Itinerary

Day 1. Flight from London, Manchester or Birmingham to Antalya, via Istanbul. (We will tell you the flight options from the UK – expect your return fare to be around £250), where we will stay overnight close to the coast ready to commence birding early the next morning. Overnight in Manavgat or Antalya.

Day 2. BFO boat trip very early in the morning. At 05:00 we will start sailing in the Oymapınar Dam Lake, one of the deepest dam lakes of Turkey. Due to its clean water policies, the boats all run on natural gas and make very little noise. On the board we will visit different canyons and look for this enigmatic owl roosting in the trees growing on the solid rock. Later at 09:00 we will be back to the hotel for resting and a breakfast. Then we will move to the Taurus mountains and look for Cretzschmars Bunting, Rock Nuthatch, Krüper's Nuthatch, Crimson-winged Finch, Red-fronted Serin, Alpine Chough, Masked Shrike.

Day 3. Boat trip to BFO if needed again. If however we have succedded, as expected, on the first day, we will visit Akseki again, to look for the missing species of Mediterranean avifauna. We will continue driving towards Göksu Delta in the afternoon, over the mountains and look for Bimaculated Lark, Ruddy Shelduck and Isabelline Wheatear, plus other steppe species. Overnight in Konya /Karaman.

Day 4. Today we will spend some time in the most arid steppes of Konya basin. Long-legged Buzzard, Calandra Lark, Short-toed Lark and Lesser Kestrel are common birds of this landscape. We will try to visit some dried lakes to look for Greater Sand Plover, Lesser Short-toed Lark and other specialties. In the afternoon we will cross through the mountain passes to check for Egyptian Vulture and Black Kite, and drive along the deep valley of Göksu river. Overnight in Silifke.

Day 5. Our next birdwatching destination is the Goksu Delta Ramsar Site, an internationally important wetland; with over 335 species. Keeping our eyes on the sky, we will explore the area the whole day from sand dunes to salty lakes, from marshes to fresh lakes. Our primary species are Black Francolin, Spur-winged Plover, Graceful Prinia, Moustached Warbler, Ferruginous Duck, Red-crested Pochard, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Collared Pranticole. If lucky we may find Marbled Teal, Grey-headed Purple Swamphen and Audouin's Gull, as well as a host of passage waders, including Broad-billed Sandpiper and Temminck's Stint that should be on the migration at this time of the year. The area is also an important nesting ground for Green and Loggerhead Turtles, while any movement at sea may result in the rare Mediterranean Monk Seal. Overnight in Silifke.

Day 6. Early morning we will drive up to the Taurus mountains to Uzuncaburc at 1200 m., an area covered with dry maquis scrubland with ancient ruins, to look for west Mediterranean species, such as Olive-tree Warber, Rüppell's Warbler, Cretzschmar's Bunting and among many others, Krüper's Nuthatch which can be found in pine woods. We should see many of the specialties including Masked Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, and other rarities are possible. Late afternoon, we will continue to Aladaglar region by crossing the Taurus Mountains. We will overnight at the Safak Pension, a family guest house whose owner has now worked with visiting birders for over a decade. Enjoy your dinner, home made foods with sightseeing of Demirkazik Peak.

Day 7. Today we will make a very early start at 05.00AM for some exceptional birdwatching. We will climb via a tractor from 1500 m to ~3500 m (depending on seasonal snow level), to look for Caspian Snowcock and many alpine species at dawn. We shall watch out for Radde's Accentor, Crimson-winged Finch, Alpine Accentor, Red-fronted Serin and listen and look for Caspian Snowcocks and Chukars. Wallcreeper, Snowfinch, Alpine Chough, Chough, Finsch's Wheatear and raptors such as Golden Eagle are also among the local specialties. If anybody wishes, we can access a spectacular deep gorge by walking from mountaineer's path, but you will need to be fit to do that. During lunch we will look for Rose-coloured Starling, Olivaceous Warbler and some garden specialists in the orchards. In the afternoon we will walk another great valley of Aladaglar to look for species we have missed along the way. Second night in Safak Pension.

Day 8. We will try again for Caspian Snowcock, or alternatively visit another valley for missing species from the day before. In the afternoon we will focus on more missing speices and possibly explore the deeper parts of Emli Valley. Then we'll drive towards Adana, a six hour journey.

Day 9. From Adana we'll visit a spectacular place for White-throated, and Pied Kingfisher - almost the same spot. Also we will have a look at the biggest heron colony in Turkey, including Squacco and Night Heron, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Grey Heron, Little Bittern, Pygmy Cormorant all together over an island. Overnight in Adana

Day 10. In the morning we will spend our time in rocky hills, crags, and scrubby area nearby. After a good lunch we'll head to Mount Nermut. This is the place for Red-tailed Wheatear and in the foothills we will look for Greater Rock Nuthatch, Cinereous Bunting and Pale Rock Sparrow. In the scrub we will look for Upcher's Warbler,Sombre Tit, Orphean Warbler, White-throated Robin. Overnight in Adiyaman.

Day 11. Today we will spend some time in the arid countryside near Atatürk Dam Lake on the Euphrates where we will be 90 km north of Birecik and looking for the similar species. We will visit pistachio orchards in search of Rufous Bush Robin and Desert Finch. On the water front we will look for Dead-sea Sparrow, See-see Patridge, Desert Lark, Menetries Warbler and Olivaceous Warbler. Overnight Adıyaman

Day 12. In the early morning will visit a small town next to the water, to search for Little Swifts, Pygmy Cormorants, Pied Kingfisher and Bonelli's Eagle.
Drive back to Adiyaman for our return flight.