, you can see the photos Observations. Maybe you were a little early for the best chances for wheatears? I also found Cinereous Bunting on Nemrut, saw about 10 Slender-billed Gulls flying around the Cendere Bridge, and had Spectacled Warbler north of Nemrut Dag.

All interesting stuff. Hoping to have a winter visit to Turkey. Isn't the pic taken at 16:44 an EBEW?..

 

[Arbu]

All interesting stuff. Hoping to have a winter visit to Turkey. Isn't the pic taken at 16:44 an EBEW?..

Ah yes, thanks for pointing that out. Too much reliance on iNaturalist's auto-suggestions on my part. So that means I didn't see Finsch's at Birecik.

I actually wonder about the Kizilkuyu birds too, because Collins says Finsch's breeds on barren mountainsides and rocky plateaux. This was relatively low semi-desert. But I can't see what else they might have been.

 

[jogresh]

I've not found the habitat separation particularly striking for those 2 spp i must be honest. Did a lot of BBS in NE Syria nr the Turkish border and they seemed to overlap a lot. I'm sure they do have ecological niche separation, and it's prob glaringly obvious if you happen to be an EBEW or Finschs! But they certainly seemed to occur in similar areas. IIRC i found Finschs more numerous (edit - in our study area in NE Syria), i think we were at the edge of the range of EBEW. It was a kind of varied semi-desert plateau!

 

[opisska]

We have seen waaaay more Black-Eared Ws than Finsch's. Sometime the ID is tricky, but many Black-Eared are dead obvious and those were dominant.

 

[rollingthunder]

Well I am sure that if I came in with some juicy CZK, I'd also get far less than for the equivalent EUR bought for the same CZK at home. I am sorry to tell you guys, but GBP is a local currency, while USD and EUR are global ones. You could have had a global currency, you know

Sterling was the global currency before the Johnny-cum-latelies you have mentioned.....

Laurie -

 

[Farnboro John]

It's Emin Yogurtcuoglu - son of the yogurt-maker. He sure knows his stuff.

When we were at Cımbar Boğası near Hassan's place at Safak Pensiyon, for the mountain species, I saw an animal that no-one else saw atop a cliff. It was cat-like, although bigger than a domestic cat with a long bushy tail. Views were very brief and no-one was able to help me - can you? Compensation came a few minutes later with a Wallcreeper, which despite being my top target for the trip ended up in third place! Oh and in 16 days we recorded 272 species. Our driver did 8,500 Kilometers.

I absolutely don't mean to cause offence but this sounds like a Red Fox to me (especially the tail). Size and description doesn't exclude it and I've seen one climbing a cliff after Kittiwakes, and I really mean climbing. It got a nice fat pullus out of the exercise, as well.

John

 

[Arbu]

I absolutely don't mean to cause offence but this sounds like a Red Fox to me (especially the tail). Size and description doesn't exclude it and I've seen one climbing a cliff after Kittiwakes, and I really mean climbing. It got a nice fat pullus out of the exercise, as well.

John

I saw a wild animal in Goreme and my first thought was that it was some sort of cat. It had very mottled fur. It vanished from sight before I could get a photo. I later saw another animal much closer with similar fur Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), and realised that clearly both animals were foxes.

 

[Arbu]

All interesting stuff. Hoping to have a winter visit to Turkey. Isn't the pic taken at 16:44 an EBEW?..

What will your targets be in winter? I was thinking how you could make up a good varied trip in winter with a few days' skiing and maybe some visits to archaeological sites. But I wasn't sure there would be much good birding to do.

 

[jogresh]

A good question!
Mainly sunshine, warmth, UV, Vitamin D, exercise, cheapness, a good exchange rate, possibly archaeological/cultural stuff - your Goreme pic was interesting - and bimbling and patching.
I've "done" S Turkey, plus Armenia, Georgia, Syria, Israel, Oman, however Kurdish Wheatear and Mongolian Finch (and Brown Fish Owl I spose) have eluded me. Bad time of year for both so may just get a cheap package. Used to enjoy a bit of skiing. Or there's the Laodicean Way to hike along. Maybe I'll visit in Spring too.. not sure yet. 👍