Today we move to our last area of Turkey, that of Birecik. On the way we birded a valley near the one of yesterday's success just outside the town of Gaziantep. This time we parked in a small town - causing much amusement to the local children who all wanted to give the ladies lilac flowers and have photos taken on digital cameras so they could see themselves. But Birdwatching first. We followed a farm path following a contour of the hillside which led up to a plateau.
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| Isikli Village |
On the way up we found black-eared wheatear, kurdish wheatear, rock sparrow, cinereous bunting, and white throated robin. As we neared the top where the plateau opened out farmers brought their sheep and goats up to feed, we once more providing them as much entertainment as they us. In some cases young children had been sent up to forage for nettles while they moved the animals around the various grazing areas. We birdwatched surrounded by these animals and with shepherds whistling and shouting strange gutteral noises at their sometimes errant charges. Our guides wondered if that was a way to control their flock on occasions. We dared them to try!
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| Impressive Beetle |
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| Being herded along |
The plateau was where we hoped the find bimaculated lark. We wandered along through tall rocks on either side of the path to a second part of the plateau, a truly lunar scene. Mitko could hear the larks but they were difficult to see - until that is, they display, then they put on a stunning show of flight and glide not dissimilar to our own skylarks but with a far more fluttery descent, beautiful to watch. I saw about half a dozen of these delightful birds before it was time for us to move on once more. We took a circular descent which joined up with the original path, most of the way down we were joined by two young brothers who were bringing the family flock back from grazing. The younger one - about 6 years old was fascinated by Trevor's camera and telescope, and enjoyed looking through them, shouting to his older brother. The elder of the two remained calm and aloof, being a rather more mature 8 or 9.
On the way down more wheatear of various kinds flew up, the rock sparrows showed well, and I spotted a raptor which turned out to be an Egyptian vulture. Chiffchaff, long-legged buzzard, and white stork ended our list for this part of the day. Then it was down to the village for that warm welcome. Children everywhere, lads charging around on bicycles and tractors, men gathered on street corners and ladies doing the washing - treading the items in large bowls outside their homes.
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| Bimaculated Lark Country |
We moved off out of the village in search of a picnic site with a little more peace and quiet and parked up by the side of the lane in the corner of a field.
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| Rock Sparrow |
Here bee-eaters swooped low over the adjoining corn field and black-headed buntings sang from perches on telegraph wires and tree tops. We took our time over lunch as the sun was strong and hot, some dozed in the bus, the rest of us enjoyed watching the birds, photographing wild flowers and generally taking in the scene. During this time Mitko found us rufous bush chat and finally desert finch made a delightful appearance perched on a wire close by before flying down to the small brook by the side of the field, just in front of me, for a quick wash and brush up, then up and away. A truly handsome bird and showing far more pink in the wing than the crimson-winged finch of a day or so previously.
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| Yellow-throated Sparrow |
Eventually we had to move off towards Birecek for our final couple of days, on the way we stopped by some pistachio orchards looking for yellow-throated sparrow, they did not immediately come into view, but on our second attempt, in rather more mature trees with some convenient holes in the trunk just ripe for sparrow terracing, we found our quarry. Delightful males duetted (or more likely sparred) from their various perches and the air was full of their song. One last stop before we got to the hotel, at a local reservoir looking for calandra larks. Three roller perched on nearby telegraph wires. As we neared the reservoir the larks were spotted before we had even got out of the vehicles, this lark was far more obliging than it's close relative this morning. Sitting on a rock in full view and singing it's heart out a delightful male posed for us. The neck markings are striking, and with the dark underwing and white trailing edges it is a really great sight in flight.
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| My lilac posy |
We scanned the water's edge quickly, here spur-winged lapwing, black-headed gull, common sandpiper, curlew sandpiper, white-winged black tern, wood sandpiper, black-winged stilt, a pair of garganey, a ruff and a lone flamingo vied for our attention, but lost out to a flock of about 20 red-necked phalarope, juveniles in varying plumage, but none full adult. As we watched they spun round pecking insects off the surface of the water, elegant and once again a joy to see. We dragged ourselves away, as the skies darkened and a thunder storm threatened.
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| Storm clouds gather over the Euphrates |
Our last stop of the day was in the town park in Birecik in the pouring rain where pallid scops owl had been seen previously. The local park warden knew what we were looking for and tried hard to oblige, but unfortunately it was not to be on this occasion, so we gave up and went to our hotel. Dinner was at the hotel's restaurant where we had barlick (fish) from the Euphrates River just outside the hotel Beautifully fresh and spicy, with the usual Aryan yoghurt drink and another new option - yoghurt with barley, very nice indeed.
