Wild Images, a division of Birdquest, specializes in wildlife photographic tours worldwide. Wild Images' exciting programme of tours includes both group and individual departures, and features such destinations as Hungary, Spitsbergen, Tanzania (Serengeti & Ngorongoro), India, Japan, Baja California, the Galapagos, Antarctica, South Georgia & The Falklands and the Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand & Australia. Click on the picture above to visit the Wild Images website.
end of navigationWelcome to Birdquest
THE CAUCASUS, TURKEY & CYPRUS
The Ultimate Western Palearctic Combination
Saturday 14th May -
Wednesday 1st June 2011
(19 days)
Leader:
Simon Harrap
Group Size Limit: 12
Tour Category: Tour Category: Easy to Moderate (and one or two optional fairly Demanding hikes)
The handsome Caucasian Great Rosefinch is one of two birds endemic to these mountains (Paul Ellis)
(Note: This is a summary of the tour. For more information please download the detailed itinerary. The button is at the top right of the page.)
We wanted to devise an itinerary that would take in the numerous endemic and other key specialities of this ornithologically and scenically exciting part of the world in a single tour, and here it is! This splendid itinerary will produce more specialities than any other Western Palearctic bird tour.
The Caucasus in Georgia is an exciting destination for anyone with an interest in Palearctic birds, providing a great opportunity to see a number of specialities amidst some truly superb scenery.
Georgia was for centuries a Christian bulwark that resisted the Muslim tide that swept across Asia Minor, the Caucasus and deep into Russia. After a long and turbulent history, Georgia is now an independent republic following the collapse of the Soviet Union and fiercely keen to maintain its hard-won independence.
During our time in Georgia we will concentrate on the high Caucasus range. A mixture of necessity and cultural ties led Georgia first to forge alliances with Czarist Russia and ultimately to seek union with her much larger neighbour. The Georgian Military Highway, which we shall explore as it winds its way across the highest mountain range in Europe (yes, Europe ends here!), was first built to facilitate troop movements, but it now provides visiting birders with access to some of the most spectacular mountain country on earth. The splendid Caucasian Snowcock and Caucasian Great Rosefinch are endemic to this one range, which also holds the most northerly populations of Caucasian Grouse and Caucasian Chiffchaff and the most westerly population of Güldenstädt’s Redstart, while other specialities include Armenian Gull, Green Warbler, Wallcreeper, White-winged Snowfinch, Red-fronted Serin and the interior Asian form of the Twite (a potential split).
Moving westwards, we come to Turkey. 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 Europe, North Africa and Western 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. An attractive added dimension to this classic itinerary is a short visit to nearby Cyprus in order to see this beautiful island’s two endemic breeding species.
We begin our journey in the arid landscapes of southeast Turkey, within striking distance of the great Arabian Desert. Here we will explore 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. We shall also 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.
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 we 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.
Birdquest has operated tours to Turkey since 1981, to the Caucasus since 1982 and to Cyprus since 1995.
Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels are of normal Birdquest standard throughout, although the hotel at Stepantsminda is at the simpler end of the range. Road transport is by small coach and roads are nowadays mostly good.
Walking: The walking effort in the Caucasus is mostly moderate, but there will be one optional fairly strenuous hike. The walking effort in Turkey and Cyprus 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 (and it could even snow at the highest altitudes).
Bird Photography: Opportunities are quite good.
Part-Tour Option: Subject to space being available, we can accept bookings for the Caucasus section only or for the Turkey and Cyprus section only. Please contact us for further information.
Linking Birdquests: This tour can be linked with Wild Spain in 2011. Please contact us for further information.
Pricing
Pricing is available in £ | $
Tour Price: $5130 Tbilisi/Istanbul. Price includes all transportation (excluding Tbilisi-Istanbul and Istanbul-Gaziantep 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: $567.
Deposit: $520. If booking more than 12 months before departure, the initial deposit is only $220.
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 Tbilisi-Istanbul and Istanbul-Gaziantep airfares are most easily incorporated into your international ticket, but we can supply these tickets separately on request.
Pricing is available in £ | $
The gorgeous Güldenstädt's Redstart breeds up amongst the alpine scree of the Caucasus, but descends to the buckthorn bushes in poor weather (Paul Ellis)
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 gorgeous Masked Shrike is a fairly common breeding species in southern Turkey (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)
Caucasian Grouse is a shy, near-endemic inhabitant of the steepest slopes, rarely allowing a close approach (Paul Ellis)
The mournful cries of the endemic Caucasian Snowcock carry great distances (Paul Ellis)
Green Warbler breeds from the Caucasus and northeast Turkey to the region east of the Caspian (Paul Ellis)
Armenian Gull is a speciality of this part of the world (Paul Ellis)
Lesser Spotted Eagles breed in the forests of northern Turkey and the Caucasus (Paul Ellis)
The bulky Long-legged Buzzard is a common raptor of the Turkish interior (Paul Ellis)
Birdquest LLC, 3721 Executive Center Drive, Suite 268, Austin, TX 78731
Ph: 512-343-1700, Fax: 512-343-1701
top of pageWebsite crafted by the Accent Design Group.
|
|
|
|