SW Turkey (family Hols with a touch of birding) (1 Viewer)

[wolfbirder]

Hey I am really pleased you connected. The problem with giving detail in reports is that you never know how reliable they are year round.

It's a lot of driving and if the info subsequently shows to be out of date you feel quite guilty.

Those shorelarks are certainly eye-catching. And the RF Serins and especially the Finsch's Wheatears are superb.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

It's been brilliant, Nick.

Regarding the driving, the distances are deceptive. I'm at Dalyan and it's just on two hours to Seki, what with traffic lights on the road towards the Kas turn-off, speed restrictions (ignored by locals) on the dual carriageway upgrades, etc. Two hours driving, yet it's only about 60 miles.

I'm thinking of a return visit next spring, but two or three weeks earlier. We arrived just before midnight on 10th May and I've hardly seen a migrant, which is probably a bit of a blessing because I could concentrate on the 'common or garden' birds that were new for me on my first trip to the Eastern Med.

I've seen some good birds, about 15 lifers. I've not counted them yet, but I was expecting about that number for the trip, so I'm happy. If I'd not had a trip to Sharm before the Arab Spring ballsed things up some of the birds I've revisited this trip, such as Ruppell's warbler would have been new, but the in-you face views of Ruppell's I've had here wipe the floor with the three second glimpse and a photo of a disappearing tail and under coverts I got at Ras Mohammed in 2010.

PS. Sheep dogs.
They are different here from what we are used to, cute border collies called Sam and stuff like that. I know people have referred to them before, but here's my two penn'orth.

I went up to Kinik as a start point for the first visit to the Korkuteli hills. What a nice place it is! White-throated robins jumping up all aver the place and a red squirrel on a roof next to the track that scampered away just as I picked up my camera. Beyond the village there was a really obliging Ruppells warbler singing from the tops of the bushes. Birding heaven.

On the way back down it was different, a huge yellow hound came bounding out of a yard and ran barking next to my open window as we passed. I used the tried and tested method of ignoring it beyond telling it to shut the f up and drove on. I was rather surpised to see it in my mirror attacking the rear wheel arch of the car. When we next made a stop I was amazed to see that there were two teeth holes right through the plastic rear trim.

Yesterday as we were travelling towards your Finsch's site there was a flock of sheep on the road that we slowed down for. I was gratefull for the wagon that was heading in the opposite direction. That was the vehicle, rather than mine that attracted the attention of yet another yellow monster that jumped up at it, biting its wheel-arches. These dogs must like the taste of mudguard.

On the way back down we passed the same flock and we saw the first dog's pal. Just as big and just as yellow, but with a cuter face. The effect of cuteness was somewhat reduced by its collar, which consisted of a double row of what looked like 4 or 6 inch nails (pics to follow). Are there still wolves in the hills there?

 

[DalyanBirder]

Lol re sheep dogs they normally go after motorbikes lucky you were in a car!!!!! it sounds like you encountered a Sivas Kangal did it look like this



This is a picture of our Kangal, she is a big softy and can put her paws on my shoulders and look me in the face (I am about 5' 10") she weighs in at around at 52kgs (males are bigger) never chased or bitten a car either

And yes there are still wolves in Turkey but they are over to the east of the country.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Lol re sheep dogs they normally go after motorbikes lucky you were in a car!!!!! it sounds like you encountered a Sivas Kangal did it look like this

View attachment 444528

This is a picture of our Kangal, she is a big softy and can put her paws on my shoulders and look me in the face (I am about 5' 10") she weighs in at around at 52kgs (males are bigger) never chased or bitten a car either

And yes there are still wolves in Turkey but they are over to the east of the country.

That's the one. A big, cuddly looking thing.

 

[angusmcoatup]

A few years back I spent 8 days birding my way,using buses,walking and a bit of hitching, from Antalya to Ankara. I'd started off shouting "Otur!" (Sit, in Turkish) at the various rabid slavering hellhounds barring my way.By the 3rd day I was carrying a pocket full of large stones, on the 4th I ended up with what I think was a discarded fence post. I didn't have to use them but it hopefully gave me a mild element of threat.

It certainly adds to the camera/Bins dilemma when you're also juggling a rock and fence post.

 

[wolfbirder]

Scary beasts indeed. One virtually head butted my car in the korkutelli hills. It is always worth looking around before getting out of the car in Turkey!

 

[chris butterworth]

I've still got a scar on my thigh from one of those buggers that went for me just east of Van Golu back in 1976. I was young enough, and daft enough to think I'd be able to dive through the car window to escape. A stout stick - and brown trousers - were my constant companions after that.

Chris

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Now this is what I call a dog collar. It's not actually made with nails, as I can see now that I've got the photos on my own computer, but I'd not like to tangle with it. (Taken with a 400mm lens at range during a very, very brief stop. I wasn't taking any chances with this one).

There was a bit of a temperature shock when I collected my own car from the airport lust after 1.30 this morning. It had ice all over the windscreen. Turkey, where are you now?

 

[wolfbirder]

It's actually been quite nice last two days but here in the Midlands it was like winter on Friday.

Welcome home!

 

[Barred Wobbler]

A beautiful day here today too Nick. I've just come in from Druridge Bay where I've been wandering about in a T shirt.

Almost June and the alders and other bushes there are still short of leaves.

Here's one from this afternoon. I'll be putting a report of my Turkish visit together once I've deleted a few hundred photos and filed the rest.

 

[chris chapleo]

Thanks for all the postings guys - great reading - I must admit that I was pretty wary of the reputation of those sheepdogs too ..... To the point where I felt a bit anxious if I was more than a few hundred metres from the car- it's not like there's many trees to shin up in some places there. To be fair didn't see many but always amazes me how dogs (and shepherd types) can just appear when you think you are miles from anywhere !

Anyway this thread has been great for sharing specific and up to date info so thanks again

Chris

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Back in the UK for a fortnight and I went into my local last weekend. There was an extended family group in the back room with a bairn in a push-chair. When they came out to go home there was a rather large dog wearing a muzzle with them. My view was a bit obscured by my mates, but I was impressed by its size.

I asked its owner whether he measured his dog in hands. He laughed and then I got a better view of it.

"Is that one of those car-biters I saw in Turkey?" said I and told him the story.

It was, but this was one of the cuddly ones. He had taken the muzzle off and me and the dog became great pals.

It turns out they know Dalyan very well. They stay there often.

Small world.

I want to go back.

 

[John o'Sullivan]

I was up a mountain some-where or other around Azap Golu and had parked up the hire car alongside some track in the middle of no-where.

Over the crest of the hill came a horde of goats and sheep. The sheep saw me sat quietly on a rucksack/stool affair with my telescope up and decided I was the scariest thing they had ever seen in their life and stampeded away down the hill (I was sat overlooking a valley raptor watching). As more sheep came over the hill they all stampeded as well, there were sheep blundering straight through bushes, falling over in heaps, crashing into each other whilst the goats just carried on being goats, eating, chewing, generally being calm.

Over the hill then came 5 rough looking shepherds and a pack of afore mentioned nail collared festooned, slavering beasts.

I'm still sat still on the stool trying to emphasise that I had nothing to do with the sheeps stupidity and hoping I'm not going to get a kicking/eaten by beasts for causing mayhem when the lead Ram of the flock came careering down the track dragging a length of stout chain attached to a stake of wood.

To make things worse the stake managed to lodge itself behind the back wheel of the car. The prize Ram kept going but suddenly ran out of slack chain. No word of a lie its momentum took it right up in the air until its four feet were pointing skywards with its head now pointing back where it had just come from.

It came crashing down in a heap on its back.

Now I thought I was definitely likely to become embroiled in an international incident of some sort.

The nearest shepherd however simply unhooked the stake from the back of the car and shrugged his shoulders.

I'm convinced even though I don't speak Turkish he said in a very phlegmatic manner "Sheep are F##king Stupid aren't they" and off the very calm shepherds, dogs and goats plus a somewhat dazed Ram wandered of following after the sounds of a still stampeding, now disappeared sheep flock.