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TURKEY & CYPRUS
Birdquest's Turkey & Cyprus birding tour is a unique combination of two splendid birdwatching destinations. Our Turkey & Cyprus tour is the most comprehensive trip to the area available and records more of the many regional specialities than any other, including Caspian Snowcock, Caucasian Grouse, See-see Partridge, Radde's Accentor, Cyprus, Kurdish and Finsch's Wheatears, Cyprus, Ménétries’s and Eastern Bonelli's Warblers, Iraq Babbler, Krüper's Nuthatch, Pale Rockfinch, Red-fronted Serin, Cinereous Bunting and, following its recent discovery, the magnificent Brown Fish Owl.
Wednesday 15th May -
Thursday 30th May 2013
(16 days)
Northeast Turkey Post-Tour Extension to Sunday 2nd June (3 days)
Leader:
Pete Morris
Group Size Limit: 10
Tour Category: Tour Category: Easy for the most part, occasionally Moderate (possibly one optional fairly Demanding hike)
The gorgeous Masked Shrike is a fairly common breeding species in southern Turkey (Pete Morris)
How can one begin to describe Turkey? One could simply say that it is a country that offers some of the most exciting birding in the Western Palearctic (the zoogeographer’s term for the region encompassing Europe, North Africa and Southwestern Asia), but even this impressive claim is in fact an understatement, communicating none of the magic that makes birdwatchers and anyone who loves travelling for its own sake appreciate this great country.
One of the largest countries in the region, Turkey encompasses some of its wildest and finest scenery, some of its most important cultural and historical heritage, some of its most hospitable people and undoubtedly some of its best birding. A springtime journey from the Euphrates to the Bosphorus is a profound experience. In no other country in the Western Palearctic can one see such a range of environments from semi-desert to dense forest, from high steppe to Mediterranean maquis, from saline lagoons to volcanoes, from marshes to snow-capped peaks, from cotton fields to alpine meadows, and from mud-walled villages to modern cities. This diversity explains Turkey’s extraordinary avian riches, which include a host of specialities.
We can fairly claim to have an unrivalled knowledge of Turkey’s birds and this itinerary is based upon many years of personal experience. We also include a short visit to the fascinating island of Cyprus, situated just a short distance to the south of Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, in order to see its two breeding endemics.
We begin our journey in the arid landscapes of southeast Turkey, within striking distance of the great Arabian Desert. Here we shall explore rocky, scrub-covered hills that are home to Bimaculated Lark, the fantastic White-throated Robin, Kurdish Wheatear (the western component of the split Red-tailed Wheatear), Upcher’s and Eastern Orphean Warblers, Sombre Tit, both Western and Eastern Rock Nuthatches, Pale Rockfinch (or Pale Rock Sparrow), Desert Finch, and Cinereous and Black-headed Buntings. We will also search the rich vegetation along the Euphrates valley and the surrounding dry semi-desert steppe in search of such special birds as Pygmy Cormorant, See-see Partridge, the little known Pallid (or Striated) Scops Owl, Caspian Reed and Ménétries’s Warblers, Dead Sea Sparrow, Chestnut-shouldered Petronia (or Yellow-throated Sparrow) and the newly-colonizing Iraq Babbler.
From the lands along the Syrian border we travel westwards to the beautiful Mediterranean coast. Here we will visit the bird-rich Goksu Delta, home of Marbled Ducks and Grey-headed Swamphens, and explore the wooded foothills of the Taurus where Olive-tree and Rüppell’s Warblers, the near-endemic Krüper’s Nuthatch, Masked Shrike and Cretzschmar’s Bunting will be on the menu.
From the small port of Tasucu on the edge of the delta, we will cross to Girne on the north coast of Cyprus in order to see the island’s two breeding endemics, Cyprus Wheatear and Cyprus Warbler.
Next, after returning to Turkey, we will first visit a recently-discovered site for the splendid Brown Fish Owl before we leave the coast behind and climb high into the rugged and spectacular Taurus Mountains in search of specialities such as Lammergeier, Caspian Snowcock, Chukar, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Radde’s Accentor, Balkan (or Eastern Bonelli’s) Warbler, Finsch’s Wheatear, the wonderful Wallcreeper, Red-fronted Serin and Crimson-winged Finch amidst some dramatic alpine scenery.
We will also explore the superb wetlands and strangely eroded uplands of the Central Plateau, looking in particular for the endangered White-headed Duck, Long-legged Buzzard and Greater Sand Plover. To the north are the forested western Pontic Mountains where we shall watch out for an array of raptors, including Eurasian Black Vulture, and the prehistoric-looking Black Stork. We will end our journey at Istanbul, one-time capital of an empire and surely one of Europe’s most evocative cities. Yelkouan Shearwaters winging their way along the Bosphorus will provide a fitting ending to a marvellous tour.
During the optional extension we will travel to the spectacular peaks of the eastern Pontic Mountains, home to Caucasian (Black) Grouse, Green Warbler and Caucasian Chiffchaff.
Birdquest has operated tours to Turkey since 1981 and to Cyprus since 1995.
(Note: The above is a summary of the tour. For more information please download the detailed, day-by-day itinerary. The button is at the top right of the page.)
Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels are of normal Birdquest standard throughout (and many people rate the food highly). Road transport is by small coach and roads are nowadays mostly good.
Walking: The walking effort is mostly easy, but there some moderate grade walks. In the Aladag it is usually possible to arrange for a tractor trailer to take those who wish much of the way up the mountain, but otherwise a fairly strenuous hike is in prospect.
Climate: Rather variable. It is generally warm or hot, dry and sunny at lower altitudes, although cool and overcast conditions are not infrequent. There may well be some rain. At high altitudes temperatures range from cool to decidedly cold.
Bird Photography: Opportunities are quite good.
Tour Price: (provisional): $4130 Gaziantep/Istanbul. Post-Tour Extension: $1120. Price includes all transportation (including Turkey-Cyprus-Turkey ferries and Istanbul-Trabzon-Istanbul flights), all accommodations, all meals, bottled water, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants, leader services.
Single Room Supplement: (provisional): $486. Post-Tour Extension: $97.
Deposit: 10% of the tour price (excluding any single supplement).
Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency can arrange your air travel in connection with the tour from a departure point anywhere in the world, or you may arrange your own air travel if you prefer. We can tailor-make your itinerary to your personal requirements, so if you would like to travel in advance of the tour (and spend a night in an hotel so you will feel fresh when the tour starts), or return later than the end of the tour, or make a side trip to some other destination, or travel business class rather than economy, we will be happy to assist. Please contact us about your air travel requirements.
The handsome Black-headed Bunting is a common species in much of Turkey (Paul Ellis)
Cyprus hosts two endemic breeding species, Cyprus Warbler and Cyprus Wheatear, the latter pictured above (Pete Morris)
The endangered White-headed Duck still survives in the wetlands of Turkey (Paul Ellis)
The smart but usually skulking White-throated Robin is easy to see when singing and display-flighting in spring (Paul Ellis)
The smart Black-headed Wagtail is the local representative of the Yellow Wagtail complex (Nik Borrow)
Pale Rockfinch (or Pale Rock Sparrow) is a summer visitor to southeastern Turkey, where numbers can vary greatly from year to year (Paul Ellis)
Rock Sparrows (or Rock Petronias) chirp away from rock piles, walls and old buildings (Paul Ellis)
The pretty Red-fronted Serin is yet another of the many specialities of this fantastic region (Paul Ellis)
The localized Radde's Accentor inhabits rather arid and bleak mountainsides in the eastern two-thirds of Turkey (Paul Ellis)
The noisy Chukar is often first detected by voice (Paul Ellis)
Lesser Spotted Eagles breed in the forests of northern Turkey (Paul Ellis)
The bulky Long-legged Buzzard is a common raptor of the Turkish interior (Paul Ellis)
Caucasian Grouse is a shy, near-endemic inhabitant of the steepest slopes, rarely allowing a close approach (Paul Ellis)
Green Warbler breeds from the Caucasus and northeast Turkey to the region east of the Caspian (Paul Ellis)
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Ph: 512-343-1700, Fax: 512-343-1701
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