The 6. may was the last day with our faroese guide Silas.
In the morning we started to drive to Nemrud Dagi. A special place for the Kurdish Wheatears.
On our way to the mountain we passed many old kurdish villages and a really clear river with hundred of swallows. We also noted a migration of raptors.
Nemrut Dagi is a 2150m high mountain in south-east Turkey. The area around the mountain is a national park. The mountain is a mix of sanctuary and gravesite form the King Antiochos I. Theos (69-36 B.C). This place was the center for a new religion. Slaves build with 300 000m³ of broken stones an hill (150m high and 45m wide) over the natural top of the mountain for the tomb. On the north, west and east side are platforms with statues of the king with grecian-persian gods. (read more about Nemrut Dagi: UNESCO)
Arrived in Nemrut Dagi we drove the street up to the top. Special birds during our way: many Kurdish Wheatears, albino Red-backed Shrike, roosting Orioles, White-throated Robin and Horned Larks
On the top we visited the monument of the old king. A beautiful view over the mountains and over the valley (behind the mountains - view of the turkish-syrian desert).
After this interesting trip we drove to a bee-eater colony to see the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. It was a really interesting and beautiful place. An old kurdish village with old agriculture methods. A wonderful place with an agriculture landscape, singing Quails, Corncrakes, Bee-eaters and a hunting Little Owl.
For the Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters we were really lucky! Well they were..
The Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters just arrived to the colony, turned over the hill and flew away. During this time I unfortunately stayed on the other side of the hill (because we split to search them). So I missed them..
For the end we enjoyed the sunset and drove to the airport to say goodbye to our guide.
Silas was a really interesting and funny person who knows a lot about birds, places, culture and photography!
& Most of the photos of the city/villages are made from the inside of the car. Becaus of two reasons:
-
We had no time to stop for photos.
- We didn't want to get to much attention.
Map
Birdlist
| | Latin | English | German | |
| 1. | Pternistis atrifrons | Black Francolin | Halsbandfrankolin | |
|
2. |
Alectoris chuckar | Chukar Partridge | Chukarhuhn | 1 |
|
3. |
Coturnix coturnix |
Common Quail |
Wachtel | |
| 4. | (+) Crex crex | Corn Crake | Wachtelkönig | |
|
5. |
Phalacrocorax pygmeus | Pygmy Cormorant | Zwergscharbe | |
|
6. |
Geronticus eremita | Northern Bald Ibis | Waldrapp | |
|
7. |
Buteo rufinus | Long-legged Buzzard | Adlerbussard | 2 |
|
8. |
Pernis apivorus | European Honey Buzzard | Wespenbussard | 2 |
|
9. |
Accipiter nisus | Eurasian Sparrowhawk | Sperber | |
|
10. |
Falco tinnunculus | Common Kestrel | Turmfalke | 2 |
|
11. |
Columba livia f. domestica | Feral Pigeon | Straßentaube | |
|
12. |
Streptopelia decaocto | Eurasian Collared Dove | Türkentaube | |
|
13. |
Streptopelia turtur | European Turtle Dove | Turteltaube | 2 |
|
14. |
Stretopelia senegalensis | Laughing Dove | Palmtaube | |
|
15. |
Cuculus canorus | Common Cuckoo | Kuckuck | 1 |
|
16. |
Athene noctua | Little Owl | Steinkauz |
|
| lillith | 1 | |||
|
17. |
Otus scops | Eurasian Scops Owl | Zwergohreule | 1 |
|
18. |
Apus apus | Common Swift | Mauersegler | |
|
19. |
Upupa epops | Eurasian Hoopoe | Wiedehopf | 1 |
|
20. |
Merops apiaster | European Bee-eater | Bienenfresser | >50 |
| 21. | (+) Merops persicus | Blue-cheeked Bee-eater | Blauwangenspint | 3 |
|
22. |
Coracias garrulus | European Roller | Blauracke | >20 |
|
23. |
Galerida cristata | Crested Lark | Haubenlerche | |
|
24. |
Calandrella brachydactyla | Greater Short-toed Lark | Kurzzehenlerche | >10 |
|
25. |
Melanocorypha calandra | Calandra Lark | Kalanderlerche | |
|
26. |
Eremophila alpestris | Horned Lark | Ohrenlerche |
|
|
|
Subspecies: penicillata | >10 | ||
| Subspecies: flava | 1 | |||
|
27. |
Riparia riparia | Sand Martin | Uferschwalbe | |
|
28. |
Hirundo rustica | Barn Swallow | Rauchschwalbe | |
|
29. |
Ceropis daurica | Red-rumped Swallow | Rötelschwalbe | |
|
30. |
Delichon urbicum | Common House Martin | Mehlschwalbe | |
|
31. |
Luscinia megahynchos | Common Nightingale | Nachtigall | 1 |
|
32. |
Irania gutturalis | White-throated Robin | Weißkehlsänger | >2 |
|
33. |
Oenanthe oenanthe | Northern Wheatear | Steinschmätzer | >20 |
|
34. |
Oenanthe hispanica |
|
|
|
| Subspecies: melanoleuca | Eastern Black-eared Wheatear | Balkansteinschmätzer | >10 | |
|
35. |
Oenanthe finschii | Finsch's Wheatear | Felsensteinschmätzer | >10 |
| 36. | (+) Oenanthe xanthoprymna | Kurdistan Wheatear | Rostbürzel-Steinschmätzer | >10 |
|
37. |
Monticola solitarius | Blue Rock Thrush | Blaumerle | |
|
38. |
Monticola saxatilis | Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush | Steinrötel | |
|
39. |
Iduna pallida | Eastern Olivaceous Warbler | Blassspötter | 2 |
|
40. |
Phylloscopus trochilus | Willow Warbler | Fitis | 5 |
|
41. |
Muscicapa striata | Spotted Flycatcher | Grauschnäpper | 1 |
|
42. |
Lanius collurio | Red-backed Shirke | Neuntöter | >150 |
|
43. |
Lanius senator | Woodchat Shrike | Rotkopfwürger | >50 |
|
44. |
Pica pica | Eurasian Magpie | Elster | |
| 45. | Corvus monedula | Western Jackdaw | Dohle | |
|
46. |
Pyrrhocorax garulus | Alpine Chough | Alpendohle | >10 |
|
47. |
Corvus cornix | Hooded Crow | Nebelkrähe | |
|
48. |
Oriolus oriolus | Eurasian Golden Oriole | Pirol | >30 |
|
49. |
Montifringilla nivalis | White-winged Snowfinch | Schneesperling | >10 |
|
50. |
Carduelis cannabina | Common Linnet | Bluthänfling | |
|
51. |
Carduelis carduelis | European Goldfinch | Stieglitz | |
| 53. | Emberiza cineracea | Cinereous Bunting | Türkenammer | >10 |
|
54. |
Emberiza calandra | Corn Bunting | Grauammer |
Photos
