Southwest Turkey A Greentours Trip Report 21st March – 2nd April 2010 Led by Başak Gardner Day 1 Journey to Antalya 21.03.10 I met the group at the airport and directly drove to the hotel. It was around 10 pm. Day 2 Journey to Ibradı 22.03.10 With good news from the meteorology the tour started. Alpine Swifts were flying around and Yellow-vented Bulbuls were singing from the roof as we were having our breakfast by the pool. A very short visit to the bank to change and get some money gave a chance for the group to take some pictures of the castle walls and gate. We even did some botanizing. The walls of the very old houses in the old town were almost covered by Cymbalaria longipes. We were on the road before 10 am and our first stop was by a graveyard where Pyrus serikensis, which is an endangered endemic pear tree, was in full bloom. But the main plant we were looking for was a bit over, however we managed to find some fresh reticulately-patterned Iris masia. Along with these were some Muscari comosum, Anemone coronaria and a single plant of Gladiolus italicus. Val spotted our first butterfly an Eastern Festoon and both Large White and Orange Tip were also seen as well as Danford’s Lizard. We made another stop both to have lunch and to look for some Ophrys. Along an old track by the picnic site we encountered many Ophrys mammosa spikes in good flower. We had a good lunch with some Turkish tea our driver prepared for us among the Bellis annua flowers. Driving along the road stopping for several photo stops we reached our destination for many good species. First we noted Hyacinthella heldreichii and a lovely Gagea peduncularis and searching the area a bit more produced a nice Fritillaria elwesii and several spikes of Orchis anatolica. Daphne sericea impressed everyone by its showy pink flowers and nice scent. We turned back from this point stopping once more to photograph a fully flowered Cercis siliquastrum with a superb view of Taurus Mountains. Back on the main road to Akseki another stop by some rock boulders produced the plant of the day for me, Muscari muscarimi. Although they required a little bit of climbing everyone managed to photograph the sweetly scented plants. I wish there was a way to paste this scent to the pictures There were other Muscari species waiting for us further along the Ibradi road now. Muscari anatolicum with white tips to the flowers and Muscari armeniacum with its nice purplish blue 1 colour were flowering on the same hillside. Just before we left Val spotted another Fritillaria that turned out to be Fritillaria elwesii again. Soon we were at the hotel where the friendly owners had prepared a traditional dinner for us. It didn’t take long to get relaxed after dinner in the warm room. Day 3 Gembos Yayla 23.03.10 Our welcoming owner prepared a great breakfast full of local tastes and a speciality home made flat bread with cheese and parsley in it. We departed for Gembos with full sunshine. As we climbed the spectacular clear views of mountains made us stop several times picking up Green-veined White as the first butterfly of the day. The reason for our next stop were sunbathing Agamas on the rocks. Jay, Mistle Thrush, Serin and Coal Tits were flitting around the impressive Cedrus libani and Abies cilicica trees some with Viscum album on them. When we examined a bit closer around us we found Viola heldreichiana flowering right by the van. As we were driving to our main location we spotted Hoopoe and White Wagtail. Our main location was such a heaven. We had just enough time before lunch to examine some of the area looking first at Eranthis hyemalis as it was the main plant in the area. Among them there were many Crocus hybrids between Crocus chrysanthus and Crocus biflorus ssp. isauricus. We managed to find a few pure Crocus biflorus ssp. isauricus. Scilla bifolia were at their best flowering under the shades of trees. Corydalis wendelboi, Gagea foliosa and Ornithogalum oligophyllum were the other beauties of the area. We had a good look at Krüper’s Nuthatch before we had lunch by a very old Juniper tree. After lunch we stayed in the same area, maybe just one hundred metres further back. Both sides of the main road were covered by Crocus chrysanthus and some hybrids too. In a small wet area we encountered some Colchicum szovitzii and Ranunculus ficaria. We started to walk up hill towards snow patches slowly and had to stop every five minutes to photograph something on the ground. On this side of the hill we also noted white and blue colored Anemone blanda. A few Rock Buntings showed well as well as Chaffinches and as I was showing the impressive cones of Juniperus drupacea a Rock Nuthatch screamed and revealed himself. A huge group of Alpine Choughs flew across as we heading towards the top of the hill where another very nice surprise was waiting for us with what we all decided that was the best Crocus biflorus ssp. isauricus clump of the day. Finally we decided to go back and made several stops by the very old houses in the town also seeing a Syrian Woodpecker very well. Dinner was taken in the cosy dining room. Day 4 Uzumdere, Kuyucak, Bademli 24.03.10 We had a very productive early birdwatching session starting with several Syrian Woodpeckers tapping, drumming and screaming, then good views of two Lesser-spotted 2 Woodpeckers. Walking in the orchards we saw a singing Rüppell’s Warbler and Jay, Corn Bunting and Bonelli’s Warbler were also seen during the session. After another good breakfast and just before we arrived at the Manavgat River a big flock of Alpine Swifts flew over. We first stopped by the river to examine the rocks on the side with Conringia grandiflora and Valeriana dioscoridis that were attractive to butterflies like Brimstone and Orange Tip. We made three more brief stops along the river the first for another good view of Rüppell’s Warbler, the second was for a huge worn moth very similar to an Emperor Moth and the third to search for Iris pamphylica among the rocks. When we met the river again we stopped where Thalictrum orientale was showing well for photographers. On the side of a little stream two Large Tortoiseshells were fluttering. Driving through Pine forest we criss-crossed little rivers several times before we reached our lunch spot where we could also see Romulea bulbocodium ssp. crocea. A group of them were shining in the sun giving good shots to everyone. Val saw a female Lacerta pamphylica that quickly disappeared. We were on the road again intent on finding Iris stenophylla but when we came to the location, we saw that all Iris were finished already but Fritillaria pinardii were all flowering instead. It was getting cool and late so we returned to the hotel giving some time for checklists before dinner. Day 5 Cimi Yayla 25.03.10 The sun was shining again this morning as we were having our breakfast and it stayed with us all day. We headed for Cimi Yayla. Our first few stops produced great birds such as Finsch’s Wheatear and Black-eared Wheatear and there was a fresh Nettle-tree Butterfly flying together with Large Tortoiseshell. Passing through the fields we arrived at a rocky area where we encountered Muscari anatolicum in the crevices, a male Rüppell’s Warbler was singing beautifully on top of an Abies tree and there were also Coal Tits around. Some of us had to chase a False Apollo for a while to get a good pose. In the open area a little bit further on we saw the interesting Berberidaceae family member Leontice leontopetalum flowering well. Shortly after moving we stopped again seeing a Snowfinch briefly and there were Rock Nuthatch and Sombre Tit as well. We drove up to almost 1600 meters and found a good spot for lunch by a spring. Checking the area we encountered many bulbs again. A very deep coloured Crocus hybrid (Crocus biflorus subspecies isauricus X Crocus chrysanthus) was good to see and a pure yellow Crocus chrysanthus was photographed at the same spot as well. Ornithogalum weidemannii was flowering too and there were many Leontice leontopetalum still in bud. After lunch we walked down for a while which was very productive first watching a Northern Wheatear, then views of Krüper’s Nuthatch, Sombre and Coal Tit and Chiffchaff in a small area made all of us happy. Peter even managed to get a good picture of Sombre Tit. Walking down the road just by the roadside we found a small colony of Corydalis oppositifolia and on the other side of the road there was a superb big rock full with so many colours of Muscari armeniacum 3 and Muscari anatolicum, Aubrieta canescens and Silene aegyptiaca. The light was also superb which I am sure helped everyone’s pictures. We were back in the bus to make our way back home. Two brief stops for Asphodeline lutea and very clear views of Finsch’s Wheatear were made and then we made one last stop for cultural purposes by the village of Cimi before we drove back to Ibradi where visiting the old graveyard of Ibradi produced Fritillaria elwesii and Muscari caucasicum. There was also time to visit the monumental Sweet Chestnut Tree that is said to be 850 years old.