Wildlife Photography Hides in Turkey

Turkey straddles two continents and three major flyways, making it one of the most species-rich countries in the Western Palearctic with over 480 recorded bird species. The Bosphorus at Istanbul is one of the world's great raptor migration bottlenecks — up to 450,000 birds of prey funnel over Büyük Çamlıca Hill each autumn. Sultansazlığı on the central Anatolian plateau is Turkey's finest wetland, with Dalmatian Pelicans, White-headed Ducks and Moustached Warblers viewable on 2–3 hour reed-bed boat tours from Sultan Pension. Birecik on the Euphrates holds the last wild-managed population of the Critically Endangered Northern Bald Ibis in Turkey — a colony of ~290 birds nesting on riverside cliffs. The unique Brown Fish Owl was rediscovered at Oymapınar Lake near Manavgat in 2004; Vigo Tours holds permits for the only licensed ethical tour to observe this owl in Europe. In the Aladağlar Mountains, the Özşafak Pension runs the definitive Caspian Snowcock photography experience — pre-dawn tractor rides to 3,000 m followed by a guided walk to the snowcock territory. The Gediz Delta near İzmir holds 10% of the world's Greater Flamingos; İZDENİZ ferry company runs affordable guided boat tours on weekends. Elsewhere, the Kızılırmak Delta on the Black Sea coast holds Turkey's largest Dalmatian Pelican colony, the Göksu Delta has Turkey's longest single-site bird checklist (332+ species), and the Mediterranean coast offers Black Francolin, Marbled Duck and Purple Gallinule. Eastern Turkey — Van Province, the Doğubayazıt steppe, the Pontic Alps and the Şanlıurfa wetlands — add Steppe Eagle, White-headed Duck, Armenian Gull and dozens of eastern specialities accessible on multi-day tours by Naturetrek, Zoothera and local operator Soner Bekir.