28 Jun 2015

28 June 15 - Birding The Pirate Beach

After a great boat trip watching the Brown Fish Owl, there was time for a quick look around the edges of the Green Canyon reservoir.
Steppe Buzzard: This is one of the Eastern subspecies known as Steppe Buzzard
We stopped briefly at the bridge just below the dam where there were a group of Red-rumped Swallows flying around.
Looking towards the dam
The river just below the dam
Red-rumped Swallow: Not the best of photos, but it is a Photo Tick
Soon after we were heading to the coast, for a spot of coastal Birding. No chance of any Seabirds at this time of year, but an excellent reminder of why I won't go on package beach holidays.
This was one of about ten boats just off the beach: The only impressive thing was how well sail technology had improved over the years as these boats were sailing with just the wind caught in the pirate flags!
We ended on by just behind a sandy beach to the East of where the Mangavat River enters the Mediterranean. Fortunately, this area hadn't been ruined as a tourist destination, but I do wonder how many years it has left before it will be developed. This would be a real shame as Soner said the area has produced a number of Turkish goodies over the years.
Little Ringed Plover: There was a pair just behind the beach
Rufous Bushchat: This was the star Bird at the site. We saw one or two in the dunes & several more in the Olive Trees as we leaving
Spur-winged Plover: Soon after we saw this Spur-winged Plover on a pool after we left the beach
There were a few interesting Insects around including quite a few Dark-winged Groundlings.
Dark-winged Groundling: This was a fairly common Dragonfly
But the best species at the beach was my first Crimson Speckled.
Crimson Speckled: This is found in Southern Europe & Africa. It is in the same genus as the equally stunning Heliotrope Moth that I saw on the Pacific trip last year which occurs in Borneo, Hong Kong to Australia, New Zealand & a number of Pacific islands
It was getting close to lunchtime as we headed towards the mountains & hills around Akseki. About halfway there were pulled over for a lunchtime snack. Being Ramadan, it wasn't away easy to find places open for food in the day, but Soner managed to do so.
Lunchtime snack stop
Lunch was a mixture of herbs & melted feta cheese in these wraps washed down with black tea: One of the best meals in the trip for me