Liz and myself decided on a relaxing beach holiday for 2019. We normally holiday here in late Autumn.
Uzumlu village (Yesiluzumlu) is located 16 km from Fethiye. Time stops here allowing you to enjoy the mountain scenery. The name Uzumlu is translated from Turkish as "grape" (Yesiluzumlu - green grape) – excellent local wine is produced here and juicy grapes decorate the terrace houses until late autumn. It is a true paradise with the emerald - green meadows and picturesque mountains covered with dense fairy forests. The real Turkish Tuscany!
The locals cordially smile and say hello like old friends. The narrow old streets, stone houses of Ottoman style often overgrown with ivy. Our apartment is situated on the outskirts of the village along side Olive groves, overgrown hedgerows and scattered fig trees.
In the mountains above the village of Uzumlu Fethiye archaeologists discovered the remains of an ancient Roman settlement - Lycian Cadianda, it’s ruins date back to the 5th century BC.
All the birds depicted here were seen from the balcony, garden or even poolsdide.
Resident Little Owls. This was partially a surprise as we have only ever seen one individual Little Owl. It often sits on the terracotta roof and terrorises the fairly large population of House sparrows. This visit was nice as we actually got to see two birds, eventually they settled down one evening just before dusk on the Olive grove gate.
Uzumlu village (Yesiluzumlu) is located 16 km from Fethiye. Time stops here allowing you to enjoy the mountain scenery. The name Uzumlu is translated from Turkish as "grape" (Yesiluzumlu - green grape) – excellent local wine is produced here and juicy grapes decorate the terrace houses until late autumn. It is a true paradise with the emerald - green meadows and picturesque mountains covered with dense fairy forests. The real Turkish Tuscany!
The locals cordially smile and say hello like old friends. The narrow old streets, stone houses of Ottoman style often overgrown with ivy. Our apartment is situated on the outskirts of the village along side Olive groves, overgrown hedgerows and scattered fig trees.
In the mountains above the village of Uzumlu Fethiye archaeologists discovered the remains of an ancient Roman settlement - Lycian Cadianda, it’s ruins date back to the 5th century BC.
All the birds depicted here were seen from the balcony, garden or even poolsdide.
Resident Little Owls. This was partially a surprise as we have only ever seen one individual Little Owl. It often sits on the terracotta roof and terrorises the fairly large population of House sparrows. This visit was nice as we actually got to see two birds, eventually they settled down one evening just before dusk on the Olive grove gate.
Little Owls
on the roof of our apartment
on the telegraph pole
and on the Olive grove gates
at dusk the pair
The Eastern Orphean Warbler is a garden regular in the summer although in small numbers. This year just a few individuals spent the first week in the overgrown bushes just outside the garden. The first image shows well the heavily marked under-tail coverts, a good ID indicator for this species. I think the next three images show female, male, female of the same species.
Eastern Orphean Warbler
Eastern Olivacious Warbler
The Eastern Olivacious Warbler is easily the most prominent large Warbler in the area during the summer. This year I counted at least 10+ birds, including a family with two juveniles being fed. The constant tuk tuk tuk can be heard from most overgrown bushes although they tend to be elusive when foraging deep within the vegetation only briefly coming out into the open.
Really happy to have three Masked Shrike individuals knocking around the area around our apartments garden. They showed up mostly before dusk so I presume they had a roost very close by. They would perch up during the day at various prominent trees and bushes often out of camera range. So was good to see these while I enjoyed an evening chilled beer after the beach.
Masked Shrike
a juvenile utilising the Olive grove gate, this turned out to be a good perch for a dozen species
Lad and Dad
Only a single Woodchat Shrike was seen in the immediate area. It never crossed paths into the Masked Shrikes territory but ran immediately along side it. This fella was a little more skittish that the Masked Shrikes, but allowed me a few opportunities for images for retreating way off into the otherside of the cultivated fields.
Woodchat Shrike
Jays are always in large numbers in Uzumulu village and certainly more conspicuous than Jays that I come across (or not) in the UK. Noisy, aggressive, openly flirtive and a very stylish bird. The species in Turkey is known for its black cap
Jay - Garrulus glandarius atricapillus
on our garden fence
Syrian Woodpeckers are normally in good numbers around the village although the area around the apartment has seen fewer birds in the last few years as a few trees seem to have disappeared. However this summer saw as many as I have ever seen. Always giving a call before taking flight so are very easy to keep track of where an individual is. These two birds were just outside the apartment.
Syrian Woodpecker
Not as many individuals Black Redstarts as normal, in the autumn upto a dozen can be seen in ta single field, this summer only two individuals were seen. Both outside the apartment in a cultivated field.
Black Redstart
Alpine Swift
These were in fantastic numbers above the aprtment for the first week, numbers thinning out greatly by the end of the second week.
I can get Krupers Nuthatch in the forest immediately outside the village about a 15 minute walk up a small mountain \ hill, it was way too hot for walking, so although these Krupers Nuthatch are not actually around the apartment they were on the Cadianda road about a mile outside the village. Stunning species and was pleased to see two individuals in the same tree.
Krupers Nuthatch
other birds seen from the Balcony were Laughing Dove, Collared Dove, Blackbird, Sombre Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Crested lark, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Short-toed Eagle, Hooded Crow, Common House Martin, Spotted Flycatcher, Spanish Sparrow, Raven, Mistle Thrush, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Red-rumped Swift (dozens daily)
No comments:
Post a Comment