Birecik and Halfeti
Birecik is a small village on the Euphrates close to the Syrian border that has long been famous among ornithologists as a site for Bald Ibis. The colony once bred on cliffs above the village but although free-flying ibis can still be seen in the area there are no longer any truly wild birds present. The ibis breeding station is run by the WWF and has a resident warden. It is located on the eastern bank just north of Birecik. The land along the river is heavily cultivated but there are patches of dense scrub in some areas and on sandbanks in the river. Away from the river the land is mainly scrub-covered and rocky hillsides and semi-desert with wadis.
Birders attracted here by the ibis have discovered a wealth of other species including several Middle Eastern specialities on the limits of their range and difficult to see elsewhere in the Western Palearctic. One of the best of these is Striated Scops Owl which can be seen in the tea-gardens in the south of the town along with Eurasian Scops and Long-eared Owl. Spotted Sandgrouse has been recorded in this area in recent years and may be regular.
Pied Kingfishers occur along the river and in early morning sandgrouse come to drink on the islands close to the ibis colony to the north of the town. Black-crowed Night Heron, Stone-curlew and Spur-winged Plover can also be seen on the river as well as terns. Further to the north of the town is a large and densely vegetated wadi where Dead Sea, Rock, Pale Rock and Yellow-throated Sparrows can be seen. M�n�tries' Warbler also occurs here and Eagle Owl is usually present. These owls are apparently intermediate between Eurasian and Desert Eagle Owls. Other birds of the area include Chukar and See-see Partridges, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Graceful Warbler and Desert Finch. Wheatears include Black-eared and Desert and larks include Greater and Lesser Short-toed, Bimaculated and Desert. Long-legged Buzzard are common in the area and Short-toed Eagle and Lesser Kestrel also occur. Rarities seen here have included White-tailed Plover and Spotted Sandgrouse, Sooty and Barbary Falcons have also been recorded and Barbary Falcon and Cream-coloured Courser is possibly regular and best looked for along the Birecik-Halfeti road.
The village of Halfeti lies about 40km to the north of Birecik where the Euphrates flows through a deep gorge with sheer cliffs. Egyptian Vulture and Bonelli's Eagle breed here as well as Little Swift, Red-rumped Swallow, Red-tailed Wheatear and both White-throated Robin and Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin. Also found here are both Rock Nuthatches, Cinereous Bunting and many of the species occurring at Birecik.
Birecik has hotel accommodation and is situated on the Gaziantep-Urfa road where it crosses the Euphrates. It is easily reached from Adana which has an airport. Halfeti is north of Birecik and can be reached by turning left about 5km east of Birecik. Halfeti has no hotels but there is a bus service between the two villages. The entire area has good birds but the best areas are probably those on the east bank, in particular the wadi to the north of town and the sand-pits to the south. The ibis colony is north of the town and well signposted. May is by far the best time to visit, any earlier and some of the migrants will not yet be present and any later will be too hot.
Birds
Birds you can see here include:
White Stork, Black-crowned Night Heron, Bald Ibis, Black Kite, Egyptian Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, Bonelli's Eagle, Osprey, Lesser Kestrel, Northern Hobby, Barbary Falcon, Chukar Partridge, See-see Partridge, Black Francolin, Stone-curlew, Cream-coloured Courser, Little Ringed Plover, Spur-winged Plover, Gull-billed Tern, Little Tern, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Laughing Dove, Striated Scops Owl, Eurasian Scops Owl, Eurasian/Desert Eagle Owl, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Long-eared Owl, European Nightjar, Little Swift, Pied Kingfisher, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, European Bee-eater, European Roller, Hoopoe, Syrian Woodpecker, Desert Lark, Bimaculated Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Crested Lark, Red-rumped Swallow, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, White-throated Robin, Isabelline Wheatear, Black-eared Wheatear, Desert Wheatear, Finsch's Wheatear, Red-tailed Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Cetti's Warbler, Graceful Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Upcher's Warbler, [[M�n�tries' Warbler]], Orphean Warbler, Eastern Rock Nuthatch, Western Rock Nuthatch, Sombre Tit, Woodchat Shrike, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Dead Sea Sparrow, Pale Rock Sparrow, Yellow-throated Sparrow, Rock Sparrow, Desert Finch, Cinereous Bunting, Black-headed Bunting
Content and images originally posted by Steve
