First time I went to Turkey in full spring. My company was nearly the same as during the 2010 trip: the birdwatchers Peter, Hans and Ilona, our friend and guide Matty, and me; Wil was the only new participant. There were two 'must-sees' for the birders: the Brown fish owl and a subspecies of the white-backed woodpecker. The Brown fish owl was a kind of 'cannot-miss-it', as it is very home-loving, predictably resting in the Greek Strawberry Tree. And indeed we spotted it the very first morning... But the woodpecker was a harder nut to crack! While we heard its call on the third day, the birders had to search three days before Peter was finally enjoyed by the sight of the woodpecker. Meanwhile I followed the route chosen by the birders, watching for lichens. My change of interest was fortuitous, as the weather wasn't very conducive for insect hunting. Luckily, there is no shortage of lichens in Turkey, quite the opposite: an amazing diversity of lichens occupied me most of the time. But of course interesting insects were not forgotten... (N.b.: most identifications of lichens are rather tentative. Special thanks to Andre Aptroot and Volker John for most identifications!) Click any of the stars on the map and you will get a short photo impression of the site. |
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