Trip Report - Antalya, Türkiye

Brown Fish Owl: Antalya, offers excellent birding opportunities with a diverse range of species, including both resident and migratory birds. For anyone wanting to combine a decent birding trip with a family focused holiday, specifically a holiday with a small child this is perfect. We chose an all inclusive resort called Shearwood Dreams, witch offered a selection of swimming pools, a fairground and waterpark full of slides for Autumn. The main reason we chose this part of Türkiye was to see the brown fish owl.

Key areas for birdwatching include Iskele Parki, the Taurus Mountains, and areas around Side ancient ruins. April and May are generally good months for birding due to the spring migration.

The magnificent brown fish owl is one of the rarest owls in the Western Palearctic and is critically endangered in Europe. They are restricted to a small, disjunct range in southern Turkey and are known for its nocturnal habits and preference for mountainous habitats with mature pine trees bordering clean freshwater rivers or pools. 
Red-fronted Serin: The brown fish owl was thought to be extinct until 2004 when a small population was rediscovered at Oymapinar lake near Manavgat. The owl is difficult to spot due to its nocturnal nature and preference for remote, mountainous areas.

I booked a full days bid tour, which included the night time owl tour. The tour began at sunrise, taking advantage of the first light of day when many bird species are most active. I took a 30 minute taxi (50€) to meet Mehmet my bird guide before heading up to the eastern Taurus Mountains.





It took us about an hour to reach our first destination, a cedar forest edged with a dense pine forest that ran alongside a small river, it was here that we saw the Syrian woodpecker, not easy to see only managing several short views creeping up the trunks and a few breif flight view. This defiantly got me excited. 
The Taurus Mountains feature a large range of diverse habitats from Mediterranean scrub and forests to alpine zones, creating a biodiversity hotspot. These habitats include juniper-fir-oak forests, cedar forests, pine forests, and even maquis formations, with vegetation varying based on elevation and slope aspect. 



White-throated Robin: One area that we visited was the highest point of our journey took us to a small off-grid settlement, settled within the bare hills of Bozdağ Milli Parkı east of Konya. We drove straight to a well that fed a water trough.
Spur-winged Lapwing: This trough was leaking and forming small pools on the grassy patch under a tree. This water source was irresistible to the local birds and was pulling in small flocks of ortolan buntings, chaffinches, greenfinch, both serin species, European and red-fronted.  

Read and see more from my fantastic trio to Antalya, Türkiye in the Holiday and Trip Reports section at the botton my my blog or click this link.

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