The big five....... for this evening

Over the last few weeks I have been visiting an unspecified site a short drive from home to watch a fabulous Long -eared Owl. Myself and a friend have had the site pretty much to our selves. We watch from the roadside overlooking the area where the owl hunts approx 150-200 meters away.

Last night we were able to see the LEO complete a foodpass to its partner within a thinned out section of the wood. The male continued to hunt for long periods even coming closer to the roadside than we have seen before..... fantastic. 

During the last few visits a single Barn Owl has also hunted in the exact same area, last night it put on a fabulous display for 20 minutes.

Not to be outdone in the same woodland a pair of Tawny Owls called and gave fabulous views..... all this is within a 300 meter section of woodland and moorland *** Added bonus, a Common Cuckoo arrived and sat on top of one of the immature pine trees directly in front of us. 

To complete the evening we went to our regular site for European Nightjar, just before dusk a bird gave the distinctive call and made a small flight infront of us, it had got a little chilly so we called it a day.

2 hours and 5 fabulous species 

face-europe project

 A chance meeting of this lovely couple: 

Today Liz and myself decided to retrace some footsteps of a few years ago with a day trip picnic to Saklikent gorge in Mugla province SW Turkey. 

Well, we very nearly made it but took a slight detour to Gizlikent Waterfall which lies a few miles north of Saklikent Gorge. We took the 100s of steps down to the river and prepared to face a torturous walk through the rocky and slippery stream when we were met by a couple coming the otherway (Little did we know that we would bump into them again a few hours later). Their only greeting was to confirm that "you will feel the pain in the soles of your feet..... Good luck"

Of course they were right. The way to access the waterfall is through the gorge and stream bare-footed if you didnt bring any water shoes along.

Upon our return to dryland and the relief of putting socks and shoes back on we completed our trip to Saklikent for our Picnic. We then drove to a quiet spot alongside the river to soak up the sunshine.... the peace was broken when a weird looking bus decked out in bright blue and yellow livery parked up along side us. 

Ahha ...... we immediate recognized the couple, they were the great predictors of forthcoming sore feet, indeed they recognised us too and asked to join us. The next few hours were pretty cool, learning a little about each others life and interests.  

It turns out that Wifried Konig and Lisbeth Loffler had a far more interesting story to tell. They are five years into an originally planned five year project, however the project and fun is still way off finishing so the open highways are still being traveled, probably for a few years more.

In short Wilfried is an artist who with his partner and incredible mobile home has taken his art to the people, well, to Europe and the people. The mobile home, Art Studio, Coffee shop, Chat Room, Herb garden, Repair shop and just about everything else you can imagine is painted in the distinctive colours of the European Union. However where the Union flag has yellow stars against a blue background, there mobile home has yellow country silhouettes of all countries visited. Then alongside each countries silhouette are the signatures of the people who have been captured on canvas.

It was a great chance meeting, I will certainly follow their future itinerary, who knows where they will travel too in the future (they dont even know yet) and you can follow too here.. face-europe project

Great respect to them both.... completely free spirits

and follow by blog here blog of face-europe

Lisbeth with Fredi the mascot

Elizabeth, Lisbeth and Wilfried

and of course me taking the group selfie

the mobile European Union van and face-europe

 

Yesiluzumlu - Village birdlife

 Its nearly Spring and that means it will soon be time for my first visit back to Yesilulumlu in south Western Turkey. 

Below are a selection of images of some of the birds that visit my garden or are around the village.

Year round resident Jay which are very abundant in the olive groves and farmland at the back of outr house

Little Owl pair that live in the eaves of our house

Syrian Woodpecker is also resident close to our garden and abundant around the village

Some Spring and summer migrants

Alpine Swift

Eastern Oliveacous Warbler breeds in the garden

Masked Shrike

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (also now and again a Green Woodpecker too)

Woodchat Shrike (and Red backed Shrike)

Eastern Orphean Warbler

Black Redstart

Other regulars in the garden are Collared Dove, Hooded Crow, Blackbird, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Blackcap, Spotted Flycatcher, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Serin, Sombre Tit, White Wagtail, House Martins, Red Rumped Swallow, Golden Oriole (a few times) while in the Winter Woodlarks come to the Olive groves and small orchards along our lane.

Local (ish) Hawfinch

 It has been five years since I last saw a Hawfinch, well at least an alive one. * I did see a stuffed one in a antique shop window last year.... perched next to a Snow Bunting also long since passed.

Anyway, I follow a county bird sighting group to see what is seen on any particular day, when to my surprise a Hawfinch had been sighted at a site that I visit only once a month. It throws up just the very odd "good" bird at best once a year. 

Work commitments didn't allow me a visit until today, so after six days of repeated sightings I was on site at Tittesworth Reservoir as daylight broke. Half a dozen patch birders were around and within ten minutes I got a sighting of not one but two......  

My camera now resides in Turkey awaiting my visit in early spring so I managed a few shots with a little compact camera on x200. 

Great bird to wake up to on any Sunday morning, was only matched by a low flying Peregrine Falcon directly overhead.

A very very distant Hawfinch sat feeding in a Field Maple tree

The best I could do handheld at x200 and x100 and in poor light

Cadianda - yesiluzumlu - (Pt 2 Lycian ruins)

In my last post I gave details of the periods of habitation from the 5th century BC through the Hellenistic and Roman periods to the 7th century AD.  

So once you have driven or walked to the summit of the pine forested hill you reach the ancient settlement of Cadianda. 

A little mist on the way up, but fantastic pine forest near the summit and a very drivable track that has been improved vastly during recent years

Once on the site, most of the well marked route is easily followed although there is a little scrambling over a few walls along the way.

Cadianda Necropolis is dotted around the hill side close to the city walls, some of the burial chambers are now open chambers while some are still partially closed.

the amount of structures that still lie beneath the ground and out of sight is unknown however this part of the Necropolis shows some chambers partially buried .... if you pardon the pun. 

As you walk past the necropolis and gain more height on the mountain side you will pass some parts of the lower city walls.

walking further on you will next come to the Heroon (a shrine dedicated to a past hero or person of importance).     

                     

The platform is still in very good condition but debris of plinths, pillars and some incredible sculptured stonework lie abandoned and in disarray

Parts of the upper city walls

and the view towards the Taurus Mountains

Next on the trail is the Agora (a meeting place)

and then the Hamam (Communal baths)

The for me one of the best structures on site is the Stadium. 

It doesn't take much imagination to see the running or throwing area (although the tree dead center would probably irritate any competitors), while on one side the incredibly preserved stadium seats and probably a competitors bath or changing area at the end.

the Temple remains can just about be seen behind the stadium seating in the forest

the magnificent Theatre 

I presume this part of the city has taken a battering over the centuries and has probably been rebuilt in places , however most of the damage lays unattended and in a state of ruin which adds a certain charm when he come across this place as he start to leave the upper city walls.

I have taken many images of this brilliant structure over the years and here are a handful of images in no particular order.

so who invented the Recaro seat.....

on the way back down some of the City walls are spectacular with incredible masonry work apparently designed and shaped to allow the structure to stand the test of time without any form of cement

just lying around the place

So which way back to the village of Uzumlu?

for the bird watching readers of my blog this is a guaranteed spot for Krupers Nuthatch

This fabulous place is only a few kilometers from my house in the village, how incredibly lucky am I